Match of the Millennium

Description: With one of the competitors disqualified from the third place match due to demonic apotheosis, Professional Fighting Worldwide has decided to substitute another opponent to face Chevy in a charity exhibition match. And who better to take on the former hog wrestler than the biggest ham in the New Fighting Generation?

[CHEVY]
Once again -- it's fight night here in Metro City. Thousands of people have packed themselves into the Metro City Arena for another series of martial arts excitement -- a charity match, and then the long-awaited Grand Finals match between Djamila Fadel and Ichika Kasumoto!

Upbeat music plays on speakers, as large video screens run through a review of the best moments of the NFG season. The sun has been down for a little while -- the sky is taking its sweet ol' time changing into its traditional nighttime blues. Normally, the sky wouldn't be a concern at all; it's just that someone blew a dang hole in the roof in the last fight. That would provide a decent view of the night sky, but... well, it's not particularly safe, and molten metal wasn't a particularly attractive look. So, out of both a sense of aesthetics and an abundance of caution, the arena's roof has been entirely retracted. Big heating units have been deployed throughout the seating arrangements to keep people from freezing their buns off. Not even wintry weather could keep fight fans away from the action though!

Everything is buzzing...

And then the music fades to nothingness. Screens cut to black. And the overhead floodlights dim. The ambient light of Metro City keeps the arena from being shadowed in complete darkness, though -- and it's clear -some- figures are moving about down in the arena's wrestling ring centerpiece...

After a minute... the spotlights snap on to reveal Chevy Beaumont standing in the center of the arena, Water-filled buckets are suspended by a pole held in her left hand. And a microphone is perched in her right hand, as her smiling, freckled face is turned up towards the crowd.

"Hey, Metro City! I'm Chevy Beaumont -- but of course, y'all know that! It's so great to see y'all here tonight!"

For a moment, her voice is drowned out by the roars of the crowd. Chevy basks in the glow of their enthusiasm with an ear-to-ear grin.

"The New Fighting Generation is just about to crown its first season's champion -- how about that, yeah? Are y'all pumped?!"

There's a lingering remorse in the back of the hayseed's mind that it couldn't be her. And yet, to be here, one last time... that just makes it all worth it. She started with nothing, with the humblest of roots -- and right now, she stands in front of a crowd in the center of one of the biggest cities in the world.

"Well, dang, it sounds like you -are- ready for a fight! Haha -- well, lemme just say -- it's been an honor and a privilege to fight before you. And I hope y'all will continue to support me, and the rest of the enn-eff-gee as we move on. But in the meantime -- we cain't have a sendoff with just -words-, right?"

Chevy looks across to the door which she -expects- an opponent to appear, beaming. But it's not -just- time yet.

"I got a secret to share, folks: one of my dreams is about to come true. I done watched him a lot right before I got the call to join the enn-eff-gee... and I just cain't get enough of watchin' him style on people!"

The audience laughs with her. The folks who know, know.

"So without any further ado -- I think we got us a storm brewin'!"

[BRIAN STORM]
As if on cue, a breeze blows in through the hole in the ceiling, carrying with it a swirling cascade of snowflakes - but they melt into nearly nothing as they hit the heat rising from the seats, leaving little more than small puddles scattered throughout. Fortunately, it's not forecast to snow while the matches are ongoing; it's probably just a bit of banked precipitation being swept off of the roof.

And then, at the top of the wrestling ring's entrance ramp, dry ice smoke starts to billow forth as the lazy opening riff of a familiar Black Sabbath tune starts to play. It takes nearly a minute of anticipation, the crowd getting louder and louder, before a silhouette appears in the mist, causing a cheer from the audience as the drums start to kick in and the rhythm of the guitar becomes sharper.

Generals gathered in their masses...
Just like witches at black masses...
Evil minds that plot destruction...
Sorceror of death's construction... o/~

The figure emerges.

It appears to be bigger than Brian Storm. Which is saying something, considering that Brian Storm is six feet, five inches, and two hundred and forty-one pounds of pure power. However, this vision's face is obscured by a large hood, shoulders covered by massive, spiked pauldrons that wouldn't look out of place in a popular online roleplaying game. And trailing behind him is a red cape with a white faux-fur mantle.

"FINALLY..."

The figure raises a microphone to its face, the familiar baritone bellowing out so that the audience can not only hear, but feel it in their bones.

"THE STORM HAS RETURNED TO THE ENN, EFF, GEEEEE!!!"

The crowd lets out a massive pop as the tune continues to play.

"But CHEVELLE BEAUMONT will not be facing the MERE MIGHT of the SWARM, or the POWER of the THUNDER GOD!"

It's been noted by some of the audience by now that Brian's voice is sounding slightly tinny, and a glimpse of pink pushing out from under the hood gives some hint as to why.

"For TONIGHT, CHEVELLE BEAUMONT, YOU WILL FACE your GREATEST NEMESIS... the SPECTRE of your PAST..."

And then, the hood is thrown back, revealing an enormous, bulbous head, a protruding snout, and a pair of sunken eyes.

"For it is I... BACON STORM... THE WAR PIG!"

