Author's Note: Hey guys! This is the longest chapter I have ever written. It's been a long time coming, as I've put literal months into this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, because it's a doozy! As always, feedback is always appreciated! Hope my pacing has improved!
Chapter 6: Wild Game of Survival
It's 6:47 AM, as Kevin and Richard are up at their usual joint at the café, however, Lance is not with then, being as it's his day off, he gets to sleep in, and rightfully deserved. Kevin and Richard ponder about Lance's match yesterday. Sarah is working the morning shift again, as she is being bombarded by customers, although this is nothing to her. As people come and go, it gives Sarah a little time to catch up with Richard and Kevin.
"Hey boys, how's the food treatin' ya?" she said with a smile. Richard and Kevin give thumbs up as they finish eating.
"The best as always, Sarah. Give regards to Cook Alan. He hasn't missed a beat." Richard said proudly, sipping his routine coffee.
Sarah notices Lance hasn't shown up yet. "Hey, where's Lance? Isn't he usually with you guys?" she wondered, concerned.
Kevin had a smirk on his face, like he always does when he thinks of a witty remark. "Oh, I get it! You have the hots for him, don't you?!" Kevin says jokingly. Sarah's face turns red, blushing.
"N-No! Geez, Kevin, you're such a jerk!" she says weakly. She starts twirling her hair, feeling embarrassed. Kevin laughs as he sees her reaction. Richard rolls his eyes.
"Relax, Sarah. He was still asleep when we left. He told us he had the day off last night, according to Jolene." Right when Richard says that, Jolene walks through the door of the café, mug and papers in hand. Oh. Speaking of which…
Jolene finds Richard and Kevin and goes right where they are sitting. "Good morning, boys. Still harassing Sarah, Kevin?" Kevin's face showed astonishment.
"Ms. Jolene, I would NEVER!" he said sarcastically. Jolene immediately fired back.
"You know, they say the ones you make fun of the most are the ones you like the most. It's just a perspective of mine, don't take it too hard." Richard and Sarah burst out laughing as Jolene smiled as she said that. Kevin had to stand so he wouldn't fall over. After everyone recomposed themselves, Jolene cleared her throat. "Alright, now it's time for business. Richard, as Rank #20, you get to face Rank #19 Kayleigh for your first Major-League match. Kevin? As Rank #25, you'll get to face #23 Bandy Andy. Any problems for today's matches, gentlemen?" Kevin and Richard both shook their heads. As Jolene gathers her things, she pauses. "Oh, and before I forget, Lance has the day off today, in case you're wondering."
"Ah, thanks Jolene. Have a good one now, ya hear?" Kevin replied. Jolene nodded as she exited the café. Kevin looks at Richard confused. "I don't remember anybody getting a day off in the first week. Isn't that odd?" He said. Richard nodded in agreement, but he dismissed it.
"Ah, give the kid a break. He's been dealing with Shawn the Jock since Day 1, and I'm pretty sure it's taken a toll on him." Suddenly, Shawn walks in the café with a pressing look on his face. He sees Richard and Kevin, but he just sneers at them and walks by. Richard notices how no one is with him. "Now that's odd. None of his goons are with him. Usually, there's somebody with him." Kevin chuckled.
"Maybe they got a divorce, HA!" Richard chuckled while Kevin laughed louder. They decided to downplay the scenario and finish their breakfast. As they make their way back to the locker room, they see that Lance isn't there anymore. They found a note on his locker.
Hey guys, I'm going be out for most of the day. With the family coming, I just thought I'd prepare them a little something before they get here this afternoon. I'm also going to be out training today, too. If you want to come by the Hamma Hotel by around 3 to meet my family, I'll be waiting.
-Lance
Meanwhile, on a Blimp to Glitzville…
Lance's Mom and Dad, his brother Kyle, and sister Mary are looking out as they wait to arrive in Glitzville. Mary, 18, had a concerned look on her face, more worried for Lance, if anything. As she kept hearing the rumors about Lance piling up, she couldn't help pondering what is true and what is false. She had long brunette hair, wearing a yellow spring dress. Kyle, 20, was looking at his notes from one of his college classes, as he's studying Social Work. Kyle was wearing his typical cargo shorts and grey golf shirt. Mom and Dad were sitting together; Dad sleeping and Mom reading one of her books. Mom had jeans and a green shirt on with reading glasses, while Dad had grey shorts with a white t-shirt.
Kyle notices Mary's troubled expression and walked over to her. "Hey, you okay? You don't look too excited to be here." Mary was quick to defend herself.
"O-oh…I just never flew before. That's all it is." She said. Kyle wouldn't buy that for a second
"Are you sure about that?" Kyle questioned. "Every time you say, 'that's all', it really isn't." Mary sighed with a defeated look on her face.
"Well, to be honest…ever since hearing those rumors about Lance, I just get worried." She admitted. "I know we're told not to believe any of that stuff, but…what if it's true? We don't know anything at all. Then the footage of him punching someone out of nowhere, I just couldn't watch it. It's like I don't know who that person is." Kyle gathered his thoughts. He understood why she thought this way.
"We know Lance. He's our brother. You should know that he doesn't do things without a reason. If you're really that worried, just ask him about it." Kyle said, strongly. He then took a deep breath. "I'm not gonna lie; I'm pretty curious about a few things, too, but when the time is right, he'll talk. Besides, we're gonna see him kick some butt, right?" Mary smiled after hearing him say that. It gave her some reassurance.
"Yes. At least I hope so. If he loses, we're leaving you behind next time." Mary said jokingly. Kyle chuckled and gave her a little love push. Mom looked over, checking on both, saying "Behave you two." They shrugged as they continue to look on. As Kyle went back to study, Mary took something out of her dress pocket. It was a necklace that Lance gave her for her 18th birthday. It had a diamond locket that had "Love & Protection" engraved on it. Inside was a picture of Lance, Mary, and Kyle, and she holds onto it tightly in her hands.
Back in Downtown Glitzville…
In Downtown Glitzville, Lance is wearing his black hoodie walking around, seeing what downtown looks like: a couple gyms here and there, interconnected homes, corner stores, and a few sports fields here and there. Along the way, he sees a gym where it's packed. Named "Kloop's Gym", he walks in with a determined expression and someone immediately recognizes him. A yellow Koopa Troopa walks up to speak with him.
"Yo dawg. I've seen you around before." He said. Everyone looked over as he talked to Lance. Lance immediately recognized him when he saw his face.
Oh…my…. GOD. IT'S KING K! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The former Glitz Pit Champion. So legendary. His 10-month reign was the longest since Prince Mush's 2nd reign of 13 months. He even beat Prince Mush once, too! He was my favorite growing up. The ultimate underdog while I was training. Wasn't even favored in most of his title-defenses. Something tells me he's well respected around here, if he isn't already.
"Your name is Lance, right?" he says while Lance is lost in thought. He snaps out of it quick. He was quick to respond.
"Yeah, I am," he says, trying to keep himself from squealing. "And you're King K, aren't you?" he asked with confidence. King K smiled.
