Chapter 5: Boiling Point

In the locker room, Lance is up before anybody else. He glances at the clock as it says 5:22 AM. He throws on some casual clothing on with a jacket with a hood over his head, he leaves a note for Richard and Kevin and leaves to take a walk to think about things. As he's walking around, he notices a few stores ready to open, prepping for another day here in Glitzville. There's a few people walking around here and there, but not as much as it usually is. Lance sees a cafe that's open, and he realizes it's the same place he and Emily went when they went out just a couple days ago. He walks in and sits at the front counter. He's not waiting for anybody; just sitting and thinking as what has transpired with Shawn. He keeps having flashbacks to the encounters with Emily, after Richard's match, the hallway, and then to last night. As he's pondering, deep in thought, a voice is heard from a distance.

"Good morning, sir! How may I help you today?" As Lance looks up, taking off his hood, the waitress recognizes him right away. "Oh! I know you. You're Lance, right?" the young, yellow Toad asked. She has a typical waitress outfit on with short, brunette hair. Lance looked confused. He's never seen this girl before, but how does she know him?

Lance, thinking not to be rude, firmly asks, "I'm sorry, but have we met?" The young Toad giggles.

"Oh no, we haven't. My friend Emily has talked about you recently," she responded. "My name is Sarah. I work the morning shift here." Lance feels a little guilty as he thought he was rude to her.

"Oh, geez! I'm sorry I got so defensive," Lance said as he apologized. "It's been a rollercoaster these past couple days." Sarah laughed again. "It's fine!" she responded. Lance still had a gloomy look in his face.

Sigh, what a roadblock this is. Shawn has the media wrapped around his finger, and knowing Emily's friend here, she's probably mad about how they're treating her. I just wish there was a way to have one day of freedom from all this. Dad talked about this kind of stuff, saying I need to stay out of other's affairs, but always told me to do what I truly thought was right. Now that I'm thinking about it, the night of Richard's fight, was what I did REALLY the right thing to do?

Can I…really handle this? Lance began to doubt himself.

Sarah looked worried. "Hey, are you okay? Something on your mind?" she questioned. Lance looked up to her, as she had a serious look on her face. He looked down, like he was ashamed of something. "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but just so you know, any friend of Emily's is a friend of mine. Knowing Emily, she'll realize it, too, and she'll ask you the same thing. So please, tell me: What's wrong?" Lance saw that Sarah cared. He sighed as he began to open to her.

"You probably know what has been going on. Shawn's been making life hell for Emily and for myself. Ever since I shoved him after he was beating on Richard, he's been telling the media some insane things, and they're buying into it. I know you can't listen to the media all the time, but it's been taking a toll on not only me, but her, too. At least I think it is." Lance explained. Sarah listened to every word. She pondered for a few moments until she responded with her opinion.

"You're right," she started. "Emily can't stand it either. She's strong, though. She talked to me last night balling her eyes out about the whole thing after we left. She put on such a strong face, I couldn't even tell something was wrong. That was a first for any of us. Honestly though, if she didn't speak highly of you, I would have my doubts about you."

Gee, than- wait what?! She speaks highly of me? About what? Ever since I delved into her ex's affairs, I figured she wouldn't like me all that much.

"I will say this though," Sarah continued. "I can see that you mean well. I'm pretty sure you didn't want any of this to happen. Nobody does, come to think of it. What I ALSO see is doubt written all over your face." Was it that obvious? Oh man, here we go.

"One thing's for sure," Sarah stated. "That Shawn is an ass. Seriously, he's an egotistical prick, and wasn't very good to Emily. He's lucky I never got to smack him silly. Anyway, moral of the story, stay true to yourself. Things manage to work themselves out, even when you least expect it." Lance felt better about himself. He started to smile, and Sarah as well.

"Hey, thanks for the talk and the advice. I really needed that. You're a pretty cool person." Sarah giggled, as she blushed.

"My pleasure," she said as she collected herself. "Now, since that's all over and done with, what would you like?"