The sound of the music turns up as Ozzy shouts 'Oh Lord, yeah!' on the soundtrack and the War Pig starts storming down the ramp toward the ring. Unfortunately, with the giant pig mask on, he doesn't notice a puddle of freshly-thawed condensation trickling down the ramp and slips, tumbling down the ramp into a log roll all the way down to ringside, any outcries muffled by the pink helmet. Fortunately, the shoulderpads and mask offer some protection, and the disaster of last time this happened at the RUMBLE is averted - mostly.

Rattling to a stop, Bacon Storm picks himself up off of the floor, staggers up the steps to the apron, and climbs into the ring between the ropes. It's unclear whether the snorting and huffing inside the mask as he takes up position opposite Chevy is him getting into character or the result of the action, but finally, he lets out a belch.

"Excuse me," he apologizes quickly. "Whew! Too much egg nog before I came on!"

He lifts his arms and pumps one large fist into the other hand, showing off the fact that his biceps have, if anything, only gotten more impressive, though he appears to have packed on a bit of padding for the part.

"Alright, Chevy! Are you ready to roll?!"

That might or might not be a car pun. It's hard to tell when someone's sincerity is always at a hundred and ten percent.

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Sitting in a seat picked for its position in close proximity to a heater is a certain pussycat themed popstar. Today though, she is off duty and instead of her usual cat girl costume, she's dressed in a feather trimmed sequined tulle mini-dress in a rich shade of bronze and a pair of sparkling sandals that show off her perfect pedicure. Her exceptionally long golden blonde hair has been left loose for a change and is brushed to a sheen. It's been carefully arranged so her ass doesn't sit on it and instead drapes over one of her shoulders to hang down her side.

She's come solo to see the match, since most of her entourage have already been dismissed for the holidays. Personally she hates this time of year. It's full of fattening food, cringeworthy Christmas movies and people pretending to be feeling good cheer. They'd be better served focusing on how to fix their dismal existences for the rest of the year in her opinion. Still, it sometimes means she sells more merchandise as gifts, so there's always a silver lining.

Despite the disaster that occurred in one of the semi-finals, people seem to be in good spirits in the arena. Of course Chloe will be supporting her boyfriend, Brian Storm in this match and later in the final, Djamila, who she'd been on a platonic date with after the dancer won the charity clean-up competition on Daybreak Beach. Brian's competitor today, Chevy Beaumont was also present in partipating with making the beach pristine. She seems like a sweetheart from what Chloe has seen of her and she's sure she will give Brian a good show.

As the Southern girl speaks on the microphone, the singer wears a serene smile. As much as she'd been sceptical about the whole New Fighting Generation project, she has to admit it's been a stunning success. Brian and her backing dancer, Raiza had got her caught up in the enthusiasm of it all and she's even been envious at times that she'd never got the chance to take part in such a contest. The camaraderie amongst the competitors is clear and as someone who can count the number of close friends she has on one hand, it's something Lucky sometimes feels she lacks.

Shrugging off these solemn thoughts, she focuses back on the ring at the centre of the action. Chevy's words are coming to a close now and she's just in time to catch her say "So without any further ado -- I think we got us a storm brewin'!" It seems like it's time for Brian to make his entrance.

The British rock music starts to play and the figure that emerges from the entrance ramp seems freakishly big, even more so than the man who is a foot taller than her. She cranes her neck to get a better look and then clasps a hand to her mouth as she realises what role Brian is playing tonight. "Very good" she murmurs. "She used to be a pig farmer. I get it."

No sooner have the words of praise left her pretty mouth though, than the unlucky wrestler has once again taken a tumble. "Oh Brian" she sighs. "There goes another tube of my arnica cream and you've not even reached the ring yet."

[CHEVY]
Many of the fighters in the NFG had gotten the full Brian Storm Experience. But Chevy had not. Despite being quite possibly the only one who'd chosen to -keep- the misprint shirt with branding for both Brian Storm and herself. Despite being quite possibly the only one with an actual -poster- of Brian Storm in her bedroom.

It'd be easy to see that she's a hundred percent sincere as Chevy speaks to the crowd. And as she hears War Pigs come across the loudspeakers -- one of her Paw's favorites, and of course, one of her own -- she's in fangirl heaven. Her cheeks are a fair shade of pink as she hands the mic back to a stealthy NFG staffer. There's a minute of anticipation -- and while she -could- easily be pacing around the ring, she opts instead to stand in place, bobbing lightly on the balls of her feet as she vibes to the Black Sabbath intro.

Of course, there's time for her to look upon the crowd. To see the whole crowd roaring in delight. She spots Lucky Chloe in the crowd, giving her a cheerful little wave. Some people nearby might -think- it's for them, and that's okay!

She turns her full attention to the cloaked figure as he strides close. Even though she's sporting her custom-designed outfit -- expertly mended to repair the damage dealt by Ichika's katana in the previous fight -- it's not hard to see that she's excited beyond belief at the appearance of this dark, shadowy, and imposing form! It's... it's him! The Storm! But if he's not a swarm, and he's not a thunder god... well, what is he going to be? Chevy's jaw gapes open as she lets herself get swept along with the crowd's swelling emotions. A spectre -- that's a ghost, right? What could this -be-?

