Match of the Millennium

Description: The first-season fighters that have advanced furthest in the season 2 tournament are two couples -- which makes the semifinals round something of a double date! With Hawksley and Buck in attendance for their match here at La Catedral in Buenos Aires, the first semifinal bout is a much-awaited rematch between Coco and Chevy!

[CHEVY]
La Catedral is pretty big. And in many ways, its upper dance floor looks like a ground-level barn -- a sturdy, hardwood floor, broad walls, and a tall pitched roof supported by rafters. So, something just *like* a barn should feel like home to Chevelle Beaumont, the "girl next door" from NFG's first season.

As she ascends the stairs from the floor below, the Southern Belle winces -- with one eye squinted shut -- from the crowd's welcoming roar. She flashes a contagious smile to the fans, waving as best she can while making her way forward! As she approaches the stage, a staff member for the NFG presses a microphone into her anxious hands. Before, it was just noise -- but as she attenuates to the 'barn' upstairs, she starts to hear the voices of the fight fans she knows and loves. The butterflies in her stomach seem to flutter on away...

"Hey, y'all!" announces the hayseed, invoking a loud response from the gathered crowd! An overhead spotlight snaps on; she deflects the light from her eyes with a raised hand. The intense light casts her reddish hair and the denim of her jacket and flared jeans into stark relief. But as the crowd response dims, she chirps up: "This feels just like home -- y'all can get right up to the ring and everything! Y'all are in for a great night -- so lemme hear you say 'yeah!'"

Just as Chevy has alluded to, there's a wrestling ring in the center of the voluminous dance floor. And the seats -- chairs in some cases, overturned beer crates with cushions in others -- provide only the slightest margin of space around the central ring. But Chevy's right about one thing -- all the people shouting 'yeah!!' have a -much- better view of the action here than in the NFG's usual fighting locales!

Of course -- there's also one change, which Chevy notices almost as an afterthought. As she hands the mic back to the NFG staffer, she cocks her head at an odd angle.

She asks, "Hey, what's all those rolls right under the fight ring? Is that...?"
"Plastic sheeting," is the staffer's quick reply.
"Plastic... you mean for the..."
"For the water, yes ma'am."

Chevy presses her lips together into a tight, barely perceptible frown. She has... -thoughts- on that. But they don't last long -- for she's all about keeping that crowd fired up.

And without further ado, she reaches for the length of galvanized steel pipe that's been left next to the stage for her. Hauling it up onto her shoulder also lifts the two buckets attached to it -- which start bobbing back and forth, sloshing around the water inside.

"So where's the rest of our 'double date?' she muses to herself, unamplified, and she scans the crowd. She knows Buck, Hawksley, and of course her opponent Coco have to be around here somewhere...

[COCO]
"Well, I daresay I may have overdressed."

Slinking into view comes one Constance Coalbridge in a figure-hugging black halter tango dress with diamante-studded black embroidery over the sheer midriff panel and a long slit down the side of the calf-length skirt. The sequins catch the light of the club as she moves through it, a vaguely disappointed pout on her glittery glossed lips. Nobody else in the club seems to be dressed as if they've come ready to perform on Strictly Come Dancing.

Well, no one other than Morgie in his little fedora and pinstripe pants. Who gets tango pants tailored for a binturong, anyway?

Spotting Chevy's outfit, Coco looks her up and down, her expression one of thinly reserved judgment.

"I never would've guessed that double denim would actually blend better in a tango club called 'The Cathedral' in Buenos Aires. Lucky was right after all."

She lets out a put-upon sigh, tugging her diamante-studded mesh gloves secure before cocking her hips and placing a hand on them.

"At least I look fucking stunning."

She turns her head slightly to the right, catching the eye of several clubgoers, and mysteriously, many of them happen to get the urge to pull out phones or cameras and take pictures of her.

Then, kicking out of her sandals and sweeping them aside for an assistant to collect, she turns her attention back to her opponent.

"Look, Chevy. As far as I care, this might as well be the finals. Not because I want to beat you that badly, but because, after everything we've been through, I'm ready to leave it all on the dance floor and settle the score once and for all. I think that, whatever happens, you're a champion and a total boss. You've proved it by sending that bitch back where she belongs. So, like, no hard feelings."

She smiles brilliantly at her long-time-rival-turned-frenemy-turned-whatever-this-is-now.

"Especially when I make it three for three. You've got a phobia! It's hardly fair."

[HAWKSLEY]
"I fecking told you." Lucky grins at Coco as his theory about the dress code is proved right. Despite his own assessment of the situation, he has let himself be persuaded to dress to impress and is currently sporting a sharp black double-breasted suit and a pair of black and white patent Oxford shoes. His dark wavy hair is slicked back and with his deeply tanned skin he could easily pass for a local if someone was going by looks alone.

His arse is currently parked on an upturned beer crate and a large glass of Malbec is in his hand. "Good to see you, Chevy!" He says cheerily. He's not had much chance to catch up with her since their time on Zack Island and he's hoping this will be a less stressful occasion. "Have you still got Thunder on those pants or is that so last season."

Now he's spotted the redhead, the Irishman starts looking around for her lad, who will be his opponent later this evening. "Where's Bucky Boy? I've been saving him a spot." He says, patting the crate next to his.

[BUCK]
"Next to you." Buck states in response to Hawksley's question as he takes that open seat.. crate. He looks right at home, and there's no mistaking which beau belongs to which of the two fighters. Argentina is cattle country and Buck has dressed for it. A good sturdy pair of jeans, his signature hat and leather jacket in place. He's also broken out his best boots, stirrups clinking merrily as he settles into his spot.

He's got his own drink, a beer still in the bottle, something local that he seems to approve of. But he's got his eyes right on Chevy, giving her an encouraging smile.

Coco is.. well the polite term would be not the chief object of his attention. In this group of four the two of them are just.. well, according to Buck, neutral. Though eventually his eyes slide in her direction. After all, there's a chance she might be his next opponent should he get past the Irish brawler.

[IRIS]
"This a significant others only thing," drawls a British-accented voice from behind Hawksley and Buck, "or can anyone sit here?"

Standing behind them, of course, is Iris Osterlund, wearing a thigh-length black sweater dress, sheer stockings, and black flats; it's not exactly clubbing gear, but she felt like wearing something you'd Go Out In couldn't hurt, for once. Should either of the men she just addressed notice her, the Cantabrigian gives a little wave. "A cowboy, a wizard, and an Irishman walk into a bar..." she adds, with a grin.

As for 'is this seat taken,' the question appears to be rhetorical; she makes as if to sit on a chair that isn't there, until with a snap of her fingers there IS a wooden stool under her just as she settles down. She's not drinking anything, for the moment, but does look up at the ring and give a wave to Chevy and Coco, whichever or whoever turns their face in her direction.

"They haven't gotten rid of birthright citizenship yet, so technically as both an American and an Englishwoman I'm obligated to root for both of them, I suppose."

[CHEVY]
Overdressed? It doesn't take Chevy long to spot Coco -- what with like half the eyes in the room turning to face the bombshell Brit. "Dang! You are lookin' fine tonight, girl!" And of course she happens to spot the equally dolled-up Hawksley Moore as soon as he chimes in. She points both index fingers at him with a broad grin: "What a -lucky- man you are!" With the spotlight abandoning her for Coco, it becomes a little easier to tell that while her jeans do spell 'THUNDER', they aren't quite as blinged out with diamante as the outfit she'd worn in the first season.