"Of course. I've been seein' you fight recently. You're surprising a lot of people. What I don't like seeing is what the media has gotten into you. Why you messin' with Shawn, dawg?" Lance froze. His mind raced to all sorts of conclusions and his face turned white. Oh, dear god. Is he friends with Shawn?! Does he believe everything?!
King K looked confused. "You okay, dawg?" he asked. Lance could barely find words.
"W-Well…I..uh…I can explain-" King K cut him off right away.
"Don't worry about it. Knowing the tool bag, he's probably tormentin' ya. He can shove it, for all I care. This gym is a judge-free zone. Everybody respects one another around here. Alright?" Lance breathed a sigh of relief. Once everyone continued their routines, he walked to the locker room to drop his stuff off. One member of the gym went up to King K as he finished his water break.
"Yo K, isn't that the new guy? Why is he in a gym if he can do stuff like he did the past couple nights? It doesn't make sense. Trained 8 years and now doing more?" the young Goomba asked. King K chuckled.
"Yunno, if there's one thing you should know about fighting in the Glitz Pit…"
Nobody is perfect. No such thing as perfect. That's why we grind, scratch, and claw to get where we wanna be. If we stop workin' hard, you won't impress nobody. That's why perfection is a myth.
Lance comes out and starts stretching. King K looks on, trying to figure out what Lance's deep reason to be here. As he starts walking up, Lance goes directly to a punching wall, where the wall is padded with special technology to absorb attacks. King K starts observing as Lance starts to pick up the pace. He's delivering blow after blow. A couple other members start watching him with King K, amazed at his speed. Lance starts glowing blue, unleashing his Dragon Fury attack. Lance, pushing his limits, wants to keep Dragon Fury going until he's exhausted. More and more people join to watch him, amazed at his work ethic, especially King K.
I don't think I've seen somebody so committed since Double G-Money, The Great Gonzales. It's amazing how well he's been trained. Even with Flare passing down his ability, he's gone through matches without it not even breaking a sweat. He's gonna be something, that's for sure.
About 30 minutes pass until he's exhausted and stops, sweating bullets and breathing heavily. He sits down and takes a drink, while he finally notices that everyone was watching him. He starts feeling awkward. Uh…am I the only one who thinks this is weird?
A member of the gym, a red toad walks up to him. "You got some insane workout regimen, dude. I can see why you've been tearing it up." He stated. Lance chuckles.
"Honestly, I just think I'm lucky." The red toad laughed at his remark.
"At least you're humble, unlike Shawn." Lance grinned, acknowledging his support. Lance looked at the time and saw 1:56 PM.
"Oh geez! I gotta get going. Family is gonna be here in an hour and I look like crap. See ya around, guys!" Lance said as he left. King K smiled as he watched the newcomer leave. He then turned around to the rest of the members.
"You see that commitment?! THAT IS WHAT I WANNA SEE. THAT is how you make it. You can have ALL the talent in the world, but if you DON'T have the HEART or GUTS, you won't do nothin'! Not just in the fight business, but in LIFE." He said in a raised voice. The members nodded in agreement and resumed their training.
Back in the Glitzville Minor-League Locker Room…
Lance walked in as Richard and Kevin are getting ready for the day. They both look confused as they see Lance sweaty and out of breath. Kevin had a giant smirk on his face. "Yo Lance! Did ya finally-" Lance cuts him off.
"NO, YOU SICKO!" Lance said, raising his voice. Richard laughed hard back on his bed, while Kevin was rolling on the floor. Lance couldn't help grin, but he felt embarrassed at the same time. After the laughter subdues, Lance announces where he has been.
"I actually went to Kloop's Gym. I thought I needed to brush up on some endurance training a little bit." Kevin chuckled when he said that.
"On your day off? Well, if you don't wear yourself out, it's cool. Find time to relax, though. If you don't, you'll really wear yourself out. I've done that before." Kevin explains. Lance nodded in agreement.
"Been there, done that." Richard chimed in. They proceeded to talk about their upcoming matches tonight. Lance looked at the time and it said 2:25 PM.
"Oh geez, it's almost three! I gotta get ready to meet my family at the blimp drop off!" Richard looked up as he said that.
"Oh, yeah, you did say that, didn't you?" Richard questioned. Kevin started chuckling. "Oh geez, now that he knows, he's gonna wail on you when he gets here." Richard said as he looked at Kevin with a side-eye look.
"Hey! I take great pride at this sort of stuff!" he said gruffly. Lance thought of a joke.
"Yeah, his imaginary fans already embarrass him enough with all those empty seats!" Lance retorted with a smirk on his face. Richard started laughing into his pillow while Kevin burst out laughing. After everyone calmed down, Lance took his shower and got dressed, wearing a plain grey t -shirt and blue jeans. Lance sees that it's 2:55 PM. "Alright guys, I'm off to meet my family at the station. I'll see ya tonight, alright?" Richard and Kevin say their goodbyes as Lance exits the locker room. Kevin had a smile on his face, and Richard sees it.
"What are you so happy about?" questioned Richard. Kevin giggled a little bit as he started to explain himself.
"It's nice to see someone have the support he does." Richard stared blankly, confused.
"Why do you say that? Sounds like you're getting soft, hehe." Richard said with sarcasm. Kevin just shook his head.
"Look, all jokes aside, I'm happy for him. The last couple rooks that have come and gone never had something like he had. I saw the newspaper of Petalburg a few days ago, the day he was signed, and he was on the front page. It talked about how Mayor Koops, who also competed here with The Great Gonzalez, got the whole town together for a going away/good luck party. I really like stories like that." Kevin explained, showing his softer side. Richard smiled.
"Never knew you had a soft spot for stuff like that, Kev. You never cease to surprise me." Kevin side-eyed him.
"Alright, I don't wanna be mushy, ya weirdo. Let's get ready." They both exit the locker room for their pre-match routines.
As Lance arrives at the station, waiting for his family, a reporter recognizes him and walks up to Lance. "Hi Lance. I was just wondering if you could answer a question for me. I've actually wanted to ask the other day but didn't get the chance to." She asked politely. Lance looked over and saw it was a reporter. It's one question. How much could it hurt?
"Sure thing," he said quickly. "But make it fast. I don't have much time." The reporter smiled. She looked through her notes and found what she was looking for.
"What is your honest opinion about this whole ordeal with Shawn? It seems no one has asked your opinion, yet only want Shawn's." Lance was caught off-guard by her question.
"Well…to be perfectly honest, I think he got a little TOO jealous when I met Emily. That's basically how this whole drama-fest started." The reporter wrote something down on her notepad. Once finished, she put her stuff away.
"Thank you, Lance. I appreciate that. I'll see you around!" Lance waves goodbye, then smiles. I wanna remember her. The only nice member of the paparazzi I've met here.
Suddenly, Lance's family appears out of the tunnel. Mary is the first one to run out of the tunnel and into Lance's arms, crying tears of joy. Kyle, Mom, and Dad soon follow, catching up with Mary. They all give Lance a hug as they get the chance.