Her eyes go -wide- at the reveal of BACON STORM. She didn't see that coming, even with the song. It's a new persona... -just for her-. It's so much, in fact, that Chevy's free hand clasps to her mouth as she reels backwards for a few steps, the water splish-splashing around for balance.

And then it all comes to a head as the figure takes a tumble down the ramp. Not -again!- Still wide-eyed, but now with panic, Chevy races to the side of the ring nearest Brian, one hand grasping at the ropes as she leans forward to get a better look.

It's only once he stands that she steps back, one hand over her chest. Thank goodness!

She steps back across the center of the ring as BACON STORM makes his arrival. Of course, she can't help but laugh as he apologizes for the piggy belch. The "spectre of her past" is here looking her in the eye -- well, through that mask, at any rate. And it takes just about every ounce of her willpower to throttle back on her urge to squeal with glee -- to fully put herself back into the mindset necessary to do her best against the expert fighter before her.

Which is good -- because Mr Storm's call to action compels her to think of an appropriate response. Is Chevy, a car enthusiast, ready to roll? The hayseed barks out a laugh. She's been watching wrestling matches enough to be able to cobble -something- together here on the fly. And who better to quote than Black Sabbath themselves? Though, her words sound a -little- less frightening with a five-foot-eight girl's Southern drawl.

"No more war pigs have the power..."

Chevy raises her galvanized pipe, holding it tight with both hands.

"Hand of God has struck the hour...!"

She winks back. Trying not to laugh at the big pig face. The girl next door is rarin' to go!

"Yeah! Let's get rockin' and rollin'!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Chevy            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Brian Storm has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Brian Storm      0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Chevy

[BRIAN STORM]
Amazingly, wisps of white smoke can even be seen escaping the nostrils of Bacon Storm's porcine mask as the wrestler huffs and puffs in a reversal of traditional roles. Of course, it's less amazing when one realises that it's just dry ice mist that got caught in the helmet while the wrestler was waiting for the musical cue to make his entrance.

The War Pig nods once.

"In that case..."

Bacon Storm stalks to one corner of the ring and hops up on the ropes. "Before she joined the New Fighting Generation, this lady made a name for herself by defeating countless hogs in singles wrestling matches! That name is CHEVELLE BEAUMONT! And tonight, I will drag that name through the mud, just like she has dragged so many of my opposable-thumb-impaired kin through the mud! This is the hour of their VENGEANCE!"

Lightning crackles around Brian Storm as he makes the declaration, and thunder echoes in the firmament. Or was that just a sound effect through the speakers?

Brian whips off the festively furry cape he's wearing and tosses it to the crowd, leaving him looking less majestic and more menacing as his musculature comes on full display.

He hops back off of the turnbuckle, fists balling at his sides as he strides up to stare down Chevy once again. "So, brace yourself, Chevy. Because THIS is the BACON that BITES BACK!"

He's too busy stamping his feet and striking archery poses to notice the bell ringing to signal the match to start at first, giving the hayseed an opportunity to take the lead!

[ABIGAIL]
Whether due to protest, scheduling, or the simple fact that all of Team Frost was eliminated early on ...in a manner possibly -leading- to protest, it's been a minute since The Mad Gear Titan, Abigail, has seen fit to grace the arena with his tremendous presence. This particular match seems to be the one to finally pull him from his self imposed hibernation in the depths of his scrap yard and of course it would be, for it's none other then NFG's Girl Next Door (and modding super-genius in the making), Chevy , in the ring!

Oh and Brian Storm. BRIAN STORM!!!!

It is towards Brian Storm's corner that Axl attempts to creep his way towards, attempting to take advantage of the ringside seats possessed by the massive NFG sponsor, only to be grabbed around the collar by Abigail as the massive mechanic attempts to squeeze his way into a seat. "You traitor! We're here for Chevy!!"

"But Chief...BRIAN STORM!"

Roxy just sighs and quietly rubs her temples, her headache rapidly growing in severity as Abigail fumes with a sound like a massive generator rumbling slowly towards a final meltdown. His attention is ultimately pulled towards the ring as he booms out a loud "VROOOOOOOM!!!! C'mon Chevy!! Crank it right ot the REDLINE!!!"

[CHEVY]
It's hard -not- to notice someone of Abigail's size in the crowd, even moreso when they're in the front row. The pink tone in Chevy's cheeks gets a little more pronounced as she tosses the Mad Gear contingent a friendly wave as well, in the midst of BACON STORM's brief monologue...

Chevy doesn't talk -too- much about her past career. Yes, she wrestled hogs, and yes, she often won -- because it was preferential to having to cornering the wild porkers down with an all-terrain vehicle. But she doesn't really look forward to explaining to anyone in particular how she can sit and enjoy a ham sandwich after being a willing participant in the pipeline required to produce such a thing.

Thankfully, it's easier to stare her accuser in the eye when she knows it's just a mask over a wrestler she's been a fan of for years now. It's... actually pretty funny to her this way, and she can barely keep her smile from tripping over into laughter at the way her opponent upsells the drama. That surely won't come back to bite her...

