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Chapter 71: Semi-Finals
🕑 Added 2025-05-19 17:01:52 +0000 UTCWith the noisy sounds from outside the locker room filling his ears, Roy's mind was elsewhere.
Yesterday, after Penny made her choice, Roy took her to the Sawyer Manor and introduced her to Heather.
Heather had already returned to the manor the day before yesterday. She was a bit surprised when she first saw Penny, but she quickly accepted her.
There was no other way. Heather had deeply felt Roy's strength during their vacation in Snowdrift Mountain – a strength that could plow the fields.
Heather desperately needed someone to help her share Roy's... intensity. Originally, she was even considering suggesting that Roy bring Sadako and Kayako into their group activities, but then Penny arrived.
Playing with humans was definitely better than playing with ghosts, right?
Besides, having Penny, who wasn't too far off in age, as a companion meant Heather wouldn't be too lonely when Roy wasn't around.
Oh, and a quick note here: Heather is actually only 21 years old, while Penny is a bit older at 24.
"Roy, it's about time. We can head out to the arena now."
Coach Lambert patted Roy on the shoulder, bringing him back from his thoughts.
Roy stood up and yawned.
"What's wrong? Too busy last night?"
Lambert joked.
"Not really, I just didn't sleep well last night."
"Oh, is it because I told you today's match is important, so you're nervous?"
Today's match was indeed very important. Roy's performance in the previous two matches had already attracted the attention of some universities after a month of newspaper publicity.
As a result, many college boxing coaches had heard about Roy, this suddenly emerging boxing prodigy.
Lambert played a big role in this. The boxing circle wasn't that big to begin with, and many boxing coaches actually knew each other, some even being former classmates.
These college boxing coaches obtained firsthand information about Roy through Lambert. Because this information was so exaggerated, many boxing coaches scolded Lambert for being shameless enough to inflate his student's abilities just to promote him.
This made Lambert feel very wronged. He had already lowered some of the data in the information to make it seem more credible, but the college boxing coaches still found it unbelievable.
There was no helping it; Roy was just that ridiculously good now.
"Not really. I just got back from vacation and am a bit jet-lagged and having trouble sleeping."
Actually, Roy was losing sleep thinking about how Heather and Penny were getting along, not because of the vacation.
"Then quickly wash your face and wake up a bit! Don't let it affect your match later!"
"I will."
"By the way, Roy, don't end this match too quickly. You need to fully showcase your physical condition and technical skills to those clueless college coaches."
If Lambert hadn't reminded him, Roy would have really liked to finish this match quickly with one punch, just like the last one, and go home to catch up on sleep.
Since the coach said so, Roy would just have to fight for a bit longer.
"Okay, I'll try to go easy on him."
"Go get 'em, boy! Give those guys who don't believe in you a real shock!"
Roy pushed open the locker room door and smiled, listening to the huge shouts outside.
"Not just a shock, but a massive one!"
Originally, the Cowboy Cup semi-final match was still supposed to be held in the original small venue, but because there were too many people who wanted to watch, the organizers had no choice but to rent a large stadium to host the match.
Of course, the organizers definitely weren't at a loss. A larger venue meant they could sell more tickets, and as long as they sold half the tickets, they could make a small profit.
If it sold out completely...
Seeing the crowded stadium, almost filled to capacity, Roy knew the organizers must have made a fortune.
Most of the people here were here for Roy. They were mostly residents of Waterfall Town and the surrounding areas. Taking advantage of their return from Christmas vacation, with still a day or two before going back to work or school, they came in droves to watch Roy's match.
Roy even saw the local TV station setting up video recording equipment, obviously planning to record the match.
Unfortunately, the money these organizers were making had nothing to do with Roy, because NCAA regulations prohibited student athletes from accepting endorsements or sponsorships.
Despite the fact that the NCAA itself was making a ton of money, even more than some professional sports leagues.
Don't ask why, just know that the NCAA is a non-profit organization, and if college students could make money, how would Commissioner Smith get his cut?
So, although Roy was still just a senior in high school, if he wanted to go to college through boxing, he had to be "clean."
Stepping into the arena to the powerful beat of "YMCA," Roy was greeted with cheers that could have blown the roof off.
This time, Roy's parents weren't there to watch. The two of them hadn't returned from their vacation yet, who knows where they'd gone off to this time.
However, Jennifer and Niddy didn't miss the match. Niddy even brought her parents along to cheer him on.
Roy also saw Heather and Penny. The two women were holding hands, shouting Roy's name with all their might like fanatic fans.
Besides them, Roy also saw many classmates who had come to the venue to support him.
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"Roy, look over there!"
Lambert leaned in and whispered in Roy's ear, subtly pointing into the distance.
Following Lambert's direction, Roy saw several middle-aged men who seemed very calm in the midst of the enthusiastic atmosphere, holding digital camcorders in their hands.
These should be the people sent by the universities to observe Roy. They would film Roy's match and take the tapes back to analyze.
"Put on a good show, Roy!"
Lambert patted Roy on the back and then pushed him towards the ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second match of the Cowboy Cup semi-finals! I'm still your old friend Tony. The first semi-final has concluded, and now let me introduce the two competitors for the second match. In the red corner, the pride of Oak High School, the boxing super-novice, Roy Black!"
A deafening cheer suddenly erupted in the stadium, even causing a slight tremor throughout the venue.
"In the blue corner, from St. George High School, Scorpia Murphy!"
The stadium instantly fell silent, with only some cheering sounds coming from a corner – those must have been Scorpia Murphy's family and friends.
The difference in treatment between the two sides was too great. The originally neutral venue had clearly become Roy's home ground.
This made Roy's opponent today, Scorpia Murphy, very nervous. After all, he was just a senior in high school, where would he have seen such a big scene before?
The referee had the two fighters touch gloves while explaining the rules and prohibited actions of the match.
"You seem pretty nervous?"
Roy smiled at Scorpia.
Scorpia didn't answer.
"It's okay, no need to be nervous. Your ending is already set anyway!"
This actually made Scorpia a bit angry, but it was at this moment that the referee announced the start of the match, leaving him no chance to retort.
However, this guy could make it to the semi-finals, so he must have some boxing skills. He didn't rush in with a reckless attack.
Then, Scorpia saw Roy standing loosely in front of him.
"Come on, North Pen!"
(End of this chapter)
