Hajime no Thunderlane

by Omegafr

Big brother's role

But while all the lights were facing me, they suddenly changed direction once I reached the ring, now illuminating the entrance in front of me. My opponents'.

"But his opponent is not to be outdone. He represents the draconian breed in this championship, and expects to win the monetary reward in his home country. Weighing in at 150 kilograms and measuring 2.15 meters, this is..: RAN-DY!"

The lighting suddenly took on another level when real flames appeared on the sides of the door, burning upwards and greatly warming the already heavy atmosphere. It was in this avalanche of heat that my opponent appeared: Randy.

He was always so titanic, I even wondered if he wouldn't be taller than Drew. So tall that you couldn't even notice his coach behind him, barely reaching his thighs. He then went on to say that these supporters, mostly dragons, were cheering him and asking him to beat me to a pulp, among other things.

My own fans were seeing Randy for the first time in most cases, not all of them took the time to watch our interview last week. And many were shocked by the red dragon's indomitable physique. And now that I saw him in his boxing outfit, it's true that his scales gave him the appearance of armored, rock-solid skin.

The flames behind him went out and the audience calmed down a little more, seeing that the lights showed only him and me as the stars of the day.

When he took his first step in the ring, I could see again the difference in size between the two of us. I relied on my improved extension to reach his head, thinking it was his most sensitive weak spot. He looked at me again without conveying the slightest emotion, except perhaps the little desire to be here today.

Then I noticed the long tail hanging behind him, wondering how such a long tail couldn't hinder his movements. Comforting me at the idea of having a much less awkward limb on my side, I was surprised to see him wrap his around his waist, forming a belt so as not to embarrass him.

As usual, the doodler walked to the center of the ring still with her pink bow tie in her fur. She motioned for us to approach before she gave us the floor.

"Any last words before the fight begins?" She asked me when she lent me the microphone.

I knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Last week when we shook hands, I don't know what you were trying to test by squeezing it so tight, but I promise I'll give it my all to get you down!" I expressed myself by giving him a look not very amused by this reaction.

As was to be expected, the spectators were taken aback by my statement, to believe that nobody really watched our interview. I don't know what my friends and fans thought about it, but it was not the time to question me, as I passed the microphone to my opponent.

I stared at him meanly and would not escape the gaze, unlike him who kept his head down and then turned to look at his coach, as if to ask him something. Between Randy's mass and the microscopic size of the man who had supposedly trained him, I couldn't see what it was all about, until he turned to me with a look of disappointment on his face, sighing sadly.

"If I did that, it was only to test your strength as a little colt, and I'm very disappointed even though I expected it!" He nodded, giving the doodle directly after the microphone.

As he had already turned and headed for his corner, the reactions of the spectators were direct. Between encouragement from her fellow dragons and irritation and insults from the ponies, the room was far from the silence it was showing a few seconds ago.

As for me, I took it upon myself to simply grit my teeth before going back to my corner, extremely embittered by his comment. Then I saw Spitfire in my eyes...

"You don't respond to his threats, it's the best way to distract and annihilate you when the fighting starts!" Is she warning me.

I nodded my head as she placed my mouth guard on the upper gums. I could feel the bell ringing, I could see the referee taking the scribble's place and getting ready to kick off.

"Hey Spitfire!" Did I ask.

"What?" She asked me.

"Any last words of advice before we start?" I asked him with a proud smile from where I'd arrived.

Judging by her face, she didn't expect me to ask for last-minute advice. But I did it because I knew she wouldn't have time to think about it and would give me real advice that I would follow, because it's her heart that will give it to me, not her position as a coach.

"Even if you're exhausted, hit him with all your might and take advantage of the opportunities!" She said to me, visibly certain of her trick at the sight of her more serious gaze.

She seemed as much a part of the game as I was, like she was the one who was going to fight. It felt good to see her like that, I thought I wouldn't be alone in the ring, not just physically anyway. I nodded again before turning around and seeing the referee ready to start the match.

"Ready?!" He said as he signaled the coaches to come out of their respective corners.

As Randy and I got into position, silence resumed its masterful role in the stadium until the recognizable ringing of the bell.

"BOX!!!"