"Laaaaaance! I missed you soooo much!" Mary cried, wiping away her tears.
"It's only been a week, ya drama queen." Kyle says. Mary lightly punches his shoulder. Lance gives him a fist bump to acknowledge his joke.
"Lance, you look great. Everyone's talking about you back at home. You're basically a celebrity." Mom says with delight. Dad gives Lance a pat on the back.
"You're doing great so far, even with everything going on. Come on everyone, let's get to the hotel." Dad says with a tired tone. Someone didn't sleep well, huh? Typical, hehe.
While walking to their hotel, Lance sees no sign of the media trying to approach him. He thought it was odd but shrugs it off. When they get there, he sees both Kevin and Richard waiting, conversing with each other. As they reach to them, Lance chimes in to introduce them."
"Everyone, meet Ke-" Kevin then cuts him off.
"No no, please, no introduction. I know I'm beautiful and amazing already." He says as he strikes an awkward pose, and Richard just laughs in the background. Lance just facepalms in embarrassment. Kyle and Mary chuckle at Lance, while Dad and Mom try to hold in their laughter. Lance just then thinks of a joke.
"I apologize on Kevin's behalf, he tends to brag about having only 2 fans." Everyone chuckles while Kevin has his mouth wide open. Eventually, Lance finally introduces them. "Anyways, this is Kevin and Richard. This is my Mom, Dad, my brother Kyle, and sister Mary." They all shake hands as they greet one another. Lance has a smirk on his face as he's beaming with joy and excitement. They eventually walk into the hotel to check in. I haven't seen Shawn at ALL today. I wonder if Jolene really got to him. Or if he's planning something? Wait, why am I complaining? It's the first day I haven't been mobbed, so I should SAVOR this.
While waiting for check-in to be finished, Mary and Kyle are with Lance. "So, did you break-up with craphead yet, Mary?" Lance says with an unsatisfied tone. Mary grinned when she heard him.
"Oh god, yes." Mary said quickly. "I actually broke up with him a few days ago. Good riddance, too." Lance rolled his eyes.
"Y'know, I said that to you 2 months ago. Hate to say it, but I to-" Mary cut him off, a little annoyed.
"Shut up, Lance. I hate it when you say that." She nudged him lightly with her shoulder.
"Why, cause he's always right?" Kyle retorted. They both laugh as Mary blushes in embarrassment. "You been doing okay, though, bro?" Kyle asked Lance. He nodded in response.
"Yeah, I'm good. A couple bumps in the road never hurt me." Mary's expression was filled with doubt. She finally mustered the courage to say something.
"Lance…what's exactly going on? What's true?! What's false?! Please tell me…" frowned Mary. Lance chuckled as he explained himself.
"Alright, look. Whatever stupid rumor you heard on TV is false. He's been manipulating them to his side of the story. I decided to hit him because I had enough of his crap, plain and simple." Mary looked to Lance's eyes, and knew he was being sincere. Kyle smiled on as he wanted to tell Mary something, but Mary's glare told him otherwise. Mom and Dad signaled them, letting them know that check-in was done. Kevin and Richard walked with Lance.
"Your family seems cool, dude. I can see why you wanted to do this. Your Dad knows a LOT." Richard says to Lance. He just smiled.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, Dad objected to the idea of me being a fighter. It was my mom who convinced him." Richard widened his eyes, surprised at that statement.
"Whoa, really?" Kevin said, butting in. "That's kind of funny, considering what your Mom seems like." Lance shook his head.
"At the time, I didn't realize it, but Mom always knew what's best. In fact, ALL Moms know best." Lance replied. They all chuckled in agreement.
They enter the hotel room which has two beds. Immediately, Kyle and Mary groan with dread. There was also a TV on a stand against the wall. There's also a clock on the stand, reading 4:45 PM. The family un-packs and Mom thinks of an idea.
"Hey, why don't we go to the smoothie bar we all like?" she suggests. "I think we should celebrate before Kevin and Richard leave." Everyone likes the idea and heads to the Smoothie Bar next to the Glitz Pit.
On their way to the Smoothie Bar, Lance sees Sarah, looking around in a panic. Kevin and Richard catch on to it as well. "Hey, isn't that Sarah? What do you think is wrong?" As he asks Richard and Kevin that, Sarah spots them and she quickly runs over to Lance.
"OH MY GOD! Lance! Thank god I found you!" She says shakenly. Her eyes are filled with worry and distraught. Lance's family is concerned, especially Mary.
"Sarah, calm down. What's going on?" Lance suddenly felt a sense of dread. Please don't tell me…
"Emily…something happened with Emily! There were these people, and I completely lost her in the crowd! I found her, and she won't talk to me!" She pleaded. Lance could hardly keep his anger in check, clenching his fist. His family had concerned looks on their faces. Richard and Kevin started walking up until Lance interrupted.
"Stop. Don't waste your time on this. I'll see what's going on and I'll be back quickly, alright? I won't be long." Lance stated, reassuring everyone. "Where is she, Sarah?"
"She's at the Café." She answered. Oh, how convenient. What in the world happened?! Lance runs to the café as his worry grows with every passing second. He finally gets to the café to see Emily, silently crying, looking at Lance as he walked in with a white dress with marks all over it.
Lance sits at the table she's at, and immediately starts asking her what happened. "What in the world happened? Sarah came looking for me because you won't talk to her." Emily just turned away, crying. Lance noticed one ear was redder than the other. "What happened to your ear…?"
Emily cries more, as she turns her head. There's a big, red handprint that leads from her ear to her cheek. Lance's expression goes from concerned to angry in a mere second. "Who in the hell did this to you…?" he said with a deepened, angered voiced. Emily finally mustered words.
"It…it was…one of Shawn's friends…" she muttered. Lance was trying to calm down as he listened. "Sarah…and I were just walking…and we got separated…because there was a lot…of people. Then…someone grabbed me. It was…a girl…" Lance sits next to her, arm around her shoulders, consoling her as he listened. "Her name….was Kayleigh. She's….a major leaguer."
"I'll find this Kayleigh and-" Emily cut him off.
"No! Please…don't…there's more." She says gently. Lance listened in. "I saw…Shawn in the back…laughing. Kayleigh dirtied my dress…and slapped me. She told me…that I'll never be happy here…OH GOD IT WAS HORRIBLE." She shouted, crying into Lance's arm. Lance hugs her as she tries to calm her down. Emily just lets it all out.
They've gone too far. This is worse than horrible; it's evil. Just what in the world is Shawn's goal? Why physically hurt somebody to send a message?! Why?! Just….WHY!
Emily saw Lance's angry expression, looking like he's about to burst. "Please…" she started. "Don't bother with them…please…they're not going to stop…" Lance looks into Emily's eyes as she was talking. "I…I've been dealing with this for months now…and none of it has stopped." She said as tears started pouring down her face. Lance takes a deep breath and turns to Emily, looking her in the eye.
