During lunch, Mac sat next to Jarred and Li Mei, as per usual. The two of them knew there was something going on with the boy as of late, but neither knew what. Mac grabbed an apple from his bag and took a big bite from it, juice oozed from his mouth and dribbled down his chin. He wiped off the excess and once he swallowed, he grabbed a loose piece of paper from his bag and slammed it on the table, startling Jarred and Li. "Woah, dude wuzzat?" Jarred asked, "These are the phone numbers of some of the boxers that worked in the WVBA during the 70s," Mac explained, "Neat, huh?", "What do you need that for?' Li Mei asked.

'I wanna try digging deeper into this whole Kid Quick thing, why people loved him so much and how his death impacted the guys, ya know?"

"Yeaaaaahhhh" Jarred said with a wide, tired grin before it sloped into a small frown, "No..." he admitted. Mac rolled his eyes with a smirk as he pulled his phone out, before his hand was grabbed by Li Mei in a panic. "Mac, before you do this, can I ask," She started, wringing her fingers together, "Is this because of what happened on Monday?", "I...no it's not...not really anyhow" Mac said, reaching again for his phone.

Li Mei tapped the table in worry, "A-Are you sure it's not-", "IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TRAINING! OK?" he yelled. Mac covered his mouth with his hand and brought it onto his friends in a panic. "I-I'm sorry Li, I didn't mean to yell..." Mac apologized, "...but I need to do this..maybe if I learn...I can understand why everyone acts the way they do when we so much as mutter his name", "O-ok then..." Li Mei said with a nod. Jared gave her a pat on the back, "Don't worry, he ain't lashing at you" he explained, leaning in to whisper, "It's probably inner turmoil, my uncle has it A LOT", "Ya know I can hear ya, right?" Mac said.

The older teen gave a smile, which was met with a shove from Mac. The trio laughed. "Anywho," Mac continued, "I'mma get to calling, the sooner the better. It's not gonna be easy but I need to do this...for me...for Doc...for Dean...", "Then we will help you" Li Mei said with a smile, Jared nodded in response, "Yeah bro, besides I wanna get a scoop on Quickie too, ya know?"

"Serious?" Mac asked with a smile, both his friends gave a happy nod and smiled back. Mac chuckled happily, "Thank you both, really" he said, "This means a lot", "No sweat bro, Now who we got first?" Jared asked.

Mac grabbed the paper and looked at the first name. A man named Ben Paora. Mac remembered that name being brought up a few times by Doc. He was known in the ring for being the most intimidating opponent you could fight, and he wasn't even top of his circuit either! The man had the most terrifying stage presence. He apparently made Mr Macho Man cry once. "Ooh! Benny Boy!" Jared exclaimed, "I can ring him during study!", "And I can ring that next name down...who is that? Archangel?"

Oscar Levington, better known by his stage name, Archangel, was the champion of the Minor Circuit. Mac didn't know too much about him though. The most he knew about him was that he wore a big pair of metal wings, which were painted a beautiful golden-copperesque color.

Mac nodded as he flicked the paper to his friends so they could write down the numbers they would call. "I'mma see if I can get a word in to Robin after school, Doc will let me see him" Mac explained. His two friends nodded, as they finished taking down the numbers on the paper before Mac took it back. Soon the bell rang and the three friends said their goodbyes as they headed off to class. Jared was headed towards his car to go 'study at the library'. Normally he would just go to the park and hit a few blunts, but today he was headed there to make a very VERY important phone call.

A few minutes later he arrived at the park, went to his favorite bench and began flicking to the number he had written down. He dialed it in, hit the green button and waited. The tone buzzed for a few seconds until a raspy voice called from the other end. "Uh-huh, Kia Ora?" the voice greeted, "Uh, Hey bro! My name's Jared an-"

"I ain't your bloody bro, who is this?"

"Oh, My name is Jared Pascall, are you Ben Paora? Te Awa Taniwhar?"

The voice over the phone winced in annoyance at Jared's pronunciation, but nonetheless he answered. "Ae, that would be me, what'you want?" he asked.

"I wanted to know if you knew anything about Mr Kid Quick?"

The voice paused, not speaking. After a while, the voice sparked up again, "Aue, it's been a while since I've talked about him..." it spoke, "What do you need to know? And why you need to know it?"

"Uhh, it's for my friend, and...." Jared took a deep breath, "...I wanted to know what kind of impact he had on the WVBA...or on...on you?"

A growl was heard on the other end, followed by "Upokokōhua" whatever that meant. "Alright then, you sitting down boy?" the voice asked. "Uhhh, yeah?" Jared replied, confused.