Chevy has been particularly mindful of bells since that one fight in a Ford car lot. Even with Brian looking away, Chevy's already predisposed to treat bells as an on/off switch. Though -- just to be fair to the wrestler she's looked up to for so long, she can't help but give him one last-ditch nudge at paying attention...

"Alright, folks -- I'm fixin' to put this pig in a blanket! Hraaaaah!"

She leaps in close, lashing her pole out to try and snare the archer-posing Storm by the ankle. And if she manages that, she'd lift up sharply, stepping in to swiftly escort his shoulders onto the mat!

COMBATSYS: Brian Storm blocks Chevy's Weapon Trip.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Brian Storm      0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0            Chevy

[BRIAN STORM]
The verbal signalling from Chevy serves to bring Boar-ian's attention back to the impending match. His head would turn toward her, but the helmet doesn't allow quite the adequate amount of mobility to turn with his head - thus, the gesture goes largely unnoticed by the crowd, to whom he simply appears to be caught completely unawares.

On the other hand, there are few fighters in the NFG (perhaps in the world) as experienced with taking sudden and unexpected falls as Brian Storm. And so, when he topples, he topples like a champ. Arms akimbo, he flails wildly, flips a full two hundred and seventy degrees backward, then lands chest-first on the mat, bouncing and rolling to one side. He ends up stumbling back to his feet, almost as if it were all planned, likely contributing to the conspiracy theorists that share the delusion that wrestling is all scripted and fake.

"That's a kind offer, but this little piggy doesn't NEED a blanket, Chevy!" Bacon Storm bellows as he stumbles back into the ropes and leans heavily against them, gripping the top rope with both hands as he scuffs at the ground with one foot, possibly forgetting which barnyard animal he's supposed to be imitating. "I hope you've been saving up, 'cause there's about to be a lightning sale, and this piggy's about to GO to MARKET!"

And with that cryptic yet fervent declaration, the Porcine Avenger powers forward off of the ropes, gathering electrical energy as his boots pound the mat. Then he's suddenly spinning as he comes for Chevy, fists extended, and starts to spin wildly, lightning crackling around his hands as he attempts to hit her with one drive-by spinning punch, rebound off the ropes, and hit her with another!

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Brian Storm's Fister Twister.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Brian Storm      0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Chevy makes contact, she expects a follow-through. She just... doesn't expect -that much- of a follow-through. As Brian flips around on the mat, a wide-eyed Chevy steps forward, letting the momentum of her spinning pole carry her forward and out of harm's way. When Brian springs back to his feet, she's a safe distance away, turning back to face him with a mix of awe and surprise.

It's... different, after all, actually -being- Brian Storm's opponent. Watching him on television, or clips online, is a completely passive activity. Watching him here, live, comes with the responsibility of staging an effective defense. And, not only that, trying to up the ante on wordplay.

Ayame -did- warn her against trying to fight -and- sass, though. An embarassed half-smile greets the Storm that spins toward her.

The second -- is a grounded pole, jarring Chevy's upper body but managing to redirect some of the impact into the mat below. Chevy uses her defense to pivot out of harm's way, allowing her opponent to spin himself against the ropes.

"Uh... this little piggy wants none?"

She has a bit more presence of mind on the return trip, though: she ducks underneath the spinning limb, letting it whistle by just over her head.

When he continues to his next half-spin, though... that's when Chevy suddenly stabs the length of pipe at his extended hand. And she stops the thrust short -- slinging one bucket right off so as to trap Brian's hand inside its watery depths.

And then, if successful, the bucket's water would flash-freeze itself into place, acting as no more than a lead weight for the nimble wrestler!

"-One- of us'll be goin 'wah, wah wah' all the way home, I guess..."

Chevy's hope is that with the extra weight -- and her influence over the ice inside it -- Brian would have a harder time slowing to a stop. And if she's right, then her followup of wrapping her elbow around the back of his neck and then slamming him face-first into the mat might just have a shot of working!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Brian Storm with Battleship Chains.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Brian Storm      0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0            Chevy

[BRIAN STORM]
Once again, Brian finds his hand trapped in a bucket of ice. And this time, he doesn't even have a can of ginger ale to show for it.

"Hraaaugh!"

He tries to continue the motion and pull himself free from the frosty bucket, but to no avail. The porcine pugilist is trapped, unable to escape the bulldog-like clutches of Chevy's combat apparatus, and is subsequently taken down to the ring floor by her... well, bulldog. The helmet-mask bounces off of the mat with a *KLONG* that resounds throughout the arena thanks to the strategically placed microphones used to report the action.

"Yeah, well..." Bacon Storm growls as he huffs on the mat, "...this little piggy ain't goin' home yet... because this little piggy's got BEEF!"

Wrenching his trapped arm to try and throw the farm girl off-kilter, he kicks out with his leg to try and knock Chevy face-first down on the mat. If he succeeds, he'll roll over on top of her, intending to free both hands and wrap them under her chinny-chin-chin and pull back as he puts her in the Ham-el Clutch!

COMBATSYS: Chevy counters Grounding Throw from Brian Storm with Low Tide EX.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Brian Storm      1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
It's one thing to watch a legend. It's something else to actually -fight- one.