Of course, as she can see Buck approaching -- the sound of his jangling spurs must be masked beneath all the crowd noise -- the real challenge is to keep from spoiling the surprise for Hawksley. There's a moment of Coco's mic session, though, in which -- if Chevy -had- been listening and not trading glances with her boyfriend, she might have read her statement as a backhanded compliment. But she takes it as sincere -- as well as the statement that follows!

"Well, yeah, it -is- pretty eye-catchin'!" she says in response. "But, I gotta ask you, Coco..."

Splish, splash.
Grinning ear-to-ear, Chevy pointedly gives her buckets a swing.
"You *do* know we're fightin' and not dancin', right?"

At some point, Chevy must have learned that, in pre-fight banter... less is more, because she refrains from adding fuel to the fire.

In the meantime, Hawksley asks the obvious question -- and Chevy covers her mouth for a giggle as the Eire man receives an immediate answer from her American confidante.

By this point, Coco peels away from her adoring crowd to deliver a personal message. Chevy, for her part, seems pleasantly overcome by surprise! Her spine stiffens, and her eyes widen! "Well, gosh... *thank* you, Coco! I appreciate tha--"

The hayseed tactfully falls silent as her frenemy lets the other proverbial shoe drop. The waterbender, channeling her element, simply lets the tossed shade wash right past her.

"Aww, yeah," she admits, shyly lowering her chin and scraping one sole across the floor. "It's gonna be an uphill battle, for sure, but I'll be doin' my best jus' the same!"

Is that a *wink* the blue-eyed hayseed just gave to her boyfriend? Blink and one might miss it.

But, as Chevy scans the crowd, she catches sight of a distinctive, polychrome coiffure. "Oh, hey -- Iris! Thank you so much for comin' out to watch!" She grins toothily as Iris drafts her statement of neutrality, offering a shrug in return. "Aww, well... I'm sure Coco won't be too tore out the frame if you cheer a teensy bit more for *me*," she adds with a playful grin.

With her pipe balanced precariously on her shoulders, she clasps both hands before her. Chevy, Buck, Coco, Hawksley, and now Iris. A shared moment within the roaring crowd, where -so- much can be said with just a simple look. So many people around -- and yet it'd be so hard from anyone -outside- the inner circle to hear, all the same.

"Well, I know we ain't s'posed to talk about it. But, if it weren't for you all, it wouldn'ta gotten done." She turns to Coco, pointedly. "Especially since I heard you got to take out that big ol' snake. So thank -you- for -that-."

She draws in her breath, eyes closing to mere slits as she basks in the warmth. No hard feelings? It's nothing but -warm- feelings for the hayseed right now.

She parts opens her eyes again, looking at each one in turn. "I love y'all. I don't even care if I win or lose, y'all just mean the *world* to me."

She would probably stand there another few minutes if one of the staffers wasn't twirling his finger, and pointing towards the ring!

Cracking a smile, Chevy nods her guilty head in reply. "Okay, okay!" She reaches up to tug the nearest rope, but turns back one more time. "Y'all wish me luck, okay? I think I'm gonna need it!"

The water in her buckets splashes. The fabric tenses. And Chevy pulls herself up to the ring, slipping under the ropes with practiced ease.

Here, though... the sentimental sweetheart shows her wrestler's presence as well! She bellows out, somehow -not- needing a mic to be heard over the roaring crowd...

"Well, what do you think folks, should we talk each others' ears off, or should we get our fight on?!"

She grins broadly -- and gestures an open hand to Coco! "I got me a feelin' that the third time's the charm, Coco! C'mon up here, girl!"

[COCO]
"Why not both?" Coco asks in response to Chevy's comment on the subject of combat over capering. "I reckon if you can dance in it properly, you can fight in it," she adds, giving a demonstrative high-kick that only barely manages to avoid scandal but not a commensurate reaction from the crowd.

Her attention turns toward the three NFG fighters gathered at the sideline and her smile brightens, her hands forming into a heart shape directed toward the trio, along with the binturong that's decided to climb up next to Hawksley and is snuffling about his wine.

"I fecking told /you/, Lucky. Look how gorgeous you look! Wow, and you two look fantastic as well. Also, dibs on Iris. Come on, she's the only other Brit in the competition," Coco calls out, totally forgetting the Welsh and Mancunian population in typical London fashion.

"Yeah, that's all in the past now, isn't it? Other than Big Zee and his little federal investigation or whatever they call it. Pee ess, let's not announce to anyone about me and the nake-say. PETA was after me for an endorsement."

She sashays up the steps to the ring, choosing to go between the ropes rather than under them, a move that manages to ride the line between tasteful and provocative in her tango dress. She does a strut around the mat, sending kisses and waving to all of the fans before taking her spot in the corner opposite Chevy.

"Good luck, babe," she offers, tipping her hand and tilting her head as she smiles, either sincerely offering a last warm word or presenting a poker-ready mask of sneering confidence.

Knowing Constance Coalbridge and everything that's passed between the pair, it's probably a bit of both.

COMBATSYS: Coco has started a fight here.

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Coco             0/-------/------=|

[HAWKSLEY]
"Sneaky fecker." Hawksley teases his cowboy-booted buddy as he manages to take him by surprise. "I'll have to watch my back in our brawl if you're going all ninja. I thought I'd managed to avoid facing such tactics when you got past Kenzo."

Talking of last round opponents, here comes Iris to join the star-studded spectators. "Good to see you, cailin." The Irishman greets her. "Have you recovered from me punching you while my fists were on fire yet?" He wonders. The sudden summoning of the stool has his thick dark eyebrows raising but it's not too shocking, given the Englishwoman's skills.

Chevy calling him lucky has Hawksley laughing. As does the redhead's comment on she and Coco dancing not fighting. "Well you know fighting and dancing aren't too different. My da has some real fancy footwork on him so he does."

Hawksley's smile slips slightly when talk turns to the trip to the island but it's back before long when the Southern belle starts getting sentimental. "I love you too, Chevy." He responds without hesitation, meaning the words sincerely. The idea he can finally celebrate his friendship with the farmgirl without worrying that Coco will feel threatened is thrilling to him. "You too, you gorgeous bastard." He adds, tugging on the rim of Buck's hat. Iris he doesn't know quite as well, but he still feels a lot of warmth towards her. "You and all, Osterlund. Even if you have tried to freeze me to death twice now."

As for Coco, he's spoken the words many times in private to her and the two of them aren't usually soppy in public. Since the spirit of love is in the air though, he'll make an exception this evening. "I love you too, Coco Pops. Now get your fine arse in that ring and win this for Hawco." Apparently Hawksley has been watching Tom and Lou's broadcast.

As the two formidable females prepare to face off, the sharply-dressed fella sits forward on his crate. He has a feeling this is gonna be a fantastic fight. Meanwhile, Morgie manages to sip some of the Malbec. Hopefully he won't get a thirst for it and fall of the lad's shoulder that he's now balanced himself on. It does have his favourite food of grapes in it after all!

[CHEVY]
Why not both? As soon as Chevy can tell a high kick is forthcoming from her frenemy-slash-rival, she reaches up to comb her fingers through her hair -- and more pointedly, blocking her eyes from any chance of seeing London and/or France in the midst of said kick.