"Good...this is...probably gonna take a while" The voice explained, clicking his tongue.

"Ok then...I'm listening" Jared said, intrigued.

"Back when he first started, Jordan was one of the most formidable boxers. Like any good rookie, he was cocky, he was overconfident, but that ended up being his strength more so than his weakness. His confidence is what pushed him into the world circuit, got him to where he was before he died. To me, I think he was an inspiration"

"Inspiration?"

"Yeah, to not just the younger folk, but to us older fellas in the ring"

"How so?"

"Simple, Hapaitia te ara, tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo nga uri whakatipu, Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence, and growth for future generations...His perseverance in the ring led a whole generation of kids to believe they had a chance, and it led people like me to strive to be stronger and an example to my own people!

I was sure that he would carry out a wonderful legacy, to be the one who would inspire a whole generation of new boxers and a new beginning for the WVBA...instead his legacy was buried within the ropes of the ring...tutae mo te roro commissioners back then...thank god you have better head staff nowadays..."

"I'll say" Jared added, thinking to himself, "He must've meant a lot to you, yeah?"

"Oh absolutely he did" The voice chuckled happily, "I just wish I could've told him that, we never really talked much when he WAS alive and now I regret not doing so...such a great soul..."

Silence once again lingered for a few seconds before the voice at the other end spoke up. "Anywho, I must've bored you a wee bit," it chuckled, "I'll leave you be now-"

"Well actually..." Jared interrupted, "...Do you think you could tell me about the time you made Mr Macho Man cry?"

The voice gave a raspy laugh from the other end, "Haha! Of course I can, it's my favorite story after all..."

----------------------------

Doc was sat in the breakroom with Macho and Sandman, "I'm still sorry about what happened," he explained to them, "I don't know what's gotten into him lately...he's being so..."

"Secretive?" Sandman asked, "Yeah we noticed, right Carlos?" Macho nodded in response. "It's not like him." They were both right. Mac really had been very...uncooperative as of late, and it had been adhering to their training time together. Doc was worried because even if he was a kid, a reckless one at that, this was beyond something Doc knew he would do. Doc knew him for being inquisitive, bright, not...whatever this was. Not a menace. Not pushy. Not nosey. Just Mac. Plain old Mac...and now it felt like he hardly knew him at all.

"Maybe it's my fault," Doc said aloud, "All of this pressure and training...maybe I've put too much on his shoulders...that's why he's pushing me away..."

"Come on now, Doc, that's not the reason..." Sandman said, putting a hand to the coach's shoulder. "I want to believe you Mason," Doc said, turning his gaze down and shoving the larger man's hand off his shoulder, "But I think I've just been...ignoring the fact that he ain't like one of us...he's a kid...a young, wonderful kid with his own goals and plans that...he probably doesn't need to tell me or...or WANT to tell me...maybe I don't know him as well as I thought..."

"Come on, that's not true, it's just...he's been very...pushy as of late" Sandman continued, "I think this whole Kid Quick thing has gotten him all riled up"

"Can you stop bringing him up?" Macho asked, annoyed, "Seriously, it's all I've heard today"

"Dude, it's not a big deal, Okay?"

"It is to me, man!" Macho yelled, "Just because you didn't care about him!"

"I didn't care abou- Are you listening to yourself!?" Sandman yelled back, "I cared about him just as much as you did!"

"Yeah that's why you talk about him like he's nothing!"

"I don't talk about him like he's nothing! That man meant the world to me!"

"BULLSHIT!!"

"NO, NOT BULLSHIT, CARLOS, I WA-"

"DON'T TRY AND MAKE EXCUSES, YOU DON'T ACTUALLY GIVE A FUCK ABOUT JORDAN, YOU ONLY GAVE A FUCK WHEN EVERYONE ELSE DID, NOT BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY CARED! AND HERE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT HIM LIKE YOU DO"

"FIRSTLY I DID CARE AND SECONDLY WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!? THE CONVERSATION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH QUICK IN THE FIRST PLACE, IT WAS ABOUT MACKY!!"

"WELL YOU MADE IT ABOUT QUICK!"

"NO, YOU MADE IT ABOUT QUICK! WHY ARE YOU GETTING LIKE THIS!? YOU DID IT WITH POPS AND YOU'RE DOING IT WITH ME!"

"I'm sorry, what happened with your pops?" Doc asked, trying to get a word in, but was ultimately ignored as the two giants continued to fight. Sandman shot up from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at Macho, "What the FUCK is your problem, Garcia!?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOURS!? YOU TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE HE'S NOTHING! THROWING HIS NAME AROUND LIKE HE'S STILL AROUND!!"

