Description: It's the main event on the last day of SLAMFEST 2014. New arrival onto the scene, Rainbow Mika, is set to face her idol, Zangief. It all goes wrong when the BWA attacks, lead by the mysterious Astro. Can Rainbow Mika's overwhelming belief in the true spirit of wrestling, combined with the help of an enthusiastic audience member, overcome the man claiming to lead the future of wrestling?
Last week, Rainbow Mika hadn't exactly pulled out the strongest performance from a normal fighter's standpoint. She didn't win. In fact, she was the first one to be knocked out in the fight, even getting pinned to signal the end of the match.
Rainbow Mika isn't most fighters.
She had wrestled in the greatest home of wrestling, the Capcom Wrestling Associations own SlamMasters arena. She had given it her best. She'd heard the roar of the crowd, at times chanting her name despite the fact that she hadn't even made her debut a month ago. She even managed to pull off a Spinning Piledriver (imperfect though it was) before going down.
To her that alone was a victory.
But that wasn't all; after the fight, once she'd been checked out and given a quick post-match interview, she'd been pulled aside by one of the CWA's promoters and asked if she'd be willing to come back for SLAMFEST 2014. Of course, without hesitation the answer had been a resounding "Yes!" She'd watched SLAMFEST every year, it was the pinnacle of the year in professional wrestling.
Then an even bigger bombshell was dropped: she was being scheduled for THE main event on the final night: she would fight the Red Cyclone himself, Zangief! The greatest wrestler to ever enter the ring!
She's barely been able to contain her excitement over the past week. Even with a quick flight back to Japan, she'd spent as much time practicing for the upcoming bout as was possible. She couldn't risk being in anything but her best shape for the match she'd dreamed off since she dedicated her life to professional wrestling.
On the night of the fight, Mika Nanakawa arrived hours early to the arena, unable to wait. All the big names of wrestling were here, and she'd made the rounds, introducing herself as politely as possible. Gunloc had complimented her on her last match! He even showed her the Head Rocker!
Eventually, though, she made her way to the locker room. Pulled on her wrestling spandex. Laced up her boots. Pulled her hair up into the now trademark ponytails. Then, as she pulled on the mask, Rainbow Mika was ready to go.
Five minutes before the fight, she was escorted down to the entrance. The coordinators made certain she knew her timing, double checked her entrance music. Then it was the final wait...
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"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!" the voice of announcer flooded the arena. "The Capcom Wrestling Association is proud to present to you... SLAMFEST 2014's main event..."
The noise of the crowd was already deafening.
"For this special event, we are bringing you one of the newest faces to explode onto the wrestling scene. A woman who will accept any challenge, face any foe, all in the name of proving the might of wrestling, and her own strength. Who just last week gave everything she had in this arena, despite the interferance of an unknown competetitor. Who pulled off one of the most powerful moves in the sport with the last ounce of strength in her body, simply to demand respect for the crowd."
"RAINBOOOOOOOW MIIIIKAAAAAAA!"
The crowd goes wild as Mika's theme begins to play, and the bombastic bombshell wrestler runs out onto the ramp down to the ring. Smiles and waves to the crowd. One fan's voice manages to peak above the crowd "I LOVE YOU MIKA!" and she makes certain to blow a kiss in his direction. She slaps a few hands along the way to the ring, charging up the steps and making an initial circle, waving her arms to the crowd before she climbs up on the turnbuckle, lifts one of her legs up onto the top rope, and gives a quick slap to her ass before blowing a kiss at the active camera.
With her entrance complete, she heads down to the announcer, standing off to one side, her heart pounding with excitement.
"Her challenger tonight is the most powerful man in wrestling. A man so strong that he's a force of nature. So tough that he's forced to train against the frigid winters of Siberia to give the bears he trains against a chance. Who comes to us from Russia to defend the Capcom Wrestling Association Championship title he's held for the last three years."
"THE RED CYCLONE, ZAAAAAANGIIIIIIEF!"
If the crowd was loud before, now it's an absolute wall of sound. The energetic tune signalling the champion's arrival. He arrives draped in a red cape, holding his imposing stature serious as he starts his walk down to the ring. It's all Mika can do to keep from adding her own cheers to the cacophony.
That's about when things all start to go downhill.
Oh, it doesn't start quite as one might expect--just one of the lighting rigs goes out. It's not the sort of thing anyone but a few frazzled lighting techs would pay attention to--and even now, you can see a few guys up in the rafters scrambling to get it back online. As it stands, the grandiose Czar of the Four Sided Circle shines brightly enough to make up for any malfunctioning rig. "HA HA HA HA!" Zangief howls, the gargantuan making his way up to the ring, the overheads blaring THE INTERNATIONALE - SLAM REMIX as he strides proudly onto the stage.
Each stride is curtained by the vast swath of a red cloak that he wears, only occasionally showing flashes of the network of scars that he bears, the trophies of a lifetime's worth of battles in the Siberian wilderness. "COMRADES!!! IT IS NOTHING TO SAY I LOVE SLAM!" the Red Cyclone declares.
"WE'VE SLAMMED FOR THE MOTHERLAND! WE'VE SLAMMED FOR THE HONOR! WE'VE SLAMMED FOR THE PRIDE! AND NOW, GOOD MEN AND WOMEN! WE SLAM FOR YOU, THE PEOPLE!!!"
Laughing heartily, Zangief lifts an arm, "Let nothing stand in our way!! Even if it is great mountain, we will pick it up--" At this point, he throws off his great cloak, filling the air with the crisp crack of fabric, "--and throw it aside!!" Oh yes. It's time.
When he is done addressing the people, he takes a look at his SLAM mate. "And you... Little Rainbow," he says, stroking the wire-like chops of his beard. "Your strength pleases Mother Russia," he says in full appraisal. "Hold nothing back against me... or you do disservice to your country, da?"
"....da?"
Suddenly, the lights have gone out entirely, above. So have a lot of the electronics around the arena, plunging everything into only the dimmest of light. There is a distant explosion, as if a transformer overloaded. One by one, the massive spectaculars at either end of the arena kick on, displaying a series of garbled images, before settling on a very grainy imprint of a trio of skulls surrounded by scythes. Zangief recognizes it instantly. "... Dogs! Treachery," he growls, angrily.
