//------------------------------// // Olympia Academy: I will defeat you! // Story: Hajime no Thunderlane // by Omegafr //------------------------------// "BOX!!!" announced the referee. No sooner had his word finished than the two opponents rushed at him without even giving him time to back off, Lightning Dust almost pushing him. It could be surprising to see Thunderlane act aggressively at the beginning of a meeting, especially since it was someone he knew across the street. And that's precisely why the dark pegasus didn't hesitate for a second. The first shot is fired simultaneously, missing its target in both cases, but neither one recoils. They were about thirty centimetres away now and everyone wanted to take advantage of it, crushing their gloves under the pressure of their increasingly hard fist, trying to impose their strength on their opponent. Bursts of blows were thrown from both sides, and whether it was the mare or the stallion, both were spanking the offensives either by dodging or countering with their arms the repeated and powerful blows. Legwork quickly took possession of this first part of the round, with the boxers leaping forwards, backwards, left, right or sideways, giving them many opportunities for both offensive and defensive actions. The shots continued and none of them managed to hit their target, making this first exchange unbearable for the spectators. The first one to reach the head of the other would set the pace in this round and gain a considerable advantage. Both opponents were now on the side of the strings, and Lightning Dust reacted with a new acceleration to block his opponent. Thunderlane found himself with his back to the ropes, returning to a defensive position, seeming to abandon the idea of attacking again after all these failures. Lightning Dust hit his head, but he lowered it at the last moment with a brutal bust pressure, allowing him to speed up his ascent. With his fist clenched and raised, he lunged and performed a dangerous uppercut on his opponent, spanking her and raising her head in the air. NOW!!! He cried out to the inside. He took a step forward to continue, the first shot had destabilized the mare, it was perfect. As he cocked his arm, he was stunned to see her raise her arm without even looking where she was knocking. Above all, she touched him in the jaw and beyond his strength, it was above all a blow to his morale. I took too much confidence, he deduced, with his back to the ropes. Until he saw her straighten up in front of him and hit him again, with more violence in her neck. She continued her assaults, touching at first many times until Thunderlane was forced to raise her guard, cashing in as best he could. I have to hold on," he thought as Dust tried to break his forearms, not even trying to dodge his defense and preferring to confront it with his strikes. He tried to bend down again or to move out of the ropes, but nothing prevented his opponent from copying the same move and thus keeping the advantage. It's after trying everything that the bell rings in three rings. "STOP!" The minotaur intervened by placing his arms between the two. Dust stopped his aggression and headed for his corner, Thunderlane spanking again after a few seconds of hesitation. What am I going to do now? I used all my cards and she dominated me to the end... he thought shamefully. He walked and sat on the stool dedicated to him and thought about what to do while Spitfire could finally get into the ring to give him instructions. "I'm not going to say anything about your opening comment!" She began in a strict manner, reluctant to accept my proposal. "She's fast and I guess her power is not lacking, is it?" Then she asked me. "I... she... is strong." but I say before we take a deep breath and get on with it. "As much as the donkey would say." I said, to give him a comparison order. Except that in addition to power, she had speed, agility and precision. "Okay, I see." she began, bowing her head slightly to reflect. "She's strong offensively, so her only weakness is her stamina, you're going to have to fight her on her own turf to win!" Did she deduce quickly. She doesn't have a lot of ideas as far as I can see, but I can't blame her, she's not a boxing specialist, and I'm the one who got her into this. "All right, I'll do it!" I answered by taking a few sips before the referee ordered us to stand up for the next round and ask the coach to leave. Spitfire went out and took the stool with her. I can see in her eyes that she hates this situation, biting her lip in frustration, that she would like to be more useful to me, give me better advice and help me win this game. But she can't do that right now. The only one with boxing experience here is me, so I have no choice but to make do. She advised me to be more offensive than her, so... I'm doing it! ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ "And the fight is one-sided now, the first round is unfortunately replaced by a lesson from our national Lightning Dust." proclaimed the land pony commenting on the match without enthusiasm. "We don't know what's happening to Thunderlane, but the break didn't do her much good." she then scribbled into her own microphone. Indeed, in the ring, it has been two minutes since the second round started and the representative of the Wonderbolt Academy has not yet given any offence. The fault to a mare comparable to a wolf in the woods inside the ring. As the cheers on his behalf follow one another, their opponent in the stands becomes more and more discreet. Only Rainbow Dash and Cloudchaser can't keep quiet. Soarin is more worried than confident about her boyfriend at this painful moment of the encounter. "GO THUNDERLANE, YOU'RE STRONGER THAN HER!!!" Screams a Rainbow Dash that could not be more for Thunderlane than it is right now. "YOU'RE THE BEST IN THIS RING, AND EVEN IN EQUESTRIA AS A WHOLE!!!" Quickly join Cloudchaser. BUTTON!!! Thunderlane shouted it inside, so loudly that it was no use shouting it all over the room. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! He questioned himself as he took the blows with his forearms. Lightning Dust found an opportunity and hit his coast violently, but Thunderlane did not fail and continued to raise his wall. She was in pole position, but that wasn't enough. She wanted him to fall, she wanted revenge for what Spitfire had done to her, even if it meant knocking out another pony, and even if that pony was the only one who forgave her after the incident. Her rage at seeing him still standing was beginning to overtake her reason, spanking her harder but also without aiming at a specific point, as if it were a stone wall she was foolishly trying to break. Thunderlane watched her as best he could in her position and saw her look even more deadly than the one she had thrown at Spitfire at the beginning of the match. The stallion began to visualize that by spanking each other, no one would win in the end, even his opponent would lose out by letting his anger get the better of him all the time. Realizing his weakness at being pressed against the ropes at that moment, he too began, little by little, to clench his fists and teeth. I'm pathetic, my level is pathetic, he thinks to himself. But my intentions, they... they deserve to be carried by someone strong and facing adversity. Someone who will defeat Lightning Dust to make him understand, someone who would make all those who have supported and encouraged him until now proud, he thought as his eye turned to his companions in the stands, most of them silent. Then he saw Soarin, a look of panic on his face... "Sorry Soar." he whispered too softly to be heard. "But that someone will be me." he says again before not saying or thinking of a last sentence summing up the fight. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN, YES!!!" Spit at her opponent as she armed her arm for a decisive blow. I, uh... ...will... ...FIGHT, LIGHTNING DUST !!! Thunderlane cocked his arm in the same sequence of movements and a similar amount of time, before... "AAAAAHHHHH!!!" He couldn't help but really scream this time. "AAAAAHHHHH!!" The now crazy mare did the same before she finally hit. *SMASH* But they did not aim for the head, for it was their visible and worked sides that took the blow, only spanking the two boxers, in contrast to the stadium that heard a rumble emanating from this exchange. The jolt was really triggered by this common exchange of a single devastating blow to the ribs of each of the two boxers. Surprisingly enough, the stadium and the spectators seemed to suffer more from the blow than those who actually took it. The two opponents didn't move after that, and looked at each other, eyes in eyes and all teeth clenched and out. Their fists did not move, but were already deep on each side, which should make the normally sane ponies suffer, which was not their case at the moment. The first impression they gave would be described as anger that one would think was coming out of their wards, but it was not. Their only thought was that of victory now, they both wanted to win, no matter who was facing them. They were still facing each other in a thunderous duel of glances (in the literal sense of the word given the strange lightning that passed from one eye to the other), and hadn't heard the bell ringing announcing the end of the second round. "STOP!" Announced the referee again by separating the boxers once again. Lightning Dust and Thunderlane stared at each other for a few more seconds before forcing themselves back into their corners as the audience could feel the tension rising. And everyone loved it, pushing them to ask for more, especially the Thunderlane fans, who saw a new hope for a comeback. Alongside the turquoise mare's coach, Light wore a satisfied smile, seeing that Thunderlane, for the second time in the match, will give everyone a wonderful show. "But, I don't understand, Thunderlane from the wonderbolt academy doesn't seem to want to sit down," the pony remarked to his partner sitting next to him and the spectators. And indeed, as Dust was about to use the stool in her corner, she turned and saw her straight day opponent like a post, her developed chest swelling to the surprisingly calm rhythm of her breathing. And seeing that their eyes met, she immediately put aside the idea of sitting down, totally changing direction to face him as well, continuing their struggle through their eyes. "I don't know if this is provocation, but the Olympia Academy has decided to respond to it." she commented afterwards, scribbling into her microphone. "THUNDERLANE!! You're going to sit down right now." Spitfire barked as he entered the ring and positioned himself in front of her