Lance ordered his usual coffee with cream, as well as a breakfast sandwich on the side. As the clock worked around 6:00 AM, customers started to make their way through the café. Some recognized Lance as they discussed what's been going on with current events, all of which are currently on his side when regarding the issues with Shawn.

Meanwhile in the locker room, Kevin and Richard both wake up, and realize Lance isn't there. As they wonder where he could've went, they see a note on the door. It said:

I'll be at Joel's Café if you wanna stop by. -Lance

Lance is eating his breakfast sandwich as Richard and Kevin walk in. There are cheers in the café as they're congratulated on the victories last night. They sit beside Lance as they look at what they want to order.

"Hey man, how are you holding up?" Kevin asked, concerned. Lance smiled with confidence.

"I'm doing better," Lance responded. I met Sarah and her and I talked about it. She's friends with Emily. Just needed to clear my head, that's all."

"Thank god." Richard said with a little smirk. "Or else we'd have to feed ya to the press again to shape you up!" They all laughed as they enjoyed their breakfast. Kevin has an omelet and Richard has his usual bagel with cream cheese.

Lance right then and there cuts right to the chase. "So, what do you guys think of the whole Shawn situation?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Richard retorted. "I think it all depends how much Jolene gets annoyed by it. It's at least caught her undivided attention by now, it seems. When she gives warnings, she means business."

Lance nodded in agreement. As the three finish up and pay their bill, Sarah caught them before they left. "Hey guys! Make sure to kick some major butt today!" she exclaimed. The other customers cheered in agreement as they walked out.

"Hey Lance, I think you finally have some fans!" Kevin joked.

"Yeah, and your make-believe section is still empty it seems!" Lance joked back.

"Hey man, that's cold! I'll make sure to get you back for that one!" Kevin said, astounded, but amused.

As the three joked their way back to the locker room, Jolene was waiting for them. She had a much more serious look than she usually does. Lance was a little nervous. Oh crap, she isn't too happy.

"I see you guys are still cheerful, considering what happened last night," Jolene said in an annoyed tone. The fighters fell silent, not knowing how to respond to the statement she made. Kevin finally chimed in.

"I guess so. Getting under Shawn's skin was a lot of fun yesterday. You should-" Richard elbowed him, whispering "Enough" to him, seeing that Jolene was already bothered by it enough.

"Regardless what happened, it's become a much bigger issue. First thing's first: Your matches today. Richard, you get a Major-League shot tonight. Kevin, you moved up to Rank #25, but you'll be defending your spot against Rank #26 The Vines of Judgement, Vernon." Jolene then turned to Lance, who was waiting for his matchup. Jolene looked at him deep in the eye and said, "And Lance? Come with me. We need to talk." The room falls into an awkward silence. Jolene walked out, and behind her was Lance, who had a worried look on his face. Kevin was worried.

"Oh crap, is he gonna get suspended?!" asked Kevin. Richard chuckled as he said, "No, you would have to try really hard to get suspended, dude. I think she's just concerned with what's been going on with Shawn. I would be, too."

Meanwhile, Lance follows Jolene into her office. Her assistant is handling paperwork as they walk by. Once they both sit down in the office, Jolene took a deep breath. Lance had no idea what was going to happen. Jolene, just spit it out already. Suspension? Fine? Special orders, or something? I knew this wasn't gonna end well. "Lance," she started. "This whole thing with Shawn is getting ridiculous. I know he can be kind of a jerk, but seriously, what's the big deal? I just want to know. Are you trying to prove a point?" Lance looked surprised, as he thought he was in trouble. He cleared his throat as he was about to speak.

"Well, he's been spreading lies about myself and a friend to the media, and they've been eating it up. It also doesn't help that he had two other people try and jump me just yesterday. Please tell me you saw that." Lance responded defensively. Jolene had a puzzled look on her face, trying to decipher what exactly is going on.

