I Think We Have A Problem...(For Underdog21)

Chris Morgan's music hit, barely going into it's opening notes as the blonde stormed through the curtain. Her movements were quick, and angry as she stormed towards the ring. First Mikoto, who was innocent of any wrongdoing that might have happened back in the Wrestle Angel's past and the young but talented pretender Miss USA, who wasn't even in the league, had been attacked by Hibiki Izayoi. Then, Riyu Kikuchi, another young Wrestle Angel had felt the Purple Dragon's wrath. Even though Chris was in the back, lying in wait for Hibiki, an argument with Suzumi Ishikawa had distracted her, allowing Hibiki to attack Riyu with fury and wrath before the Californian could make it to the ring.

Even though she partially blamed Suzumi for what happened that night the majority of the blame, she felt, belonged on her. She had allowed herself to be distracted, and as a result, another Wrestle Angel paid the price. The very thought of it was enough to make her wish this was over, so she could return to her apartment and start on another bottle of wine.

*Enough is enough!* Chris mentally vowed to herself as she headed for the ring.

Stepping through the ropes, the fans booing away at her the whole time, Chris motioned to a tech, demanding a microphone. Once it was in her hands, Chris took a deep breath, the crowd still making it's disdain for her heard.

"Enough!" she said loudly, startling the crowd for a moment. Chris wasn't known for loud, vocal outbursts. She was normally calm, and controlled. "For once, everyone, your feelings don't matter! You all know why I'm here....who I'm here for! And she knows it! So get your purple maned head out here so I knock it clean off your shoulders!"

For a moment, the crowd went silent as Chris issued her challenge. Slowly, though, whispers began to hiss back and forth in the stands as the audience began to chatter among themselves. Was Chris Morgan really doing this? Was she brave enough to take on Hibiki Iyazoi, the woman who had been tormenting all of the other Angels? And if so, could she finally end that woman's reign of terror once and for all?

Their answer came when the loudspeakers blared, and theme music began to play across the arena. The audience collectively hushed as a new, purple-haired figure came striding into the arena.

Only, it wasn't the purple-haired figure they were expecting.



One by one, portions of the crowd began to cheer as none other than Panther Risako, the Queen of Queens, began to stride into the arena. The Wrestle Angels veteran did nothing to pay attention to the fans, though-- her gaze was fixed and focused on Chris, with a look that could melt steel with its intensity.

Making her way to the ring, Risako slid under the ropes and stood opposite Chris, glaring at her. At Risako's motion, the ref girl hurriedly passed her another microphone, which Risako wasted no time speaking into.

"You called, Chris?" she asked. "Because here I am."

Chris had crossed her arms under the swell of her breasts, waiting for Hibiki to respond to her challenge. However, much to her surprise, and irritation, the music that hit didn't herald the arrival of the Purple Dragon. Instead it brought forth Panther Risako, another Wrestle Angel from the former league. The crowd exploded into thunderous cheering, knowing that Risako had defeated Chris and ended the blonde's reign as champion.

As always the sight of Risako filled Chris with various, mixed emotions. Sadness, regret, and a more than healthy dose of anger. Locking her eyes on the former den mother of the Wrestle Angels, Chris returned the other woman's glare with one of her own as Risako made her way into the ring.

When the American spoke in response to the Panther's words, it was in a cold, even tone. It was an effort to reign in her emotions and not just start yelling at Risako.

"No, I didn't. I think it's pretty apparent who I'm here for, unless you haven't kept up with current events." she told Risako. "I don't know why you're here, but I'm sure I'm not in the mood for it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Leave. Now." Chris concluded.

The temperature seemed to drop as the two women stared one another down. From a simple outside view, Risako had a lighter, slimmer form than that of the powerful American, and she stood several inches shorter as well. And yet, all the same, Risako stood tall and didn't flinch as she met Chris' gaze. At that moment, Risako seemed every bit as formidable as her adversary.

"No," Risako replied curtly. "You were right, Chris. Enough is enough." She took a step forward so that her eyes were level with Chris'. "Do you think I never would have found out about what you've been doing? How you went out of your way to pick on both Mikoto and Suzumi, to defeat and destroy them in the ring? I don't know what either of them did, other than be part of a league you hated, but I won't stand for it."

Risako allowed herself a slight pause, giving the audience time to murmur among themselves. "No one picks on those girls, or any other Wrestle Angel, without having to deal with me, Chris. So congratulations...you've just woken the panther."

The taller blonde frowned as Risako went on about her matches with Mikoto and Suzumi. As she listened, her anger grew. Was Risako out of her mind? Or completely ignorant of what's been happening to the Angel's within the AFW? And the crowd was eating it up, cheering and breaking into wild applause when the Panther claimed that she was awake. If she was so 'awoken' then where was she during Hibiki's attack on Riyu?