"Well, fair 'nuff, but I've got a feelin' your pretty party dress ain't gonna make it through the next few minutes..." There's... something of a precedent for Chevy to make this claim, and the hayseed is quick to clap her hands together with a slight bow forward. "So, uh... sorry in advance, for that!"

She grins as Hawksley welcomes the binturong, and she gives the little binturong a wave! "Hey there, Morgie! Glad you could make it!"

Moments later, she finds herself regretful that the NFG official didn't give her time to say much else. But, thankfully, she has a few moments to catch up with her 'crew' while Coco is mugging for the crowd. Her statement to Iris is simple: she brushes her thumb across the silver chain of her deer-antler necklace, while mouthing, 'Thank you!' The necklace may not be the one Iris gave her -- but she has a feeling the message will resonate all the same.

The next target of her attention is, of course, the person who gave her the necklace. Lifting up the white-gold necklace, she gives him a knowing smile -- he's not only stood with her through thick and thin, but he'd given her plenty of opportunity to work through some things in the past few days. And, after tucking the necklace under the collar of her shirt -- not wanting it to get tangled up in whatever Coco has planned for her -- she flashes a goofy smile. As ready as she'll ever be.

With all that silent communication going on, Chevy hasn't noticed what's been going on right beneath her nose: the workers rolling out the plastic sheeting. Everyone in the front row is presented with a fold of the clear sheeting, for them to exercise whenever they see fit. Which is to say -- things are probably about to get really -wet-.

The hayseed steps away, lifting the pole from her shoulder, and twisting it in a 720-degree spin. The ring's still dry for now.

"And good luck to you, Coco!" The auburn-haired fighter flicks a thumbs-up sign at her. "Let's see how much we've learned, yeah?"

The fighters approach their starting locations. And with her heart rate accelerating rapidly, Chevy starts to block out the crowd from her view. For all intents and purposes, it's just her and Coco now. But she keeps her distance -- because if there's one thing the two rivals know, it's that bells have meaning.

And then comes the expected sound: *DING!*

And in the first moment, Chevy steps forward to swing her bucket-laden pole across Coco in a diagonal slice. It's just meant as a wake-up call, though, as Chevy seeks to push forward on that motion, pressing the pole against the inside of Coco's elbow! "Here we gooo!"

The hayseed seeks to use the water in her buckets to give her some extra torque, leveraging Coco's arm as she slings her towards the ropes in an Irish Whip maneuver! Just something quick, to strain the kickboxer's arm and shoulder joints and get the blood pumping!

COMBATSYS: Chevy has joined the fight here.

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Coco             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0            Chevy

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Chevy's Medium Throw.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Coco             0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0            Chevy

[COCO]
London and France are indeed the likely sources of anything Chevy might inadvertently witness as a result of Coco's kick. The British kickboxer rolls her shoulders lightly through a shrug at the comment about her pretty party dress.

"Look, I've had swords, fire, lightning, spinny chain things, acid, poison, teeth, spears, ice, and claws all used on me. I've obviously learned my lesson about what I wear when I fight," she says blithely. "And that lesson is to always buy a spare for any outfit I plan to wear twice. And if I'm fighting you, waterproof knickers."

With that information shared, she adopts a high knee stance with fists raised, taking on a traditional Muay Thai ready position. Apparently she's got a bikini on under the tango dress. She takes a quick moment to turn her head and flash a victory V to Hawksley with a quick smile while holding the pose before looking back to Chevy with more focus.

"Roger," she says, giving a little salute in response to the thumbs-up.

As the bell rings, Coco draws in a sharp breath, preparing herself for Chevy's opening gambit. She keeps her eyes focused on the hayseed, attempting to engage her metaphysically as well as physically. Her arms block the diagonal motion from Chevy's pole from striking her torso for the time being, though her elbow does end up being hooked by the bucket. The British girl's dedication to yoga, while it may not do much for her ability to channel the energies of the universe nor punch someone from across the room, does serve her in managing to avoid further injury and instead slip free to run into the ropes somewhat on her own terms.

The flexible fibres stretch as Coco crashes into them, pivoting at the last moment so that it's her elbows and behind that are hitting the ropes and then using them to launch herself back off and toward the American! Her eyes remain focused on Chevy's as she prepares to come back to grips with her, aiming to grab her by the shoulders and bring a flying knee up into Chevy's body to send her back into the ropes opposite. Then, if that works, she'll continue to press the momentum by aiming to hop up on Chevy's shoulders while she's against the ropes, then twist around with the guidance of her own weight, superimposing the sensation of her own spinning motion over that of Chevy's with potentially sickening insidious psychic force before releasing her with a scissor throw back toward center ring!

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Coco's Singapore Sling.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Coco             0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Chevy seems... pleasantly surprised by Coco's revelation. "Oh, yeah -- that makes sense! Guess I ain't ever thought about it that way!" To simple farm folk like Chevy's family, the only clothes items that get purchased more than once are the basics, like bib overalls and flannel shirts. So she seems appreciative to Coco for broadening her horizons on that count!

For the past year, the Carolinian had made a mission out of mending the rifts caused by their first-season confrontations. And seeing Coco here, with her as she is now, just feels like a circle being closed. All along, she's wanted to be able to contest Coco on nothing but martial ability, with no distractions in the way. And it looks like her wish is being granted!

She is a little offset by Miss Coalbridge's evasion of her first attack, naturally. A shift to the angle of her spinning pole helps to recover her balance quickly. Which ends up being a good thing, as the hayseed's then able to brace the pole with both hands, placing it between herself and her rival so that it's able to absorb the brunt of the dreaded Muay Thai knee. Her arms shudder from the impact -- but the use of her water-balanced pole means she's got the leverage to push back from Coco as she's being slammed into the ropes, and then use that early bounce to send herself into a forward tumble to avoid the planned entanglement.

"Whew!" she announces as she springs back to her feet. She may not be in close-quarters combat range when she whirls around -- but the twin splashes of water hitting the canvas might be a sign of what Chevy's got in store!

The front row of audience members starts to pull up their plastic sheeting. Some even cower.

As Chevy pitches forward, she holds the pole level in front of her, her right hand just a bit forward. She then begins to turn it like the pedals of a bicycle, water rising in a column towards the center fulcrum. As soon as the water touches the pipe, a water-balloon-sized globe of water fires off towards Coco!

"Well, it's a good thing you came prepared --- 'cause so did I!"

All in all, Chevy will loose five rapid-fire shots at Coco, hoping to soak the British bombshell to give herself a bit of an advantage!

COMBATSYS: Coco dodges Chevy's Rinse Cycle.

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Coco             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0            Chevy

[COCO]
Even if she doesn't manage to sling Chevy to the mat, Coco does use the exchange to build her own momentum defensively. When the first globe of water comes lobbing at her, she twists out of the way, her dress swishing with the motion - after all, it is designed to accentuate such turns. She continues to bend and step out of the way of the volley that follows, managing - just barely - to keep herself more or less dry.

The audience on the other side of Coco are likely not so lucky.

"Nearly got me!" she commends her opponent as she steps lightly amidst the pooling droplets to close the gap again, taking a cue from the dance style she's dressed for by whipping her foot out at Chevy's shin!

Of course, such a maneuver would be intended to create a near-miss in the spectacle of Argentine tango rather than actually taking one's dance partner out at the ankle...

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Coco's Light Kick.