And then the lighting rig crashes into him, almost shattering the ring a few feet from Mika.
Zangief's angry roar fills the arena. In the end, it takes at least four heavily muscled men with aircraft chains to keep him from snapping necks like twigs, to drag him off the stage bodily, leaving the wreckage of the lighting rig where they drug him out of. They're all over now, techs and security agents being thrown through windows, and the roar of the crowd turns into a howl of complete dismay and confusion. They bar the doors. They hold the audience hostage.
It's complete pandemonium out here.
This is the moment that Rainbow Mika has been training for over the past seven years. A match against THE greatest wrestler to ever live. Even in the halls of greats like Mike Haggar, Zangief has always managed to stand above the rest. He /is/ professional wrestling.
The moment is so utterly overwhelming for Mika that she doesn't even notice as a few small bits of the arena start to fail. No, she's completely enraptured by the sight of a mountain entering the ring.
This is truly the part where all of the training that Rainbow Mika went through to get to this level comes into play. Most fighters train their strength and their technique, but Mika has trained her absolute best to stand in front of a crowd and give them what they want. She's trained to be a wrestler in the ring, ignoring any discomfort with her awkward outfit, or the often crass catcalls from less sophisticated members of the audience. Despite her love and respect for the wrestlers to come before her, she also knows that nobody wants to see a wrestler swoon at the sight of a legend.
It's only because of this training that Mika manages to keep herself together when she's staring up at Zangief himself, her ears pounded by the overwhelming persona of a giant of the ring.
Even so, in the moment when he turns to speak to her... to compliment her, Mika's knees wobble slightly. There really is a possibility that she might not be able to keep herself together until the match starts...
Then the lights go out. She can hear a commotion, but is so utterly blinded that she does little more than flail about. The sound of a rig crashing beside her sends Mika bolt still for a moment. She knows full well just how dangerous the heavy equipment could be. She's left to go from attempting to find the attackers to standing in a cautious position, ready to move if some new threat comes out of the darkness.
"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARDS! How dare you attack the most important event in wrestling! I don't know what you've done with Zangief, but you're going to be sorry for this!" Rainbow Mika's voice fills the dusky arena.
[ T- th- THis iS ThE B-B-BLooD WRESTLING A-A-AssOCIaTION. ]
The metallic voice sounds on the overhead. It sounds like it once might have been a pretty girl, until they recorded her voice on analog, and then smashed the tape before playing it back. But the entire overhead PA system seems to be the subject of a struggle for control between the CWA and these new guys, the so-called Blood Wrestling Association. You can tell, because the overheads are valiantly struggling to play the original SLAMFEST soundtrack, compared to the weird throaty techno that's currently crushing the soundwaves.
The world is washed out in the lights cast by the snowy monitors displaying the horrific wrestling logo on the screen. "Don't worry about Zangief," a cold, authoritative voice advises. "He's done. So is the CWA. Old and aging dogs that need to be put down. Guess what? They can't stop us. But you can look on the bright side. Must be your lucky day..."
He moves like lightning, a wrestler stripped to the waist, wearing a dark helmet and visor that leaves only the faintest silhouette of his face visible, and certainly nothing at all in the dark like it is now, haunted in pale blues and the sickly greens emanating from the broken security rig. There is no approach, no travel, no impression of movement. When that man arrives, he arrives with sudden weight and presence, in a rush of gravity. Though smaller by a sight than a tower of muscle like Zangief, he seems faster than any man even should have a right to be.
That's when the techs play /his/ arrival dirge.
"..Because today, you get to be slammed down and destroyed by me."
COMBATSYS: [Sick Puppies - You're Going Down] "When my fist hits your face / And your face hits the floor! / It'll be a long time coming... / But you got the message now. / Cause I was never going-- / Yeah, you're the one that's going down!!" Don't blink. It's the speed of dark -- THE ASTRO is ready to SLAM!
THE ASTRO
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Who the hell does this punk think he is?! This ring is sacred. This event is sacred. He dares to insult a wrestling organization that has housed almost all of the greatest names in wrestling among its roster?!
He holds the audience captive, drags away Zangief in chains, hurls insults, shows no respect to anyone.
All of this enough to make Rainbow Mika angry, even one portion of it. But this is worse. He's pulled them all together, and done much, much worse...
This night was a moment that Mika had only dreamed of. This was her opportunity to be part of the main event and to fight in the ring with the greatest... and this man has stolen it from her.
Rainbow Mika has always been energetic and intense in the ring, but right now there's anger burning up inside of her. "You don't deserve to stand in this ring! You don't deserve to set foot in this arena! I'M GOING TO SLAM SOME RESPECT INTO YOU!"
COMBATSYS: [The Tubes - She's a Beauty] When in doubt, never count out the 80s! The music rings all throughout the arena! "She's everything you dream about! / Don't fall in love, she's a beauty~~ / One in a million girls, a beauty! / Why would I lie? Why would I lie? / You can say anything you like... / But you can't touch the merchandise!" They really did plan only the classiest music to face off against the great Zangief, but...! RAINBOW MIKA is ready to SLAM!
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-------|
Even and calm, the dark wrestler keeps his hands open as Mika rages.
"You misunderstand your role in this," he points out, ice cold.
He assumes a slow, measured wrestling posture, with more resemblance to a combat stance from a stand up martial art than any real open wrestling stance. Right now, the crowd is jeering fiercely with every word he says, and he doesn't seem to pay it any mind in the slightest. Unmitigated terror will do that to a crowd, but his skill will speak for itself. As Mika calls him out, the crowd cheers her on. It's funny. He thinks they want to see him dead.
The tides will change fast. They always do.
"You see, it's this ring that doesn't deserve to stand in /my/ presence. You think that teddy bear hugger has anything on this? My enforcers are probably out back picking their teeth with his bones. You don't know anything about them or us. You can smell it, can't you? It's the succulent scent of a superior SLAM. The CWA is probably loading their pants right now just thinking about what I'm gonna do with the best wrestler in Russia tonight."