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!? IT'S JUST A NAME!! PEOPLE ARE GONNA SAY IT ALL THE TIME, IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!"

"I DON'T LIKE HEARING HIS NAME! ALL IT DOES IS REMIND ME THAT HE'S NOT HERE! AND YOU TOSS IT AROUND LIKE HE DIDN'T SUFFER THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH THERE WAS TO ENDURE!"

"DYING IS A PART OF LIFE!! WE ARE GONNA LOSE PEOPLE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!"

"WELL WE SHOULDN'T HAVE LOST HIM!!"

"BOTH OF YOU CUT IT OUT!!" Doc yelled. The taller men turned to the coach in shock, but of course they listened. "You are both being WAY too irrational and way too aggressive," he said, sternly, "I think it's best if you two stay away from each other for the rest of the day."

The two shared a look between each other. Sandman's face was drawn with worry and, frankly, tiredness. He wanted this whole thing to be over and done with personally. But Macho's face was seething red with anger. In a second he kicked the table over, startling the other two men and stomped out of the room in a huff.

Sandman sighed and brought his hands over his eyes. He was much too tired to deal with this now. Doc only sighed. Today was gonna be...a lot.

---------------

The school bell sounded, the day had ended at last. Mac wasted no time dashing off to the WVBA as quickly as he could. Barely able to wave to his friend behind the cafe window. As he reached the WVBA's car park, he took deep breaths as he walked up the stairs to the entrance. He walked around inside, waving off the boxers and trying his best to stay out of sight from them. Surprisingly there was no hello hug from Disco, so that was odd. He continued through the building's halls until he found the office of Mr Jeremy Desire (pronounced Dez-err-ray), The WVBA's Head and Commissioner. He was a much better head then the ones of the past, though admittedly there were a few things he could do better. For the most part though, he did really well in managing the boxers, his ringside staff and pretty much everything else. Plus, he was a kind man, and always had time for his boys in the ring. Particularly Mac. Knocking on the door, he was greeted with a "Come in!"

Mac did so, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. He saw Mr Desire sat at his desk, typing away on his computer. He was a broad man, quite tall, and dressed casually in the chic of the 90s. His office was pretty standard, save for the countless pictures and posters of the boxers and himself around the room, followed by a few awards and personal memoirs. Desire looked up from his computer to see Mac standing in front of his desk. He smiled happily, "Mac my boy!" he greeted, "What can I do for ya, son?"

"Afternoon, Sir," Mac started, "Hey I was wondering if you might know where Robin is?"

"Oh of course, yes, he's out by the commentary table by the ring, son" Desire said, pointing to the door and flicking his finger to the right side of the hallway, "Why? What do you need him for?"

Mac bit his lip and gave a nervous laugh, "W-w-well I umm....I needed to ask him a few things about...something"

"Riiight" Desire said, "Listen Mac, I have heard about your little....debacle with Aran the other day"

"You did?"

"Yes, word gets around quickly" he stood up from his desk and gave the boy a worried look, "Listen, don't try and start anything, ok? The WVBA has barely recovered from losing Quick in the way we did...I don't want to have them be sent into another tizzy."

"I promise, I won't...I just...need answers"

"To?"

"...To...stuff..."

Desire went to speak, but was interrupted by a speaker calling him. ' BZZT! Mr Desire, can you come to the front desk please, there's a woman here wanting to see you'

Desire sighed and made his way over to his desk, pressed a button on the speaker and replied. "Tell her I'll be right there," he said, turning his gaze back up to Mac as he made his way to the door, "Don't stir anything, son" he warned as he opened the door and turned left down the hallway. Mac sighed and went to the right. Soon, he approached the ring's staff entrance. He could hear the echoes of a man talking inside. As he entered the large halls of the World Circuit's ring, he saw the figure of a blue haired man in a purple suit.

Robin was one of the WVBA's most respected commentators, purely for the charm and charisma he brought to every match. Mac loved hearing him commentate his matches, it felt like a dream to have your every move narrated by such a man. Even when not commentating, Robin was one of the nicer folk, a wee bit prissy but still enjoyable to be around. Definitely not Don level's of Prissy either

"Aaaand Here he comes! Off the rope! It's a mighty hit from the Bruiser from the Bronx! Look at that swing!" his voice echoed. Mac smiled as he approached. "Here he goes! In for the second blow!"

"Heya Robin!" Mac greeted, the blue haired man turned around in surprise but smiled as he caught sight of the young boy behind him. "Mac! Hello my friend!" he greeted, "I was just practicing for Friday night, What can I do for you?"