Chevy had loved watching how Brian Storm solved problems in the wrestling ring. It's a huge thrill to actually be -causing- those problems in real-time. She hits the mat in a roll alongside Brian Storm as he falls, tumbling back to her feet in just a moment. The pole is swung wide to the opposite side, acting as a counterbalance as she pivots back around to face him.

She had -thought- she would have a bit more time to recenter herself, though; she's only mid-way through the turn before Brian is already threatening to take her feet out from under her. The urgency serves to snap the fangirl out of her breathless, starstruck mode, sending her right into full-on panic -- which means she stutter-steps backwards, bringing her feet just a hair's breadth free of the tripping kick. The smooth movement of her remaining water bucket is interrupted, as the water spills out -- surging towards Brian, sweeping under him like a wave upon the shore.

She draws her hands back, eyes widening. She's practiced so hard, against such difficult opponents, that it's become second nature for her to react. The water obeys her command -- sharply rising upwards, and lifting Brian Storm upwards into the air. The frozen bucket on his arm moves in concert, keeping him right where she needs him to be, as she lunges forward, grabs hold -- and swings him ninety degrees to her right as she slams him down into the mat once more!

Both the ice and the farm girl release their respective holds after impact.

Chevy steps back, clearly dumbfounded for a moment. She's still turning something over in her mind, even as her pounding heart slows just a tick...

And then it hits her.
"... Oh... wait, I get it now."

She steps around, poking the bare end of her pole into the handle of the released bucket, drawing it back into the fray.

"That was a pretty good one!" she chirps, cheerfully! "It's amazin' how you can come up with all this an' still fight!"

[BRIAN STORM]
Bri-Ham Storm's porcine plans are laid waste once again as Chevy's water bends to wash him up like a wrestler twice his age. He flops around in the water like a pig in mud after being slammed into the mat again. It takes the Baconator the moment that Chevy spends working out the wordplay to get his boots back under himself. He mutes his helmet's inner microphone just long enough to let Chevy in on a little secret.

"The secret... is not really thinking about it!"

It's a trick that Brian applies not only to his mic handling, but to more or less everything in life.

Like what he's about to blurt into the microphone.

"SOOOOO-EEEE!"

Immediately, he's back on the offensive, coming at Chevy with a quick pair of punches and a kick to the midsection, gathering speed as he seizes upon his moment for a heel spot. He'll try and follow up with a quick spinning punch to put Chevy on the mat before running to the nearest corner and hopping up on the ropes.

==============================================================================
"It looks like he's going for the..."

"THUNDERHAM!!"

Lou interjects in the middle of Tom's comment. The two are bundled up in coats in the audience. Neither were hired for this charity gig, after all, but they've apparently both bought tickets.
==============================================================================

And indeed, Bacon Storm's helmet is crackling with electricity as he bounces on the ropes, then throwing himself through the air like a football, aiming to crash headfirst into Chevy before she can fully recover!

COMBATSYS: Brian Storm successfully hits Chevy with Thunderhead.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Brian Storm      1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
The secret is... not really thinking about it?
Well, that explains a whole lot! And it's probably better off that Chevy not think about that 'sooey!' call, lest that jog any particular memories of attending the Pitt County Fair with her Paw, way back when...

'Not really thinking about it' also applies to the strategy she uses on taking the next two punches head-on. She -could- have dodged. But this is a charity match -- for the -fans- -- and also her one moment to actually learn the ways of wrestling with Brian Storm. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance -- and she'd always -wondered- what it would feel like. So when he slams two punches -- she holds her ground, recoiling with the blows! When the kick comes in -- she folds like a jackknife, staggering backward! When the spinning punch comes in, she doesn't move out of the way -- she rolls with the blow, letting it guide her to the mat.

As it turns out -- it doesn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would. Maybe that's just what she gets for thinking too much.

Of course, as she rises to her feet, she probably expects what's coming from the crowd response.

But that doesn't even -begin- to prepare her for the true fury of taking a Thunderhead ... head-on.

She flies backwards from the impact of a headbutt hitting her squarely in the sternum. Water splashes out, every which way. She cries out in pain at first; her limbs flail outward, trailing behind as she's catapulted across the ring. She lands just shy of the far ropes, stopping just short of landing on her back -- and she looks to be just on the verge of incredulous -laughter-.

She'd thought she'd be able to gain an advantage against Brian just then. But the Thunderhead was just too much for the Thunder Next Door, apparently. Grinning, she pitches forward, slinging herself back to her feet with the aid of her pole. Her clothes are, as normal for this point in the fight, soaked. But her will to continue is still strong!

"Well, this little piggie leaves me with no choice!" she cries out to the crowd. She spins her pole in a quick circle, raising it high into the air.

And then...
It starts to -rain-.
Just in a small column around her, of course.

And as she draws her pole backwards, she levels an extended index finger at Brian Storm..."

"I'll huff... and I'll puff... and I'll blow your house down!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy gets ready to turn the tide!

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Brian Storm      1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1            Chevy

[BRIAN STORM]
The crowd roars at the spectacle, the clash of water and lightning delighting young and old alike. One might think that a display featuring those particular elements under these conditions would be slightly contradictory to the NFG's claims of dedication to safety.