"I saw some of that." Jolene agreed. "I also saw that you didn't throw any punches either. I thank you for that, as usually a fight breaks out. However, what happened in the ring last night after you match was uncalled for. Your retaliation was expected, but I don't think this whole situation should've happened in the first place. If I had to guess, he's had it out for you since you stood up for Richard. Am I right?" I mean she isn't wrong, but isn't one hundred percent right. I wonder if bringing up the whole incident with Emily would help.

"I would like to believe that," Lance responded. "but there's a little more to it than that. You see, I met someone named Emily after my first match. We went to the café nearby and just talked. Next thing you know, Shawn comes in. I find out that Emily is his ex-boyfriend. He got defensive with me, which was natural, but he was also being rude to Emily in the first place." Jolene's expression got worse. It went from puzzled to angry quick.

"You got to be kidding me, right?" she said with anger. "All this over a GIRL?!" Lance struggled to find a response.

"N-no! Jolene, don't get the wrong idea! We just met! We were just getting to know each other, that's all! You must believe me. Ever since that, Shawn's been telling the media that I have a "thing" with her and has blown it out of proportion!" Jolene looked at Lance dead in the eye. She could see the sincerity in them, as he's pleading for her understanding. She calms down and sighs.

"Don't worry Lance, I believe you." Jolene said calmly. "I'm calling Shawn in after I make my rounds around the locker rooms. I just want you to try and avoid him as much as possible, even though that might be inevitable, now that the media is involved." Lance felt relieved. His sigh of relief told the entire story to Jolene. "Now, here's your match tonight. You bumped up to Rank #37 after that big victory against Henry. You'll be facing Rank #36 The Shell of Grit, Nick." The purple Dizzy Koopa, huh? "One last thing, Lance," as she says as Lance was getting up. "I might be at my wits end if something else happens tonight. This isn't a warning, but take it as you will." Lance nods in understanding as he leaves her office.

Sigh, what a situation we have here. I can't really say much about the media: It's the media. What I'm more concerned about is how Shawn is involved. Knowing him when he walks in here, he'll probably bring up some lame excuse for his actions. Whatever transpires between now and tomorrow morning will shape what I have in store for those two.

Lance returns to the locker room and tells Richard and Kevin what happened. Kevin sounds relieved, but Richard wasn't surprised. "See Kevin, I told you he would be fine." Richard stated. Kevin just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, who do you got tonight?" Richard questioned, changing the subject.

"I got Nick tonight." Lance responded. "Isn't he new, too? I heard he joined two weeks before I did." Kevin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right. Both of you are undefeated, too, which is the most interesting part. You might actually draw an interesting crowd tonight." Kevin responded jokingly. Lance gave him a light shove in response. "Hey, my crowd is still bigger than your imaginary section you have!" Lance responded with a comedic smirk. They all laughed as they joked about one another. They left the locker room to walk around town, which Lance has yet to do since he got here.

As they're walking around town, the three are getting stares here and there from passerby, but mostly are towards Lance. He became annoyed quickly. "Sigh, seriously, what's with the looks today? It's like I committed a crime. What's next, some dumb rumor that relates with Emily?" Lance complained. Kevin laughed at his response when suddenly, they see a T.V that has both Lance and Emily on it, as they walked over, their eyes widened, like they saw a ghost.

"This just in! Emily was spotted walking into Lance's locker room yesterday afternoon, along with Richard and Kevin. Is there a double love triangle? Just what is this girl into? Karley Koopa will give her thoughts on the matter in a few minutes!" said the reporter on the T.V.

Lance was speechless. From what he was complaining about came true. Kevin and Richard just stood there quietly, until Richard spoke up. "What the hell. This is a low blow, even for Shawn."

Lance quickly turned his head to where Richard and Kevin were standing. "Are you sure this is coming from him?" Lance questioned, not wanted his nightmare to become a reality.

"Lance, come on. Use your head. The media wasn't even talking about you until your little feud with Shawn started." Kevin retorted. Lance went deep into thought.

He makes a good point. Is Shawn's ego that hurt than he tends to make me clinically insane by the end of the day? I'm sick and tired of all this. I'm settling this today, one way or another, once and for all. It's time that he's finally taught a lesson. Sorry Jolene, but it's gotta be done.