He breathes. "And when we're done with him.. when we're done with THIS.. when everything the toothless CWA stands for is ashes, you're gonna go to bed tonight wishing that you knew before you stepped in here what wrestling was all about. See. We are LIONS! And me? .... I'm the Astro. You want a piece?"
The dark wrestler steps forward, linking his arms together. The downed rig towers over him, sparks flying and linking into electricity that crawls all over the wire-tight muscles of his body.
"Then come and get your throat cut."
"You come charging in here, breaking the arena, locking up all of he fans and making threats," Rainbow Mika starts, settling up into her largest stance (dealing with the natural disadvantage of being under six feet, compared to the more sizable male wrestlers), "you don't know the first thing about professional wrestling."
This isn't really the time most people would expect a speech, but this is a wrestling event, and there is a flare for the dramatic. "The key to professional wrestling is respect! You respect the ring! You respect your opponent! You respect the history! And what you've clearly forgotten in your deluded state of mind..."
"YOU RESPECT THE FANS!"
Despite being put in this awkward position, locked in by a bunch of maniacs rather than seeing the match they were hoping for, the crowd begins to cheer as Mika lets her position be known. Some of them aren't sure that this event isn't actually a planned event by the CWA, but the whole arena is ready to cheer for somebody standing up for them.
The whole time, Mika as been focused on The Astro, not just basking in the feel of the crowd, but settling in on the aura around him, feeling the way it flows with his words and movements.
As soon as she seems to be content with the feel of the match, she hauls ass backwards, charging straight into the ropes behind her, stretching them out with the power behind her hit until they spring back like a cartoon rubber band, her own legs kicking off as she flings herself backwards.
As she goes flying in at The Astro, she folds in half, her arms and legs dangling behind her as her backside gets extended out in front, aimed to slam her opponent right in the chest.
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hit The Astro with Shooting Peach.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/------=|
An ounce of ambition can mean a pound of hurt. Though the Astro moves in to intercept Mika in the midst of her deadly peach move, there's too much there for him to wrestle, and, distracted with the motions, he ends up getting ass-checked hard. Though he stands 6'2", he's built lean, and the force and ferocity of Mika's brick house anger lays him low, sending his muscled body spiralling into the lighting rig, hitting it hard enough that the entire downed structure shakes. The masked wrestler is spread eagled across it, the vents of his mask hissing loudling as he breathes hard in barely-restrained anger.
Now, the Astro is watching Mika closely. This makes sense. According to his intel, she was tagged. That means she wasn't just wrestling trash, like the rest of the scum they scraped out of the barrel for the CWA. Taking out Zangief was enough to ensure that he could take out anybody here, but he can tell an idealist when he sees one. A symbol of the current school's best and brightest.
He's going to have to make an example out of her.
Spitting audibly inside his mask, the Astro recovers from the shock of being peached. "I hope that's not the best you got, otherwise your precious fans are going to see me detonate your skull between my knees tonight. When they see you down low, they will abandon you, just like they have every other tired and busted wrestler around here."
That will go over well with the crowd. Right?
Getting back onto his boots, he leaps forward, channeling energy into his hands, flipping into a full inverted axle spin. Suddenly, he splits his legs, answering Mika's own attack by charging his hands beneath him in a handstand, allowing him to hover an inch off the ground. It increases his speed and momentum beyond normal limits, and he spins in a full out 360 degree double spiral kick, flying for Mika fast, trying to cut her down where she stands with a few well blaced blows to her middle, before she can think up anything else smart to say.
COMBATSYS: The Astro successfully hit Rainbow Mika with Death Spiral.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/----===|
That last attack had Rainbow Mika going all out in order to start the match off strong... to give the crowd a bright start. And while it certainly did, from the way the crowd erupted in cheers as Mika knocked the invader right off his feet, there is a serious downside to giving it your all... and that's that you leave yourself completely open.
With all the force put into hitting the Astro, Mika bounces back quite hard, landing on the mat as she reaches back to rub her rear. It takes her time to start getting back up to her feet, and the masked man gets up surprisingly quick for the hit he just took.
A major part of why Mika started out on her world tour was in an effort to get used to fighting styles that weren't wrestling, but quite honestly almost every match she's had, her opponent has been at least attempting to match her style, if not using it outright. This means that when the -highly illegal- maneuver comes in with legs spinning, she's not entirely certain what to do. She tenses up her muscles as best she can, ready to ward of the bulk of the hit, but as she brings her arms up to take the blow, she doesn't quite deflect the rotation the way she intends, the leg just knocks her arm aside and sends her reeling.
That isn't to say it's anywhere near enough to put Mika out of the fight. She rises back up without hesitation, giving The Astro a hell of a look. "The fans don't abandon their heroes... you can see it whenever the old guard comes out. The fans still line up for Gunloc... Biff Slamkovich... Last week all of Metro City cheered for Mayor Mike Haggar!"
Nobody can ever say Rainbow Mika doesn't know how to work the crowd, and up against an absolute heel like the Astro, there's no doubt who the cheers are for.
Mika goes lunging for Astro, leaping up to grab hold of the back of his neck under her arm, attempting to hook in around his neck. The height difference gives an interesting advantage, as she then starts to drop with all of her weight, attempt to drag Astro off his feet and slam his head into the mat as she falls backwards.
Tabitha did not actually enter SLAMFEST.
No, really. She's not a wrestler and has no wrestling aspirations. She's a brawler, a boxer - she fights, but it's a completely different style, and she was pretty sure SLAMFEST would get on just fine without her fumbling around and trying to remember how to twist someone's arm behind their back without actually hurting them real bad.
Instead she came to watch it, though being Tabitha (and thus relatively broke) she had to take the cheap seats, and only on one day, though at least she managed to get the good day. She was quite looking forward to the final match, because the finale is where they break out all the good stuff - not that the rest of SLAMFEST was /bad/, of course, but there's still a certain expectation that the finale is /better/.
Spoilers: Tabitha was cheering for Zangief.
Then the lights went out (and dropped) and there was no Zangief, but instead a crazy wrestler that apparently nobody was willing to try to stop but Rainbow Mika. Well, not on Tabitha's watch. She just had to pick her way down from the cheap seats, grab her gloves... and go.