One would probably be correct.

Bacon Storm staggers up to his own feet, panting in his helmet as one hand presses against the hog's jowl woozily. Flying headbutts are no joke, but that's just a sign of the dedication of the man-pig to his craft.

The porcine wrestler stops in his cloven tracks for a moment as Chevy starts to summon that miniature monsoon. And then, she utters those words.

Suddenly, Bacon Storm is transported across space and time.

The radio in his head crackles with the report. A tropical storm. Nothing to worry about; hurricanes never really hit California.

'It's going to be okay, Brian.'

It was a lie that would scar the little piglet for life, one that would be etched in his name for eternity.

"How... DARE you?!"

Arcs of white lightning streak through Bacon Storm's clenched fists as an electrically-charged bundle of blonde hair bursts out of a covered breathing gap in the back of the piggy helmet. The effect is to make it look a bit like Bacon Storm has just gone Super Buta-jin 3.

"YOU LEAVE MY HOUSE ALONE!"

What exactly has triggered this seeming break from kayfabe is something that even the most diehard of Brian Storm fans won't be aware of, posters or not. But it seems that Chevy's germane reference to the children's tale has somehow ventured offsides.

Bacon Storm approaches Chevy with the intent to brawl written over all of him but his dead-eyed hog mask. Stalking through the rain, he aims to slug it out with the redhead, electrical punches thrown recklessly without regard for the fact that both fighters are sure to be soaked and thus extra-susceptible to shock. His aim is to keep punching with the stunning blows until he can get Chevy to the ropes before suplexing her over them to the ground outside the ring.

Then, with his opponent left almost certainly dazed on the floor, he would leap to one of the vertical steel towers set up around the outside of the ring and start to climb like a daredevil, up past the racks of speakers blasting the action (and causing a painful feedback hum for everyone listening as his mic would get too close to them).

"YOU LEAVE... MY HOUSE... ALONE!!"

Then, from thirty feet in the air, Bacon Storm would leap with utter abandon, plummeting in a corona of white lightning toward his opponent!

Hopefully she doesn't move, 'cause that's definitely gonna smart.

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Brian Storm's Brian Lightning.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Brian Storm      0/-------/---<<<<|=======\=======\1            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Chevy has been trying to get into the spectacle of the moment. It's a charity match -- and there's always the chance that a particularly entertaining fight might rake in more donations. It's just that, well, Brian Storm is the professional here, and she's still playing catch-up to him, in many ways.

What she doesn't know, though, is any underlying traumas that might be going on in the head of her piggy-helmed competition. The sudden change in demeanor catches Chevy by surprise. Wide eyes stare back as the porcine aggressor marches closer, wreathed in lightning and bristling with ire.

Rainstorms can be calm and relaxing. But that... isn't what's starting to happen here. As lightning rages around Brian, the waters around Chevy begin to churn, whirling into a ring around her. All that water has to go somewhere, after all, and the simplest pattern that Chevelle can maintain is a churning whirlpool around her feet. That churn grows louder, stronger with each step -- as if the water itself is providing an answer to the fury of its summoner's opponent. In truth -- it's a reflection of Chevy's growing anxiety, her uncertainty towards what would happen next.

But she resolves, as Brian marches ever closer, that she will -not- give into the rage and anger. Her gaze remains locked onto Brian's mask, hoping that she would be able to find the humanity within that rubbery, hoglike abomination. She blocks the punches with her pole or her forearms, withdrawing to the ropes to mitigate each attack as best she can. As she draws back, the ring of waves swirls to follow her...

"E-easy there, big guy, I... it ain't made of sticks or nothin', is it?"

The drawback here is -- there's only so far she can move before she finds her back against the ropes.

"Ugh...?!"

There's a moment of anxious hesitation -- and then the traumatized wrestler seizes Chevy in that moment. The fighter, clad in rain-soaked denim, is hoisted high over the ropes, bracing for impact as her encircling ring of water falls to the concrete below. Even enraged, Storm's technique is unquestionable -- and if she were anyone else, she'd be in for a long fall and a hard slam into unforgiving concrete.

But Chevy Beaumont is a waterbender. And as she is slammed downwards, a column of water rises up to meet her -- to slow that descent, to cushion that blow just enough so that her shoulders hit the pavement with a wet slap of denim.

"Nnrgh!"

But -- even dazed as she is, she isn't going to stick around for the followup -- she rolls off to the side, clambering to her feet. She covers her ears at that feedback-loop. And when Brian crashes down -- she summons a second column of water to springboard herself back and out of the way before her lightning-wreathed opponent can crash down!

As she leaps to relative safety, she keeps her ears covered for the thunderous boom! Hopefully the folks on the first few rows of seating don't get fried, or soaked, or both...

But, just as it looks like Brian is ready to recover, she has another idea. She can always count on her Paw's goofy sense of humor to bring a smile to her face.

"You okay down there? You want me to put some oink-ment on it?"

With all the water still soaking the floor, she decides to leap back into the fray. Yes, there's a lot of electricity -- but there's still a -fight- to carry on!