Lance clenched his fists as he made his decision. Reporters spotted him, and they started coming toward them quickly. Lance motioned Richard and Kevin to go back toward the locker room. Unfortunately, a reported caught up with them and approached Lance. "Lance, what can you say about your relationship with Emily?" Lance ignored the question and many others as they entered the hallway where the locker rooms are. Right as they're about to go in, Lance sees Shawn out of the corner of his eye, laughing with a fellow major-leaguer. Richard realizes who Lance sees. "Don't do it, dude. I know you're ang-" Lance ignored his warning and started running toward Shawn.

Shawn hears footsteps and is surprised Lance is approaching him. Lance gets to him, grabs him by the shirt and pins him against the wall. "Whoa, Lance! What seems to be the problem?" Shawn asked with a smirk on his face. Lance wouldn't have any of Shawn's taunting smirk anymore.

"Shut up. You know what the damn problem is. I know what you said to the media. I'm not dumb." Lance responded in anger. Shawn wasn't fazed however. Shawn then laugh as loud as he could, as if he couldn't help it.

"Really?" Shawn whispering, still chuckling. "What in the world are you gonna do about it? Oh yeah. NOTHING. You can't do a DAMN thing, ESPECIALLY in front of everyone here. And you wanna know why? It's because you're a filthy minor-leaguer. You won't get anywhere. So many people had the same attitude like you, and you're just the same." Lance looked down after hearing those words. The reporters, cameramen, and other fighters are looking in suspense. "Aww, what's wrong? Are we gonna cry?" Shawn said, taunted him.

Just then, something inside Lance snapped. He slowly looked up to Shawn, with his own cocky, smirky smile. "There's one thing you should know about me, Shawn," Lance said with a controlled voice. "I'm much more different than those fighters. You wanna know why? Because you did something you never should have done, and you'll regret it for a long, long time."

Shawn just scoffed at Lance. "And what exactly is that?" Lance put Shawn down from against the wall.

"You pissed me off." Right after Lance said that, he lands a hard punch on Shawn's face, ensuing a brawl in the hallway. It's utter chaos as Lance, Shawn, and his major-league friend are going at it. Reporters and cameramen are trying to get decent shots, but the other fighters lead them out of the hallway. Security is trying to break everything up, but Lance and Shawn are still going at it, making it too rough for anyone to jump in. Shawn's friend tries to jump in, but is met by Richard, and Kevin is still standing there, in shock.

Just then, Jolene comes in and lets out a loud, piercing scream that echoed throughout the Glitz Pit.

ENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH!

Shawn and Lance stop right away after hearing Jolene. Her face was about as red as her outfit she wears when in the ring. "I DON'T CARE WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT ALL OF YOU BETTER GO TO YOUR LOCKER ROOMS, OR SO HELP ME, THERE WILL BE RAMIFICATIONS, NO QUESTIONS ASKED, PERIOD. IS THAT CLEAR?!" Suddenly, the entire hallway clears out in a matter of seconds as they go back to their locker rooms. Jolene let out a big sigh. What in the WORLD am I gonna do with those two?! It's not like they can't fight each other yet. Wait a minute… Jolene goes back to her office thinking of ways to deal with this.

Meanwhile, Lance is back in his locker room with Kevin and Richard, along with a few other fighters. Lance is still angry, Richard looks worried, and Kevin looks as if he's still trying to comprehend what happened just like the other minor-leaguers. It was silent for a few short minutes until another fighter said something.

"Y'know, that was the most amazing thing I ever saw," said a familiar voice. Lance looked over and it was Jacob, the Goomba of Terror who was Lance's first opponent. Lance looked confused. As Lance was about to say something, he sensed that he had more to say, as Jacob was looking right at him. "For someone who's just starting here, I'm impressed you stood up for yourself, and many others in the minor-league see that. I've seen a couple newcomers with big dreams like you come in. Then, people like Shawn make them feel like they're nothing. I've been through it, too, but this isn't about me. It's about you and your resilience."

