Summer Splash Challenge! Taylor Vs. Adrian: Event 3!

"And we're back to the old fallbacks." Adrian said to no-one in particular as she got up away from the board, happy with the layout, if not the speed of the whole thing. Most of the 3 minutes had been all Taylor and if she was going to get her to clock out instead of trying for checkmate, it would still take 5 or 6 rounds of boxing first with how slow Taylor was going. "Didn't Akashi used to do that for you? Going around beating up people who wanted to beat you up. Sure Becks was a little more pro-active and probably better at it, but the principles the same."

"Nobody fights all their own battles, those who claim they do can't see the shoulders they're standing on to look down at people." That analogy sounded a lot better in her head, the idea of someone standing on the shoulders of giants saying "I did it all by myself! Why haven't you!" seemed like a great analogy for Taylor in Adrian's head. She had the backing of one of the most respected and strongest wrestlers in the company, was best buddies with someone who knew more ways to break an arm than cook pasta. Taylor might have started all her own battles but she sure as hell didn't finish them all by herself. "Just get in the ring so I can break your jaw already." she growled. As much as she had initially blown off the comment about Rebecca and never doing anything for herself, it still stung and it did make her doubt her boxing strategy for a moment before she regained her composure. She could shut her up the hard way after Taylor blew her load trying to get at her.

Taylor laughed out loud. "Oh, yeah, totally. Just, uh... could you remind me when that happened?" She grinned at Adrian while Macha the maid helped her into her gloves. "My whole career, people have always told me about how Akashi does everything for me, but they have never once given me a fuckin' example. I'd really love to hear about it, though, so I'm all ears."

Macha pulled the laces tight and securely tied each glove, and Taylor climbed up into the ring. "I'd love to see that, by the way. Definitely come break my jaw. I wouldn't even be mad about it." She stuck out her chin at Adrian and patted it with her glove, and then skipped back to her corner. She punched her knuckles together to mold the foam of the gloves to her hands while bouncing lightly in place. She looked like it was harder to stand still than it was to bounce off the walls while she waited for the bell.

"That time when Akashi threw me into a locker. Or when she saved you from a guitar weilding nut-job." Adrian responded quickly. She knew that Taylor had heard that stuff before, and mostly just denied it. But teaming with Akashi had saved her from sticky situations in the past, like Rebecca had saved Adrian. Albeit Akashi didn't usually get involved unless it was really serious. Still, example thrown out there while Babd put on the former cosplayer's green gloves, scowling at Taylor's taunt. Okay, Adrian... be calm, you've practiced for this. Let her get pissed off when you put up a fight, keep her guessing, wear her out, force mistakes and punish her for fucking up. she reminded herself, still scowling hard as Babd finished her job.

"Let's get ready to rumble~" She whispered to herself, giving a small chuckle as she slipped into the ring, ready and waiting for Taylor to get in before the start.

"Yeah, okay Numb-Nuts!" Taylor laughed. She was smiling, but irritated, and her speech accelerated into an adrenal tirade. "You mean the time when you distracted me while your buddy ambushed me from behind and gave me a concussion so the two of you could rape me and fuck me up? And Akashi just happened to walk by and see the two of you double-teaming her friend? Totally, everything I've accomplished is only because of her."

She bounced in place until the bell rang, and then she skipped lightly out to the middle of the ring and began to circle to Adrian's right. "And I didn't even know Akashi at the time, when Karina tried to kill me. The match was over, and she just didn't feel like watching some random white chick get splattered. What a world, right? You forgot the part where Akashi hunted people down for looking at me the wrong way, or interfered in my matches. Oh wait... that's Rebecca."

Taylor kept her right hand tight at her cheek, but let her left hand down below her waist. Her eyes locked coldly on gender-bent Little Mac. "Okay, Slugger, I'm shakin' in my boots here. C'mon."

The time for trash talking was temporarily over as the bell rang and the two set off to slug it out for 3 minutes. Adrian keeping both her hands up high to try and protect her head as she stepped in, trying to get a good feeling of how big of a reach Taylor had for her punches and if she had a little more, and if it was enough of an edge, try to zone her.

Whenever they wrestled before or outright brawled they were never at maximum reach apart so despite how much they'd fought, Adrian couldn't really say for sure what distance away was relatively safe for her. Probably easier to say "none of it" but her whole gameplan was pretty much Taylor's attitude to the chess part, if a little more sophisticated: stall out the 3 minutes, maybe make a good move if it presents itself, just don't lose.

Taylor bounced lightly back and forth, a little head-fake in, back out, circle, stop, change directions, head movement... But she slowed to a stop when it became clear that Adrian wasn't planning on boxing. She put her padded fists on her hips and cocked her hips to the side.

"Really, Adrian?" She said, sounding disappointed, though she wasn't surprised. "Story of your life, right? Adrian wants to win, but is afraid to fight. Fuckin' gag me, dude."

Yeah the trash talking never really stopped. "You're the one that's afraid to come get me, asshole." the former cosplayer shot back. "I can take my time, you're the one against the clock." Adrian was expecting to box, and she was taking it very cautiously, with good reason. Just charging headfirst would be tactical suicide.

Taylor turned around and strolled to the ropes. She leaned back against them with her elbows over the top rope and glanced at the clock while it steadily ticked down. "If that's the way you want to play it man, you can have it," she said with a dismissive wave at her so-called opponent. "I'm totally the one that's afraid. I just know you'll tear me up if I try to box with you. This is why everyone takes you so seriously. You're a serious situation."

Lukretia's eyes narrowed as neither girl seemed particularly interested in throwing a punch. "How is it zat ze chess vas more exciting?" She asked no one. "I expect zis from Miss Kytes," Lukretia began, "but from you, Ms. Parker? I am quite disappointed."

This whole situation was kind of weirding Adrian out. Taylor was normally the most enthusiastic about punching people and she pretty much always rushed her opponents just after the starting bell. For her to hang back and act like she didn't want to punch Adrian in the face was really unlike her. She's planning something Adrian thought. There was pretty much no other explanation to why she was being passive like this. Time was on Adrian's side with the punk's stalling tactics during the chess portion, she'd run her 12 minutes up in 5 rounds max and then Adrian would win by default.

Do I really want another cheap win? the former cosplayer started to wonder. She'd thought that her win in the obstacle course was legit until it transpired that Lukretia pretty much rigged it in her favour at the end. Even when she was winning while fighting fair there always seemed to be something that diminished it, there wasn't a lot of time to get a legitimate one up on Taylor, she was trying to break her habit of just going 'a win is a win' for everything and wanted to actually earn something for once. So maybe she should be the one to start something. But that's exactly what she wants me to do so she can counter! Fuck... she inwardly groaned. For her this was pretty much a no win scenario, either she went in on Taylor and it ended badly, or she did nothing and got a hollow victory. Best to just keep her guard up for now, so it at least looks like Adrian was looking for a somewhat fair fight or something like that.