And Chevy aims to throw her shoulder into Brian's stomach, aiming to wrap both arms about his waist...

If she manages that, the accumulated rainwater would explode upwards yet again -- this time propelling the pair up, up, and away -- whereby she would aim to slam him back into the ring for her own dizzying take on an Izuna Drop!

[ABIGAIL]
"'Yeaaaah Brian--I mean Chevy!!!!" shouts Axl from ringside, swerving at the last minute to avoid the implication of a dire accident as Abigail levels his glare onto him.

But it's a short lived one as the giant mechanic rumbles, "Fine, fine, cheer for who ya want. She's gonna kick his ass anyway!"

Indeed, the match seems to be going well, with the water bending wrestler holding her own against the superstar gone hog-wild...but the sudden flare up and roar of thunder and lightning ripples through the air in a manner far more intense before, causes the superhuman behemoth to recoil slightly in surprise.

"Check out the VFX budget increase...." demures Roxy until a thunderous boom causes her to break her own attempts at being unphased and she ducks down, hiding behind Abigail as lightning rages and the rain whirls through the air.

"Yeah..." Abigail's response is more muted though he remains unbowed against the visual spectacle and the whirling elements. An unwitting bulwark for Axl and Roxy who use him as a shield. He studies the ring with squinted eyes but then lets out a loud roaring "KABOOM!" as Chevy pushes onward despite the elemental fury of 'Bacon Storm'.

"You got this! Crank up that engine and power through!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Brian Storm with Sound Side.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Brian Storm      1/-----<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0            Chevy

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Lucky Chloe is sitting pretty on her seat by the heat. Every now and then she lets out a squeal of delight or gives a toss of her hair to signify approval at something Brian does. She's been recognised by several staring fans but most people are too enthralled by the raucous rumble in the ring to be distracted by the dance diva.

Chevy is truly giving it her ass in the match and Mister Storm is being a spectacular showman as ever. When he climbs to the top of the speaker to affirm his message, the singer can't help but take a snapshot. That'll be sure to get lots of traffic on her InstaSlam account.

The fact that the man actually seems somewhat distressed has washed over her, like a wave from his waterbending opponent. Oblivious, Chloe soaks it up, seeing it all as part of the role the wrestler is playing. The budding relationship between the blondes is fun but it's not one based on sharing confidences or displays of heartfelt emotion, so any backstory to her beau's apparent trauma is a mystery to her.

[BRIAN STORM]
It's hard to tell when the swinelord is already so sincerely incensed, but something about the 'made of sticks' question seems to draw out the baconer's wrath all the more, spurring the ascent of the steely heights. And then comes the plummet...

*THUD*

Brian is left wheezing on the ground, his breathing heavy and sith-like through his mask as his descent goes wide.

"Oinkment..."

The wrestler growls deliriously as he forces himself up to his feet, only to be caught up around his waist by Chevy. And then he's blasting into the air on a geyser of cold water, propelled into the inverted position that ninja have mastered, often excelling even wrestlers in the execution of that singular driver.

"Izuna Otoshi! NO!"

Bacon Storm crashes down crest-first into the ring, the mask crumpling with the impact as he bounces violently away end-over-end, somehow appearing to take the hit even harder than one would expect. In fact, the legendary ability of the young wrestling prodigy to sell an attack sees him flopping and flipping through the air across the wooden ring as if it were a rubber trampoline, the helmet warping anew each time he hits the mat, until he flops across the ropes - actually made of rubber - which sag deeply with his weight before slingshotting him back high above the ring.

Lightning engulfs the giant ham as he falls with the last of his energy, striking at Chevy from Hell's kitchen. Consigned to gravity's grip, he seeks only to bring his opponent with him into the arms of oblivion as he swears kamikaze vengeance for his brethren.

"BUUUTAAAA!"

COMBATSYS: Brian Storm can no longer fight.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Chevy            0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Brian Storm successfully hits Chevy with Brian Lightning.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Chevy            1/---====/=======|

[CHEVY]
Trauma comes in many ways, shapes, and forms, many of which can't be hidden by a simple hog mask. Chevy's contribution to his therapy is, um... distraction?

"Izuna oh-whatsie?"

If she'd really wanted to learn more about the heritage of the Izuna Otoshi, though, there's a few friends she could ask. She springs backwards a little bit as her porcine opponent hits the mat -- surprised at just how far her attack had managed to carry him. At the moment, she isn't sure if it's part of his act, or if she really -did- hit him that hard, because, trailing her pole behind herself, she reaches a concerned hand towards the wrestler...

Only to see him bounce back from the ropes: not towards her but *upward*. Her head cranes up to watch him as he takes flight. Though -- as his form is silhouetted by the bright floodlights, Chevy finds herself momentarily blinded! Snapping her hand up to block the light, she momentarily loses track of the wrestler...

So, even with his announcement (in that language she doesn't fully know) it comes as a shocking surprise to have Brian Storm barreling into her defenseless torso at high speed! The sopping-wet denim doesn't do her any favors, acting as a perfect conductor for the crackling avenger's fury.