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Coco             0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Chevy can't help but be starstruck by the elegance of Coco's avoidance. She may have poked fun at her attire, but it really is amazing.

One audience member, though, -is- left soaked from the exchange, and nearly bowled backwards from their crate. Thankfully, the audience members seated behind were able to catch him -- but they're soaked, too! The other members of the front row pick up the slack by raising the plastic sheeting in time, dealing with the deluge in a much more fan-friendly way.

Air hisses through Chevy's bared teeth as she catches sight of what happened. Cupping one hand around her mouth she calls out, "Oh, sorry 'bout that, y'all!"

Though, there's also a kick whipping towards her ankle. Quickly, she drops the now-empty bucket in the path, pinning it to the floor. While Coco's able to hit her mark, it's offset by the *clang!* of her shin hitting Chevy's bucket as well. "Nngh, yeah -- almost!" she chirps back, sidestepping as she pulls her dented bucket away.

But... now with Coco so -close-, Chevy decides to press in for the advantage. Planting her feet and lowering her hips, she swings the pole level once more -- and then presses forward evenly, hoping to slam the pole at Coco's collarbones! If she manages to do this, though, it might become pointedly clear just how -cold- the galvanized steel has gotten -- for Chevy's trying to freeze some additional moisture right out of the thin Argentinan air!

And if Chevy is able to make contact, she'd vault into a somersaulting leap right over Coco's head! The icy bar would be anchored in place by this point -- meaning Chevy would be able to whip her overhead, slamming her front-first onto the ground in much the same way as she'd done to Hawksley in an earlier fight!

COMBATSYS: Coco instinctively blocks Chevy's Marsh Slam.

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Coco             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0            Chevy

[COCO]
There's the slightest of flinches on Coco's face as her shin connects with that bucket. That sort of thing smarts regardless of how much one hardens one's body through Muay Thai training. Still, she has a feeling that her shin won that exchange and allows herself a small moment of inner triumph for showing that bucket who's the boss.

"Looks like you totally nailed that bloke, though," she teases Chevy over the steel pole as she catches it with her hands, trying to hold it back. She grits her teeth as the feeling of cold hits her fingers, keeping her eyes locked on the hayseed's as she focuses on blotting out that frosty sensation in her mind, thinking of the warmth of the Caribbean sun. As Chevy launches herself over, Coco's hands slip free of the bar and she ducks under the leap, shaking the melting ice from her reddening digits as she turns around to face her opponent. Given that she hasn't been displaced quite as planned, she'll try to catch Chevy's gaze as the farm girl turns back to face her, lunging for a clinch with her cold, clammy hands to clamp down on Chevy's shoulders. If she succeeds, she'll feint another knee, attempting to get Chevy to guard low before trapping her arm, locking her gaze with Chevy's to feed the feeling of frost back to her through her mind's eye, then finally pivoting to Chevy's side and driving the ensnaring elbow into the farm girl's face!

Should that work, she'll chase it with a sidelong slam of her hips, tango-smacking her dance partner to the mat!

COMBATSYS: Chevy counters Tiki Bongo from Coco with Low Tide.

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Coco             1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
In the beginning of her fighting career, Chevy might have protested Coco's characterization of the collateral damage situation. As it is now, though, Chevy just answers Coco with a broad smile. As talks with her agent, family, and friends have all convinced her -- if folks come to watch one of her fights, they should *expect* to get soaked at one point or another.

It's also in keeping with a philosophy she's adopted over time to just let some things play out however they will. Such as when her thrust pole is -caught- by Coco, delivering its freezing payload to her palms rather than her collarbone area. As Chevy's already in motion, though, she elects to follow through with that -- easygoing till the last -- and flips right overhead

When Chevy's shoes hit the canvas, the springy material thrums like a drum. That also has the side effect of causing the number of water puddles left on the canvas from ehr previous attack -- the one that led to bonus audience participation -- to splash upwards. Normally the splashes don't touch anything. But this time, Chevy hears the water hit Coco's forward stride. As she turns, the Carolinian's eyes widen in concern -- and with that advance notice, she makes sure to step as she pivots so that her pole can precede her!

A bucket whistles right past Coco's face without incident -- but that wasn't an attack. Instead, the biggest obstacle to Miss Coalbridge's ambitions is the fact that her hands will reach a chilled steel pipe instead of a pair of shoulders!

As soon as contact is made, Chevy stomps on the canvas with her back foot. As before, the water splashes upwards. But this time, it's less of an incidental splash and more of an intentional one -- as a sharply focused water stream hits Coco's thigh and hips like a hard slap!

Coco -will- get the eye contact she wants with Chevy, as she wrests with the pole. And Chevy -will- feel a good deal of the cold vibes being sent her way. But as the hayseed smiles back -- there's a small glint in her eye to show that, no, that's... part of her quickly-laid plan!

For, right around the same time as the water is hitting, Chevy is also applying a hard torque to her pole -- and using the freezing as originally intended! And in concert with the thrust of the water, Chevelle will use the torque to whip Coco right off her feet before that knee can fire off. Then she'd twist sideways, pivoting her into a shoulder-first bodyslam into the mat!

And -then-, just before Chevy herself hits the mat, she'd use the pole as leverage to wedge Coco down even further, twisting right across her as she bounds to relative safety and dryness!

Bobbing back to a stable stance, she gives the pipe a quick turn. "Brr! Maybe I should'a re-thought that a bit... I ain't figured out a quick way to warm up!"

[COCO]
The stream of water hitting Coco's thigh and hips and soaking through her dress in the process may be slightly discomfiting for the purple-haired party pugilist, but it's hardly surprising, given her present opponent. But the combination with the pole that upends her and slams her shoulder-first into the ring floor makes the experience both less expected and significantly more distressing. London and France are on full alert by the time that Chevy wedges Coco further into the mat, leaving her both looking and feeling like that one night in Chelsea she'd forgotten about until now. At least she's wearing swimming bottoms.

"Bloody hell," she murmurs before rolling to one side and reaching for a rope to help herself back up and onto her feet. While Chevy's bemoaning the cold that she's inflicted on the pair of them, Coco decides to attempt a new tactic, pulling herself up onto the turnbuckles before turning around to face Chevy, ignoring the water dripping down her skirt and lower half. "If you want to forfeit now, maybe you can get your boyfriend to help you!" she suggests, before launching herself through the air and spinning into a roundhouse aimed to take down her frenemy!

COMBATSYS: Chevy parries Coco's Diving Kick!!

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Coco             1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1            Chevy

[CHEVY]
A moment after her announcement, the frost rimed upon her galvanized steel pipe has already faded away. Rivulets of water dribble down the steel and plop onto the mat as Coco pulls herself back to her feet. But even as she's letting the water vapor return to its ambient temperature, she keeps her blue eyes focused upon Coco.

It's... a challenge to keep her enthusiasm from showing. Acting too smug now would ruin the bridge she'd been trying to build with her frenemy all this time; she settles for sharing a pleasant half-smile as she starts to usher the separate pools of water back into one.

The Brit's suggestion breaks that composure: a wide-eyed Chevy barks out a laugh! "Ha! You're mommickin' me!"

Fortunately, Chevy's paying enough attention to get out of the way of Coco's turnbuckle-buster kick! While the attentive Carolinian *is* quick enough to pivot out of harm's way, Miss Coalbridge's diving kick is nonetheless fast enough to clang against one of Chevy's buckets in the process, sending it spinning around at dizzying speed!

