Chapter 2.
A/N: Hello again, thank you to those who have read and reviewed so far.
Rambo once again looked confused and switched to a grieving, distraught face. No doubt Rocky, he looked so crushed that Gunnar came forwards and put his hand on Rocky's shoulder and just rubbed gently, slowly.
"Are you okay? God that's a stupid question, course you're not" Gunnar fumbled with the question everyone was thinking.
"I'm fine, one problem though" Rocky looked up, straight at Mickey and said, "The beast is back"
Mickey paled. Everyone else looked in shock at the pair.
"No Rocky you can't return to the ring, The Line was the last, you swore, you swore to me and to Adrian"
Rocky looked even more crushed at the mention of "Adrian". The guys had never heard of someone called Adrian.
"Who's Adrian?" Tool asked tentatively.
"My wife"
"You're deceased wife, Rocky let it go, Adrian and Robbie are gone, not you too" Mickey begged.
The others gasped quietly in shock. Bar-Rocky had lost his wife too. They hadn't even known he was married.
"If that's what it takes, then yes, me too" Rocky told Mickey firmly.
"You are with me or you are against me, I'm going to Philadelphia tonight" Rocky completed his statement.
"I'm with you" Gunnar said surely.
"Me too, friends fight together" Yin added. Lee looked uneasily at Mickey.
"I'm with 'em" Lee declared.
"Oh forget it! We are all with you" Caesar proclaimed. Toll nodded affirmatively.
"That includes me, you in?" Tool asked Mickey.
"Fine, but before you do anything, train as hard as you can. You are not leaving tonight, next week" Mickey conditioned.
"Fine but I ain't stopping for no one, I will train all week and you will not stop me" The authority in Rocky's voice had everyone nodding in agreement. Albeit reluctantly in some places.
Rocky walked out and began to jog. Gunnar followed; he was going to help his friend train no matter what. He caught up with Rocky who despite his age and bulk could still move fast in a straight line. In the ring he was slow, but on the move no one could beat him. Well maybe Yin or Lee but still age was on their side.
"What are you doing?" asked Rocky.
"Helping you, I'm going to help you train" Gunnar told him matter of factly.
Rocky just focused on jogging once more, inside though delight and guilt were swirling around his mind. Guilt for the way he treated Mickey and delight because they were behind him no matter what and Gunnar was at his side.
"Good, I need a sparring partner, Yin is good, but the bar might be set too high on this one if you know what I mean"
Gunnar laughed, "Literally"
Rocky laughed. He couldn't help it. Grief was eating him up. But he was changing it into anger and anger was turned into determination which was better than wallowing in self pity and sorrow for his son. Something occurred to him. He and Gazzo left on good terms, so why kill his son? Didn't matter, when he killed- beat Gazzo he would ask the survivors of his onslaught. He thought back to his slip up, would he kill Gazzo who had done wrong to him, unlike Drago who had killed Apollo just for being in the ring, yes he could but he wouldn't. Same way he didn't kill Drago. No, he would just box him within an inch of his life.
"No kidding" he added grinning.
He and Gunnar continued to jog for another hour before heading back to Tools. Altogether they spent three and a half miles at a constant jog.
"You took your time" commented Lee to which Barney scoffed and said;
"You should have been in Russia while I was training, you wouldn't be saying that then"
"Why? How long did you jog for then?"
"I didn't jog, I ran up the mountains"
"Whoa! No way" Lee said.
"Uh yes way, I did everything naturally, no equipment. Just a horse cart, hay bales and chopping logs for strength building. Running for cardio" Rocky told him matter of factly.
"Horse cart?" asked Toll. He had never heard of a sportsman do such a thing.
"Yeah, Paulie and the others would sit in the cart and I would lift it up"
"How many were in the cart?"
"Three men, it wasn't so difficult then, couldn't do it now though. Maybe the horse cart on its own"
"Nah no way any man at around forty could do that" Toll said matter of fact.
"He could, he could, I'll swear blind!" Mickey exclaimed proudly.
