Living Next Door to the Dunphys (Modern Family)

The air in the boxing gym was alive with the cacophony of heavy smacks and thuds reverberating off the walls. The rhythmic thuds of fists connecting with heavy bags echoed like a heartbeat.

Sharp exhales punctuated the silence as the gym's few athletes engaged in shadow boxing, their movements a graceful dance of power and precision. The sound of jump ropes slicing through the air added a quick tempo, with the rhythmic hops and slaps creating a lively backdrop.

Nearby, the heavy clang of barbells being lifted and dropped resonated like a battle drum, underscoring the determination and strength of those striving to improve themselves.

Mathew barely heard all this noise. After training for two weeks in the gym, the noise around him became routine and comfortable.

Which was why he was able to land punch after punch to the heavy bag in front of him. Each jab, cross, hook, and uppercut was executed with high precision. The power behind his strike was further amplified by his stellar footwork.

"The kids' not half bad." One of the gym members, Max, said to his friend as they sat on a bench. Their hands moving on autopilot as they wrapped their hands. "He's got great footwork."

"Yeah. He's got potential." Cory nodded. "You think he wants to go pro?"

"Who knows? But it seems that the Coach has been keeping tabs on him." Max finished wrapping his left hand and moved on to his right.

"Mr. Davis? Seriously? You think he's interested in training the kid? I thought he wasn't taking on any more boxers besides Natalia." Cory had a surprised expression.

"Yeah, that's true. But I heard that the kid jumped in to help Natalia during some street fight. Maybe that's why."

"Maybe you two clowns should stop gossiping and get to work," Natalia said with a sharp glare as she stood to the right of both men.

Max and Cory gave her an awkward smile and apologized. In no time, they finished wrapping their hands and began their training. They knew better than to get on Natalia's bad side. She was Harrison Davis's granddaughter, after all.

Huffing in annoyance, Natalia turned to Mathew and watched him hit his heavy bag. To her, it seemed as if his mind was elsewhere while his body was hard at work. The teenager who had jumped on to help her out without much thought to his own safety had a look of pure focus.

"Well? What do you think?"

Natalia turned to her grandfather as he stood beside her. "He's alright. His hooks need some work, and he doesn't move his head enough." She said.

"True. How about we see him in action?" Harrison grinned. Natalia blinked before she mirrored her grandfather's expression.

"Jason?"

"Jason."

••o••o••o••

[Skill - Boxing: 46]

Damn. I'm still far off from the athlete level. Mathew thought as he stepped back from his heavy bag. Still, it's not bad progress.

Once his gloves were off, Mathew walked over to a nearby bench and grabbed his water. After taking a well-deserved drink, he sat down and wiped the sweat off his face.

"Excellent footwork, son," Harrison said, taking a seat next to Mathew. "Oh. Thank you, sir." Mathew smiled at the compliment.

Harrison nodded and shifted his gaze to the boxing ring. In one corner stood a well-built young man, likely in his early twenties. He was clad in boxing gloves and white sparring headgear that accentuated his strong jawline. His smooth brown skin glistened with beads of sweat, a testament to the grueling training session he had just endured. As their eyes met, Jason acknowledged Harrison with a confident nod.

"Mathew. You've been training here for two weeks now. While I appreciate the fact that you put in the work to build up your fundamentals, the best way for a boxer to improve their skill is in the ring. Harrison said.

Mathew raised an eyebrow and turned to Jason. Off behind him outside the ring was Natalia. She grinned at him once she saw his confused expression. "You want me to spar?"

"Only if you're up to it, son. I'm curious on how well you do against another fighter."

A spar. Haven't done one of those in a while. Mathew thought with a growing sense of excitement. This is perfect. Fighting another boxer is the best way to see how much I've grown.

[A New Event is Available!]

[Event: Test your Might.]

[Task: Win your spar against Jason.]

[Reward: (x1) Mystery Box]

[Failure: (-1) Point to the Skill: Boxing.]

Shit on a stick.