The other fighters nodded in agreement. Jacob looked at Kevin, as if he was trying to tell him to say something. Kevin picks up on it as he follows up by saying, "He's right, you know. Most people would've just given up once the media kicked in. Never seen somebody go through so much abuse and still trucked along."

Lance was deep in thought. Then, another fighter chimed in. It was a purple Koopa Troopa with purple sunglasses. "Honestly, I don't know why or how this whole thing with Shawn started, but I'm glad you knocked his head in. Seriously, that was awesome."

Chuckles echoed in the room. As soon as the koopa troopa was going to continue, Jolene walked in with security. "Nick and Lance? You fight is up next. Lance, you'll be getting an escort from security in case Shawn or his goonies have any dumb ideas. Surely you understand." Lance nodded, and noticed that the Koopa Troopa who was talking to him was his opponent for the evening.

Talk about intense. I never even knew Shawn was like this. Something about his whole demeanor bothers me, though. He started two years ago and was one of the best up-and-comers the Glitz Pit has seen in years, and he was in line for a shot at the title. Did he grow a big head because of his status?

Back home in Petalburg, Lance's Mom and Dad watch on TV what the latest gossip is about before the Glitz Pit is kicked off. They see the storylines about Lance about his latest encounter with Shawn. Flare has a smirk on his face while Mr. Vernon is concerned. He turns to Flare and sees his face. "Why are you laughing at that?" he asked. Flare continued to grin. "It seems to me that Shawn has been going at him for days now. I started digging and found this on the internet about recent rumors." Flare hands him the tabloid article that he brought with. After seeing it, Mr. Vernon started to understand. "It's basically a bully being a bully. Lance has dealt with these people before. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." Flare explained.

Meanwhile at the Glitz Pit Arena, Jolene is about to introduce the first fight of the night. The crowd was as loud as it could be.

"Good evening everyone, and welcome back for another night at the Glitz Pit! Tonight, we're starting off with a bang, as two undefeated newcomers battle it out for rank in the minor-league! Introducing first, he's a perfect 5-0 to start his career, and considering how convincing his wins have been, fight fans have begun to take notice. HE'S THE ONE, THE ONLY…

RANKED #36 IN THE GLITZ PIT, THE SHELL OF GRIT, NICK!

The arena is followed by loud cheers for Nick, the purple Koopa Troopa. He looks intense and ready to go as he has a grin on his face. He spots someone he knows in the crowd and gives a quick wave. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he spots Shawn in the center section. He doesn't give it too much thought as he focuses on his match.

"And finally, this fighter is ALSO undefeated at 3-0, as he picked up an impressive victory over Henry, the Iron Bulldozer. He's the newest of our fighters, but he packs QUITE a wallop. INTRODUCING…

THE CRUSADER OF DESTINY, LANCE!

The crowd just erupts with excitement as they remember his match against Henry. Fans start chanting his name in succession, which makes Lance even more pumped. He spots Emily and her friend, Sarah, whom he met this morning. He nods to them, acknowledging them. They both smile, although Sarah does so while blushing at the same time. Just like Nick, he sees Shawn sitting in the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

Emily turns to Sarah as she sees her blushing. "Why are you blushing? You're so weird!" Emily exclaimed, poking some fun onto her friend

Sarah just brushed it off. "I've never had a fighter see me specifically and recognize me is all!" as she says, twirling her hair.

As both fighters face each other, Nick just says "Show me what you're truly capable of." Then back to each other, and back off. Jolene is about to sound the gong.

"Let's keep it clean, boys! GET YOURSELVES READY TO…."

BRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL!

As the gong is heard, Nick immediately starts charging at Lance, throwing both punches and kicks, but Lance dodges them easily. Just as Lance is to start his counter attack, Nick launches up in the air in his shell, spinning around. Lance, standing there confused, backs up as he doesn't know what to expect.

I don't know a single thing about this guy. Might as well start on the defensive to get a read on this guy.

