Son of a Legend

Part 33: End of the Rivalry Pt.3

"Rani! Start working on that eye!" Vitani orders. Rani dips her eye iron in ice water and starts to try to open it.
"OK, so even though you lost that round, this could be a good thing in the long run. We know that we can't stand and bang with him, so use those long legs and keep him away. He can't grapple at the same level as you, so get him on the ground, attack that nose, and attack his ribs!"
Mkali nods, showing his understanding.
Both corner crews leave the Octagon, and the bell rings, signaling the start to round three. Koda and Mkali pound fists. Koda tries to pick up where he left off, but when he charges in, he is met with a front kick to the face. Koda stumbles, trying to stay on his feet, but he ultimately fails. Mkali follows him to the ground and starts punching Koda in the nose and ribs just like Vitani told him to.
Koda does everything in his power to push Mkali back off of him, but to no avail. Koda is starting to tire out very easily, just like Vitani had planned. Koda makes attempt after attempt to get up, but Mkali keeps him right where he's at. The round ends with Mkali on top (Yes, I am aware of how weird that sounds, but there's not really any other way to say it).

Mkali's corner...
"Great job, Mkali! Now he can't breathe through his nose, and it is going to hurt him when he tries to breathe. Have your way with him this round, boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, whatever you want to do. If you want an early stoppage, try getting him to the ground and choke him out!" Vitani tells her son

Koda's corner...
"Hey, keep your head up. He's going to make sure that you can't breathe, so just try to stay away from him, keep him away. And above all, don't let him kick you because his kicks are deadly!" Kovu instructs his son.
The corner crews leave the ring again.
Round 4 starts with Koda and Mkali touching gloves. Mkali decided that if he's going to box with Koda, now would be the time to, so Mkali keeps Koda at a distance with a 1-2 combo. Koda throws a wild haymaker at Mkali to try to get him to back off, which Mkali dodges by side stepping. Koda, however, anticipated this, so he throws a spinning elbow, which Mkali ducked right into. This opens a huge cut next to Mkali's right eye. Mkali somehow keeps his footing, so when Koda tries to charge in at him, Mkali hits him with a flying knee right to the chin. After a few more similar exchanges, Mkali ducks under a right hook by Koda, then grabs him from behind and suplexes him to the ground. Mkali takes Koda's back and wraps his arm around Koda's neck, putting him in a rear naked choke. Koda is about to tap, but he is saved by the bell.

Koda's corner...
"It's all going to come down to this final round now, Koda. Don't let him behind you, and if he tries to take you down from the front, let him eat a knee. If you knock him down, don't follow him to the ground. Otherwise, you will lose this fight." Kovu tells his son.
Kasi taps Koda on the shoulder. "Hey, you've got this! Remember what you're fighting for."

Mkali's corner...
"Alright! Last round! He still has some fight left in him, so don't take him lightly, but you have way more stamina than he does, so get him breathing heavy, and he's all yours!"
Taji kisses Mkali on the cheek before she puts his mouth guard back in Mkali's mouth. "Just some extra motivation," They exchange a quick smile, then she leaves the ring so that the fifth and final round can comence.
Right before the bell rings, Mkali hears Kion's voice.
"This is your story, Mkali! Don't pursue the ending that anyone else wants! Pursue the ending that you want!"
Mkali nods his head and chomps down on his mouth guard. The bell rings to start the round. Koda and Mkali touch fists for the last time in the fight. Koda knows that he has to give this round everything that he has, so despite the difficulty and pain in breathing, he charges towards Mkali like it's still the first round.  Koda lands a combo of devastating punches to Mkali's chin. Mkali ducks under one and shoots for a double leg takedown, but Mkali is undisciplined with his head placement, so Koda is easily able to pull Mkali to the ground with him in a guillotine choke. Mkali panics for a second, but then he wraps his arms around Koda, stands up, and slams him against the canvas. Koda lets go of Mkali's neck. Mkali unloads some punishment on Koda, but Koda is able to slip out from under Mkali and get back to his feet. Before Koda can start his offensive again, Mkali keeps him at a distance with his trusty 1-2 combo. Mkali then tries to tire Koda out by making him miss. Once he sees that Koda is moving slowly, Mkali looks at the clock and sees that there are 30 seconds left in the round. Mkali points to the center of the ring, indicating that he wants to stand and bang.
Koda and Mkali take turns giving each other their best hits. Mkali gets hit by a haymaker that makes him stumble back with 3 seconds left. Mkali gains his footing, and then Mkali and Koda both hit each other with their best shot at the same time. Koda is out cold, but Mkali is still awake. The bell rings right after the two of them hit the ground. Mkali tries to get up, but he is heavily concussed, so it is a struggle for him to keep his balance. All Mkali can hear is ringing in his ears. He looks out into the crowd and sees that they're cheering. The Night Pride and Vitani come running in. Taji looks at Mkali, concerned, then turns to tell everyone something, but Mkali can't tell what she said because his ears are still ringing. Baliyo goes behind Mkali and puts his arms on either side of Mkali, almost like he's spotting him in squat. Taji takes Mkali's hand and leads him to the center of the ring, where a now conscious Koda offers him a fist bump. Mkali bumps his fist, then walks over to the left side of Makini. He stands there until he feels his hand get raised. The ringing in Mkali's stops. Taji taps him on the shoulder. He turns around.
"Can you hear now?" Taji asks him. Mkali nods his head.
Koda walks over to Mkali. "Great fight!"
He and Mkali bump fists. "The Lion Guard is in good hands," Mkali tells his cousin.
"Yeah, it's gonna be hard to fund my replacement as bravest," Koda replies.
"I don't know about that, bro. Look!" Mkali points at Tamaa and Misuli flirting, and Simko and Leah flirting.
"Oh, no way that Simko thinks he's getting with my sister!" Koda exclaims.
Mkali laughs at what Koda said. "I thought that same thing when Kushona and Laika started dating,"
"Well, what about the Night Pride? Rani and Baliyo are probably going to retire soon, so it can't just be you and Taji." Koda responds.
"Don't worry about it. The Pridelands are your concern, the Tree of Life is my operating grounds now. Just worry about the Pridelands for right now. Which reminds me," Mkali put his right hand on his cousin's shoulder over the mark of the guard.
"Koda, you are the new Prideland's fiercest," The mark on Koda's shoulder glows slightly, then changes shade from brown, to more of a reddish color. At the same time, the mark on Mkali's shoulder disappears.
"It's official now," Mkali says to his cousin.
"So is you being king!" Taji says from behind Mkali.
"Yep, now that you are fully committed to the Tree of Life, your wedding will also be your coronation!" Rani adds on.
Mkali nods with a smile on his face.
The rest of the Lion Guard comes over to their new leader and former leader.
"One last time?" Misuli asks.
Mkali nods then he puts his hand out, followed by Koda, then Misuli, then Kasi, then Kushona.
"Till the Pridelands end!" Mkali shouts.
"Lion Guard defend!" The rest of them say. They all throw their hands up in the air.
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There you have it! Part 33! Hope you guys think that these last 3 parts were good. Only one more part, which is the epilogue, then it's time for me to move on to my next story in a different universe: The Story of Us: A Kion x Zuri Story! The characters in that story will actually be lions, rather than the humanoid freaks that I decided to use in this story and the precursor Kion x Vitani story. Thanks so much for reading! Catch you guys in the next chapter!