As the cheering resumed, Thunderlane took the lead with a most remarkable acceleration. He had gained speed again from his match against Lightning Dust, and was ready both physically and psychologically to fight.

He began an assault that only managed to touch the dragon's scaly forearms, he could see how strong they were, passing them will be complicated. Even if they were only as solid as stone, the stallion would surely have to risk injury to his fists to be able to beat him.

Unless his opponent gives him the opportunity, he thinks... quickly followed by a widening of the eyes and total immobilization.

He couldn't explain it, but Randy totally opened his guard, his two long arms on each side, leaving his torso exposed.

"We have an interesting start, Randy seems to be challenging Thunderlane with a technique I've rarely seen in my career!" exclaimed the pony into his microphone.

The stallion didn't know what he was playing at, but he wasn't going to spoil this incredible opportunity, it would surely not come back anytime soon. He glanced at each of his arms before finally deciding to move forward again.

With a new impulse, he set out to hit his opponent's red chest, keeping his guard level with his face. Finally, he threw a right at his target. He watched his opponent's right arm and wanted to turn his eyes.

*SMASH*

The first powerful shot of the game was a throw, and Thunderlane was the victim, with Randy's left fist hitting him on the cheek. The shock instantly caused him to move backwards, even though the shot had been thrown to the side. Panic-stricken by this strike, Thunderlane raised his guard... to get loaded on and hit in the belly.

Randy's strength was not to be proven, the shot was sent from an area so low that Thunderlane left his contact with the ground and was thrown against the ropes behind him. He landed with violence and above all a bad desire to spit what was in his mouth, but was able to restrain himself.

The pony audience was holding its breath when they saw the state of Thunderlane in just two shots, starting to fear this game. The dragons did not want to stop there and encouraged their representative to exterminate the foal as they called him.

Before Randy continued his charge, Thunderlane came to his senses and moved to his left to get off the ropes. He was much faster on land than his opponent, and he even ended up turning the situation around, positioning himself behind him and putting him in turn against the ropes now. The dragon resumed his strange pose, arms open, pushing the pony to charge him again.

Which Thunderlane did again, checking both his arms before he got too close. He left his gaze on his left arm, striking almost blindly, he didn't want another surprise blow. And his extension is not enough to touch, even though his run was stopped by a right hook on his neck.

The blow hit a sensitive part of the stallion, who had difficulty keeping his balance, feeling as if his brain was sending him signals of migraines and dizziness. Then, his vision was disturbed by a shadow, that of the opposing fist. He backed away again without understanding how he was spanking it before he did.

In the bleachers, spectators witnessed the pegasus being damaged, and some combat sports enthusiasts drew conclusions.

"Did you guys see that?" Asked the Pegasus stallion Olympia with his arms folded.

"Saw what? That Thunderlane needs our encouragement?" Says a scraggly Rainbow Dash before getting ready to scream at her friend in the ring.

"But not that, Randy's technique!" Lightning Dust exclaimed, bringing Rainbow Dash to look at it. "He uses his waist to force Thunderlane to watch each of his arms, except when he gets too close he can't see both, so Randy uses that to hit the one he's not watching and he goes from there!"

"Not to mention his reach, accuracy and strength, and the way he fights, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't take many hits during matches, it should throw him off balance that Thunderlane can hit him just once before the end of this round." Light continued.

"He focuses too much on Randy's scales and forgets that his waist is a formidable weapon against which he doesn't defend himself." added the bodybuilder sitting next to Rainbow Dash.

"So, you mean that..."

"If he touches him just once, his morale will take a hit, and he'll have a chance." said Lightining Dust as he stared more closely at the game.

But while the athletes in the stands had made their predictions, everyone abandoned their thoughts to face reality. And their serious gaze was replaced by a significant astonishment when they saw a tooth guard flying across the ring and landing close to the dragon's coach, who was smiling with satisfaction at what he saw.

And protects itself tooth was not clean, it was gorged with blood, from that of its owner, a black stallion with silver mane and falling on his head. As he attempted a new attack, he was stopped for the third time in the same way and ended up with a very violent uppercut, spanking his teeth and reaching the strings again.