"After tomorrow night, all of this will be over. I promise." He said confidently and sincerity. Emily questioned his statement.
"What do you mean…? Tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow night?!" She said panicking. Lance chuckled, smiling.
"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone this until it was announced but," Lance leans over to whisper to her ear. "My match tomorrow night? It's against Shawn. It's also the main event." Emily's eyes lit up, as well as her jaw dropping in astonishment. "But don't tell anyone! Jolene is more irritated of this whole thing than we are." Emily still couldn't believe what she heard. She started to doubt Jolene's decision.
"But…what if this doesn't work…? Even if you DO win? What then?" she asked, worried. Lance grinned as he looked up.
"Then we'll do what we always do best: Wing it." Emily smiled, feeling more confident after hearing Lance's solution. "Now come on," he said as he got up. "I don't wanna keep my family waiting."
She follows him out of the door, but stops him, holding his hand. "Wait! I wanna change really quick! I won't be long, I promise! Just meet me there. Please?" She asked, with a new, happy and confident face. Lance couldn't say no.
"Alright, go ahead." He said, about to walk away when he feels a tug at his hand. He looks at Emily, who's looking at him dead in the eye.
"And…thank you. For everything." She says as she lets go, skipping happily to her house.
Later at the Smoothie Shop...
Lance tells everyone what happened, leaving out the part he wouldn't say. He assures Emily is doing better, as she's coming by soon. Everyone has a smoothie, catching up, when Emily walks in. She's wearing a red dress with white flower outline designs on it, her red hair straightened and down, with silver earrings. Sarah spots her, who's wearing the same design shirt, but in yellow. They both find each other and hug each other, happy to see each other, but more of Sarah glad that Emily is doing better. As they both come over, Lance, Kevin, and Richard couldn't believe how she looked.
"Wow Emily, is this a new side of you that we're seeing?" Richard says, breaking the silence of the three. Lance's family were whispering to each other. Suddenly, his Dad leaned over to his son.
"Hey, you didn't tell me she was pretty. What's the deal?" he says, nudging Lance. Lance was put on the spot, embarrassed.
"Dad! Stop! It isn't like that!" he responds via whisper. Kyle had a grin on his face, while Mary had a tough expression, almost seeming like she was jealous.
Who IS this girl? She's TOTALLY trying to impress him! Ugh. I won't let this happen. She's been the center of attention since Lance met her. I don't trust her.
Lance, Kevin, and Richard saw something in Emily's eyes that they haven't seen before. It was confidence. Emily, for the first time in almost half a year, felt confident about herself, and it's all thanks to Sarah and the three new friends she has met. She could not be happier.
All the while, Emily brings herself to ask, "So, Mr. Vernon, you trained Lance? He talks about it a lot." He immediately responds.
"Of course. It was the deal we had when I allowed him to be a fighter in the first place," he said proudly. Mrs. Vernon laughs hysterically.
"That was after I convinced you, so don't you dare take all the credit, mister!" she exclaimed. Lance chuckled, as well as Kevin.
"Lance, you didn't tell me your Mom had humor!" Kevin stated. Lance laughed for a couple seconds.
"Yeah, she can when she wants to." He said as he hid himself with his hand. Mrs. Vernon lightly slapped his shoulder as she told him 'shut up, Lance.' Everyone was laughing as the clock struck 6:00 PM. Kevin and Richard jerked their heads up, knowing they needed to get ready.
"Well fellas, it's been fun, but we gotta get rolling. We both have matches tonight, but mines a little more personal." Richard announces, as Kevin gets up in agreement. They all say their goodbyes as they leave money at the table, paying for their share. The rest finished up and headed out the door about fifteen minutes later.
As they exited the Smoothie Bar, Lance saw Shawn standing outside the Glitz Pit with his cronies. His family, Emily, and Sarah took notice who he was staring at. Sarah's stomach sank, while Emily walked up next to Lance, confident as she can be. Lance gave a sharp stare, but Shawn laughs. He and his cronies start walking toward them.
"Oh, so he wants a piece of this, huh?!" Mary says sharply. Lance looked over to her and the rest of his family.
"Go back to the hotel. I'll meet you ther-" Lance was cut off by Mary.
"No. We're here for you. I'm sure all of this want to see this." She said with disgust. Lance chuckled as Shawn and his two cronies approached. Shawn gave his usual sneer at him, then looked at who was behind him: his family, Sarah, and Emily, as he eyed her down.
"Wow, Emily, I never knew you hid that look from me. It's nice seeing you come out of your shell for once. The only thing that bothers me? You did it for him, didn't you?!" he declared, pointing at Lance. Emily didn't bat an eye.
"No, I didn't. I did it for myself. Call me selfish all you want, but you're just jealous Lance is just a better all-around person than you. Shut up." Emily said with anger in her voice. Shawn's expression went from cocky grin to smug in mere milliseconds.
"…Whatever. Suit yourself, prude. I'll deal with you later." Shawn said to Lance. He walked away with his cronies into the Glitz Pit. Lance takes a deep breath. Mary folds her arms.
"You handled that pretty well, son. I hope one day you can get a crack at him." Mr. Vernon said sternly.
Oh, believe me, I will. It's happening sooner than you think, Pops. It's gonna be something special.
Emily suddenly turns to Lance and says, "Hey, do you guys mind if we joined you tonight? Sarah has off tomorrow, and you got the day off. It'd be pretty cool!" She asked, hands behind her back with a smile on her face. Lance looked over to his family for approval. He noticed they all approved except Mary, who had her arms crossed, looking dissatisfied. He didn't think of it as anything at the time.
"Yeah, sure!" he replies gleefully. Emily's smile grew bigger as she heard his approval, and Sarah thanked everyone for their hospitality.
Lance's family and friends get to the Glitz Pit when Dad went ahead to get their tickets. Mary saw this as an opportunity. "Hey, Lance? Can I talk to you for a second?" Lance saw Mary's face, full of doubt and serious vibes. He walks with her to a point where nobody else can hear them.
"What's been troubling you? You seem out of it." Lance asked. Mary sighed as she answered.
"It's just…well…y'know…everything going on with what the media's been saying about you…and I know you think this is kind of dumb, but…I need to know. Is everything they say about you and Emily true?" Lance smiles at his youngest sister, almost to the point where he almost chuckled.
"Well, if we're talking about the time I punched him the other day, then yes. That's true. The rumors about Emily and me? Not true. There's nothing serious like that between us. Shawn has the media in the palm of his hand. Don't go believing everything you hear, Mary. Just relax. No need to worry!" Lance said, trying to reassure Mary. Mary took a deep breath and smiled.
"Okay. Thank you." She said, relieved. She walked back with Lance where the others were. Mr. Vernon was standing outside.