"Ngrhvhvhvhvhvhv!" Chevy's muscles begin twitching spasmodically as she hurtles backwards, her denim-clad backside skipping once, twice off the mat before she ends up tangled in the ropes! Her pole and its buckets fly off in a slightly different direction, in similar fashion...

Tendrils of electricity are still crawling their way down her form as the ropes rubberband her back into the ring, throwing her forward onto her hands and knees. Stumbling, the hayseed clambers back to her feet as wispy clouds of electrified steam rise from her. Her right eye twitches from the lightning surge as she passes a glance across the battlefield. Her pole and buckets are in one direction -- and Brian Storm in his battered hog mask, is in another.

(It won't be long before social media tags the footage with #ICantBelieveItsNotButa. Chevy might need some help making sense of that.)

The hayseed lurches forward again, ready to rejoin the barnyard tussle. She grits her teeth, preparing for battle once again. But when she hears the audience both roaring and applauding... she looks around with the realization that she might just be the last one standing.

Coughing up a laugh, she wraps one arm about herself. That was -not- a light impact -- and she's gonna be feeling it for a while. But... having gotten to fight against one of her biggest inspirations is an achievement in itself. And, knowing that it was a charity benefit is a big bonus, like two perfectly crispy strips of bacon to finish off a hamburger.

And with the dinging of a bell -- necessary, in Chevy's experience -- the hayseed makes her way over to Brian Storm, offering him a friendly hand of assistance and a broad smile.

"That'll do, pig. That'll do..."

COMBATSYS: Chevy lets the tide wash out.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Chevy            1/---====/=======|

COMBATSYS: Chevy has ended the fight here.


[BRIAN STORM]
Bacon Storm is still sizzling as Chevy comes over to offer help to the dazed wrestler. In his mind's eye, the flashbacks return. The wooden house, where so many days had been spent playing. Days before the storm came and washed it away...

He had really loved that treehouse.

But when he sees Chevy's hand reaching down for him, something inside him relaxes. The cruelty of that deluge so many years ago had been a weight in his soul, but now he realises that no matter what the water may bring down, there is no cruelty there. After all, there is no malice behind Chevy's waterbending. Water brings life, and what is washed away can be rebuilt.

He may not be able to break kayfabe of his own free will, but that doesn't mean that he can't have a character development arc.

And so, taking Chevy's hand in his own as he rises slowly, the proud pig grunts quietly: "Thank you..."

[ABIGAIL]
"VROOOOOOOOM!!!!!"

Abigail's roaring voice rumbles and ripples through the air from ringside as he stands and slams his fists against his chest in several repeated thunderous impacts and then raises both of his massive arms upwards over his head, pointing his fingers towards the high roof of the arena and then back down towards Chevy and Brian Storm both.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! A dead heat with a revvin' final finish! Braaaaaggghhh!!!!"

A series of unintelligible roaring engine sounds occurs from his voice as he swings his arms wildly a few more times in vast pantomining of doing various swings and bearhug attempts in the air causing Roxy and Axl to duck wildly to the side to avoid being sideswiped and clobbered by the massive mechanics wild antics.

"Yeaaah CHEVY!!!" he thunders again. You'd think she was Team Frost but perhaps in the back of his mind, she basically is.

"Congrats Chevy!" cheers Roxy after getting her wits back about her. Axl just looks at his soaked and damaged Brain Storm poster and then just shrugs and grins letting out an accompanying, "Alright, Chevy!" Both voices are likely drowned out by Abigail's carrying on, let alone the crowd cheers mind you but they do wave frantically.

[CHEVY]
"It's all good!" replies Chevy with quiet, good-natured cheer, as she helps Bacon Storm back to his feet again. Her cheeks redden slightly as she looks back at him. Mask or not -- it's still the same guy she knows.

"I'm just the biggest fan of yours -- I cain't believe we actually got to -fight- together..." she admits candidly. If she'd known Mr Storm had switched his mic off earlier, she might have asked for that -- but as it is, it'd be hard for the crowd to hear over all their whooping and hollering.

She smiles as she turns to the crowd -- winking her eye in the direction of Roxy, Axl, and Abigail. As a mic is brought out to her, the hayseed turns her own PR mode on, addressing the crowd.

"Hey y'all! Let's give it up for Bacon Storm!" She grins, turning aside to lend the spotlight to him for a moment as a nod to good sportsmanship. Surely, -some- people will think that she's doing this out of a sinister plan to win the crowd over, but it's all out of the goodness of the Southern belle's heart.

"I just wanted to thank all y'all piglets for comin' out tonight! Proceeds from y'all's tickets will go right to a number of local charities, includin' the one I picked, the Community Kitchen of Metro City! The real winner of this match is you all, for givin' all your support!"

Chevy points into the crowd, swinging her finger around slightly. Though -- she's realizing that this crowd work is a lot more intense than she'd thought it was. The crowd roars -- and Chevy turns once more to Brian Storm. And she whispers, brightly:

"Thank -you- for bein' so awesome, Mr Storm."

And with that -- she hands over the mic and quietly starts making her way towards ringside. This hayseed is plum tuckered out!

Log created on 08:40:19 12/12/2023 by Brian Storm, and last modified on 03:32:27 12/18/2023.