"I'm up for it, Mr. Davis." Mathew stood up and slipped on his boxing gloves. Harrison nodded and walked toward the ring.

Once he was in the ring, Mathew placed his own headgear on and took a closer look at Jason's physic while he put on his mouthguard. Jason had strong, well-defined muscles due to hours of training, while his long arms would offer him great reach. During this time, Jason also looked Mathew over.

This is the guy Coach wants me to spar with? He doesn't seem like much. Jason thought. He wasn't overly impressed with Mathew's looks. But he could admit that Mathew had a solid-looking build.

"Remember you two. This is a friendly spar." Harrison looked at both young men with a serious demeanor. Mathew and Jason nodded and walked to the center of the ring to touch gloves in a show of respect before backing away from each other.

"Now box!"

Immediately, Mathew shot forward at Jason with his guard up. Once he was close enough, he delivered a textbook one-two combo at Jason. Jason's eyes momentarily widened at Mathew's speed, but he quickly slipped both punches.

He's fast. Jason thought. Twisting his hips, he tried to land a hook punch onto Mathew's side but ended up missing. Seeing that Mathew actually held some skill, Jason grinned. Let's see what else you can do.

Stepping in, Jason shot out his own one-two combination. Using his speed, Mathew avoided both blows by stepping back. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't prepared for Jason to stick close to him.

At the last second, Mathew raised his guard to absorb the strong punch thrown by Jason. The blow caused a shock to travel through Mathew's body due to the sheer power.

Shit! That stings! Mathew grimaced while dashing to the side. He's an out-boxer!

Again, Jason followed after Mathew, not willing to give him the space he needed to use his speed effectively. Jason grinned and rained several different combinations onto Mathew.

Due to this pressure, all Mathew was able to do was dodge and parry Jason's strong blows. Unfortunately, he was utterly unaware that Jason was slowly and methodically guiding him to the corner.

What? Mathew blinked as he felt something touch his back. Turning back, he saw that he was now trapped in the corner of the ring. He spun his head back around in a panic just as Jason threw out a fast right punch.

Ducking low, Mathew felt the wind from Jason's punch brush past his neck. Looking up, Mathew noticed that Jason had overextended his punch. Most likely, thinking that he would have panicked a bit longer once he realized he was cornered.

Moving incredibly quickly, Mathew's fist met Jason's side in a successful hook punch. Eliciting a low bang.

"Geh!" Jason grunted before moving back. "Not bad, kid."

Mathew moved away from the corner, and the two combatants eyed one another carefully. It didn't last long because Jason was rushing in to confront Mathew.

"He's green." Natalia watched the spar continue with her arms crossed. "He's letting Jason set the rhythm."

Harrison nodded as Jason landed a solid punch to Mathew's face. "Indeed. Even so, his instincts are good. He's learning Jason's style with each exchange."

Natalia blinked before she watched Mathew closely. It took her a moment, but she finally saw what her grandfather meant. After each exchange of blows, Mathew was able to pick up on Jason's movements and combinations.

"Even so… he's not going to win."

Back in the ring, Mathew's breathing was growing faster and unstable. Due to Jason's relentless assault, he had to push himself to move throughout the entire fight. At the same time, he needed to keep his focus on Jason's hands. Otherwise, the older fighter would knock him down with one of his strong punches.

Out of nowhere, Jason smiled and made to punch Mathew with his left fist. Seeing this, Mathew moved to the right.

Got you. Jason thought as Mathew fell for his feint.

A loud bang filled the gym as Jason's shoulders twisted. His right arm had shot out of nowhere and landed straight into the side of Mathew's head.

Mathew's head jerked to the side as he fell to his right knee and hands. He tried to shake off the stars in his vision but that made his vision even more blurry.

"Okay. That's enough." Harrison called out to both fighters. "You both did great."

Mathew frowned in disappointment as he turned to his new system notification.

[You have failed the Event: Test your Might!]

[(-1) point to the Skill: Boxing.]