"Everything is good! Let's go!" he announced. Mary and Kyle are excited, being their first time witnessing a night in the Glitz Pit. As the family enters on in, reporters are crowding the floor, but luckily not for Lance. In the distance, they see Prince Much walk out of the locker room area and the media instantly mobs him. Oh god, poor Mush. This is probably just another day at the office for him, considering. As they're walking toward the door to the ring, it swings open with Shawn walking through. Lance's family, faces filled with disgust, just walk past him, with Shawn doing the same until he gets to Lance. Their eyes lock, both with absolute hatred for each other filled their expressions as they both walked away from each other. Lance guides everyone to the seats they have for the night.
"WOOOOOW! These seats are awesome, Lance! I never thought we'd be front row!" Mary exclaimed. Her eyes instantly lit up as she looked around, while Mom, Dad, and Kyle watch her be amazed.
Dad turned around to ask Lance, "Y'know, how DID you get these kinds of seats? I mean, even when you ARE on the roster, it's still really hard." Lance had an answer right away.
"Actually, Jolene gave these to me the other night after my fight with Nick. She saw I had reserved seats for tonight and tomorrow, so she figured that she would upgrade them for us." Dad's eyes widened.
"Wow, aren't you special? You brown-nosing already?!" He said, teasing Lance. He gave a playful, light shove to his father shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Honestly, I don't know why she did that. She said there's a reason, but told me I'd find out later." Lance explained. Okay, I lied on that last part. She wanted to surprise EVERYONE. I know exactly what's going on.
Meanwhile in the minor-league locker room…
Kevin and Richard are ready for the night to begin. Kevin is the first match of the night, while Richard is right before the main event. Kevin has a concerned look on his face. Richard notices as he asks, "Hey, you alright? What's on your mind?"
Kevin turns his heard toward Richard. "I don't know. I just have this…weird feeling in my stomach. Like something might happen to anybody. Whether it's Lance, You, Me, or anybody who we were with tonight, something is gonna happen. I dunno if I might be paranoid, but considering how things have gone these past few days, it wouldn't surprise me." Richard nods in agreement, but has a response.
"Don't you worry about a thing, dude. Everyone is together. Emily with Sarah, Lance with his family, ain't nothing gonna go wrong unless some punk wants to step in." Richard responds with complete confidence. "Just go out and have fun like we always do. Everyone is in somebody's capable hands. Heck, even the Fight Gods, as much as you dislike them." They both chuckled at Richard's last comment. Kevin shrugged his shoulders, but acknowledging Richard's confidence that they have nothing to worry about. None…absolutely none, right? I only worry because the hotel they're staying at…
Is in a neighborhood that no soft-souled person can survive in.
Back in the Glitz Pit…
Jolene is walking up to the ring, the crowd loud as it ever will be. Everybody stands up as the lights focus on Jolene. "GOOD EVENING FIGHT FANS, AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER AMAZING ACTION-PACKED NIGHT HERE IN THE GLITZ PIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Crowd roars in excitement as Jolene pumps everyone in the arena up. "Glad you're ready for tonight, because it's going to be another CRAZY night at the Glitz Pit! We got some amazing fights for all of you tonight, as always! Our first match of the night includes two of the hottest minor-leaguer fighters right now! Both on big winning streaks, they hope to keep the pedal going in their quest to the major-league! Introducing first, he must take a one-year leave of absence because of a leg injury, and since he's come back, he looks better than he was a year ago! INTRODUCING….
THE GRIM DEATH BURGLAR, BANDY ANDY!
The crowd explodes for Bandy Andy. Wearing his typical green thief outfit, he looks like he was never hurt. Lance's Dad smirked. "I'm happy to see him succeed. I thought he was done after he broke his leg." Lance nodded in agreement as the others watch in suspense, waiting for Kevin.
Sarah has a look of disgust on her face. "Oh god, I still haven't found the slime ball that spread the rumor that I had a crush on this guy!" Emily laughs hysterically. "OHMIGOD, I totally forgot about that! Didn't Alissa always bring that up constantly to annoy you?" Emily asked. Sarah just responded by rolling her eyes.
"And FINALLY, he's been on a hot streak this past month, as he's racked up eight wins in a row coming into tonight! THE ONE, THE ONLY…
THE STEEL-SHELLED MONARCH, KEVIN!
And with that announcement, the stadium explodes as Kevin approaches the ring, casually as he can be. Lance and his family give a loud cheer for him, as well as Sarah and Emily. As they're all rooting for Kevin, Mary gets a strange feeling and looks behind her. Nothing she found out of the ordinary, but still having a feeling that someone is watching her.
"LET'S GET READY TO..."
BRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL!
The gong is sounded, and fight begins. Kevin immediately charges Bandy Andy with shell attacks, but he avoids them almost effortlessly. Bandy Andy catches Kevin and throws him down to the ground. Kevin dashes away, but Bandy Andy keeps up with him and hits him with a combination of punches and kicks. After being pushed back, Kevin jumps up high, but Bandy Andy jumps higher than him, and slams him to the ground again. UGH! You gotta be kidding!" Kevin shouts "THUNDER SHELL" as lightning strikes his shell and Bandy Andy, but just barely. Kevin buys himself time and jumps away, thinking of another plan.
"Kevin seems surprised of Bandy Andy's speed." Lance states. His dad nods in agreement.
"Yes. Kevin hasn't faced anybody with reflexes like this. Bandits have amazing reflexes, but Andy's in a whole other league than your average bandit." Lance's Dad explains. Lance agrees, awaiting to see what Kevin does next.
Kevin takes a deep breath. Alright…cat-like reflexes. Speed. Precision. All these things this guy has. What do I got? I know I could overpower him, but that won't matter if I can't hit him. Let's try the old-fashioned lure-them-in strategy! Kevin starts spinning in his shell, charging up his attack. Bandy Andy readies himself in a defensive stance. Kevin just keeps charging, waiting for him to make a move, but he does not. Kevin starts to grow impatient. Ugh, WHY CAN'T THIS GUY TAKE A HINT?! Wait…hint…AHA! Kevin launches himself toward Bandy Andy. He jumps up as Bandy tries to catch him, faking out his shell attack, and drop kicks Bandy Andy. Now stunned, Kevin finally assaults Andy with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Bandy Andy gets away before he finishes his combo. Slick, aren't we?
Emily jumps in excitement. "There we go!" Sarah just watches on, hoping Kevin wins this match. The crowd cheers on.
Okay, how about THIS?! Kevin tucks himself inside his shell again as he starts charging up. He then shouts, "FLAME BURST!" Kevin shoots a fire ball from his shell. Bandy Andy dodges it easily, but as the fireball lands, it explodes, catching him off-guard and launching him. Kevin jumps up to him and starts wailing punches and kicks on Bandy Andy. Kevin slams him to the ground with a drop kick. "AHHHHHHH!" shouted Bandy Andy. Just then, he picks up speed and shows up behind Kevin, who did not see him. Bandy Andy starts hitting Kevin with punches and kicks, and shouts "DARK ROBBERY!" He glows green, slamming Kevin to the ground. "UGHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Kevin, in pain. Wh-Where did that come from?! Sweet lord, he's quick! It's like my attack didn't faze him!