"HEY!" Tabitha leaps up onto the main stage ring. She is in street clothes rather than boxing outfit (jeans, T-shirt) but she has her fingerless gloves in place, hands balled into fists. "I don't know what the hell is going on down here, but nobody messes with SLAMFEST when I'm trying to watch it! Pulling Zangief out? That's dirty pool. You want to mess with people's heroes? You need to handle the reaction!"
Tabitha doesn't wrestle. She doesn't wrestle here, either - she comes in behind Astro, firing a pair of left-handed jabs at his flank while trying to stay out of Mika's way. It's harder than it looks, because Tabitha is not used to fighting with any partner at all, let alone a wrestler in constant motion, and she has to simply hold a third punch rather than accidentally hit someone who is, more or less, on her side. "Looked like you needed a hand if he's going to cheat like that!"
COMBATSYS: [AC/DC - Hell's Bells] And then, a few pointed gongs ring out, the distant toll of an ancient bell giving way to a driving guitar rhythm. "I'm rolling thunder, pouring rain / I'm coming on like a hurricane / My lighting's flashing across the sky / You're only young, but you're gonna die!" Break it up, because TABITHA COREN is ready to SLAM!
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: The Astro dodges Tabitha's Blindside Step.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hit The Astro with Audacious Slam.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
Spinning rapidly, the Astro moves like liquid when it comes to it, cutting through Mika's defenses and breaking her up. It looks like he's about to press his advantage, but he's forced back by the arrival of ?!?! Fighters in the crowd?! His enforcers didn't account for this, and he's forced to spring back up onto his feet to avoid the new actor's spate of blows.
Trying to hit him is like trying to hit smoke; his movements are quick and viper-like, and it's really only until his attention flags on Mika that she's able to get the lock on him, and land the punishing bulldog, with his skull resounding off of the mat. His helmet can only protect him from so much damage, and Mika manages to press her advantage keenly.
"Ugh," the Astro hisses, his ears ringing as he scrambles to recover. "While you're blubbering about that nonsense, chickadee, you forget that the CWA was so disgusting, that even its own champion abandoned it ages ago. That's the nature of weakness. It lingers like a stench... and attracts flies," he notes, staring down Tabitha. "Like nobodies who can't even afford a decent uniform. Right now, your crowd would cheer a bowl of overripe fruit. And all you're giving them all is rotten melons.. your precious crowd is cheering you only cus they don't know what else to cheer. But while I'm in control, they're gonna see something they've never seen before!!"
Springing off the mat violently, the Astro launches into a full out knife kicking assault, his entire body surging into motion as he seeks to explode Mika into the air with the force and power of his deadly lightning energy, which now wraps around his boot as he rises like the eruption of a volcano.
COMBATSYS: The Astro successfully hit Rainbow Mika with K3.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
Normally you don't get crowd run-ins in a wrestling match.
Well, okay, that's not entirely true. Run-ins from the crowd have a long histroy in professional wrestling, but the big thing is that those run-ins is that its usually somebody else from the wrestling league who has some connection to one of the wrestlings in the match. Fan run-ins aren't exactly common.
Neither are attempts to take over a major wrestling event, though.
Under the circumstances, Rainbow Mika turns to give a quick smile and thumbs up to Tabitha. "Good to see that nobody wants to listen to the crap this guy is spewing."
She doesn't really have much of an opportunity to provide a counterpoint once the Astro starts going off on his little rant, not when he follows it up by trying to put his leg right through her midsection as lightning crackles across it. Mika does everything in her power to roll out of the way, but it's just too fast and she goes up... and then right back down hard.
The crowd doesn't know how to react... it's an impressive move, but this guy's also a complete asshole. It helps when Rainbow Mika starts to pick herself back up. There's at least one person in the match they can cheer for (they don't know the new boxer's name, afterall)
"RAIN-BOW MI-KA! *clap clap clapclapcalp* RAIN-BOW MI-KA *clap clap clapclapclap*" Every wrestling crowd knows what to do when presented with four syllables to chant.
And it seems to be doing wonders for Mika as she pushes back up to her feet, grinning despite the scorch marks on her rights. "If the crowd is willing to cheer for anything... then why is it nobody will cheer for you? It's because they do know what they want. They want real wrestling. They want a good show. They don't want a blowhard who doesn't listen to the crowd!"
That's how to get the crowd to erupt in your favor.
Without an ounce of hestitation, and spurred to fight on, despite the whallop she took, by the will of the crowd, Rainbow Mika goes charging headlong in at the Astro, lashing out to plant her arms on his shoulders. Every ounce of strength in her body goes surging right to her forehead as she starts to headbutt right into his helmet, over, and over again, as if trying to crack it wide open. They headbutts come like machine gun rounds before she draws back and puts all the force she can manage into one last power hit, right to the front of his mask, hopefully leaving a nice ring in the helmet as she suddenly grabs him around the neck and leaps up unto the turnbuckle, dragging him with her as she lifts him straight upside down on her shoulder.
"C! W! A!" She shouts before launching backwards, holding Astro vertical as she plows his helmet into the mat.
Tabitha tends to blend in with the crowd until she's actually engaged. It's just a knack.
"I'm not part of SLAMFEST," Tabitha says. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to get involved when I think someone's messing with it. You want to challenge someone, do it nice and proper. Don't drag someone off in chains and then stand against someone who's got no hope of dealing with you herself!" She gives Mika a bit of a crooked grin. "People aren't going to stand for /this/ kind of invasion."
The Astro doesn't deal with her immediately by any means other than words, which is fine by her. It gives her another moment to act before she remembers she has very little experience fighting wrestlers - and even if she had it, she knows /nothing/ about Astro, which is an additional challenge.
Tabitha takes advantage of that to drive her fist in toward The Astro again. She only punches once this time, taking a more defensive position with her other arm; her body language suggests she's going to hold her ground no matter what, which is both a plus and a minus. Probably honestly a minus against a really skilled grappler, unless she manages to ward them off somehow...
