CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: JAVIER VS WELLS I

The bell rang sharp and clear, cutting through the electric atmosphere. Javier bounced forward eagerly, his nervous energy finally having somewhere to go. Johnson Wells moved with veteran patience, hands loose and relaxed, studying Javier’s approach like he was reading a book.

Javier threw the first punch - a quick jab as both fighters closed distance immediately. Wells stepped inside and countered with a short right hand to Javier’s ribs that drove air from his lungs.

[ENDURANCE: 15/100 → 14/100]

[JAB SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 22.1/100]

The shot hit harder than anything he’d felt in training. Real power behind it, the kind that left marks.

Both fighters naturally gravitated toward inside fighting. Javier threw a hook to Wells’s body, then followed with a right hand upstairs. Wells absorbed both shots on his arms like they were nothing, then fired back with a sharp uppercut that whistled past Javier’s chin.

[CROSS SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 19.1/100]

[HOOK SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 17.1/100]

Wells pressed forward aggressively, forcing Javier to the ropes with footwork that looked effortless. His movements were clean - he knew exactly how to cut off escape routes and trap opponents where he wanted them. When Javier tried stepping in with another combination, Wells tied him up expertly, wrapping his arms around Javier’s waist and leaning his weight down.

The pressure felt crushing. Wells forced the inside fighting but controlled every second of it. He tied up when it helped him, worked rough in the clinches, and always got his shots off first. His experience showed in every dirty trick.

The Marcus Garvey section erupted: "Let’s go Javi!" Kevin waved his glittery sign frantically. Dr. Vasquez leaned forward in her seat, hands pressed together like she was praying.

Wells drove forward relentlessly, pinning Javier against the ropes and working him over like a heavy bag. Short hooks to the body that made Javier’s ribs ache. Uppercuts when Javier dropped his hands. Quick shots that landed before Javier could even think about countering.

[ENDURANCE: 14/100 → 12/100]

[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 16.1/100]

Javier tried to match Wells’s inside pressure but felt like he was fighting underwater. His punches were too wide for close quarters, his footwork got tangled, and he couldn’t find proper positioning. Wells made it look easy while Javier struggled with everything.

Wells began working behind his jab systematically, establishing a rhythm that kept Javier at the perfect distance - too far to land clean shots, but close enough to be hit constantly. Jab, jab, step back. Jab, pivot right. Simple but devastating.

Javier tried cutting off the ring like he’d practiced countless times, but Wells’s footwork was on another level. Every time Javier thought he had Wells approach, the veteran slid along the ropes and escaped to the center ring like water flowing around a rock.

[FOOTWORK SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 20.1/100]

[ENDURANCE: 12/100 → 11/100]

Wells landed a clean one-two combination - jab to Javier’s face, cross to his chest protector. Both shots snapped Javier’s head back, the leather popping against his gear with sharp cracks. Javier fired back immediately with a wild right hand that Wells ducked under easily, making Javier look like an amateur throwing haymakers.

The Marcus Garvey section still tried to rally, but the experienced boxing fans could see Wells was in complete control, picking Javier apart like he was solving a puzzle.

[CROSS SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 19.2/100]

[ENDURANCE: 11/100 → 10/100]

Wells stepped inside Javier’s guard with perfect timing and drove a short uppercut into his stomach. The shot didn’t hurt badly, but it took Javier’s wind and disrupted his rhythm completely. Wells backed out before Javier could retaliate.

Javier managed to catch Wells with a decent left hook to the ribs as Wells was backing away. Wells’s mouth opened slightly behind his mouthguard, acknowledging the shot. But he recovered quickly and answered with a sharp jab to Javier’s nose that made his eyes water.

[HOOK SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 17.2/100]

[STRENGTH +0.1]

[CURRENT: 12.1/100]

[ENDURANCE: 10/100 → 9/100]

The pace increased. Wells threw a beautiful three-punch combination - jab, cross, hook - that flowed through each to the other. Javier blocked the first two on his gloves but the hook caught him on the temple, rattling his headgear with a sharp crack that echoed through his skull.

[ENDURANCE: 9/100 → 7/100]

[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 16.2/100]

White lights exploded behind Javier’s eyes. His legs felt unsteady beneath him, like he was standing on a boat in rough water.

Javier tried to counter with his own combination, but his timing was completely off. The jab missed by inches. The cross hit Wells’s shoulder without effect. His hook swung wide as Wells pulled back just out of range with perfect distance control.

Wells immediately punished the miss with a perfect counter right hand that caught Javier stepping in. The shot landed clean on Javier’s headgear and made him stumble backward two steps, his equilibrium shot.

[JAB SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 22.2/100]

[ENDURANCE: 7/100 → 6/100]

The crowd noise built as people sensed they were watching a mismatch. Wells’s supporters started getting vocal: "Keep boxing, Johnson! Work your jab!"

Tommy’s voice cut through everything: "Stay with him, Javi! Don’t give up!" His friend’s encouragement reached Javier through the chaos, but it felt distant.

Javier loaded up for a big right hand, putting everything behind it. Wells saw it coming from a mile away and simply stepped to his left, making Javier punch air while off-balance. The miss left Javier vulnerable and frustrated.

[CROSS SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 19.3/100]

[ENDURANCE: 6/100 → 5/100]

Wells capitalized immediately on Javier’s mistake, driving a hard left hook to his ribs that made him gasp. Before Javier could cover up, Wells followed with a right cross that caught him flush on the jaw through his headgear.

Pain shot through Javier’s skull like lightning. His mouthpiece rattled against his teeth.

Wells increased his pace significantly, throwing combinations without pause. His shots weren’t wild or desperate - each punch had purpose and landed exactly where intended.

Wells worked methodically like a surgeon. Double jab to keep distance, then a hard right cross when Javier stepped in. Left hook to the body, right hand upstairs. Everything connected clean and sharp, building damage systematically.

[ENDURANCE: 5/100 → 3/100]

[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 16.3/100]

Javier tried desperately to match the pace but his punches lacked that timing. A looping left hook missed completely, throwing him off balance. His cross caught Wells’s shoulder but had no effect. His footwork became increasingly sloppy as fatigue and frustration mounted.

Wells sensed Javier struggling and turned up the heat. He backed Javier against the ropes with a calculated five-punch combination - jab, cross, hook, uppercut, hook again. Most landed on Javier’s gloves and arms, but the final hook sneaked through and rattled his headgear violently.

[ENDURANCE: 3/100 → 1/100]

[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 16.4/100]

The venue grew quieter as people realized they were watching a one-sided beating. Dr. Vasquez looked ready to climb into the ring herself. Even some Wells supporters seemed uncomfortable with the dominance.

Javier covered up and tried to clinch desperately, but Wells pushed him off and immediately attacked with a quick uppercut that barely missed Javier’s chin. The crowd gasped at how close it had come to ending the fight.

With thirty seconds left, Javier threw everything he had in a last desperate flurry. A wild right hand that Wells slipped easily. A left hook that hit nothing but air. Another right that caught Wells’s glove harmlessly. His breathing was getting heavy and labored.

[HOOK SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 17.3/100]

[CROSS SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 19.4/100]

[ENDURANCE: 1/100 → 0/100]

Wells stayed composed and clinical, picking his shots with precision. A clean jab snapped Javier’s head back sharply. A right hand to the body made Javier’s knees dip visibly. A final left hook grazed Javier’s temple as the bell rang.

[ENDURANCE: 0/100]

[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1]

[CURRENT: 16.5/100]

[CONDITION: EXHAUSTED]