Caesar shook his head in disbelief, and then he looked at the TV time's magazine and did a double take. Rocky: A tribute at 17:00 on Sports channel. He marked it on the magazine he was watching that. And he was recording it for whoever missed the first show.
"C'mon Gunnar, I want to spar" Rocky told him, "Then I'll do some weights"
Rocky started to stretch, using his whole body. Not unlike a wrestler would do before a match.
"Yeah don't forget what Apollo told you" Mickey said a hint of sadness creeping through his words.
"No worries, my friend will not be forgotten and neither will his advice. Don't forget he beat me a few times"
"He used to beat you more than just a "few" times" Mickey said.
The others sensed the grief in the words when they spoke of 'Apollo'.
Still one must have been oblivious because;
"Who was Apollo?" asked Toll.
"My friend, he was killed by Drago in the ring. Thought he could take it but an uppercut from the Russian broke his neck" Rocky deadpanned.
Everyone winced. It seemed who ever Rocky knew died.
"Who was Paulie?" asked Lee trying to change the subject.
"Adrian's brother, he's fine as far as I know?" Rocky looked at Mickey before finishing his sentence raising his eyebrow.
"Yeah Paulie is fine, married off and got a kid last time I saw him" Mickey informed him.
The team blew sighs of relief as quietly as possible.
"Anyway, sparring time" Rocky told Gunnar.
"Sure you're ready?" asked Gunnar cockily.
"I've beaten scarier, bigger men then you" Rocky said defiantly yet with a smile.
"Oh yeah?"
"Hell yeah".
They both stepped into a makeshift ring formed by the bikes and furniture. Once again wraps were brought out, but this time Mickey counted them in.
"1...2...3...GO!"
They both jogged to the centre of the ring and before Gunnar could process what had happened Rocky had punched him one, two, three times using the jab punch to wind him.
Gunnar retaliated. Sure Rocky was fast but once again strength was more Rocky's thing.
He punched Rocky on the right shoulder making it weaker. Ha, he thought. I have the upper hand, because I have limited the use of his right arm.
Mickey laughed out loud. He had caught onto Gunnar smug look. But what he didn't know could hurt him.
Rocky also smiled and pounded Gunnar in the stomach with his left hand and defending himself with his practically useless right. Yes it hurt to move it but he would recover shortly.
Rocky swung another punch in all his South Paw glory right in Gunnar chest pushing him backwards.
Gunnar came forwards again and tried to punch Rocky's left shoulder but while Rocky wasn't fast enough to dodge completely he diverted the hit back to his right but this time on his chest.
"Round 1 over" Mickey declared.
"What this is only sparring no rounds!" Rocky declared. Mickey glared at him and gestured him over to a corner.
"Fine, round one over" Rocky said. He stomped off to his corner and Gunnar to the other. They both sat down swiftly.
Mickey came over with some water for Rocky while Tool did the same for Gunnar.
The team flocked to Gunnar.
"Still cocky?" asked Lee.
Gunnar looked at him.
"No" he said simply, "I hit him practically as hard as I would hit to knock one out on his right shoulder and he barely flinched. No he has too much stamina and strength.
Caesar whispered into his ear.
"You what? A tribute show?" Gunnar replied out loud but still quietly.
"Yeah in an hour".
"Record it. I'm gonna watch it but just in case"
"Ready?" Shouted Mickey once Gunnar actually had a drink.
Gunnar dipped his head.
"One...Two...Three... Go!"
They both charged forwards again. They exchanged soft blows and both dodged building up the tension.
Gunnar didn't expect it, he didn't see it. And he definitely couldn't hear it. But it happened.
Suddenly Rocky's fist shot up and socked him one in the middle of the chest and his arms flew open with the force. Then Rocky was in between his arms, hunched down and punching his stomach before backing away far enough for another blow to the chest.
Gunnar fell backwards onto a motorbike not unlike Yin from earlier.
"Yo I did it Mickey!" Rocky said gleefully. Then concern flashed across his features.
"Yo Gunnar, are you okay?"
"Yeah m'fine"
A/N: Tribute show next chapter I think.