"How does Fujin feel about this?" Ali asks, dusting himself off.
Raijin sighs. "I ain't talked to Fujin since then. He probably hates me. I know because… he can't walk. The boulder simply crushed him too much. Even our divine healer couldn't give him his legs back. I made him faster. And I took away his biggest dream!" Suddenly Ali is in front of him and he strikes him right in the face, sending Raijin tumbling.
"STOP BEIN' SELFISH!" He yells out. That strike was not meant to take him out, Raijin can feel it. It was almost a punch full of 'love'. "How the hell do YOU know how Fujin feels? You ain't even talked to him in what?! A LITERAL BILLION YEARS!?"
Raijin wipes his cheek. "Shut up, asshole. You don't know what you're talking about!" He says running towards Ali, winding back for a punch but Ali doesn't put his guard up AT ALL, Raijin stopping his fist inches away from Ali's face. "What else do you think I deserve!? I DESERVE to be hated by EVERYONE! You! My parents! Fujin! EVERYONE! And I don't CARE! I ruined EVERYTHING because of my stupid fragile ego!" He says falling to his knees slightly, weakly hitting Ali's chest.
Ali grabs his fist and pulls him to his feet. "I. I. I. SHUT UP! This ain't about YOU! This is about you AND your brother. I know how it is to give in to weakness. Let it fester and regret your actions! But you don't get to take that stuff out on others! You don't have the right to do that!" He says stomping the ground in anger.
Izanami looks down at the two of them, tears flowing down her cheeks. "T-that's… That's why? He regrets the accident with Fujin?" She says. "My poor boy. Raijin has been carrying a heavy heart all these eons?"
Izanagi nods, also feeling a single tear flow down his cheek. "It seems we failed deeply as parents. To not realize what was happening," He feels Izanami gently lean against his chest and softly embraces her.
Raijin clenches his fist. "So what the HELL am I supposed to do!?"
"Move past it. Forgive yourself! LIVE! That's what I did! Not for MY sake but for the sake of EVERYONE ELSE!"
-America, 1954-
Muhammad Ali. A name synonymous with victory, skill, and boxing itself. A world-class fighter in every sense of the word. In boxing, it is not uncommon for a boxer to have a nickname associated with them. Iron Mike. The Hitman. Bonecrusher. So what name would befit a man, nay, a LEGEND such as Muhammad Ali? Only one comes to mind. The Greatest.
But before he was the greatest. Before he was Muhammad Ali. He was Cassius Clay. An amateur with no fights to his name but childish street brawls and sparring matches with his coach.
"C-coach..." Cassius pants sitting on the floor, sweating profusely. "W-when can I get in the ring?"
His coach, Joe E. Martin, scoffs. "If you got time to ask those questions then you got time to get those arms moving!" He yells.
Cassius gets to his feet, gritting his teeth. "Yes, coach!" He roars out punching his punching bag with all his might. This felt right. He was hitting with more force. He was feeling like he was getting faster.
It was not long after that Cassius had his first official match. At the mere age of 12, he was put against a fellow amateur boxer, Ronnie O'Keefe. As Cassius stepped into the boxing ring for his first match he felt a chill run down his spine. This is what it felt like…? There were just five spectators, but it was THIS exhilarating?! What must that big stage feel like? The stage of "Tomorrow's Champions"?
The two boxers stepped up and with just one hit, Cassius fell to the mat. "S-so… fast," He says getting back up with a few blinks. He just got punched. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It was so clean. He puts up his gloves and gets back in there.
After barely surviving the first round, Cassius gets back to his corner. "Seriously, kid?! Two knockdowns in the first round? You just let him beat you up?"
Cassius pants a little. "I don't… I couldn't do anything..."
"Just… focus on dodging his attacks then. And if you see an easy opening, go for it. Alright, get out there!" Cassius gets a firm comforting push from Joe as the second begins. Cassius watches Ronnie's hands carefully and when he sees them move he moves back just a bit, Ronnie's punch stopped mere inches from his face, leaving Ronnie shocked as he could've sworn he should've hit Cassius! Cassius, in a moment of inspiration, steps in, past his fist, and throws his strongest punch, getting a clean hit in sending Ronnie to the floor. "W-what… was that?" He says jumping on the spot a little.
"ONE… TWO… THREE… FOUR… FIVE… SIX… SEVEN… EIGHT… NINE… TEN!" The ref counts and raises Cassius' hand, leading everyone there to clap.
