As the two boxers re-engaged, Hoshikawa's scorecard for the 4 rounds appeared on screen, giving a 10-8 split for Applejack in the 1st round, 10-9, in the second, 9-10, in the 3rd, and 10-10, in the 4th. "I know Twi looked great during the 2nd half of that last round," Hoshikawa explained. "But the whole time before that, Applejack was in the driver's seat, the way she has to be now, in order to keep that outburst from meaning anything down the stretch." Twilight started thinking about possible opening in the sport, seeing targets painted on Applejack's eyes, chin and everywhere else on her head. The constant weaving and dodging Applejack employed told her that, although they would lead to a KO, she was too seasoned to make herself a standing target. As she blocked her offense, she remembered the weak points on the body, especially the liver, stomach and solar plexus, knowing both how much a boxer leans on them for their base, and the intensity of Applejack's conditioning.
If what I saw in that special is true, she thought to herself, Then I'll need to hit her full on before I can even phase her. Dent her like Dash taught me to dent the heavy bag. On top of that, my gas has to last 5 more rounds after this one, so whatever my plan of attack grows to be, I gotta be efficient with it. Applejack, with similar aims in mind, used her jabs to keep Twilight out of rhythm and out of range. Twilight, in due time, ducked forward into double body jabs, Applejack letting loose with an upper. Twilight swayed back, but got clipped on the forehead on the way out, stumbling for a moment before regaining her footing. "If that found a home, I doubt she'd still be on her feet." Declared Gold Mike. Hoshikawa nodded in agreement as she saw Applejack press forward with one twos.
"That's the risk of fighting inside: read 'em wrong, and you're on the floor faster than you can ask 'what happened?' That's why whatever Twi's got cooking, she's gotta put it into motion sooner, rather than later. The longer she waits, the more chances AJ has at the sure shot she's getting closer and closer to landing." The sting still fresh, Twilight stuck and moved as a hypothesis took shape within her. The Hot-Hand Fallacy says that if someone feels close to a result, under similar circumstances, they'll likely repeat their approach. Twilight stepped in behind a jab, bracing for Applejack's hammering body hooks. Time to test how valid this is. Twilight blocked low, and Applejack readied a right upper. As it came at her, Twilight dodged to her right, the blow grazing the air near her cheek. Twilight turned her body into a counter straight, The power erupting from the soles of her feet, surging through her body, shooting down her arm, and landing square into Applejack's solar plexus. Gold Mike stood at attention as Applejack hit the deck, and the crowd fell silent. "That was a brilliant piece of counter-punching!"
"Set up by a highly calculated risk" Hoshikawa added, the referee administering the 10 count while Applejack was catching her breath, and staggering to her feet. "Twilight banked on, and cashed in on that vicious uppercut waiting for her when she went downstairs. Since it paid off, AJ was left sucking wind and looking mad salty, as my folks like to say." Applejack rose to her feet by the count of 6, a scowl on her face as she confirmed to the judge that she wanted to continue. She blocked and dodged Twilight's volley, her ears catching every "Make her pay!" coming from her kin and supporters as she worked in quick combinations to salvage what was left of those 3 minutes. By the time the bell rang, there was only one thing on her mind: payback.
***
Rarity offered her a squirt of water. "I imagine you'd want to rectify that embarrassment. To do that, you need to break her stride and ensure she cannot build anymore steam" Fluttershy held the spit bucket
"If you give her a chance to think, you give her a chance to repeat that. Mix up your tactics, and you'll land much more than a glancing shot"
***
"A knockdown on AJ!?" Asked Rainbow Dash, toweling Twilight off. "You know she won't take that lying down, so stay frosty, and keep your D sharp! This is about to get serious." Pinkie Pie gave her a chocolate flavored mouthpiece.
"She's gonna smother you like frosting from here on out, so be ready for lots of pocket boxing. You've learned plenty on short range power, so just use that brain of yours to wear her down, and finish this right!