Tabitha has no real fans in the crowd. None of them have seen her wrestle before (for very good reason). Nor was she on SNF last week. She's a mystery! As a result, she gets no cheering, but she doesn't get boos either - Astro collects the heat this time, and for good reason.
COMBATSYS: The Astro blocks Rainbow Mika's Heavenly Dynamite.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: The Astro dodges Tabitha's Guard Knuckle.
THE ASTRO
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Rainbow Mika 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
That helmet is a lot tougher than it looks.
Mika gets a good grip about him, his bare flesh offering not much resistance to her headbutts--and his neck shudders with each impact as she drives her skull into his helmet over and over again--the reinforcements holding, but the shock going through powerfully to his bones. Mika, in the end, gives it her all trying to break his mask, matching her will against the metal reinforcements of his helmet. But nothing bends. Nothing breaks. The Astro doesn't give in. Instead, he whirls quickly at the last second, breaking the hold she tries to get on his neck, and stepping back.
"HUBRIS!!! The CWA's indoctrinated its baby chicks to follow mother pretty well. You think your thick skull is gonna get through my reinforced armor? Think again. Only a fool baby would try to headbutt a brick wall. And you know why these fans aren't cheering my name yet?" Tabitha comes behind him, with her defensive punch cracking the air loudly. He looks over his shoulder coldly, giving her the barest of consideration, energy beginning to crawl over his body.
And then he simply winks out of existence.
Trailing the cold black of space, the Astro reappears behind the wayward fan, landing on his boots.
"...Because they don't know fear. Because you trash don't know what kind of trouble you're in yet!!"
Suddenly, the Astro launches straight up into a backwards flip kick, trying to knock Tabitha clean up into the air by hitting her mercilessly in the back. He moves like thunder sounds, and lightning energy crawls across his leading blow. But it's even worse. He won't even be done with that much. His body turns in midair--his frame twisting effortlessly--and at this point, if Tabitha is taken even the slightest bit off-guard, he's going to grip her by the temples between his knees, and flip through her legs, tumbling in midair in a perfect mid-air Hurricanrana. Discarding, he'll throw her fully and square out of the ring, leading her powerfully through a ten foot drop onto the cement outside the ring.
"I AM THE ASTRO!! NOBODY ESCAPES MY FANGS!!"
COMBATSYS: The Astro blitzes into action and acts again!
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
Perhaps slamming your head into a metal helmet isn't the best idea... but the fact that Mika doesn't seem even remotely dizzy means that it couldn't have been too bad. Perhaps she just got the interval wrong to make it ring like a bell.
Well, regardless of how impressively he stood up to the brain beating, or how his sudden surge of offense might normally impress the crowd, all he's getting right now is a deafening chorus of 'boo's. It's a classic heel technique to piss off the crowd by insulting them, and if the Astro legitimately believes he has a chance of getting them on his side, he's going about it all wrong.
"Do you even know what you're talking about? Nobody knows what an 'Astro' is. You don't even have any fangs on your helmet! If you're going to taunt somebody, do it the right way!"
Hopefully before he fully has an opportunity to recover, Mika moves in on the Astro, attempting to get in behind him as her leg muscles go taut and she launches herself backwards, once more attempting to slam her ass into the helmeted invader and knock him off his feet.
Hey, it worked the first time.
COMBATSYS: The Astro successfully hit Tabitha with Shaft Harrier.
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Tabitha blocks The Astro's Audacious Slam.
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
Somewhere in the back, admist the shocked din of the crowd, the production trucks still run. After all, there's a show to be had.
Of course, just because the truck is running doens't mean that it's running under the same management as before. With the original CWA staff tied up and hooded, it was time for some new hands to man the trucks. "Camera 2, focus on Mika. Camera 1, pull back and follow Astro and the newbie to the outside." Under the supervision of one Vernon Cros, still looking rather beaten up from his own match earlier, Brute Force Wrestling is in charge of the production now. And...for the most part, they're doing a good job of it.
After all, Vyle DID bring his best producers in to make sure their big message would be played out. "Boss, we got the package ready for once the match is over with." As a toadie ran up to him with a disc, Vyle nodded, wrapping the banner of BFW he had tried to drape on the roofs around him like a cape. "Good. Cue it up. Play it soon as I give you the signal."
As the action transitions to the outside, Vyle scowls a little. He doesn't really care about the interloper, but he still has his eyes on his main prospect. And to be fair, she seems to be putting up a fight for sure. "Cue up the speakers. Play that low droning. I want this crowd feeling dread all over. Get the trons back up, flicker the BWA over the CWA mark. Cut in some static every minute or so, I want everyone to know straight up this is hijacked."
As he continues to direct traffic, Vyle looked at Camera 3, as it panned across the crowd before taking a long shot of the action from the apron. If he's gonna salvage his night, he's going to do this in style.
Tabitha can't just leave Mika alone, too.
"Why would he have fangs on the helmet? Space doesn't have fangs!" Tabitha doesn't drop her block - she's still braced, expecting Astro to come at her. "And in any case, this is coming from someone who attacks with her butt. Demeaning yourself much?"
And as it turns out Tabitha /was/ correct; The Astro came at her. But he did it in a way she can't counter. No matter how fast she is, teleportation is faster, and the punch catches her from a direction she wasn't even facing. She goes into the air -
But somehow she manages to twist half-away from the Hurricanrana. Astro's legs squeeze her, but by her arm rather than her head, and Tabitha uses the difference in leverage to land on her feet outside of the ring. She can /feel/ her knees object to the treatment.
Astro lands. Tabitha rockets across the distance seperating them; she may be outside of the ring, but not for long judging by how fast she motors - and she's moving fist-first in a lunging dash punch. Definitely not a boxing move, but still playing to Tabitha's strengths - the strength in her arms, the power of her defense - because despite the speed (she's moving nearly fast enough to blur, at least for the first couple steps) she hasn't left herself appreciably open for counterattacks as she vaults back in.
"Keep trying," Tabitha grunts. "I've taken better."
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hit The Astro with Flying Peach.
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------====|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits The Astro with Blue Streak.
>>> Punitive Hit!!! <<<
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------=======|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Tabitha
CATASTROPHIC SLAM!!!!!