It was with his eyes wide open in fear and his mouth gaping and bloody that his head went to the other side of the rope, to see his audience upside down. His body no longer responded to his calls, only his eyes could only move to scan who was in the bleachers while his neck kept contact with the rope and kept him standing.

The liquid that stained his teeth coupled with his irregular and strong breathing and leg tremors gave a completely different kind of show. His sweaty body and flayed face looked like part of a torture act.

And all he found were horrified looks at what they saw, most of them not even daring to open their eyes. In the front row was the director Celestia, accompanied by her sister Luna, the two were in each other's arms, too close to the sobs.

The stallion's eyes moved a little higher, until he saw his friends from high school. Most of them, like everyone else, were unable to look at him, closing their eyes and taking refuge in their neighbor's arms. Only Rainbow Dash, Drew, Light and Lightning Dust were still keeping their eyes on him. And although the girls covered their mouths with their hands, reflecting the horror they felt when they saw it like that, the two stallions from the Olympia Academy were on the verge of tears.

They had their teeth clenched and were as tense as the boxer himself, dropping the only words of all the wonderbolt fans.

"GO ON THUNDERLANE!!!" Did they scream.

"YOU CAN DO IT!!!" Followed quickly, but not from them.

It was Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust who took the courage to shout another cheer for him, knowing that he absolutely needed it.

The stallion's gaze finally shifted to the highest row of bleachers, to see all the wonderbolts. Cloudchaser and Soarin also hid their mouths with their hands, but did not have the strength to bear it like that, the vision of their friend on the brink of the abyss leaving them speechless, simply crying.

But what Thunderlane was most afraid of was when he saw Flitter and his little brother, Rumble, cowering in his arms. He... he wasn't looking at him, he was crying in her friend's arms, because of him...

He allowed him to watch him fight in that game, and for what? To traumatize him with an image he'll never get out of his head, that of his big brother on the verge of death, facing a...

His thoughts stopped when he heard a vibrant step through the ring, that of the dragon that was right in front of him.

...in front of a dragon... a dragon that scares him.

Yes, it's that dragon that terrorized him, it's that dragon that's going to haunt him by fighting me today. It's, uh... his fault... and I have to beat him... that's the role... of big brother!

Another step was heard as Randy was just inches away from Thunderlane, still slumped against the rope. And next to that, the one who was perhaps most afraid for him, because she was the one who had the power to stop it all: Spitfire.

She had seen the dragon approach her boxer, but especially her friend, so she did something she had never experienced before. The towel she usually wears around her neck, she had it in her hand, ready to be thrown into the ring, sign of forfeit. She looked frightened as she scanned Thunderlane, wondering whether she should do it or not.

If she does, would Thunderlane blame her? Did she still have to wait for a miracle from him, or should we end it and take her to the emergency room?

She squeezed the towel tighter and tighter, trying to answer all her questions at the same time, but her adrenaline-filled brain could not process them properly. She gritted her teeth and hoped she was doing the right thing.

Randy started to cock his fist for the final blow, while the few ponies still looking at the scene ended up all closing their eyes, some even covering their ears to avoid hearing the blow.

As for the principal concerned, he convinced himself what a pitiful big brother he would be if he fell now. Still supported by a simple red rope, he resumed normal breathing.

NO, he cried belatedly, still looking at his brother in advanced mourning. There's no way I'm going down, not now, not like this, not in front of him, I won't allow it! He added as an argument.

He terrorizes my little brother, I have to protect him, that's my role, he said, clenching his right fist with the strength he had left. Randy wanted to end it, so he knocks...

*SMASH*

Wha... what? Said the dragon, having received a heavy load while touching nothing on its side. The stallion in front of him had just hit him blind, and he aimed perfectly at his arm, wounding it with a single hit while parrying his own blow.

"WHAT IS???" cried the dragon of terror as he saw Thunderlane's head rise up against him.

As Thunderlane finally got out of that rope that was spanking him, he gave Randy a cold sweat. He had a look full of blood, the golden aroma of his eyes mixed with a significant bloody tinge seeming to be veins in his pupils. He also had all his teeth out, most of them colored the same red that was still dripping from his mouth.

THAT'S WHAT BIG BROTHER'S FOR! Thunderlane screamed in his head before taking a step forward.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!" he shouted, forming a terrifying echo across the closed room.