But, in a way, the hydromancer was also counting on -some- kind of contact between her rival and her weaponry -- for she's shifted her focus onto the water pooled at her feet.

"Like, this is our best fight yet!" she suggests. "To, like, celebrate!"

As soon as Coco lands, two things happen: Chevy drops her pipe and buckets, and the impact upon the mat causes the water puddle to splash into the air!

And that's when Chevy delivers a double punch to the water! As soon as her hands pass through the water's surface, the liquid sticks to her hands like gel! And that means that the hog wrestler has big giant 'mitts' of water as she reaches towards a recovering Coco!

Should Chevy manage to get those big watery mitts on Coco's shoulder and hip, she'd lift her up over her head, slam her into the mat -- and then pick her up for a second slam! She'd release her control of the water upon impact, resulting in an even bigger splash than before!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Coco with Spout Toss EX.

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

[COCO]
Another kick failing to connect cleanly leaves Coco in deep water. Well, really, it's the water coming up to meet her - and then getting handsy with her. She tries to slip out of it, kicking and thrashing, but interacting with elemental forces isn't her strong suit. "What?! No fair!" she shouts, right before getting slammed down into the mat, not once, but twice, left now completely soaking wet and once again flashing back to that one night in Chelsea five minutes later when it had started to rain.

"Should've brought a brolly for this," she groans as she pulls herself up, no longer the shining, pristine stunner that arrived at La Catedral - instead, a waterlogged, disheveled stunner whose drenched dress is riding up to the appreciation of most everyone in the room but her.

"You've definitely got a lot better at thisss," Coco says to Chevy with a smile after rolling back to her feet and starting to circle once again. Something in her eyes might betray the frustration hiding behind the smile, though - and warn of how that frustration is about to be expressed.

"Maybe you've got over that whole sssnake thing after all."

Is she actually hissing? Is it some sort of petty jibe? To the others in the audience, she's speaking normally - it's an illusion being invoked by the silver-eyed kickboxer's psychic nature.

Before any questions can be asked or answered, though, she's rocketing forward, twisting into a much more exaggerated and broad variation of that kick before - this time fully extending and bending at the knee to deliver a rapid-fire chain of strikes with her bare foot, high and low!

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Coco's L.I.T..

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

[CHEVY]
Water gloops across the canvas -- though, Chevy's quicker about cleaning up her mess this time, spreading her fingers wide and sweeping them across her body to shepherd the many puddles of water into one larger pool. As she's splitting the focus between the water and the recovering Coco, she doesn't *quite* notice the frustration in Coco's voice; instead, she simply takes the comment at face value.

"Oh, I saw a movie once where someone did that... Jackie Chan, I think?"

Once the water is pooled by her right foot, she gives her pipe a light kick, bringing it and the buckets back to her hands. And once there, she... wields the bucket around as if it were a combat umbrella.

She starts to share more, but the smiling and unusually intense eyes looking back at her caution her into listening intently. "Oh, uh..." A lot better at thissss? The sibilant sounds strike her a smidge silly. She smiles back: "Thankssss?"

The moment that Coco says the word 'snake,' though, it's like a tiny needle being stabbed into her back. A new challenger enters the ring: fear!

"I... m-mean, ki--" stammers Chevy, taking a step back. She'd been holding her pole like an umbrella, which gives her no leverage to actually block the strikes that follow! So the -first- kick cracks into the staff she raises for defense, twisting the bespoke weapon right out of her hands! "--nda!?"

But by the time that hits -- the full import of the illusion is starting to hit the hayseed. Snakes?! Chevy grits her teeth, shutting her eyes from the next strike and reacting purely out of reflex -- shoving her denim-clad forearms into the blow! And for once -- the shade tree mechanic tomboy lets out high-pitched -shrieks- in response! "No! No! Get -away- from me!" Disarmed, she swats back and forth at each of the blows in a wild panic, backpedaling out of a notion to get out of harm's way!

It takes her forearms absorbing most of those kicks before she realizes that none of those kicks were actually venomous fangs piercing through her sleeves.

"Hah... hah..." But by that point -- with her wide-eyed and panting for breath -- she's up against the ropes. And good ol' fight instincts kicks in again, as she throws herself in a diving tumble to the side!

When she pops out of that tumble, her feet splash down into a puddle. And as she curls low against the mat, she presses her hand to the water -- and it starts to churn, making Chevy take off like a rocket!

Panting heavily, she tears across the ring on a 'surfboard' of water! Only when she's gotten about halfway across the ring does she manage to stand, pressing one shuddering hand to her rapidly-beating heart, her other parallelling the water below for guidance and balance.

"Wheeeew! I... I don't know what come over me just now..." she announces to no one in particular, steering herself into a wide circle for a return approach to Coco.

By the end of her turn, she's facing Coco again -- one hand still on her chest.

"Like, are you tryin' to say *you're* a snake now?" she asks with a faint -- if still a little shaken -- grin!

The real danger, though, from a surf-accelerated Chevy isn't her turns of phrase -- but rather her attempt to make a grab for Coco's leading arm and shoulder. If she's able to grab hold of Coco, Chevy's acceleration would slingshot her feet forward, pressing her body lengthwise around the posh Brit, with the momentum serving to twist Coco about like a tornado toss! After a half spin around, Chevy would seek to slam Coco down into the waves, churning her around for another spin!

But, well, if Chevy misses -- she might need to find a way to surf across the ropes instead!

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Chevy's Mudskipper EX.

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

[COCO]
The smile on Coco's face as Chevy reacts to her barrage of kicks as though it were a nest of lunging vipers could be seen as mere good cheer to those not privy to the mind's eye. To those aware of the illusion, it's probably more than a little smug. Those kicks aren't landing clean, but they're doing their intended work in harassing the Carolinian's defenses. Of course, with the state that she's in, Coco managing to find a little pride in her situation might actually represent a bit of personal growth.

"Come on. You know I'm the Queen Cobra, don't you?" she says, placing her hands at the side of her head and turning them like a cobra's fan opening before doing a deliberate hiss, tongue out. It's a rather silly gesture, but to Chevy, it might well evoke the appearance of actual serpentine features - a forked tongue, silver reptilian eyes - for a brief moment. Then, back to normal. "I could've sworn you followed my Insta."

When Chevy surfs in, though, it's time for the Cobra Queen to get ssserious - and as she's grabbed hold of, she resists relinquishing control to the aquamancer's grip, letting her body be lifted off of its legs but using her feet instead to push back against Chevy as she's spinning. She manages to slip loose before the momentum can be fully directed and slides across the mat on her backside for several feet before scrambling upright and rushing her opponent once more. "Alright!" she says as she closes in, reaching to clinch with Chevy once more. If she can manage to get into the grapple, she'll swing her legs up to try and hook them around her opponent's waist.

"Let's get sssexy!"

That illusion returns, seemingly tailored to throw Chevy off-kilter just in time for Coco to flip backwards and slam her into the mat on her back with Coco in the dominant position before punches start to rain down from the not-so-posh-right-now pugilist!

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Coco's S.O.T.B..

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Coco             0/-------/<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Pushing back against the ropes was a firm, tangible reminder of time and place. A landmark, to remind Chevy that she was in a tournament fight against her rival, as opposed to facing off against a literal cobra. The spell was -- for the moment -- broken.