The Astro is caught inbetween two sides of a bad coin flip. Between Mika's buttslam and Tabitha's blurslam, the Astro is definitely feeling the effects of being outnumbered. Without an appreciable opening to capitalize on Tabitha's attack, the speed of his movements are just slightly not enough to completely elude her, as she strikes him square in the middle. This sends him off subject, careening square into Mika and the oncoming rush of ass-to-the-head. This almost completely knocks him to the floor, and were it not for an impressive agility, he'd be on the ground by the time the soundtrack the BFW techs are putting on kicks in.
No. The commander of the BWA is staggered, but he holds his ground.
"U--ugh, you kids are starting to make me sweat.. enough of your country girl flapjack jaws. Looks like I'm gonna have to get a little bit more aggressive with you to make you FEEL THE HEAT. Hurgh!!"
Body flickering, he rushes, teleporting through Mika's position and into a long, powerful thrust directly into Tabitha's position, like an angry tiger. You can hear the squeal of his boots on the mat as he starts his thrust, disappearing entirely. He knows she won't be ready for him to bypass Mika so directly. It seems like it's almost part of a plan... He's trying to lock his iron grip around Tabitha's skull, fingers locking down so tightly she'd be able to hear his knuckles pop inside his hands with the pressure. If she lets herself get knocked off balance by his blow, he's going to overpower her, and throw her not onto, but INTO the turnbuckle, upside down so she gets tangled up hopelessly in them.
It'll be a moment of utter defenselessness.
He's going to pummel her over every square inch of her body with his bare hands.
And then he's going to walk a square mile on her ass with his combat boots.
If Tabitha falls victim to the deadly ring technique, she might not have a chance to untangle herself!!
This time, Mika seems a lot more steady on her feet, landing directly on her feet following the backside hit, pulling back and waiting for an oncoming attack.
"He's the one going on about fangs, but none of his gimmick shows any fangs. If he's got a pair under his helmet, he'd have pulled it off to show them... or he's really bad at not looking like an idiot." She gives Tabitha a quick wink, "And my butt hits hard enough that I don't think you need to worry about it."
It's right about this point when the conversation is cut short by the sudden surge of the Astro into action. Mika pulls herself up, ready to ward off the blows that ultimately don't come as she's left completely ignored. Not to say that she wants to get pulverized into the mat, but she doesn't really want to see her new ally taking all of that.
In an effort to bring in a little bit more breathing room, Mika lunges for the Astro, attempting to grab him by the arm as she twists her body around, pulling him with it. As her spin comes around, she adds a quick shove on the end, right against his back as she flings him right at the ropes. Hopefully this will create some breathing room.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha blocks The Astro's The Tree of Woe.
THE ASTRO
[ |||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Tabitha
"Country girl?" Tabitha doesn't know what to think about that. She's from Metro City. She never goes to the country! The country is weird and has animals before they become meat; she's never been interested enough in the process to go see a farm.
She starts to say something else (possibly related to the music switch) but The Astro comes in. Hard and fast again - but this time she's more prepared for it, even though bypassing Mika is a surprise. Tabitha kind of asked for it...
The iron grip does not grip. Tabitha weaves away from it - blows to her head are something she knows how to deal with very well, and she gives up ground toward the ropes anyhow. The constant barrage of punches and kicks she doesn't dodge, though - she has no hope in hell of avoiding all of them and she knows it, so she goes for the block instead, absorbing strike after strike on her tough arms. Tabitha grunts with the exertion of blocking so many. She can't keep this up forever.
So she doesn't.
On the (broken, lights-out, dropped-frame) SLAMFEST main stage, Tabitha goes for a punch in a style she isn't very familiar with. She plants her body, stretches her arm out to the side - and pivots in place, putting her entire body's momentum behind a surprisingly strong blow given her frame! She's got this, she tells herself. She can do this.
Hopefully Mika can capitalize. There's no way this will take out the Astro on its own, and she knows it.
COMBATSYS: The Astro blocks Tabitha's Heavy Clothesline.
THE ASTRO
[ ||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: The Astro interrupts Irish Whip from Rainbow Mika with Electric Body.
THE ASTRO
[ ||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|----===========
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
Even the Astro is surprised at the sudden power of wrestling from the rogue SLAMateur, her impressive guard and ability to escape his hold forcing him to raise his guard prematurely, lifting a shoulder to block the rogue lariat and absorb the pain. He works through it, but by now, his body's starting to show a few signs of being abused, with cuts and welts starting to show injury where previously only a dull ache did before.
It doesn't stop him. The Astro holds his ground.
In truth, he cares very little where the two around him hail from. They could come from Mars for all he cares. "You're just a bunch of no-talent wannabes," the Astro seethes. "You couldn't wrestle your way out of a wet paper bag, and the new world order is going to discard you like the garbage you are. Two of you put together, and dental rags are the best you can come up with?!" he rages.
"...So. You said you wanted to see my fangs."
Though Tabitha is trying to distract him, he still sees Mika's lunge coming from a mile away. She grips onto him with both hands, trying to haul him into the ropes. But suddenly, his entire body charges with electric power. Powering up, he stands straight as every exposed skin surface crackles with live energy, and in an instant, it's like trying to grip a live power line--instead of following along with Mika's momentum, the Astro strikes her back with pure lightning.
"FEEL THE BITE!! You gonna die laughing, your soft marshmellow body crumpled up like paper beneath the strength of my muscle. I will personally trample you underfoot, and in a couple years, even your names will be synonymous with 'loser'!!"
In the back, Vyle can't help but frown. He had said to push Mika. But all things considered, he didn't expect the Astro to actually be having issues. Mind, the X-Factor of the punchy stranger wasn't something taken into account. But still.
"Cue up the package soon. Keep it ready. If The Astro actually ends up getting driven off, we need something to cover up." Flipping open a phone, he made a quick call to the guys manning the lights in the arena itself. On the other side, he can hear muffled yells of the real light technicians he and some of the BWA folks had waylayed during the take over. "Get ready to kill the lights. If it looks like Astro actually drops, we need some cover," he snaps off, hanging up mid-response, and not letting the man on the other end even finish. Grumbling to himself, he paces throughout the truck, only looking up to make sure the camera techs are doing their jobs. Things seem to be running into more hitches than he'd prefer after all....