Cassius' little eyes glow. This is what it feels like. This is REAL. This is BOXING!
From that initial first fight, Cassius did not slow down. "Win by knockout!" (6-0). In fact, he simply sped up. "Win by knockout!" (14-0). Even if he fell down he would simply bounce back. "Win by knockout!" (25-1). Because HE… "Knockout!" (40-2) WAS… "Knockout!" (55-2) A TRUE… (78-4) WINNER! (100-5).
In just six years, Cassius had ended his amateur career with an unheard-of record. Merely five losses. He knew. He knew from that first win. That boxing was his destiny. As he stepped onto the professional field he felt a rush. "There it is again..." He comments to himself as he looks out at the immense crowd. That childish sparkle in his eyes. "YEAH! It's me! Cassius Clay!" He yells bathing in the crowd's cheers. "I LOVE YOU ALL! HAHAHA!" He laughs happily as his opponent steps up. "There's no stopping me now. Not now. One more. Come at me, Little Man!"
And one more he took. And another. And another. Donnie Fleeman, Doug Jones, Henry Cooper, Archie Moore. There was absolutely NO stopping him!
-1963-
"Can you believe what they say about me?" Cassius says smiling as he looks at a TV seeing none other than Sonny Liston. "Sonny Liston. The World Heavyweight Champion," he says seeing the interview on the screen and listens in.
Sonny Liston is sitting squeezed between the two hosts. "So mister Liston? You're scheduled to fight Cassius Clay? How are you feeling about that?"
Sonny gets a little grimace on his face. "Oh, I almost feel sorry for him. I feel like if we were to fight… I might get locked up for murderin' an innocent aspiring boxer. BWAHAHAHAAA!"
Clay gets a little grimace himself. "That sonnova bitch. Just you wait, pal. Nothing's stopping me. Not even a mountain like you,"
On February 25th, 1964, the fight was scheduled. The fight of the year. Tickets sold out in mere days. Bets were placed. Cassius was an impressive 7-1 underdog. Sonny steps up to the pre-fight measuring seeing Cassius standing and doing his usual prefight jumps. "Hooooh. Well if it ain't little, Cassius Clay. Bit far out of your comfort zone aren't you? I was 99% sure you weren't gonna show," He says taking off his towel and showing his immensely towering physique, standing almost a head taller than Cassius.
Cassius tilts his head a little. "I can understand why some people might run away from you. That smell's like a big ugly bear," He says the two laughing together for a little.
"Careful now, son. Better be careful I don't land a clean hit on that ugly mug. I might punch it clean off," He says turning away.
Cassius turns to a few spectators. "Say. After I win, you guys know of any zoos I can donate him to?" He confidently says.
As the fight began the spectators were clearly skeptical if Cassius' taunts were well-supported. But in a single maneuver, Cassius won over the audience. Sonny could simply not land even one punch. "Come on, Liston! What you got!?" He taunts. "You fight like a bear too! Strong as hell, but just as slow!" he dodges under a strong hook landing three swift stomach blows followed by a right cross to the face.
"I'm gonna make you eat those words, Clay!" Sonny charges at Cassius with a titanic swing as Cassius backs up to the ropes and begins to dodge. "How! Can! You! DODGE!?" He angrily yells as Cassius rolls out under his arm giving him a firm blow to the liver.
"I'm pretty happy, Sonny. Wanna know why?! You ain't gone down yet! You the REAL DEAL!" He yells as he leaps right narrowly avoiding a jab and following through with a swift blow to the head. "You don't even go down from a punch to the head. Not just one anyway!" He keeps jumping around the ring, his dodge and roll tactics working flawlessly.
Seven rounds. In seven rounds Cassius took only a single blow. He was relieved when the referee declared him the winner by TKO. Liston could no longer hear the bell. Cassius felt a rush run through him as people screamed his name. "WE HAVE A NEW! CHAMPION!" The ref calls out, leading to roaring applause from the nation itself.
Cassius runs to his corner jumping onto the ropes. "I AM THE GREATEST! I SHOOK UP THE WORLD! I'M THE PRETTIEST THING THAT EVER LIVED! I AM MUHAMMAD ALI!" He yells basking in the glory of being the best.
Nothing would stop him now! No battles couldn't be won! He kept winning and winning and winning. He loved every second. The attention. The rush. The feeling of being 'The Greatest'. The feeling of being Muhammad Ali!