She'd tried to take the fangs out of Coco's act by calling her out on it -- a conscious rebuttal, to help her psyche push the mind games into the margin. But her rival pushes back harder; the mind games come back into play. The hood -- the teeth -- the eyes. Reminders of that one nightmarish playdate around Ocracoke Inlet. The hayseed clenches her teeth as she carries out her motions; muscle memory being the main reason she doesn't fall to her hands and knees to scurry away.

As it is, Chevy manages to land on her feet, but her stance portrays very little of the confidence shown at the top of the fight. Her shoulders droop in a cower, both hands curled in front of her. Her face is pulled into a rictus mask, baring tightly clenched teeth. The shrieking is under control -- for now -- as she stares back at the Queen Cobra, gripped by fear.

But then... the cobra says those same words she had thousands of miles away. Words that remind her of a time in which she was still trying to make a name for herself. And the image of a serpent coiled to strike flickers and starts to fade.

Chevy's stance tightens up. She draws her breath through her teeth. Coco may be the Queen Cobra. But Chevy's still the Ocean Queen of Zack Island. And if there's one thing that reptiles don't like -- it's cold.

Chevy breathes out as Coco closes in for the clinch. Motes of frost swirl outward, as the air grows cold and crisp. And while Chevy is still wrestling off the psychic horror -- she sticks to her battle plan. The Carolinian manages to get her forearms in the way, keeping Coco's encoiling grasp from crushing her completely. She's still brought to the ground -- and much of the audience leaps out of their seats to get a sight of the Briton raining down one blow after another into the auburn-haired American. But they'll also see -- and Coco may feel -- that Chevy's forearms have been encased in several thick layers of frost. Each jarring punch breaks loose a flurry of ice shavings. And -- perhaps most importantly -- Chevy's eyes lock with Coco's -- giving her the clues she needs to respond to each attack, and deal with it accordingly!

"I--" she insists between blows, "-- don't... care... what... you... are!"

The ice shavings melt into water as soon as they hit the mat. And that water begins to form two pools. Each time Chevy is hammered against the canvas, the pools seem to grow larger and larger. And before long -- they're powerful enough to start pushing back of their own accord, soaking Chevy and making her even tougher to maintain hold upon. And right before one big punch from Coco... Chevy's able to squirm free, forcing Coco's fist to slide across her slickened denim sleeve!

Scrambling into a crouch, the hydromancer plants her hand on the mat. Her water surges, swirling into a vortex around the grinning wrestler.

When she looks back at Coco -- there's no scales on her skin. No slits in her eyes. Just Coco. For she no longer has to *prove* herself, to be *better*. In that moment -- it was enough to simply survive, through her own grit and resolve.

She steps backwards, rising to her feet. All around her, the water begins to whirl around -- melted ice mixing with the cooled water vapor in an ever-growing vortex.

Chevy blinks her eyes clear of the water dripping from her brow. She's soaked head-to-toe: her saturated denim and t-shirt both seem to have heeded the 'get sexy' call, as they're clinging to every one of her curves. (The Chevaliers fan community would take note that the color of the day is pink.)

Chevy brushes the back of her hand against her nose. And with a broad smile, she notes: "Snakes fight to defend their home. An' right now, we're on equal footin'!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy gets ready to turn the tide!

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

[COCO]
She'd finally managed to get Chevy into the position she wanted her in. And yet, even from that advantage, raining down blow after blow, she'd only met more and more ice. And, as it turns out, sooner or later, punching ice just hurts. When her fist finally deflects off of Chevy's sleeve to strike the mat, the British girl is left gawping in disbelief at the hayseed's ability to elude her offense once again, leaving her to fall back on her hips before planting her own hands to push herself upright.

"Yeah, well, I don't care what you are, either!" Coco shouts back in blind protest to the predicament this fight has been placing her in. "And what's that even supposed to mean? You're going, like, way too deep on this snake thing. It's just a nickname!"

Edging into the melee again, Coco leads off with a left jab and cross.

"By the way, your undies are showing!" she announces in a desperate bid to distract Chevy, as if the same couldn't have been said of her several times since the fight started. She closes in with Chevy, throwing a lunging knee before twisting into a series of elbow strikes, her damp skirt snapping back and forth in a twirl with each attack as she pivots and poses blow by blow. If she can break through Chevy's guard, she'll follow up by grabbing her and bringing more clinching knee strikes to the head until she's managed to hopefully knock the waterbender senseless before turning around and posing provocatively for the benefits of Choco shippers everywhere - and finishing off by slamming her backside at Chevy to try and knock her over!

COMBATSYS: Chevy counters Full Moon Party from Coco with High Tide EX.

[                          \\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Coco             0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0            Chevy

[CHEVY]
Chevy wasn't trying to win points with her answer; she was just happy to share a bit of trivia she'd learned from Buck at the reptile house. That was a rough day -- but at the end of it, she'd come to understand that real snakes wouldn't try and bite her unless they were really scared! So while snakes still served to horrify her... staying focused in the *moment* helped her rationalize things through. It all made perfect sense to her! ... But she just left a few steps out when she decided to share that with Coco.

... So, understandably, she's in a very different mindset than Coco is. And once she realizes her British counterpart's frustration, she holds up her palms in apology: "Aww, heck, I'm sorry, Coco! I didn't mean... it's just that..."

The waves whirling at her feet go a bit lopsided, to match Chevy's asymmetrical look of confusion at the awkward turn of conversation. But then -she- gets confused, too! Now Chevy's in too deep on this snake thing? "Y-yeah, but your Insta--" she starts to explain. But once she sees that jab, she reflexively leans backward, swivels left to avoid the cross punch! "I mean--"

And then, well. The next thing Coco says induces immediate embarrassment on Chevy's part! Her cheeks burn red as the side effect of her slippery escape is called out: not only are the full curves of her bra showing through the translucent t-shirt fabric, but a waistband of that same pink hue is peeking out over the hem of her flared jeans! "Uh, yeah?! So?" She doesn't need to look down -- she can -feel- it from the breeze over her soaked skin!

"I-I just didn't want *you* to feel left out!"

Pushed from holding her ground into evading an onslaught of blows, Chevy promptly releases her tug on the circling tides, letting them splash back down to the mat. She hops backwards, leaving behind a wake of ankle-deep water which serves to slow Coco's pace! With the combination of the slower advance, the fact that Chevelle Beaumont -has- done her homework for this fight, and the addition of pure blind luck, she's able to weave her body narrowly out of the path of each elbow strike -- somehow! But it won't last forever, and Chevy knows that...

It's when Coco -changes- tactics that Chevy seizes the opening! She grabs hold of Coco's right wrist while simultaneously pressing a palm against the left of Coco's ribcage. Her fingertips beckon to the water beneath...

And in the next instant, Coco will feel the water rising under her left foot! Chevy turns the kickboxer's right arm into a fulcrum, twisting her out of the rising waters and pivoting backwards to slam Coco against the mat!

The crowd's cheers echo against the ceiling! Between the two saturated superstars, they're getting every cent worth out of their admission fees tonight!

[COCO]
Coco has certainly taken a turn onto the low road somewhere along the way in this fight, her final comment delivered as she went on the attack again representing an obvious nadir of her sense of good sportsmanship. She might try to justify it later as just being what happens when you hose down a thousand-and-something-dollar dress and the impact on the environment (in obvious contradiction of her previous stance of 'I just buy two'). Really, she was just pissed off. There hasn't been a blow yet that Chevy hasn't managed to stuff somehow, and Coco's usually solid defense has struggled to find a comfort zone against the hayseed's own tricks.