Once more Rainbow Mika is sizzling from the surge of electrical energy flowing through her body. Her teeth are gritted as a scream is locked in place by her jaw, body jerking in tune with all the current going through her.
...Although she's actually probably a pretty bad conductor with the wrestling boots on top of the mat. Not a whole lot of conductivity to speak of...
Physics aside, Mika stumbles back as soon as the surge of power ends. She's still standing.
"You think that you have what it really takes? You stand there, mocking me because I care about history. I care about respect. I care about the crowd. What the hell do you care about? Showing off? Making people feel stupid? Fear?"
Mika's tone becomes an angry roar. "That's not what makes professional wrestling great! That's not what fills an arena! If you want to go around talking about how you're the toughest there is and not caring about what anyone thinks, not even the crowd, then go find another damn group of fighters! Professional wrestling exists because we give a damn about the fans, and the history, and respect! That's why we're better than those angry jerks who only think about beating the hell out of their opponent... or making money... or scaring people."
She points up at the ceiling. "THIS IS THE CAPCOM WRESTLING ASSOCIATION! THIS IS SLAMFEST 2014! I AM RAINBOW MIKA, AND I AM PROUD OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIGHT HERE IN THIS RING IN FRONT OF THIS CROWD!" She draws her hand down, aiming her finger right at the Astro. "And if you think you're so great, give me everything you've got, because I sure as hell won't stop until I can't keep moving!"
The crowd goes wild at the sound of the speech. No annoying noises, no threatening speeches, nothing can stop wrestling fans when they've got a reason to cheer. Rainbow Mika's name fills the arena as she just grins at Astro.
"LET'S GOOOOOOOO!" She shouts as she blazes forward with all the speed she can manage, as soon as she ends up in front of the Astro, she whips around, opening with a spinning backfist, aiming to clock the Astro in the side of the head, to knock his helmet around... following it up right up by twisting on her heel to bring in another, still spinning. She ends up with her back facing the helmeted invader as she tenses her legs and then launches back at him, aiming to slam her ass into his stomach, lands on her feet, tenses her leg again and then time blasts right back into him, knock him off his feet. Possibly out of the ring.
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika issues a challenge!!
THE ASTRO
[ ||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|----===========
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
"Soft marshmallow body? Come on, who actually talks like that?"
Tabitha has not given up on fighting yet. She's still up, she's doing... well, she's still up. Everything hurts from the battering she's taken, but given she wasn't expecting to be fighting at /all/ tonight, this is still more pain than she was expecting.
Not that she minds. She lives for the challenge. This is just a bigger one than usual and one she hadn't prepared for. Nothing special, right?
Tabitha doesn't want to go anywhere near that horrible electrically-outlined body. She holds her distance, letting the Astro come to /her/ if he dares - but what she can do from back there is form a ball of chi into her hand, surrounding her fist with power. It's multicoloured ribbons of light, like a dancing aurora, and it takes her several long moments to create.
She lobs it. It looks lazy. It isn't; it actually is quite a strain for her to throw one, and it shows on her face. The ball of multihued energy flies across the battered ring, and when it impacts it explodes into a rainbow haze and a bright flash of freezing cold! If nothing else, it might keep Astro's attention while Mika prepares to go to town - glowing multicoloured balls are naturally eye-catching.
"It's more than just wrestling," Tabitha mutters, though given nobody gave her a mic it probably honestly goes unnoticed. What about the skill of boxing? Apparently nobody respects boxing these days, not after Bison! But she's showing off, too, and has earlier in the match - just not so much right this second, apparently.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits The Astro with Winter Bullet.
THE ASTRO
[ ||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hit The Astro with Rainbow Hip Rush.
THE ASTRO
[ ]
1|-------------==|===============
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
(Poor, ignored boxing.)
Unfortunately, there's not a lot Astro nor Tabitha can say that would really carry over the roar of the crowd responding to Mika's roaring sleighride of everything wrestling is and isn't. Even the Astro has to pause momentarily, growling low as the lightning spurs from his body at all angles. Every muscle is taut as he stares down the two, barely restained anger a visible, tangible thing as the crowd goes wild. At this juncture, there's no way he's going to be able to take over their hearts as long as those two are still standing.
This time, he doesn't say anything.
When Tabitha launches her aurora ice burst, it attracts his attention, and he tries to strike it down with his lightning guard. In truth, however, he is starting to fatigue noticeably. Even being able to power through two seperate people at the same time, he doesn't have a lot left, so the lazily-thrown blast of chi slams into him, turning that hemisphere of his body to ice.
At that point, it leaves his guard wide open for Rainbow Mika's open challenge and multiple ass rams. Slammed into multiple times, the Astro knows he's not gonna be able to stand any further punishment. He's getting beat, and it's starting to become a little problematic. No, though the crowd goes wild, he doesn't go out like a Looney Tunes villain--breaking his helmet requires a lot more powerful of a Lariat than the sort of slap Mika comes up with. But it lays him low. Lays him low long enough to get SLAMed like an amateur. He almost gets lobbed out of the ring too.
"NO!! I'm not done just yet ..!!"
His boots squeal hard against the mat, as Mika harangues him to the very edge of the arena, his hands struggling against her hips, just barely holding back the tidal wave. It's the only thing that could knock him out of this ring...!! "HUUURGH..." Struggling against the encroaching ass rush, the diabolic Astro starts to lift her..!!!
COMBATSYS: The Astro can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: The Astro successfully hit Rainbow Mika with Pyramid Crush.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
[ < > //////////// ]
Rainbow Mika 1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
He's starting to regain his momentum...!!
"You little.. chumps..!!!"
He bleeds profusely inside his helmet, the subject of multiplex trauma, and most of his ribs are cracked. But he's the real deal. He doesn't give up that easy! Suddenly, the Astro gains control of the ass force trying to propell him out of the ring, gripping Mika firmly by the hips and leaping into the air. His meteoric rise is sudden and explosive, as he wields the young wrestler like a rag doll. It's his Pyramid Crush, the kind of inverted piledriver that could level a building and unseat the Pharaohs. He reaches the apex of his leap, flipping upside down and beginning to spin violently... it'll be the end for them both...!!!