And from there, he shook the world with his fists. Creating lifelong rivalries with his opponents, sharing joys and tears with them! The world rang with the words of the CHAMPION! Inspiring awe, inspiring progress, breaking down barriers like they were nothing! He truly felt like he was at the peak of humanity!
And then. Like a strike to the face. "It's Parkinson's I'm afraid," Words that would shake his life for eternity. "I must admit, Mister Ali… I'm a huge fan myself. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this..."
Ali sits and grips his knees. "Well, Parkinson's! Just sounds like another fight I gotta win huh!?" He says with a smirk. "I can still fight right!?" He says feeling his entire life's purpose beginning to slip from his hands.
"I… As much as I would like to say yes. I simply cannot. You should no longer fight. It can only get worse. As your fan, I would want nothing more than to see you fight your heart out. But as your doctor, I heavily advise against it,"
Ali had taken blows from the world's heaviest hitters. Been knocked to the mat and endured training beyond measure. But that blow was the heaviest yet. With just a single piece of paper in his hands, it was the heaviest piece one could imagine. "I-I guess… No more boxing then," In a single moment of weakness, he accepted his decision…
-A few months later-
Ali sits himself down, cameras clicking and flashes go off as he does so. He's not here to announce his next grand fight and everyone knows it. He had already read the headlines. 'Muhammad Ali: retiring?!' 'The death of The Greatest!? What will he do now?' and so on.
"T-thank you all for coming." He says taking a deep breath. 'I'm not retiring!' His mind screams at him to say. "I will be taking questions now," He says pointing to a journalist.
"Mister Ali. A few words about your condition. How severe is it?"
Ali nods. 'I've overcome worse! This is NOTHING!' "I'm sorry to report that according to my doctor this diagnosis is quite severe. They expect I will begin having difficulty even walking within just a few years..." He says looking over the crowd. 'IT CANNOT STOP ME!'
"Mister Ali? How would you describe your career?"
'NOT OVER!' "I have had a very… gratifying career in boxing I would say. From when I first stepped into the ring I have fought in no less than 171 fights and lost 10. Who can claim to have a record such as that?" He says with a quiet little mellow laugh. 'BUT I'M GOING FOR ANOTHER 30 AT LEAST!'
"Mister Ali. Can we expect to see you in the ring, one final time?"
At that question, his mind screams at him to get up and declare war on his condition. If there was a moment to do it. NOW is the time! 'I will fight ANYONE in the ring! NOW! Or in 20 years!' However, he simply pushes his speak button. "I'm afraid... I have had my final bout in the ring. My… My final fight will be the one against my own body," He says feeling tears well up in his eyes. 'This can't be how it ends!? THIS ISN'T THE END! The Greatest! Muhammad Ali! He cannot go down like this!' "F-Final question please..."
"Yes thank you, sir. Can we have a few final words from the Greatest? To inspire future boxers who might step in your footsteps?"
'Where's my grand finale!? Why is this press conference my public retirement? And not in the RING!?' He takes a deep breath. "Final Words from the Greatest huh? I suppose they would have to be…" 'Don't try to surpass me! It AIN'T happening! NO ONE will ever surpass me!' "Do not underestimate boxing, and the tenacity of a boxer," Ali can feel the spiritual glove print all over his body. "A solid hit will stay with you…" He looks down at his hands, feeling that piece of paper in his hands again. "forever. Thank you," He says getting up with a little help from his bodyguards. As he steps out he angrily tries to slam his fist against the wall, but he can't quite do it. "How can I… how can I talk about tenacity when I-I am such… such a COWARD?!" He angrily growls. It was too late now. He had not begun the fight early enough. There was nothing left to do but accept it.
-Present Day-
"After that. I accepted my condition. The mistake of not fighting it was mine alone. But you know what? I forgave myself. I left behind something AMAZING. For years and years, I followed boxing. And all I heard was how great people thought I was. But honestly. Dying was the best thing to ever happen to me after my mistake. Now, here in Valhalla, I can show everyone that The Greatest still lives! The Greatest will NEVER die! I forgave myself for giving up too early! For giving up on the thing I treasured the most! Here in Valhalla, I can still inspire my fellow boxers to be better! To fight! To show them what it means to be a boxer!" He says looking back at the human crowd and raising his fist to loud cheers with a smile. He looks back to Raijin. "I couldn't have done it if I wallowed in despair and sadness like you are!" He says So FORGIVE YOURSELF! It ain't your fault! Don't let your worst moment DEFINE YOU DAMMIT!" He yells out, Raijin feeling tears run down his cheek uncontrollably.
