Manny took a shot of vodka and slightly hobbled to one side with a wide grin on his face, savouring the smooth and clean texture of the drink. It was his go to social beverage and every other alcoholic drink seemed to pale in comparison. Gin was too dry and not sweet enough, tequila produced a gag factor, and rum was a little too spicy sometimes.

“Listen up lads! This is where the story really picks up. Round five was a mad one…”

Three of his closest friends, Alkesh, Richie and Connor, sat around him on the carpet, legs crossed, and stared up at him as if they were children being lectured by a teacher. Apart from them, everyone else had left the house party.

“You fool,” Richie said. “You already described Round five.”

“He’s calling you a liar, champ,” Alkesh said, pushing up his glasses. “Are you just going to take that?”

“Are you calling me a liar, Richie?” Manny asked.

“No! You literally just described round five. Alkesh is instigating! Ignore him.”

Manny’s eyes lost focus a bit as he got into a sloppy fighting stance. “Oh, right. Connor, pretend to be Flavio again.”

Connor rubbed his shoulder. “Hell no. You’re going to hit me.”

“Of course I’m going to hit you!” Manny cried while throwing up his arms dramatically. “If I don’t hit you, it’s not going to be authentic. If I don’t hit you it’s not going to be an accurate representation of the scenario.”

“Okay, but why full strength?” Connor asked. “You’re going to kill me.”

“That wasn’t full strength. That wasn’t even half strength. Okay, okay I won’t hit you. Actually, no, I'll just use five percent of strength.”

“Can’t we just replay round six on the TV and pause it when you want to describe something instead of using one of us as a punching bag?” Alkesh asked.

The four men remained silent for several seconds, letting the common sense sink in.

“I considered this,” Manny claimed, reaching for a remote on the coffee table. “But I thought re-enactment would be more fun. That’s all.”

“You didn’t consider nothing,” Richie said.

“Are you calling me a liar?

“Yes.”

“Well, you’d be correct.”

Manny pressed play and began to describe in detail the highlights of round six and the thoughts going through his mind at the time. The story was immensely exaggerated and ridiculously biased. Every punch the undefeated champ threw was a bomb that made the whole stadium tremble whereas every critical hit from Flavio was barely mentioned or skipped altogether.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He continued to describe the subsequent rounds, arms waving around in wild gestures. His friends looked up at him with awe and amusement, watching in silence. Manny’s deep authoritative voice commanded attention. His face rapidly transitioned through expressions. At the points where the story was the most tense he slowed down his voice and he picked up his pace at the most exhilarating parts. Despite the lack of action in round seven to the eleven, he was still able to grip his small audience and explained the fight from a lens that could only be seen from a fighter. He was the perfect commentator.

“And at last,” Manny said while taking a seat down next to his friends. “The final round.”

“The final round,” Richie echoed.

“The final round,” Connor echoed.

“The final round,” Alkesh echoed.

Manny paused the fight on the TV and meshed his hands together. “This is where it gets dark, lads. As you all very well know, I was hoed. Deceived. Ridiculed. Disrespected.”

“Booooooo!” Alkesh cried.

“Shhhh!” Connor and Richie shushed simultaneously.

“Now mind you, I was already spent physically,” Manny continued. “I was far past my prime as a boxer. Admittedly, I was merely a legendary boxer who had nothing left. Of course, if we went back a couple of years ago I would of knocked his ass out in round three but…”

The round twelve Manny described and the reality of what happened were surprisingly indistinguishable. There was no need to exaggerate the final round because there was already more than enough juicy action. He let his emotions spill into every word and made it seem effortless. The pain and betrayal…The excitement and buzz of winning… All were encapsulated in one cohesive narrative.

“I wish it didn’t have to end that way,” Manny reflected. “Yet at the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way because the whole experience was incredible, including the bad parts. I’ll never forget the feeling of satisfaction after dropping the mic and the chants from the crowd. I’ll cherish the moment forever.”

The room fell silent.

“You’ve come a long way,” Richie said eventually. “To see you develop and grow as a boxer over the years has been a pleasure to see. I’m happy your career ended on positive note.”

Connor whistled. “I can’t believe it’s over already. Time flies. Congrats man.”

“So what happens next?” Alkesh asked.

Manny smiled. He had been asked the question multiple times throughout the night. Every time he said he wasn’t sure but the truth was he had a clear vision for the future and it was so vivid that every time he thought of the topic it made him smile. He hadn’t told anyone because he preferred to keep his goals secret but with alcohol running in his system he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

“I’ll tell you what’s next. I’m going to become a personal trainer.”

“A Pokémon trainer?” Connor asked.

“No, a personal trainer.”

His friends stared at him in silence for a brief moment, as if they were waiting for the punchline of a joke.

“So you want to help people get in shape?” Richie asked.

“That’s what the job involves so yes. Why the disappointed eyes, lads?”

“I’m not disappointed,” Alkesh said who clearly looked disappointed. “Only surprised. I thought you were going to say something cooler like starting your own boxing gym.”

Manny shook his head. “Nah, that sounds hectic. I’m going to help other people get stronger and improve their fitness while staying in shape myself. Obviously, I’ll never run short of clients and I can put my family first this time. Hopefully, I can live long enough to see Abeo and Phoebe thrive and achieve their dreams.” He paused, frowning. “My parents never saw me win once before they passed. They only saw me fuck up.”

He jumped to his feet and clapped loudly, not giving his friends a chance to console him. “It’s time to go everyone. Richie, let me know when you’re ready!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll give you a special offer and we’ll be able trim down that balloon build in no time.”

Richie’s eyes narrowed as Alkesh and Connor smirked.