Just then, Nick shouts "THUNDER SHELL!" and a zap of lightning hits Lance very quickly. As Lance is stunned, Nick bursts on in with a flurry of punches and kicks, and performs a shell slam on Lance.

UGH! What in the world…?! Who knew a Dizzy Koopa could learn how to use lightning?!

Lance gets up quickly, as he readies himself. Nick appears behind him, as he never noticed. He knocks Lance down with another shell slam. ARGH! How did he appear behind me?! And so quickly?! Lance gets up again, looking at Nick. "Is this gonna be the whole match? Come on, now." Nick says confidently. If that's how you're gonna play, then so be it.

Lance settles down and starts attacking Nick, however, he's dodging all of his punches and kicks. Nick slips away from Lance and gets behind him. As he performs another shell slam, Lance notices he's behind him again, and grabs the shell, stopping him from moving he throws him up and hits him with a drop kick. "UGH! Impressive." That did something. He's using his elusiveness as a Dizzy Koopa to get behind me. Interesting…

As Nick gets up, he doesn't see Lance anywhere. The crowd is astonished as Lance is behind him, and starts wailing on Nick. "DRAGON FURY!" Lance shouts, as he starts glowing blue, landing punches and kicks in succession, and slams him down on the ground. "UGHHHHHHHHHHH!" That speed…! It's no joke. That…did more than expected…ugh! But this is FAR from over! Time to increase MY speed! "KOOPA TAILWIND!" Nick shouted, and very quickly charges lance as their fists and feet meet each other, matching each other. Exchanging blow for blow, they both finally connect with punches at the same time. Lance to his gut, and Nick to his chest. Suddenly, Lance shouts "DRAGON DANCE!" Still glowing blue, he's then surrounded by blue fire, and yet another fierce exchange takes place. Both fighters are hitting their marks, but Lance gets the best of him as he combos a punch and knee, and then throws him up. Right when he shouts "SERPENT DRA-" Nick shouts "SHELLSHOCK!" Nick retreats inside his shell and lightning strikes it. Lance gets heavily damages as he was right next to that attack. "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Did he just- Nick does not waste any time as he jumps up and shouts "SHELL BARRAGE!" With blazing speed, Nick inflicts more damage as he continuously hits Lance in succession as he hits Lance from multiple directions. "UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He…sure doesn't waste any….time to…strike! Lance is slow to get up on one knee, with the crowd going crazy for Nick.

Richard and Kevin look on, concerned. "Geez, this guy is GOOD. He knew exactly where Lance would be in that point in time." Kevin explained. Richard nodded.

"I wouldn't call it just yet. Let's see if Lance can turn this around." Richard says with confidence.

Emily and Sarah have scared looks on their faces. "Is…he okay, Emily?" Sarah asked. Emily couldn't say anything. All she could do is watch the whole match unfold.

Back in Petalburg, Flare waits in suspense. "I think it's time he'd bring out the fury. Don'tcha think, kids?" Mary and Kyle look on, as Mr. Vernon sits patiently.

The crowd chanting Nick's name now, as Lance gets up. Nick surprised he could get up so quickly. This guy has guts, I'll give him that. I'll just have to amp it up to finish this. Lance suddenly starts glowing blue. What's this? He didn't say anything, and he isn't attacking. What's he up to?

Lance turns around and faces Nick. The crowd reacts to him, as Shawn's attention is grabbed right on Lance. "You said you wanted me to give it my all…right?" Lance says heavily. Nick has a confused look on his face.

"Yes, I did. You don't appear to be doing so and it's cost you the match, I say. Unless you have something up your sleeve, of course." Nick states, confident in his position.

"Lance just smirks, chuckling to himself. "I don't think I can do that for you." Nick is unamused by his remark. "However...I can give you…" Lance appears behind him in a mere millisecond and said, "I can give you a taste." Lance hits Nick with a flurry of combinations of punches and kicks. Nick, trying to keep up, can't see Lance. WH-WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HE?! Lance reappears in front of him and shouts "DRAGON TEMPEST!" A silhouette of a dragon forms around him as he starts wailing attacking combinations with punches and kicks, and slams him with a drop kick. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nick screamed in pain. THIS IS ONLY A TASTE?! The crowd roared so loud, it felt like the building shook.