The crowd was still cheering when Chris raised the microphone to her lips. To their surprise, laughter rang out from the usually stoic and calm former champion. She lowered the mic for a moment, composing herself then spoke.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just, I never saw somebody this wrong before, Risako. You think I sought out Mikoto?" she asked. "She came after me. You'd know this if you bothered to talk with her. Then again, you probably think she's a helpless child instead of a grown woman, able to make her own decisions. Did I beat her? Oh yes. That last clothesline must've made her feel like she was being turned inside out." Here she gave Risako a smile, knowing that talking about the match couldn't be fun for the Panther. "But I beat herfairly, and cleanly. And nobody, not even them," Here she motioned to the shocked crowd, "can say otherwise, no matter how much they whine. And when the match was done, so was the punishment she was taking."

Her eyes continued to stare straight on, locked on Risako's.
"As for Suzumi, you can talk to management. We were put in that match by them, and I won that one, too. No cheating, no use of a chair, no continuing to beat on someone after she gave up. Meanwhile, Hibiki brutalizes these girls outside of a match, the same ones you're so desperate to protect, and you do nothing."

Remembering that she still had to play the cold hearted villain, to try and keep people like Hibiki from thinking they could use the Wrestle Angels to get to her, Chris chose her next words carefully. Knowing they would also antagonize Risako made her feel a certain kind of satisfaction....but also a guilty sadness.

"Oh don't make the mistake of thinking I'm claiming to be their guardian....well, Angel. I think they're weak. When someone shows up that's better then them, they become frightened. They say things like 'that wasn't fair', 'she's so much stronger than me, that's why she won!' 'American girls are always bigger than us!'" Her voice went into a falsetto as she imitated other girls from her starting days in the Wrestle Angel's, long ago, pulling their words from history before returning to normal as she went on. "Weaklings, blaming me for their shortcomings. Only a handful of them had anything resembling actual ability, the rest were spoiled children. So, yes I admit, when a former Wrestle Angel is in front of me in the ring, it makes my hits that much harder, my throws have more force behind them. I prove that I'm better, beyond the shadow of a doubt, then leave them in the ring to think about that fact. The strong ones, they'll rise again, better and tougher from the experience. The weak will do what they've always done, and cry. But, it's always in the ring, by it's rules. So you can just shut your mouth, Risako. The Panther's awake? Good, then she can get out of my way and let me move on to a real problem, that coward Hibiki Izayoi!"

To her surprise some of the crowd actually applauded, responding to Chris's 'sorting the strong over the weak by fair combat' doctrine as well as her condemnation of Hibiki Izayoi's actions.

Risako felt her cheeks burn as Chris spoke about Mikoto and Suzumi. Not just the way she had claimed that they had whined, and complained, but the way she called them weak... Risako's hand balled into a fist, and it took all of her willpower not to deck Chris then and there. She restrained herself, though. She was going to do this fairly, by the book, so that the whole audience could see Chris for who she really was.

Instead, she folded her arms, giving Chris a look of stern disapproval-- one that told Chris, and the audience, that she wasn't impressed by her little tirade.

"And is that what you see yourself as, Chris? One of the stronger ones?" she retorted. "Not from where I'm standing. Even if, for a moment, we all forget what you did...what you, in your ignorance, did to help destroy our old league..." she paused to let those words sink in. "...what gives you the right to punish the weak and uplift the strong, hm? Who gave you the right to enact your own petty whims like this? Once upon a time, many of the other angels thought you were weak as well. I gave you a chance, because I thought you could prove them all wrong. I see now that that was a mistake."

She took a step back as she glared at Chris. "You call out Hibiki if you want, Chris," she said. "You fight her, if you want. But first, you and I have things to settle."

Chris nearly started to grind her teeth in frustration. Good lord, even when told, admittedly somewhat subtly, that Hibiki Izayoi was a bigger threat to the Angel's than Chris was, Risako still remained fixated on the blonde. The Asian seemed bound and determined to put herself in front of Chris, at a time when the American didn't need the distraction.

Then the Californian remembered the other reason for her being in the AFW. Part of it was, in fact, to give the Angels a chance to express their anger. She had stood her ground against Suzumi and Mikoto for that reason. It's just, in this case, the Angel that stepped out of the woodwork was one Chris had issues with. Anger and resentment lanced through her every time she thought of the Panther's betrayal. Perhaps...it was time to stop dodging Risako. Battle between them was inevitable, Chris realized. While it was a shame it couldn't wait until after Hibiki was dealt with, if she could defeat Risako, it would be sure to send a message to the Dragon. After all, Risako was known as one of the Wrestle Angel league's more skilled combatants. Beating her would prove, beyond any doubt that not only was Chris back, but she was better, and stronger than she was.