Thus, when Chevy manages to read Coco's transition and rob her momentum, putting her on her back one more time, Coco exhales her frustrations in acceptance of defeat and readies herself to slip into unconsciousness.

Unfortunately, she finds that unconsciousness is not quite as easy to accept when water droplets are raining down on your face.

"Oh, come on," she whinges as she realises that she's going to have to get hit again.

Crawling to the corner, she slithers up to her feet against the turnbuckles, panting heavily.

Maybe her injuries at the end of the events on Zack Island have contributed to how she's performed in her last two matches. Braun was clearly a powerhouse on the offense, but she'd barely managed to pull that victory off by the skin of her teeth. (Well, it had involved skin, anyway.) Chevy's command of the combat ring has been more consummate. Perhaps that just goes to show how much dedication she's put into her training and mastering her abilities.

But hearing the crowd cheering reminds Coco that however much pain and humiliation she's experiencing at her rival's skillful hands, she's still a performer as much as a fighter. The true display of prowess would be to style out such a one-sided beatdown.

"Babes, I never get FOMO," she asserts with a faint groan at the bruises on her back, reaching down for the hem of her skirt. "If I do, I just throw my own party." With that, she pulls her soppy, clinging dress up over her head, spins it around once for momentum and tosses it over in the direction of where her boyfriend is sitting. She's left in nothing but a skimpy black bikini, which just about might as well be her underwear for how little it leaves to the imagination - but at least it looks more appropriate for her hydration levels, like she's been for a swim rather than having got caught in the rain on a night out.

She panders to the audience, waving and blowing kisses - and using the time bought to try and catch her breath and appreciate the feeling of freshness that comes from freedom from a soggy tango dress.

"Alright - let's have it, then!" she says, flicking her hair out of her eyes and adopting her martial stance once more!

COMBATSYS: Coco gains composure.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Coco             0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0            Chevy

[BUCK]
Buck is sitting on the edge of his seat the whole match, and poor Hawsley having to sit next to him. Several times it looks like he wants to jump up and cheer, but he restrains himself. A bit. But he's broken out in one of his wider grins as he eagerly keeps his eyes up on the stage.

Not to mention having to think of the possibility of one of these two being his next match, if he can finally get one over on the Irish brawler next to him, anyway.

That last counter makes a, "Whoop!" escape from him, he can't help himself quite at that point.

It's a good thing he's not the jealous type, or the wet clothes contest this has turned into might make him a bit sour, as it is, the Oklahoman probably doesn't even notice, to fixed on the actual fight, to really notice that little bit, at least until later.

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley doesn't blame Buck one bit for getting excited at his girlfriend's performance. Chevy is in fine form, but it is Coco that the Irishman's heart goes out to right now. The British babe is putting on a brave face but he knows she's gonna be hurting, and not just because of the bruises she's acquired in this match.

When the sodden dress is thrown towards him, the Cork cruiserweight catches it in one hand and then wrings it out, leaving a puddle on the floor in front of the trio of New Fighting Generation spectators. The tango club owner's cat comes over and starts to lap at the puddle, then thinks better of it, wandering off with its tail in the air. Morgie starts chattering away, trying desperately to communicate with the feline but finding himself snubbed.

Looking back towards the action, Hawksley can't resist wolf whistling at Coco in her barely there bikini. "Come on, Coco!" He calls out to her. "This isn't over yet. You can do it, cailin!"

[CHEVY]
Chevelle takes the hint from Coco's apparent unconsciousness that... it might be a good opportunity to pivot into crowd work! She throws her hands up, basking in the roars of the audience and providing her own brand of fan service to her adoring public! Of course, as she parades around the ring, a pool of water follows her around like a little puppy -- through the dimple she places upon the canvas mat, if nothing else.

As she reaches her pole, she crouches to fill the buckets with water. And it's right around that time that she turns back to find Coco making her own play at the crowd. Miss Beaumont grins back, happy to see that Coco's in true form.

She starts to respond: "It seems like a whole lotta extra effort, to me...!" But in a moment, it becomes obvious that it wouldn't matter -what- she'd said, because the audience's reception to Coco peeling out of that dress is -way- louder than anything she could have drummed up. The way Coco goes about that actually draws a blush from the hayseed!

Of course -- she does what she can to play that off, as her eyes follow the dress over towards Hawksley. And of course, her boyfriend right next to him.

The audience members between Coco and Hawksley cringe and cower as they're deluged with their own little spray of water in the process. But that's definitely a 'them' problem. They had their own plastic sheeting!

Chevy does a little stretch of her arms across her chest, sizing up the recovered Coco. Sure, there's wolf whistles, and for the *moment* the audience is on Coco's side...

But maybe that's just the way Chevy likes it! Eyes lighting up, she starts to charge in. "Alright, then... Here we go!"

Coco's ready to strike -- but Chevy isn't sure just how she's going to approach at first. She starts off with a lash of her bucket-pole, but it's early! As the buckets whoosh by, Chevy instead lunges forward with her shoulder, intending to make contact with Coco's sternum! Her other hand releases the pole in mid-swing -- as she hopes to catch Coco around the hip. If she's able to secure a hold, she'd use her leverage to lift Coco into a fireman's carry, bridge backwards, and slam her down onto the mat!

Of course -- that also means her buckets will *probably* spill their water once the mat bounces. But that's not a terrible thing.

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Chevy's Aggressive Throw.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Coco             0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0            Chevy

[COCO]
The impromptu PG-13 strip show also happens to reveal the state of Coco's body; bruises covering her back from this battle, scratch marks from her scrap on Cabo San Juan, and the lingering scar on her stomach and lower back from where she was impaled by exploding [REDACTED] shrapnel on [REDACTED] island. Still, if anything, she seems more confident than ever in her appearance.

"Actually, it doesn't take much effort for me to get a party started," Coco makes to assuage Chevy's concerns about effort. She throws in a wink and everything.

Then, as Chevy comes in, she readies herself, leaning to make sure that early swing of the pole doesn't take her out. When Chevy grabs hold of her by the sternum and hip, she gets lifted up, quipping, "Oh, bit friendly!" before pulling herself free to fall backward to the mat. Thong bikini bottoms unfortunately provide very little protection, despite what modern female armor artists might contend, resulting in a grunt of pain from the purple-haired Brit as her posterior hits another puddle. She's up on her feet fast, though, leaping at Chevy with a Superman (Supergirl?) punch! Unless she's stopped, she'll follow up with a step-in kick with her left leg aimed at Chevy's side and intended to send her sprawling!

COMBATSYS: Chevy parries Coco's Sea Breeze!!

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

[CHEVY]
Chevy blinks cluelessly. To her, starting a party is hard work! The fact that Coco seems to have such an easy time with it puts their class divide in stark relief. The flustered look on the freckled farm girl's face would probably be one for Coco's scrapbook, if an intrepid cameraperson can capture the moment.

The real trick would be sorting -that- picture out from the ones that would follow of a mostly-dressed Chevy hefting a barely-dressed Coco into the air -- only to subsequently lose her grip. As it turns out: (a) forcing water to do her bidding all the time can be exhausting! And also, (b) she's not able to hold onto slippery bodies all that well!