"Wow, Bandy Andy took that like it was nothing." Lance said with an impressed look on his face. Everyone is concerned for Kevin, but Lance's Dad objects.
"Not quite. Bandy might have taken that blow, but it came at a cost. Look closely at Bandy." They see he's out of breath. "That movement from Bandy was not natural. It took a lot of energy out of him. If Kevin sees it, he has a chance." Lance's Dad responds.
Lance thought to himself. Oh, I see. I think Kevin put a little more power into his attacks, and when Bandy Andy saw that, he panicked, forcing him to bite off more than he could chew.
Kevin looks up at Bandy Andy, seeing that he's a little out of breath, like Lance's Dad stated. It seems like that exchange took a little out of him, but still. I found your weakness Bandy. Time to exploit it. Kevin shoots his Flame Burst attack again. Bandy Andy dodges it and the shockwave it delivers, but Kevin shouts "MACH SHELL!" as he bursts toward Andy with a huge burst of speed, directly hitting him in the gut. He then continues to hit him with his Mach Shell attack, as Bandy Andy can't see where he's coming from. I can't keep up with his movements…! NO! Kevin shouts, "SHELL SLAM!" all the while Bandy Andy shouts, "TAINTED RUSH!" and they both collide. A huge explosion erupts from both of their attacks bursting head-on into each other. As the smoke clears, both fighters are on one knee, both taking heavy damage from the last attack. Bandy Andy smiles as he falls to the ground. The gong is heard and the crowd roars as Jolene announces the winner.
WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER! THE STEEL-SHELLED MONARCH, KEVIN!
Lance, his family, Emily, and Sarah gave huge shouts for Kevin, just as the whole arena did. Kevin waves around the crowd, celebrating his ninth win in a row. Lance and his family high-five each other and other fans join in on the fray. Sarah is bear-hugging Emily, who's laughing as Sarah hugs her. As Lance gives Kevin the thumbs-up, he smiles back at him, acknowledging the support him and his family give him. Kevin shakes Bandy Andy in sportsmanship, and they both head out of the arena.
Once everybody settles down, Mary gets up again. "Sorry guys, I gotta go to the bathroom really quick. I'll be back!" she announced. Lance tells her where the bathroom is before she walks off.
As she walks out of the bathroom, someone calls out to her. "Hey! Excuse me!" She turns around to look who it was. It's a green-shelled Koopa Troopa with a blue and white button-down shirt and cargo pants. Well…I don't wanna be rude, but…this is kinda awkward.
Mary, feeling out of place, just weakly says, "Hello." The Koopa Troopa smiled at her, trying to ease the tension.
"Are you by yourself?" he asked out of curiosity. Mary felt even more awkward. This is kinda creepy…
Mary collected herself. "Uh…no. I'm with my family." The Koopa Troopa nodded in response. He finally realized he slipped up.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't ask your name. What is it?" Mary had to keep her composure, as she feels off about this encounter. Well that was weird. I don't think that was on purpose.
"My name is Mary. What's yours?" she asked with confidence. The Koopa Troopa grinned, and so did Mary.
"My name is Cam. Nice to meet ya! You from around here?" Just then, Mary feels light-headed. Her vision blurries, as if she's about to faint. Cam notices something wrong. "Hey…you okay?"
"Um...I-I think I might be getting sick…I'm sorry, I gotta go." She responds weakly as she rushes back into the bathroom. Cam quickly takes his phone out and waits for an answer. As soon as he gets an answer, he says "Yes," then hangs up, walking away. She sits in the stall, curling up in a ball. No…not again. This sick feeling in my stomach…why? She recomposes herself and heads out, going back to her family. As Mary is returning to her seat, Kevin spots her before walking in the arena.
"Hey, Mary! Wait up!" he yells, catching up to her. As Mary turns and looks at Kevin, he knows something is up. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" When asked that, Mary couldn't help but tell the truth.
"Well…you see, I went to the bathroom really quick. Right when I walk out, someone was WAITING for me. So long-story short, I was being followed. As we talked, I had this sick feeling in my stomach, so I went back to the bathroom to calm myself down. It was...sigh. I had a bad feeling. I didn't trust the guy, is all." She explained, quickly cutting herself off from that last sentence. I just can't bring up what happened two years ago…I just can't. Not yet.
Kevin nods with understanding, however has doubts. I extremely doubt that. You wouldn't look like you saw a ghost with an encounter like THAT. I'm gonna have a talk to Lance after tonight. He probably knows something. "Alright," he responded. "No need to worry since he's gone, now. Plus, you're with your folks. NOTHING is going to happen to you. I guarantee it." Mary smiles as she hears him say that, feeling safer than she did just minutes ago. They go into the arena and sits with Lance and Co.
As the night goes on, each fight lives up to everyone's expectations. Everyone is having a great time until Richard's fight is coming up next. Emily and Sarah slide themselves over next to Lance for this specific match. Lance notices them next to them as their facial expressions turn serious. Kayleigh versus Richard has been on their mind since this afternoon.
"Hey Kevin?" Emily asks. "Are you sure Richard can win this?" Kevin looks over to Emily, who seems worried. Kevin chuckles and nods.
"Of course, he can. He knows what really happened. He's on a mission tonight, that's for sure." Emily looks on after listening to Kevin. Just then, Jolene comes back into the ring to announce the next match.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's time for our next anticipated match-up! First up, she's a newcomer who is already 2-0 in major-league competition. Is she the next big thing? PLEASE WELCOME…"
RANKED #19 IN THE GLITZ PIT! THE ROOT ABYSS, KAYLEIGH!
As Kayleigh enters the arena, there are cheers throughout the crowd, however, Sarah, Kevin, and Lance's family all boo. Kayleigh hears them, and looks toward their direction, seeing Emily and Lance in particular. She grins, knowing what she did. Lance just looks on, waiting for Richard.
Kevin specifically glares at Kayleigh, and she notices. She just rolls her eyes. You're in for a beating, ya crook. Just you wait. Richard will pull out all the stops to beat you. And that's the worst part, because he has never gone full throttle in a match before. As Kevin is deep in thought, Jolene begins to introduce Richard.
"AND NOW! He's the newest member of the major-league, and now he gets his first chance to prove he belongs there! INTRODUCING…"
RANKED #20 IN THE GLITZ PIT! THE ASCENDED WARRIOR, RICHARD THE HAMMER BRO!
A much larger cheer is being heard for Richard. Lance and Co. become his personal fan club, shouting loud for him. The crowd beings to chant his name. He enters the arena, looking more serious than he ever has, even with all the chanting. Lance's Dad sees something different like everyone else.
"Everybody buckle up, because this fight is gonna be the most intense we're gonna see tonight that isn't a title match." Lance's Dad announces. Everyone nods in agreement. Richard then steps into the ring, getting right into Kayleigh's face. The piranha plant is caught off-guard by his approach.
"Get ready, Kayleigh. You're gonna remember tonight for the rest of your life." Kayleigh chuckled, finding his statement humorous.