"Robin, I wanted to know if you knew anything about...Kid Quick?" Mac asked. Robin's eyes shot open wide, that was a shock clearly. "Well...yes I believe I know a few things, how come? Robin asked, Mac gave another nervous laugh and smile, "Ohh...uhh....just starting up a conversation...?"

"...Weird way to start one but ok then," Robin started, pulling up a seat for Mac to sit on. As the boy sat down, Robin took a deep breath and sighed, "Alrighty then...where to begin with Quickie..." he said, "...Well I can tell you about what I've learned based on the info from the archives? Will that help?"

"Yes please, anything is better than nothing at this point"

"Ok then...let's see....Ah yes! He was born in Lansing, one of the most formidable opponents to ever grace the ring, he ALMOST beat Great Tiger for the amount of infractions he had. His speed was unmatched by everyone, his skill untamable and his legacy outstanding...He gave hope to the young generation...made them feel like there was a chance"

"A chance? For what?"

"He didn't have a glamorous upbringing, he was abandoned by his parents, taken to orphanages and thrown back and forth between foster homes like he was garbage. He didn't get to go to school until he was 7 and missed out on a severe chunk of his education. Grows up, finds the WVBA, and proves to the world that he doesn't need an education, or a fancy car to make it. If you got $50, skill, and a heart, you could make it...he gave children in that same situation a chance to see themselves going places...children like myself..."

Mac smiled warmly, "I guess he must've been a big idol for you, hm?" Robin nodded, "Growing up in Port-au-prince, I wasn't lucky enough to have a nice warm home or nice food, but I did have stories...stories of this place...of boxers who lead their countries to victory...and Quickie didn't lead just a country, he led a generation of us to believe we had a shot...I loved him for that..."

Robin's happy expression faded away as he looked to the ground, "Wish I got the chance to tell him how much he meant to me..."

"...Hey I'm sure he would've been happy to know he did that for you" Mac said, smiling. Robin smiled back and laughed, "...I can only pray that his family is alright...the only one I knew he had was his son...I forgot his name though...Dean I think?" he said. Mac only shrugged and gave a half smile, trying hard not to blurt out any confirmation. "Ah well, it'll come to me eventually," Robin said, "Anywho, you should get going before Doc comes here and gets my goat, I'll see you around, oh! And good luck for Friday!"

"Thanks man...and uh, thanks! See you around!" Mac called back as he made his way back to the entrance he came from. A minute passed before he made his way out into the main lobby again, Doc standing in the middle looking around until he spotted Mac making his way towards him. "There you are, son!" he said, happily patting him on the back, "I was worried I'd need tos end search and rescue after you"

"Haha, Doc!" Mac laughed, "It's only been a few minutes"

"Still, I'm glad to see ya, life hasn't been kind to ya lately so I'm thinking maybe we don't go hard out today? I wanna let you recover from Monday...I know that day wasn't very fun for you" Doc said, smiling. Mac smiled back happily, "I...I would like that...if we can?"

"Ha! Of course we can! Come on kiddo, we'll find a nice spot and do some light jabs, yeah? I've been wanting to talk to you about something anyhow"

"Yeah...Yeah! Ok Doc!"

The two smiled and made their way to the gym's entrance. As they got in, Mac was greeted as per usual by Don and Aran. Hippo gave his usual grunt of a hello. A happy wave from Joe...well sort of. A grunt from Bull, and so on. It seemed pretty normal so far. Well almost. Macho didn't give his usual 'Sup dude' as he saw him, and Sandman simply glanced at him without a word.

They were also standing on opposite ends of the gym. Unusual for them, those two were glued to the hip. He also noticed the lack of any music, or constant punches...or hugging...or yelling...

"Hey, what's going on? Where are Kaiser, Disco and..." Mac trailed off as he looked around, "...4 of our guys are gone!"

"Hmm, I didn't even notice" Doc said, turning to Aran and Don, "You two, we missing some boys, where are they?"

"How tha' feck would I know, ay?" Aran snarled, Don thought to himself, "I DID see Hugger getting dragged off by Kaiser, and Hondo and Disco followed after. I don't know what happened after that though"

"Wait, what were they dragging him off for?"

"I don't know, amigo, all I know is one minute they were here and the next gone! Haven't seen them since"

Doc thought for a little bit, meanwhile Mac walked into the locker rooms to go and get changed. He shut the door behind him and set his bag on the bench as he pulled out his gear. He was halfway through taking off his shirt when he looked to the side and saw a bunch of papers on the floor, on top of it was a file with the name 'Kid Quick'.

Mac picked it up and looked at the cover, the file had little handprints and teeth marks in it.

The kid grit his teeth as his eyes widened in realization.

"...oh no..."