eyes. As she stared at her boxer's gaze, she widened her eyes and slid back slightly. Thunderlane gave a look that looked like hatred, which alerted him to the fact that this was almost unimaginable from the stallion in normal circumstances. Most wonderbolts fans, including Rainbow Dash, noticed the slight doubt in their captain's face in the ring, wondering which head their dark-haired friend had pulled to shock her. "This round!" Thunderlane then said, no longer leaving his gaze in the void and looking directly at his coach. "I'm finishing this game this round!" So he said. "What? How can you be sure?" She's trying to figure it out. "Round three, coaches out!" Ordered the minotaur to take his place in the middle of the combat zone. Spitfire swore silently and was forced to leave, leaving a ton of questions in his head and unanswered. She wondered what Thunderlane was thinking to do this, hoping it wasn't hatred and anger she thought she saw in his eyes. The two boxers were getting back into position as the audience resumed their fiery cheering. Once back in place, whether it was Thunderlane or Lightning Dust, both were sure of one thing: This will be the last round. "BOX!!!" This round started solidly like the first one, with the two opponents exchanging shots again and coming back on an equal footing. But a difference remained compared to the beginning of the game, the shots were hitting their target more and more and were less and less countered or dodged. The wonderbolts were getting more and more hopeful, giving themselves over to more shouts for their representative while the Olympia academy was doing the same and changing nothing at its own pace. It was a one-shot deal, when one hit the jaw, the other reached the torso, a hit to the head meant a rib hit back. The duel of agility and anticipation at the start of the match was replaced by powerful exchanges of shots and put their resistance to the test. Yet there was no sign of fatigue if you exclude the drops of sweat that soon soaked most of their body. Their mane fell after each blow, giving more and more the impression of a vulgar street fight, but always with effects and control that made sense. As Lightning Dust charged another blow, a strange grunt of pain made her stop in her tracks, and Thunderlane didn't have time to notice that her fist reached the center of her head, pushing her back one step. It's her rib, she didn't take it well in the second round, the stallion thought, seeing it as a more than perfect chance. He rushed at her and started to hammer her as she had done in the second round before she even let her guard down. Caught off guard, Lightning Dust had difficulty defending herself, her arms were definitely less solid than the stallion's, forcing her to move to escape his assault. It is by taking a tiny step backwards that she feels the pressure on her back, the pressure of the ropes... "What the..." she could say as she understood where she was. All Thunderlane had to do was keep her in that confined space, continuing to hit her meticulously in the holes left by her defense. The mare had never found herself in such a position, either during these training or during official matches, she always ensured an attack that gave the opponent no chance to get out of it. But he... he did it! Lightning Dust was boiling inside, how could this outstanding fighter find herself in such a position. She was losing it again. Eventually she cancelled her guard and started to hit in front of her to make the stallion move backwards, except that he could afford to take a few misplaced blows to hit harder. Neither of them moved their legs, which were now taped to the ground and spanked them to stand upright by force. At the same time, Light and Spitfire, each on one side of the ring, evaluated the situation and came to the same conclusion: she was going to lose the endurance duel. This revelation brought a smile to the mare's face, and a surprise look from the stallion. "I'm going to beat you." Dust said so that only Thunderlane, who was still fighting, could hear him. "I'M GONNA BEAT YOU!!!" Did she yell much louder before she did it? The mare bent down almost to the level of her hips before striking an uppercut that finally hit the nail on the head. "GET OUT!!!" She shouted again, hitting with her other fist. The rage overcame her and she put all her strength into this move, which was sure to knock him out, she was sure of that. As he approached dangerously, Thunderlane's eyes lowered to see the fist grow and reach his face. He had the reflex to move his head quickly enough so that the blow only managed to swallow his cheek, spanking Lightning Dust's face up to his own because of the momentum she had gained. She saw in his eyes the determination to end it all, and then watched Thunderlane's fist grow in height, and fall a millisecond later on his head. Despite the strength of Lightning Dust's leg thrust, Thunderlane had built up enough force in her stroke to stop her on her way up and bring her down. She closed her eyes as she felt the impact, her legs which were still bent could not hold her, and she collapsed to the ground a second later, being pushed by the force of a counter to her own failed blow. "Rule number one, no talking during a game!" Admitted Thunderlane as an automatism when he saw his opponent on the ground. She hit the floor of the ring, spanking it and shaking it to the same rhythm as her body, the hall also vibrated as the cheers of the spectators suddenly stopped. Everyone in the room, even Light, was stunned by the outcome of this exchange. Then the referee remembered his function. "DOWN!!!" Says the referee, asking Thunderlane to go back to her corner and turn towards the mare on the ground. "It's... a... A DOWN! WHEN NO ONE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT IN THE SECOND ROUND, THUNDERLANE MADE A DRAMATIC COMEBACK!" Was screaming the announcer into the microphone. "THIS MOST SENSATIONAL EXCHANGE WAS FINALLY IN FAVOR OF THE WONDERBOLT ACADEMY REPRESENTATIVE, WHO GIVES US AN EXTRAORDINARY DOWN!!" continued his fellow scribbler. "YES!!!! WELL PLAYED THUNDERLANE!! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!" Such comments were beginning to appear in the crowd, with the wonderbolts congratulating their comrade's prowess. Thunderlane quickly grabbed the ropes in his corner and turned his eyes to his opponent who hadn't yet moved. “1... 2..." began to count the referee. "DUST, IT'S OKAY!!!" Light screaming as you go right next to her from outside the ring. "YOU HAVE TO GET UP, I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!" Then commented his coach, who also approached him. Lightning Dust seemed to come to its senses as it heard the requests beside it and its supporters who had resumed their screams. "GO ON LIGHTNING DUST!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!" “...5...6...” It is especially when the referee above her realized the countdown that she began to move energetically, forcing her bust to get up. The wonderbolts screamed that she would stay down, not wanting to risk losing this match and seeing victory within reach. “...7...” "Shut up." she said to the referee while she was still in pain. "I'm going to get up." She used her gloves to straighten up, bringing her feet to the ground, then raised her legs to get a decent balance. She brought her gloves to chest level, all she had to do was stand. Thunderlane watched her suffer from the simple act of getting up, but could only be with the wonderbolts, winning was what mattered, he would talk to her later. He began to tighten the rope with his gloves, hoping for a miracle to keep her down. She ends up in a final effort to straighten up after 9... Then felt a far from pleasant cracking in her knee and immediately knelt down at the knee, not even letting her fans cheer her again, who were shocked to see... the combative mare... the one who would kick anyone... to the ground. "...10!" finished the referee before raising his arms in the air and spanking the bell. *DING DING DING* "AND IT'S OVER, VICTORY FOR THUNDERLANE AND WONDERBOLT ACADEMY!!" "NO, I CAN GET UP!" insisted Lightning Dust trying again. "Stop Dust, it's over." nodded the stallion as he rushed towards her to help her up. He couldn't even touch her when she pushed him away with a swing of her right hand, which he skillfully dodged. "GET OUT OF THE WAY! I CAN GET UP ON MY OWN!" She confirmed it by forcing her legs to carry it. Except that, like before, she couldn't stay up for long and Light ends up taking her in his arms before she touches the ground so that she doesn't fall down anymore. "Get... get off Light, I can get up." she insisted again without struggling, starting to sniff and a tear coming out of her cheek. "It's over Dust, you need to rest now." he told him as his coach applied a quick bandage to his damaged leg. The crowd was one-sided, the wonderbolts and their supporters were shouting with joy at the realization that the match was finally over and the Olympia academy wasn't saying a word. All they could do was watch their boxer fail, and for anyone who knew her, seeing her so helpless for the first time didn't do any good. There was someone else who was immediately gnawed by the bitterness of what he had just done, and that was Thunderlane. Spitfire couldn't even congratulate him as he straightened up and headed for Lightning Dust. As Light carried him and exited the ring, the black stallion stopped in front of the opposing coach who cut him off. He was not smiling, but had no murderous look either, he sighed as he looked at the one who had just beaten their hope and simply greeted him. "Congrat, it was a great fight." he said without enthusiasm. "I understand you two know each other, so I encourage you and wish you luck in the finals, win it for her!" Finishes before he goes out too, accompanying Light and Dust. He desperately wanted to talk to her, to apologize for it even though there was no reason to do so, it is the law of sport, there are winners and losers. Even though she told him before giving it all away, he was beginning to regret his choice more and more. Eventually his own body was forced to let go, and he let himself fall. Except that he was caught up in time by Rainbow Dash and Cloudchaser who had come to cheer him directly on the field. "Don't fall down Thunderlane, you're the winner, not the loser!" Rainbow Dash insisted with amusement. "You were amazing in the end, and the second round shot gave me chills!" Then says Cloudchaser. The two mares were helping him to stay upright as he watched Lightning Dust one last time, Light carrying her with his arm around his waist, before they left his field of vision and the stadium.