"Whatever you say, tough guy. You're not gonna lay a finger on me." She said as she backed away, readying herself. Richard stays put, assuming his stance as well. Jolene backs away and announces the start of the match. "Get yourselves ready to…"
BRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL!
The gong is heard, and Kayleigh immediately launches fireballs out of her mouth, like a true fire piranha plant. Richard dodges by jumping out of the way easily. He throws a hammer, but Kayleigh swerves out of the way, as well. Kayleigh attacks by whipping her vine towards Richard, but he blocks it with his other hammer that he quickly takes out from his back. Kayleigh tries again with he another vine, but she misses, and Richard quickly slams his hammer down on it, damaging Kayleigh. "AIEEE!" she cried out in pain. Richard suddenly moves in quickly, picking up his other hammer along with way, and starts attacking Kayleigh with his hammers, causing damage. UGH! Geez, this guy hits HARD. What's this dude's deal?! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Kayleigh regains her composure and pushes him away with her other vine that was not hit. Richard takes a deep breath and settles down. Whew. That was invigorating. I need to chill out and focus. Lance and the others look on, surprised at Richard's approach.
"Wow, I knew he was serious, but holy cow, he's GOING AT IT. He's never started a match with a full-frontal assault!" Kevin explains. Lance's Dad also chimes in.
"His emotions were doing the talking there. He also did some significant damage to Kayleigh, too. Hopefully it pays off." He retorted. Emily looks on, concerned. Come on, Richard. Please. Teach this girl a lesson.
Kayleigh, stunned by his attacks, is panting a little bit. Geez. Who knew he could pack a punch like that without even breaking a sweat? Time to get serious. She starts spitting out fire balls again, but Richard dodges them easily, however, doesn't realize they're following him. Got 'em. They circle around Richard, trapping him, eventually moving in to try and damage him Ugh…how annoying. Richard swiftly says "SHOCKWAVE!" His hammers start shinning a silver-colored glow, and slams both of his hammers hard on the ground, sending a shock blast so powerful, it disintegrates the fire balls, and hitting Kayleigh. AHHH! NO! How is it possible to make…GASP! Just then Richard moves in very quickly, with both hammers together, creating a ball of energy between the two, and shouts, "HAMMER BLAST!" He unleashes his energy built up toward Kayleigh, creating a huge explosion in her face.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screams, in agonizing pain. She's launched in the air and crashes hardly to the ground. Lance and Co. are all wide-eyed, not believing what they are seeing from Richard.
"WOW! That was insane! Who knew he had THAT in his repertoire?" Lance exclaimed. Emily and Sarah's jaws dropped in amazement. Meanwhile Lance's Dad thought differently.
"Don't get too excited. Look at Richard." he announces. They look at Richard, who is suddenly panting and sweating. Oh, I see. Looks like that attack takes a little bit out of Richard. I'm guessing that he used his own energy to channel that attack. Risky, but it looks like it payed off. Kayleigh isn't looking too good.
Out of nowhere, Kayleigh grabs Richard with her vine, catching him off guard. WHAT?! HOW?! SHE TOOK THAT MUCH DAMAGE AND CAN STILL FIGHT?! Kayleigh then slams him to the ground a few times, each time harder than the last. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Richard yells out, in pain from her attack. Then Kayleigh gets up, glowing green, and shouts, "THORN STORM." She launches her thorns up in the air, and begin to fire on Richard, who tries to get up and dodge, but Kayleigh's vine trips him, and plenty of thorns hit him, causing massive damage. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Richard screams, in more pain than he was from the previous attack that he endured. He lays down on the ring, looking lifeless. No… I let… my guard down… UGH! This'll hurt in the morning…
Kayleigh, breathing heavily, laughs. "See? You got cocky… and… left yourself open. Serves… you right." She says with a grin, convinced that she's won.
Emily immediately shouts, "GET UP RICHARD! PLEASE." The crowd joins in with her, chanting Richard's name. Lance's Dad is convinced that it's over.
"I hate to say it, but I think we're at the end here. Richard totally forgot about those vines that she uses. She usually uses them as a distraction, but this time used them to throw off Richard. I don't think he saw that coming. What clever thinking by Kayleigh." He explains.
Lance looks at his dad in disbelief. "You mean to say that she took that blast on PURPOSE?!" Lance asked, panicking. His father simply nods his head. Unbelievable. Taking a blow like that, then with your opponent having every bit of confidence, take them down like that. Such a cruel strategy. Just then, Lance notices Kevin, who is looking on very carefully and calmly.
"I wouldn't quit on Richard like that, Mr. Vernon." He says, looking at Lance's dad. "He's not done yet. Not by a long shot." He said with a smile. As he said that, Richard starts glowing silver, and gets up quickly. Kayleigh is in complete shock. The crowd roaring, so loud that it felt like the arena shook. WHAT IS THIS GUY MADE OF?!
"How...?! How did you survive that?!" Kayleigh asks, confused as everyone else in the arena. Richard just grins, clenching his hammers.
"Just like I told you. You're gonna remember tonight for the rest of your life. That thorn attack? I put my hammers on my back, shielding me from most of the thorns." He says in a calm, confident voice. Suddenly, with incredible speed and hammers in hand, he delivers blow after blow to Kayleigh. She tries to get him with her vines, but Richard hits them back. He then finally shouts, THIS IS FOR EMILY! MYSTIC HAMMER STRIKE!" His one hammer glows white, and slams it onto Kayleigh, creating a giant explosion that covers half of the ring. As the smoke clears, Richard has his back turned on Kayleigh, who lays lifeless in the ring. The gong has sounded, and the crowd erupts.
WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER! THE ASCENDED WARRIOR, RICHARD THE HAMMER BRO!
Richard raises his fist, acknowledging his victory, and his first in the major-league. Lance and everyone yelling and chanting his name with the rest of the crowd. Emily is crying tears of joy, like a giant weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Richard goes to shake Kayleigh's leaf. They shake, and they walk off. Once everything calms down, the group sits back in their seat. Emily still has a gigantic smile on her face.
"That was so awesome! I just…AHHH! I can't believe it!" she shouts. Sarah rubs her back, smiling. She hasn't seen her this happy in months. She looks over to Lance, mouthing 'thank you' to him. Emily looks at Lance, with the biggest smile on her face.
"Thank you so much, Lance. You really are an awesome guy." she states. Lance scratches the back of his head.
"Hey, I didn't do any-" he was cut off by a joint hug from both Emily and Sarah. To them, it felt like a brand new, fresh start. All Lance could do is smile and embrace them both. Then, Kevin chimed in.
"Y'know Lance, some day you're gonna have to choose who's the lucky one! HAHAHA!" he said jokingly. Lance quickly turned around, blushing, and proceeded to lightly shove Kevin. Everyone laughs hysterically, even Mary.
"S-SERIOUSLY?! Way to ruin the moment, you jerk!" he says, embarrassed. Kevin reassures him that he was joking.