"My worst mistake. I can move past it! But what good is that!? It's UNFORGIVABLE!" Raijin screams out, his tears starting to flow. "I can't. I shouldn't be forgiven for it!" He runs forward and swings at Ali who can EASILY dodge these uncoordinated and wild strikes.
"So what?! You're going to walk around being miserable FOREVER!?" Ali says moving his body aside like it's nothing.
"YEAH! That's how it should be! My brother only ever wanted to run with me! Run PAST me! And now he can't even run! Because of what I did!" Raijin says with a final powerful swing, Ali moving aside and Raijin collapses forward on the floor as the entire crowd is shocked at what's happening right now. They're not even fighting anymore!
Ali raises his fist and gently presses it against Raijin's forehead. "You're just making excuses! Ask yourself, just for one second! WHY did Fujin want to get faster!?" He asks and Raijin feels the warmth of Ali's glove against his head.
"Why?" He bites his lip, trembling in anger. "Because he was tired of losing! I've been a TERRIBLE brother throughout! I should've let him win some!"
Ali angrily furrows his brows and gives Raijin an angry shove with his foot. "You're WRONG! Stop thinking like a LOSER! You're a WINNER! You're an ADULT! So stop acting like a CHILD and ANSWER ME! What was Fujin's goal in getting faster!?"
Raijin's eyes widen as he thinks back to one of their talks.
"Hey, Fujin?"
"Yeah?"
"You think we'll ever meet someone… as fast as us?" He remembers Fujin's sheepish smile.
"Because… he thought I was getting bored of him?" He thinks as Ali pulls him to his feet. Raijin looks up to the sky. "He hated losing… not because he was losing," Tears start to stream from his face. "Because he knew I wasn't getting the challenge I wanted…?" He says falling to his knees again. "Fujin… I… I… I took away his legs because he wanted ME to be happy? That's EVEN WORSE!"
Ali grits his teeth and grabs Raijin by the shoulder, pulling him to his feet, and suddenly… embracing him? "It is even worse. All Fujin wanted was for you to be happy with your life. And what're you doing RIGHT NOW?"
"I'm… being miserable…" Raijin mutters his body crackling with electricity a little as he steps back looking up into the crowd. "Fujin… FUJIN!" He screams out, his eyes frantically darting around the arena. He's not here. But he hopes these words will reach him. "I'm… I'M SORRYYYYY!" He cries out.
Izanami's face is a complete mess at this point, her make-up running like crazy as she feels helpless and powerless. "I-I'm so sorry Raijin…" She mutters to herself. Fujin always spoke so highly of Raijin. How did she not realize!? Izanagi puts a hand on the side of her head and leans against her to comfort her.
Meanwhile, up in the rafters the boy in the wheelchair gently smiles. "RAIJIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" He yells out leaning over the railing as far as he can. Raijin's head snaps up, seeing none other than Fujin. "FINALLY! My brother's back!" He says with a soft smile.
Raijin stands in silence, wiping away his tears, but new ones simply take their place. "Fujin…? I-It's good to finally see you again."
Fujin laughs. "Shut up Raijin!" He yells with a happy smile. "Turn around! You finally have a challenge in front of you! TAKE IT! SHOW EVERYONE HOW AWESOME MY BROTHER IS!" He says throwing his hands in the air with a bit goofy smile.
Raijin turns around and looks at Ali who's looking very happy that Raijin seems to have understood the message. "Yeah…" He takes a deep breath as the confident smirk Ali is used to seeing reappears, but this time… it's different. "I can't let my brother be sad!" He hits his fists together. "I'll show you what your brother's TRULY CAPABLE OF!"
Ali smirks, seeing Raijin in high spirits. "That's more like it! So what do you say Raijin!? Have a boxing match with me will ya'!? For the ones we inspire! You and Fujin, and me and my fellow boxers!"
Raijin tosses his bachi aside without hesitation! He shoots around the two of them drawing a square in the dust. "Let's show EVERYONE what the greatest boxer of humanity can do!" He undoes the knot on the cloth around his arm. It's Fujin's cloth, he wore around his arms.
"And what the proud brother of Fujin can do!" Ali says hopping in place, to warm himself back up after their little break.
Raijin wraps the cloth around his arms as Fujin did. "LET'S DO THIS, MUHAMMAD ALI!"
Ali smirks putting up his fists as his gloves stop glowing golden, turning blue once more. "Alright! CAM ON! RAIJIN!"