The next day, at the boxing club

When Billy finally made it to the boxing club the next day, Carly was already there. Aw Billy glared daggers across the gym to her, he didn’t like what he saw. It appeared that yesterday’s events, and last night’s message exchange, had satisfied a deep need within Carly. The sheer satisfied pleasure radiating off of her smug face was both overwhelming and infuriating to Billy.

Carly was laying a punch combo into the punching bag, already down to her black sports bra and loose black shorts. The same combination, over and over. Billy recognized it as the very same flurry of punches she had nearly finished him with after driving him into the ropes yesterday. A rush of shots to the head and body, followed by a staggering series of hooks right up at Billy’s chin height - right, left, right, left.

Carly capped off the combination with one final punch. The punch that Coach Lucy had interrupted with her whistle. The punch that would have slept Billy. A devastating rocket of a straight punch, which sent ripples through the punching bag. Carly smiled, adjusted the strap of her glove, and began again. That same combination, over and over. Manifesting it in her mind. What could have been. Picturing how the small crowd might have reacted to Carly, essentially a newcomer, knocking out the club prodigy like it was no big deal.

With each punch, she generated most of the power from that thick, firm butt, and those thick thighs of hers. The slight hint of abs on her torso flexed as she drilled the combination over, and over. The frizzy haired girl clearly had some skill, but even as he watched her, Billy knew the idea that she could beat him should have been ridiculous. She was good, but she wasn’t that good. She was strong, for a girl. She was quick, but not empty of clear offensive openings. How could things have gotten to the point where she was such a danger, such a threat to him in the ring…?

As they filed in, the other boxers of the club seemed somewhat wary of Carly, having seen what she did the previous day, and not yet knowing where this new addition to the club ranked among them, skill-wise. But despite their clear caution, each boxer was still friendly with her. Greeting her as if she already belonged in their club. Some were even congratulating her. Billy had to grit his teeth, as he heard some of what was being said to her, and about her, as the club filled with students.

“Billy lost a sparring match?”

“Yeah, apparently some new chick showed up and kicked his ass.”

“Wait… He got beaten by a GIRL?”

Carly was hearing all of this too, and fucking loving it. She was really feeling herself now. If she hadn’t already been at the height of confidence and power, hearing the way people were talking about her certainly put her there. She felt like the woman who was going to shock the world.

Some of the boxers who hadn’t been there the previous day, but had heard about what Carly did to Billy, began approaching her to ask for all the dirty details. And she was more than happy to give them, stepping away from the punching bag with a sheen of sweat and a smile.

“But how the hell did you land so many hits on him??” a boxer who had sparred with Billy many times, with little success, asked her.

“It wasn’t that hard once I wore him down,” Carly had a smug aura. “All you really have to do is tire him out a bit, and he’s easy. That’s his secret.”

“Did you really win? Or was it just close?”

“Oh no, I WON. I absolutely won.” Carly reassured them.

“But… If you won… That means Billy lost…”

Carly laughed. “Yep!”

“You should’ve seen it man, she was beating the shit out of him,” another boxing student who had seen the sparring match added. “Had him backed into the corner and everything. I’ve never seen Billy get crushed like that.”

Carly shrugged, non-chalantly. “I guess I just saw holes in his game that nobody else could… Cracks in his armor…” Carly smiled. “But they’re there. Trust me, they’re all OVER him.”

The members of the club were amazed by what they were hearing, stunned by what Carly was telling them. Maybe she was right. Maybe all it took to beat Billy was a fresh pair of eyes.

Billy giving her an angry glare from across the club, while she just flashed him a cheerful smile.

The boxers in this club had never heard of, let alone seen, a crack in Billy’s armor. He had always been invincible. Even if most of them thought he had likely just been having an off day, the novelty of Billy apparently losing a sparring match had yet to lose its unique appeal. The fact it was to someone like Carly only made it all the more interesting, and ripe for gossip. This was exactly what Billy had feared, and why he knew he had to rematch Carly and set the record straight quickly.

She had nothing to lose from this, of course. Either she was the girl who dethroned the unbeatable champion, the first person to knock out Billy… Or she was a girl who lost a sparring match to that unbeatable champion, after forcing him to take her seriously. There was no way she could look bad coming out of this. The same wasn’t true for Billy, who would likely see his boxing career ended if Carly managed to outbox him and deliver his first ever knockout.

…That is, his first ever knockout inside this boxing club.

…That is, if you ignored how he got knocked out by Karen, during his boxing seminar with the moms…

Billy shook his head. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Carly approached him, a joyful sway in her step as she came up real close. Billy glared down at her.

“Do you think I could spar with you again later, Billy?” Carly asked, a mischievous grin on her face. “I learned so much from our match yesterday. SO much.”

She wasn’t being as openly disrespectful as she was in her private texts. That much was a relief. Billy wasn’t sure he could handle his boxing club hearing some of the mocking things Carly was saying to him over messages last night.

Billy nodded, his face grim.

“Yeah, Carly,” he **** a smile. “That sounds great.”

He could tell that Carly was eager to jump right into it and get it done now, but understood the small delay. She wanted to warm up and be at her best for their match, to maximise her chances of getting what she wanted out of this. Besides that, sparring usually happened later on in the club sessions, and she didn’t want to break the norms. But perhaps most of all, she was enjoying the attention she was getting right now. Enjoying all the gossip and praise. She wanted to bask in it, just a bit longer, in case she was about to lose all of that. Her desire to maintain that praise also served as a powerful motivator for the energetic young kickboxer…

Billy groaned, and went back to training.

He wasn’t as sore this time, having been spared Karen’s usual manual labor the night before. He hoped that, when it came time for them to spar later on, that would make the difference. Carly might not be able to wear out his arms, this time. Maybe.

He couldn’t suffer another defeat. His reputation wouldn’t survive losing to Carly twice in a row.

And so Billy continued warming up, keeping one ear open against his better judgement, listening in to Carly’s cheerful conversations with other members of the boxing club…