"I'm only kidding. Sorry, but I couldn't help it! You're just too easy, HAHA!" Kevin added humorously. Lance just shrugs his shoulders and ignores that last statement.
The night ends with Prince Mush being victorious in his title defense. Everyone sticks around waiting for Richard. When he comes out, he's congratulated by the media and then finally by Lance and Co. They go to Hayden's Lodge to celebrate, which is near the hotel. They all have a toast for Kevin and Richard's wins. Mary decides she needs to step out, suddenly.
"Hey guys? I need to step back a little bit. My stomach feels woozy, so I'm gonna get some air. Everyone nods, acknowledging her. Lance stops her before she goes.
"Stay where I can see you. You know what time it is, right?" Lance said, concerned with Mary. Mary chuckled.
"Hey, no need to worry. I was only going to be out in front of the doors anyways." She responded with confidence. Lance sees her walk off, out the doors, standing right where she said she would.
Mary takes in a nice, cool breath of fresh air. She looks around, seeing how Glitzville is at night. She takes out her phone, takes a picture, and takes a picture of the scenery with the buildings with the lights. As she posts it on her social media page, she smiles, being at peace with where she is right now in her life. Sigh…what a day. So many questions answered, thank god, and Lance knows what he's doing. He was right, as much as it pains for me to admit it. Then, Mary notices two people with hoods walking toward her. She immediately backs away to the door. Lance, who is looking away momentarily, doesn't notice. One person, the Toad, breaks the silence.
"Why, hello beautiful." He says. Mary starts to panic. Who the hell are these freaks? "What's wrong? Don't be nervous. I was only wondering why a beautiful woman like you is wandering the streets alone?" he asks. Mary can't think of anything to say, as she's frozen to the point of fear. "Come with us, we'll keep you safe." Mary recomposes herself. Okay, SERIOUSLY Mary? Don't be scared, you're better than this!
"Sorry, boys. You're just not my type. The fact that your hitting on me makes me go TOTALLY BARFING." The expressions on the Toad and Goomba are more angry than surprised than what Mary anticipated. Uh oh…
"That was cold. We were only trying to be nice." Said the Goomba angerly. "I think we should teach you a little respect to others who are nice. Get her!" he commanded the Koopa. The Koopa approaches her, and Mary unexpectedly kicks the Koopa right in the private area. The Koopa is down on one knee, barely able to move. At that point, Lance notices what's going on outside. Mary starts running away, barely escaping the Goomba's grasp for now. She runs to wherever there's room to run. As she looks back, two more goons join the chase. WHAT THE- WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?!
Lance, not wanting to ruin the mood of everyone having a good time, thinks of a quick idea. "Hey, I'm gonna catch some air and walk around. I'll be back soon." As soon he leaves the door and is out of sight from the store, he starts running at full-speed, looking for where they could've gone. He hears a scream from Mary, "AHHHHHHHHH!" He runs in the direction where he heard her. Someone tries to get in his way, but he just quickly trips him, and leaves him behind. He hears another scream, louder than the other one, indicating that he's close. He runs into an alley with a high fence, but nobody is there. Must be on the other side then.
Mary is backed against a fence, with only three goons trapping her in an alley. The Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Shy Guy, and Toad start approaching her. The Toad removes his hood, revealing who he really was. Mary is trembling in fear. N-No…NO. HOW DID HE... "Remember me, sweetie? It's Greg." Mary is trembling in fear, remember that name and face all too well.
Flashback to 2 years ago…
Gary has Mary [16 years old] pinned to the ground, in the rain. He moves closer to her face, whispering, "I always had an interest in you…you're so beautiful. Why waste your time?"
Mary lets out a horrific scream. "HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" As Gary is about to make his move, Lance sucker-kicks him right in the temple. Just then, 3 goons come out of hiding. Lance picks Mary up and gets away, jumping onto the roof.
Present Time…
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!" she screams. Right when Gary is about to approach her, Lance comes between them by jumping over the tall fence. Mary smiles in relief, seeing him come to protect her. He recognizes the Toad's face right away. Y-…YOU.
Lance just stands there quietly, protecting his sister. Gary breaks the silence. "Well, well, well. We meet again, Lance." Lance just clenches his fists. He feels his phone vibrate, but he just ignores it. Must be somebody. I've been gone a while. "This time there's no escape, no sneak attack, no NOTHIN'. GET HIM!" All of them start rushing to attack Lance, starting a fight. Lance is avoiding all attacks, and begins to counter attack, simply by using his incredible speed to reappear behind them. They all hit each other, too late to realize that he disappeared. Then Lance glows blue, using his Dragon Fury attack, causing heavy damage to all the goons. Three of his underlings lay unconscious. Gary, the last one standing and the least injured, can't believe what he's seeing. No…he CAN'T be stronger than he was two years ago…CAN HE?! Lance is still glowing blue, intimidating Gary. NO! HE WILL NOT BEAT ME. Gary hits Lance right on the cheek. He seems to be stunned but turns his head back. THAT…THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING?! I GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE. Lance picks up Mary, jumps to the other end of the alley, puts her down, and punches Gary in the face, knocking him down. Then, he picks him up by the shirt and punches him in the gut. "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screams in agony.
"YOU SEE THIS?!´Lance yells. "YOU SEE HOW HELPLESS YOU ARE?! THAT'S HOW MARY FELT WHEN YOU ALMOST-" Mary looks at Lance at that point in time, seeing the utter rage in his eyes.
"LANCE! PLEASE, STOP! LAAAAAANCE!" she screamed, tears flowing down her face. Lance comes to his senses and puts Gary down, laying helpless on the ground. Mary sees a tear roll down Lance's face as he picks her up. The police finally arrive, asking Lance what happened.
"Please…" he begged the police officer. "Keep him," Lance looks at Gary as he begins, "in jail for the rest of his life." The police notice who he is and arrest him and his three goons right on the spot. Lance carries Mary back to the Lounge as the others wait for him. They see him carrying her, asking them what happened. As he explained, they all embraced each other. Gary has finally been arrested. He's not going to bother anyone, anymore. Finally, Lance can sleep without fearing for Mary.
As he walks in the hotel, he sees Shawn, staring right at him at next to the door. "So, beating on people on the streets now, huh?" Mary, fast asleep, rustles around his arms.
"…You saw that?! How?!" he asked. Shawn chuckled to himself. "Wait, if you saw that…why didn't you do anything?!" He hands Mary to Kyle, who can barely carry her.
"Cause you're a scrub. You're nothing to me, that's why." He explained. WHY…WHY YOU LITTLE… "Good luck tomorrow. You'll need it, so I don't end your career." He says, walking out.
Anger pulses through Lance's body. HE WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T WANT TO HELP?! GRRRRRRRR! Kevin puts his hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, keep your cool. He's trying to get under your skin." Kevin says to Lance calmly. He took a deep breath and settled down.
"Thanks, Kev. I appreciate that." I cannot wait. Finally, I get my chance at him. Finally, the end of all of this is coming. And Finally, we settle all of this. For Once. And for All.
End of Chapter 6