But, Chevy's also smart enough to pick up on potential signs of retaliation. As soon as Coco hits the mat, Chevy's on the move, sidestepping hard to her left! The alacrity of her motion puts her out of the superheroic punch's path, but not so much on the followup step-in kick...

The American locks eyes with the Brit. And in an act of defiance, she swings her right hand in an underhand claw motion, hooking Coco right under the ankle, shoving her foot aside!

If she's -really- lucky though -- she'll be able to capitalize that into a counterattack of her own! Because her next motion will have her running -forward- to meet Coco, with one hand around her inner thigh (cue even *more* frenzied snapshots from the camera-equipped folks!) and the other wrapped around her waist! If she can secure the hold, she'd pick Coco off the ground, drop into a crouch -- and let the pooled water beneath her propel her upward, high into the air! And once hitting peak altitude, she would seek to make Kenzo proud by slamming the Brit into the mat, Izuna-drop style!

Even if she misses her timing, that geyser will still go off, triggering a refreshing rainstorm all throughout the raised wrestling ring. Just to make -absolutely sure- everything inside is drenched!

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Chevy's Sound Side EX.

[                           \\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Coco             0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0            Chevy

[COCO]
Chevy does manage to get hold of Coco's thigh and waist, the extension on her kick providing the necessary opportunity for the hydromancer to do so. "You really wanted to beat me that badly?" Coco murmurs in a low voice as she struggles with her rival. "You've obviously been hitting the gym hard for this. Or whatever it is you element-y types do to train." It's more of a tone of respect than mocking, despite how the kickboxer normally likes to twist things. And as she's propelled into the air with Chevy by the water jet, she adds, "It's lucky to have someone who can push you that hard, eh?"

Okay, so she hasn't lost her egocentrism - although maybe that's also a compliment of sorts. And with that, she manages to break Chevy's hold, slippery as she remains. Still in the air, she'll try to capture Chevy with her thighs as gravity asserts itself; if she can manage to do so, she might not be able to stop herself from falling back to the mat with Chevy atop her, but she would at least have it in her to flip over to take control atop her opponent as the water rains down, throwing every last bit of energy behind her fists in a desperate attempt to land just one good punch before the fight ends. Succeed or fail, at least she'll be able to say she truly gave her ass in this fight. And what better way to get sexy is there than that?

COMBATSYS: Coco can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Coco successfully hits Chevy with S.O.T.B..

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Chevy            0/-------/=======|

[CHEVY]
The shared moment will live on forever in fans' memories -- there's no way a freeze-frame of Chevy grappling onto a barely-clad Coco *won't* make it to the highlight reels. But it'll live on in the hayseed's memory as a moment of rare, unguarded honesty.

"I--" she stammers, faltering. As she's kind of busy with the waterworks-assisted launch, she defers to let Coco share her thoughts. And that... May have compromised her thought processes a bit. Intensive practice or not, Chevy's still vulnerable to *feels*.

"Aww! Yeah, you pushed me harder than dang near anyone!" she admits with a smile, even as La Catedral's rafters blend together with the audience in a spinning composition around the fighters. "I had to give you my *best!*"

So... vulnerable? Yes. Because as soon as Chevy drops Coco to the ground, she expects that to be the end of things, hoping that the two can continue their little heart-to-heart together.

When she rolls onto her knees -- and suddenly feels Coco's knee in her abdomen, she's given a reminder of the most important lesson about fighting -- it ain't over till the bell rings! And while she's a bit more healthy and hale than the first time she'd eaten a full barrage of punches to the face from the posh pugilist -- it still smarts!

There comes a point, though, in which the tempo of her head ratcheting back from each power punch slows enough that Chevy can shimmy her arms free. Planting her hands on Coco's shoulders, she finally manages to wrest her off to the side and roll free. Panting and bleeding -- though it might not *look* that way from the rain turning a weird shade of pink -- she pushes herself to one foot. Her face swells with a series of fresh bruises -- drawing a round of gasps from the awed crowd. With some added effort, she curls one hand around her bleeding nose and rises to stand.

She barks out a mirthless laugh, swirling the water around with her hands as rain continues to fall.

"'Yeah. I weren't gonna go so far as I did without someone as fierce as you pushin' me."

She begins to extricate the deer antler necklace from the t-shirt wicked to her chest. One thumb brushes against it, as she flicks a brief look out to the two other members of the 'double date in the audience.

"Thanks for this fight, Coco. Any time -- any place."

Ding ding ding!

COMBATSYS: Chevy lets the tide wash out.

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

COMBATSYS: Chevy has ended the fight here.


[COCO]
When Chevy manages to shimmy free, Coco doesn't have the energy left to give anything more. Her last punch is sluggish, preceding a slump down onto her side in the cool water. She stares up at the ceiling as her consciousness wavers, and the bell finally dings.

She'll be alright after this - nothing that some paracetamol, two cocktails and a good night's sleep won't fix - but it'll be a good minute or two before she can pursue either of the first two. The third, she's getting a bit of a head start on.

[BUCK]
Right on the edge of his seat to the very end, his rather contained excitement finally breaks free at the very end as he leaps out of his seat, giving a big ol' loud rodeo holler as Chevy comes out on top. He's definitely not out of place in this establishment.

Though his expression of excitement for Chevy now turns a bit sober. He might have to face off with her in the final. That is if he can overcome the man sitting next to him, something he does not have the best track record of.

After a moment, he turns to Hawksley, tips his hat, and heads off to get ready for their own brawl. But in passing the stage, he shoots a grin in Chevy's direction, giving her a thumbs up as he does so. "You did it, Island Queen."

[HAWKSLEY]
As the Coco and Chevy fight reaches its finale, the waterbender is the one who gets the win. Turning to the fella beside him, Hawksley comments with a smile on his face. "Chevy was brilliant." He follows his words with a wave as the cowboy wanders off to prepare for their punch-up. His own pre-match ritual will involve getting another drink in at the bar. Firstly though, there's someone who needs some TLC, and not just because she's been chasing waterfalls.

The Irishman moves over to the collapsed Coco and carefully lifts her into his arms before giving her a cuddle. "It'll all be grand." He murmurs in her ear. He looks up at her opponent, trying to catch her eyes with his own gaze. "Congratulations, cailin. You truly give it your ass out there. You both did."

[CHEVY]
Chevy runs a quick lap of the ring, giving plenty of photo ops for the fans! ... Of course, with her face aching from that final barrage of punches, it's a short trip. Ow!

*Part* of the reason for the quick lap was to catch sight of Buck. With everyone leaping up at the end of the fight, she'd... actually managed to lose track of which part of the cavernous tango hall he was in. But once she spots him, her bruised face turns a bit more reddish. "Yeah! Thanks to you!" She cradles the necklace in one hand, and blows her boyfriend a kiss to clear the distance.

As the first aid team descends on the ring, and one member threatens to pull the water-warrior away, she nonetheless crouches down to give Hawksley a quick clap on the shoulder. "Kept me right on the edge, she did. Good luck in your fight! Though... we've been trainin' hard -- you might need it!"

With that done, she hops back up, submitting to the first aid workers' care. As one shines a flashlight into her eyes. "Hey, don't take too long, I cain't miss the next fight. Y'all know that, right?"

Log created on 05:21:28 01/10/2025 by Chevy, and last modified on 16:18:36 01/16/2025.