And if she was also being honest....it would feel damn good.

"You gave me a chance?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "No, Risako. Let's get something straight. I admit, you helped. Your training and....."
She paused, hesitating on how much she should reveal about their shared history in front of a drama hungry crowd.
"Support helped me during my early times in the league. But, I went out and fought, and it was me that scored win after win in my rookie year. So you didn't give me a chance. I earned my spot."

Chris took a step forward.

"You asked if I think I'm strong. No, I don't think, I know it. If you test me, you will fail." she said. "You want to settle things? I'm right here, Risako. I'll neither run, nor hide."

Risako's purple eyes seemed to harden into amethyst as Chris spoke. She waited until the blonde had finished before she spoke again, her eyes never retreating from Chris'.

"You keep going on, again and again, about what you earned, Chris," she said. "About what you've done, about your accomplishment. But your biggest accomplishment in AFW was defeating a woman who already had a lingering injury. Your biggest triumph was helping a greedy man drive our league into ruin. And before you say anything Chris, ignorance is no excuse. I warned you you were being used, told you to stop, but you wouldn't listen. You never listened."

She paused a little, wanting to let her words sink in, before she continued. "Do you want to know what the biggest thing you earned in AFW, Chris? Your defeat at my hands. You earned that...not just for what you did to the league, but what you did to us."

Listening, the crowd murmured to itself speculatively. There had always been a mystery about what happened behind the scenes at the old Wrestle Angel's league, especially during the federation's final year.

They remained quiet as Chris slowly raised the microphone to her lips.

"You're right. You warned me and I didn't listen." she conceded, speaking thoughtfully. "Because it sounded insane. How could one man have that much greed in him? You asked me to turn against the one person who had believed in me from the start. Even before you came along. You asked me to do it for a locker room full of mostly women that had either quietly ignored me with polite disdain, or outright harassed me during my training academy days."

She stopped, remembering the better days gone by for a moment. Risako's voice calling advice to her as she sparred with another girl. Laughter as they drank sake together while watching fireworks on New Year's Eve. A kiss shared at the stroke of midnight. Purple and blonde hair lightly tangled on a pillow come New Year's morning. For a moment, the image of Risako during those times superimposed itself over the woman standing before her in the ring.

(No...) the American thought to herself. (We've gone too far to go back.)

With a heavy sigh, Chris added to her spoken words.
"You should've asked me to do it for you." she stated softly.

The words sparked a surprised collective gasp from the crowd as they read between the lines. However, Chris paid them no mind. Instead her eyes remained on Risako. Her memory had taken to the fateful ending of their old relationship. The match that the Panther had spoke of. Her surprise challenge for Chris's belt, stating that the American was a coward and a fake champion. The shock and the rage at Risako's words and betrayal as she accepted the challenge. Blows thudding against each other's bodies. Risako's scream as Chris drove her knee into the Japanese woman's spine with a brutal backbreaker. The feeling of coughing up her own blood after Risako finished a salvo of hard kicks into the taller Chris's side and stomach. The disbelief as Risako channeled enough strength to lift and then drive Chris into the mat with a cradle suplex, the move that won the Panther the match. And then, when Chris rose to her knees, the final, after match blow....a roundhouse kick to the side of her skull. The period at the end of sentence. Injury after insult.

And here she was. A new day, and a new league. Judging her again, with that same scornful look on her face as when she kicked Chris into unconsciousness. Rage sparked in her heart. If Risako wanted to balance the scales, well that was fine. Chris didn't come to the AFW looking for revenge on the woman she felt stabbed her in the back and abandoned her....

But she wouldn't pass it up either.

"And do you know what you earned, you traitorous, self righteous hypocrite?"
Chris asked conversationally.

Suddenly, she swung her left hand, clenched in a fist, into the side of Risako's face!

The blow came as a complete surprise. 

It happened so fast. There was a blur of fist, and then a heavy impact on her cheek that reverberated through her skull. Risako's head rang like a bell as the blow sent her sprawling sideways, and before she realized it, she was hitting the mat, tumbling onto her side like a sack of rags.

She couldn't believe it. Even after everything Chris had done, and was doing, she hadn't believed that Chris would actually strike her like that.

Around them, the crowd gasped collectively. Risako's own instincts kicked in: she rolled, trying to move to the ropes. Her body felt slow and lethargic as she moved, her head still swimming from the force of the blow. Chris always did have a powerful punch, she thought bitterly as she silently willed her body to move.