Her scream made all the spectators watch what was happening, opening their eyes.

*SMASH*

This was followed by a clean, precise blow to the torso, which went deep into Randy's body, forcing him to bend more and more. The blow made the dragon spit out the mucus he had in his throat, it was impossible to hold them back as this strike could have punctured him if his fist was sharper.

While the tears were still flowing in the bleachers, Thunderlane continued to scream while throwing a hook with his free fist. The previous shot as well as this one sounded like a real cannonball thrown at full speed directly against the dragon. The impacts created echoes in the room similar to someone crossing the sound barrier, and hypnotized the audience to listen and watch. The scales of the dragon were no longer of any use to him, the secretion of adrenaline was so strong for the stallion that he was in a state of fury and rage that no one would have expected from him.

Continuing to scream, he knocks each blow on his opponent as if it were a fatal blow, he doesn't hold back any more, he hasn't found any interest in it. Those fists would probably be able to break Randy's body if they weren't inside gloves that reduced the force.

A hook, a right, a left, a blow to the ribs, the stomach, the torso, the head, everything was a target for the rabid stallion. He ended his routine with an uppercut that forced to break Randy's jaw, narrowly failing because of his still in place tooth guard.

As the dragon flew in his turn for the first time in his career, his own tooth guard coming out of the ring before his boxer, he could only think with terror: is he seriously trying to kill me?

Before crash-landing on the ground, bouncing off it twice before spreading out on the cold, solid surface. The shock brought the whole room back into a state of disbelief, not only in surprise that Thunderlane had regained the advantage, but also in witnessing his unspeakable violence.

For both supporters and detractors, no more noise was audible in the huge hall, apart from the jerky breathing of the black boxer. Spitfire was in the same posture, about to throw the towel on the ground, having moved several centimetres forward from earlier. Noticing that this was futile, she squeezed the piece of cloth even tighter than before, for fear of unintentionally letting go of it, without giving up her arm.

As he was now the only one standing in the ring, Thunderlane stared at the dragon's supporters, freezing their blood with his simple gaze, always with two dominant colors: gold for his bravery and red for his fury. This one seemed to stop as the stallion heard the referee yelling in turn.

"DOWN!!!" He said as he asked Thunderlane to go back to his corner.

The stallion walked to his corner, where his captain was, and whether it was her or the wonderbolt fans in the stands, no one recognized him. He kept his eyes that sounded just... not like Thunderlane. The Thunderlane they knew would never have gotten so carried away, and her face could scare off a Leviathan so much as it was abnormal on her face.

Yes, at that moment, Spitfire herself was afraid of what had become of her friend.

"It's... to my god... IT'S INCREDIBLE, WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IT, THUNDERLANE KICKED HIS OPPONENT'S ASS AND ALREADY KNOCKED HIM DOWN!!" The pony shouted in excitement at what he saw. "WILL WITNESS THE FASTEST FINAL OF THE BOXING TOURNAMENT EVER V..."

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence, the audience to have any reaction or the referee to start the countdown that... leading to another general surprise, Randy was back on his feet, fists clenched and an angry look on his face.

The minotaur took the opportunity to look at his face and went to decide whether he was able to continue the game or not. Thunderlane was stunned by the speed with which he got up, truly spanking the rage that had inhabited him a few minutes earlier. Just like the spectators who finally react to this succession of improbable events.

"WHAT?! IS HE UP?!?" Shouted in unison the pony presenter and all the wonderbolt fans.

"YES, YOU'RE A RANDYY CHAMPION!!" then shouted the dragon's supporters, congratulating him on his prowess.

"THIS GAME IS GETTING CRAZIER AND CRAZIER, THE WONDERBOLT OFFENSIVE WILL NOT HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO MAKE HIS OPPONENT RESPECT HIM!" commented the scribble in total admiration at the various demonstrations of power.

Following his words, the dragon on the field thought stealthily: Oh that if Thunderlane, I respect you amply as an opponent.

"BOX!!!"

*DING DING DING*

At the same time as the referee who gave his agreement for the match to continue also sounded the end of this first round rich in emotions on both sides.