Shawn looks in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Richard and Kevin looked on in the locker room in shock, seeing how he was so fast, they couldn't see him.

Emily and Sarah's jaws were dropped to express how amazed they were, and in Petalburg, Flare and Mr. Vernon were cheering very loudly. Mary and Kyle couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Nick kept charging at Lance, throwing punches and kicks, but Lance was too fast for him. In a last-ditch effort, he shouted "THUNDER SHELL! Lightning struck, created a smokescreen. Lance was nowhere to be seen, as he was behind Nick. "NO! I WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN! MACH SHELL!" Interesting… One of the fastest attacks to learn, he charges into Lance with his shell. As he lunged into him, the crowd couldn't believe what they saw. Lance stopped his attack, shell in his hands. "How…How is that even possible…?" Time to finish this. Lance throws him up and shouts "HYPER DRAGON THRUST!" His arm and fist turn blue, and thrusts right through Nick, creating an explosion. As the smoke clears, Lance is standing over top of Nick, who laid down on the ground, unable to get up. The gong had sounded. The crowd roared in excitement and amazement.

WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER! THE CRUSADER OF DESTINY, LANCE!

Emily, Sarah, Kevin, Richard, and Lance's family all jump up, cheering in excitement for Lance's win.

Nick gets up and whispers "you are insanely good. Keep it up, dude." They shake hands and as they leave the ring, Jolene calls Lance over. He whispers something in his ear, and looks in astonishment. He then goes back to the locker room, high-fiving fans on his way. In the locker room, he's greeted by Kevin and Richard, who are psyched about what they saw.

"DUDE! THAT WAS INSAAAAANE! THAT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!" Kevin shouted. "How are you able to MOVE like that?!"

Lance chuckles. "You can ask my Dad. It's pretty insane." He responds. Richard pats him on the back and congratulates him.

"That was the most amazing thing I've seen. You're going places. I just know it." Lance thanked him for the compliments. This kid just keeps amazing me every day. I sure hope everyone watched that match, because look out: We have the Next Big Thing.

Later that night, Kevin and Lance would later win their matches, as they win convincingly. They go out to the smoothie bar to celebrate. Sarah and Emily join as well, and their other friend Veronica, a yellow Koopa Troopa, joins as well. Fans recognize the fighters as they yell out cheers for Richard, Lance, and Kevin.

Lance notices the paparazzi is nowhere to be found. "Heh, where's the media now?" Sarah knocks on wood.

"Hey! Don't jinx it!" Sarah exclaims. They all laugh it off. You're…such a doofus. Hee hee!

Emily noticed a mark on Lance's upper shoulder. "Lance, your arm!"

Lance glances over to his left upper shoulder. There's a medium-sized bruise on it. "Oh wow, would you look at that? Mustve been from one of Nick's Shellshock. I'll be fine, Emily." You just noticed it?! You're so silly! Emily laughs embarrassingly as she blushes.

The night ends as everyone goes back to their homes and locker rooms. As everyone goes to bed, Kevin notices Lance has a determined look on his face. "Hey bro. You doing alright? Still pumped from your win?" Lance looked over to Kevin, nodding his head.

"Yeah, pretty much. Jolene also said I have the day off tomorrow, too. Oh, and my family is coming up tomorrow." Lance retorted. Kevin smiled.

"Hey, that sounds good to me! Do your R&R tomorrow and you'll be ready to go in no time. Can't wait to embarrass you in front of your family! HA!" Kevin responded in a humorous tone. Richard chimed in.

"Oh behave yourself. You might learn something for once, Kev." They all laughed and went to bed, while Lance thought to himself.

Yeah…I might be off tomorrow, but the next day is gonna be even bigger than the last couple days.

Get ready, Shawn. It's time to settle everything for once and for all.

End of Chapter 5