But before Mika actually hits the mat, she'll hear the Astro whisper in her ear.
"Like I said... it's your lucky day."
And then, before the Astro can see the move to completion, he breaks it, jettisoning Mika into a violent freefall. He aborted the killing stroke at the last second for an unknown reason!? The heel turns, open armed and falling away from Mika in midair. The Astro gives a barking laugh.
"We'll finish this later, little chickadees..."
--And then he winks out of existence, a rush of darkness carrying him out of the arena.
As The Astro blinks out, the lights in the arena flicker and then blink out entirely, giving even more cover for the dark wrestler's exit.
"Now!" Vyle directs from the production truck, a package immediately transmitted from the truck to both the 'Trons in the arena and directly to the camera feeds at home:
"Tonight, you just saw the beginning of the end." A black screen slowly fades in to the classic CWA logo filling the screen. "The CWA has shown itself to be an archaic relic, a fossil of times past. The art of wrestling has passed it by. And for all its wishes, all its attempts to overstate its relevance...it is a place on life support." Just like that, the CWA logo starts to crumble, bit by bit, as the ominous narration continues.
"Wrestling deserves a better monument. Wrestling deserves a better banner to fly. And as Babylon the Great falls, a new religion must rise for the faithful. A new creed, a new ethos, a new path out of the wreckage." Suddenly, static, as the crumbling CWA logo keeps cutting out to flashes of the Blood Wrestling Alliance's logo, and the Brute Force Wrestling logo. "The battle lines are drawn. A new day is coming. Will you step into the light? WIll you walk into the darkness? Or will you simply sink into irrelevance? The time is coming to make a choice....."
And just like that, the lights start to flicker on again, the camera feed restored to normal.
This hasn't exactly worked out as Rainbow Mika intended it. The Astro was supposed to be gone, but somehow he's managed to grab hold of her and pull her up into the air with him.
At this point, it's all she can do to ready herself, loosen up her muscles so that she has an opportunity to roll with the hit, deflect as much of the impact as she possibly can.
It's not enough.
Even in the halls of SLAM, this hit is rough, and the crowd can practically feel it. Left to watch in horror as the Astro makes his exit. There's not a single sound in the arena as the new announcement flows out of the loudspeakers, making its claim. All eyes are locked on the giant screen.
This is why, when the lights come back on, it's something of a mystery how Rainbow Mika managed to get back up to her feet, standing dead center in the ring above the CWA log, one of her pontails unleashed into a cascade of blonde hair, blood covering her face from her nose, a clear sign of what will be a black eye.
Her entire body looks unsteady, ready to collapse at any moment, but still she stands.
"WRESTLING DOESN'T NEED COWARDS!" With the silence of the stadium, her voice carries to the very rafters without aid of any microphone. "And the CWA isn't some failing monolith. What you've seen here tonight, isn't proof of its weakness, it's flaws... it's proof that there are idiots and fools who don't understand what professional wrestling is about!"
"Wrestling isn't just about who is the strongest, it's about who gives the best show, who leaves the crowd wanting more... demanding more!" She points up at the Titantron with her left arm, her right looking in questionable shape. "You came here tonight to watch the greatest event in wrestling! You came here because the CWA knows that you, those in the crowd and at home, are just as important to the sport as those of us in the ring. RESPECT!"
"Instead some... assholes come barreling in here. Hold you hostage, insult you, insult the people who stand in this ring... insult the sport!" Mika seems practically on fire, her body shaking as she struggles to stay up. "BUT YOU KNOW WHAT!"
There's a pause where nobody dares say a word, the intensity fills the air.
"THE ASTRO'S GONE, AND I'M STILL STANDING HERE!"
Then she goes quiet. The crowd picks up the noise, but Mika just stands there, not moving.
It isn't until someone gets closer, but then it's clear that she's completely out, her muscles so absolutely clenched, her body braced so that even as she slipped into unconsciousness, she refuses to hit the mat.
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tabitha 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tabitha 0/-------/-======|
Multiplex trauma sounds like something that happens at a movie theatre. Sorry, Astro.
Tabitha is almost out of it regardless of what she'd like. She's mostly operating on willpower and grit, of which she has quite a bit - she never backs down from a challenge, and that's exactly what Astro delivered to her. Kidnapping Zangief, throwing her in the air - she's never heard of this league before and she already doesn't like them.
Tabitha plants her hands on her knees for a moment and just catches her breath like she was recovering in a corner between rounds as Astro finally vanishes, the lights flickering off and back on under Vyle's control. She straightens as the lights come back on, fists balled - but there is nobody left to fight, as for all Tabitha's skill, she can't punch an announcement.
Well, she could punch the Titantron, one assumes, if she could get up there. But she won't. That's expensive.
And, she realizes, the crowd is staring at her. Her and Mika. This is not really how Tabitha, a boxer, expected to make her introduction to the world stage - in a wrestling ring, after what was nominally a professional wrestling bout, decided to crash the party. What is she supposed to say? Is she supposed to grab a microphone and add something?
She does it without the mic. Tabitha can really project when she wants to. "I'm not a wrestler," she says. "I'm a boxer, from Metro. I just wanted to watch some SLAMFEST. But when you start dropping challenges like that, when you start grabbing the champs with chains and having them pulled out because you're not up to fighting them, you'd better expect someone to step up. Even for the wrong sport."
Tabitha almost slaps Mika across the shoulders. She does not like or particularly respect the woman for various reasons - but she had a hell of a fight tonight. She doesn't at the last moment, probably because she realizes that might knock Mika down in her current state. Instead, after a moment of standing awkwardly, she adds, "Later," and hops off the stage.
It's still dim because Astro took out some of the lighting on his way down. It's not hard for her to vanish into what's left of the crowd, as suddenly as she came into the match. That was a different kind of challenge than normal, that's for sure...
COMBATSYS: Tabitha has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:45:16 11/16/2014 by Rainbow Mika, and last modified on 03:47:34 11/17/2014.