The Black Fang vs. Sien Teist - Old School

It was a brutal kick, one that made a sick noise you could hear through the arena. That wasn’t too surprising, really. This was the sort of kick that Asami Kusanagi had used to soften her foes, and on the occasional cases, it had just been tough enough of a move to take an opponent outright, winning the match. Was this one such case? The Black Fang hoped so. AJ was a tenacious enemy, but she was also a good friend, and she would much prefer not to be hammering her around the ring all night long.

Down she went, crumbling like a house of cards in the wind. The Black Fang bit her lip, stepping back, afraid that might not have been the best move - she didn’t want to give her friend a concussion. Whether that happened or not, though, the window she’d been craving was open.

She took it.

Down came the Black Fang, dropping over her chest and grabbing her leg. She pulled it up and held it there, going for the pin and hoping it would be enough. ”Staydownpleasestaydownplease…”

It wasn't until she felt something snug on top of her weighting down did she first stir. Her eyes opened in a sharp thin wince. One of her forearms lifted from the canvas, barely enough to pull her limp fingers from the ground beneath her. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening, but even then her body wasn't seemingly registering what she wanted. She tried to move her legs, to maybe roll over... the weight on her was annoying... she wanted to breath easier. She couldn't move... something was on her leg too.

"...1!..."

Her head lulled back against the canvas. Why were they banging, and so loud? Didn't they understand that was rude? The lights were really bright... even with her sunglasses on. Really bad sunglasses. Why would someone paint on them? Wait... not sunglasses. Goggles... that's right, she made them, for her challenge.

"...2!..."

She was going to fight the Black Fang... weird deja vu, it felt like she had already done that before though... Because she had. She was... right now... Light blinked back into her eyes as she tried to summon the strength to kick out and... nothing came.

The Black Fang held her breath, hoping - no, praying to a God she rarely prayed to, that AJ would just stay down. Her unflappable spirit was nice, one of her best features, and she would’ve been rooting for her if she’d been in the audience - like some of the more savvy fans were doing now, as it turned out. But, right now, she just wanted this to be over, wanted a nice, clean end for the match, and wanted to stop beating her friend about the ring before she got hurt to a degree that couldn’t be walked off in a day or two.

Somebody heard that prayer, thankfully, because that was what happened. This time, Sien Teist, the mad doctor, her new arch-nemesis/best friend, didn’t kick out.

”3…!”

Done. Just like that. There were no words to describe the relief that washed over the Black Fang when that final slap came down. She wanted to shoot up and dance about in triumph, join in the audiences celebration. She certainly would do do that, in fact...after she made sure AJ was okay.

”Hey?” She gave her a little shake on the shoulder, whispering her way. ”AJ, are you okay?”

She groaned quietly at the final bell, not because she was upset, not really, it was more for the fact she hurt. This was how it should be, was meant to be. Heroes beat villains. All was right with the universe. It had been an incredibly weird balancing act for her. She loved The Black Fang so much and didn't really want to beat the woman, but hadn't wanted to disrespect her by holding back. She was glad it didn't really come to that. She hadn't made use of her submission skills, yes, but she was pretty certain after this it wouldn't have mattered. The woman behind the mask was just the better wrestler. Alexa was just proud to be here and to have lasted this long.

She blinked behind her goggles, brow wrinkling. Had she called her by name? How did she know? Was she hearing things? Her mind was still a bit muddy. "Who told you?" she croaked out, followed by a weak laugh. She had thought her costume had been pretty good. Guess it hadn't been good enough if she hadn't fooled anyone in the back. Hopefully the fans wouldn't know the difference when she debuted as herself. "You gotta be the hero..." She tilted her head slightly peering up at her through those damnable goggles. Their act wasn't over yet, not that the fans knew. They still had one last bit of business to take care of, despite her really wanting to just chat with The Black Fang, in front of the crowd wasn't the place.

Oh.

Oh crap.

Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapstupidstupidstupid!

If it wouldn’t have totally ruined the illusion, the Black Fang would’ve slapped herself in the face so hard it would’ve left an imprint. She’d kept the identity mode on for the entire math, and now she let it slip? Now, of all the moronic times. The mask, remember the mask!

Okay, BS Mode Activate.

She sat up straight with her hands on her hips and her chin held high. ”A little birdie let slip that you wanted to challenge me.” She winked, and topped it off with a thumbs up. Better to be mysterious, let her fill the blanks in.  ”The Black Fang is always watching.”

It's debatable if Alexa, in a clear state of mind would have even pieced things together at this point. In her current state of mind? Swimming in a slight haze as she lay flat against the canvas, The Black Fang's secret was safe, for now. She was thankful o have the woman's weight off her now, coughing softly as she could finally draw breath easier. She rolled onto her side before reaching up to gingerly touch her head. Her fingers recoiled from where she touched, hissing softly. She was going to need some ice... Flopping onto her stomach she pushed herself up, trying to speak as loudly as possible but struggling.

"This.... isn't the last you've seen of me... Black Fraud... I will have vengeance." She had lost a bit of her alter ego gusto, which I don't think anyone could blame for that. She sounded like a mixed cocktail version of Sien and herself. This likely was the end of the good doctor/professor/????? though. She was pretty certain if she ever wrestled again in these goggles she might cause her eyes to bleed. By god were they a terrible idea to do the way she had.

The Black Fang smiled - a small knowing smile - at the last declaration of Sien Teist, her newly found and defeated arch nemesis. She…no, Ryoko wanted to do this again, sometime. Maybe not in a setup like this while AJ wore that outfit, but against the woman underneath? No question. She wasn’t the toughest opponent she had ever faced, but she was the most fun to battle, and she could see so much potential underneath the surface. This was someone she could have great matches with.

”And I’ll have justice!” The Black Fang proudly proclaimed, as she stood tall and let the referee raise her hand. The crowd gave a hearty round of applause, digging the theatrics of it all and just loving a nice, simple match. They came for a show, and they got what they paid for.

With justice served, the Black Fang gave the audience a final bow, then ducked through the ropes and went up the ramp, slapping hands as she went, even posing for a couple of selfies.

The moment she was behind the curtain, though, she made a beeline for the locker room, wanting to get changed as fast as humanly possible. There was a friend she wanted to meet up with soon, after all…

She had slipped from the ring during The Black Fang's celebration, retreating slowly up the ramp. She shook her fists hamming up her escape to the back as she stomped about and make threats with both her hand gestures and muttered words. She threw back the curtains to gorilla position dramatically as she vanished from sight.

She fumbled past the curtains finally able to breath how she wanted, in long labored gasps. She stumbled her way towards the locker room only to stop in the hall. She intended to ambush The Black Fang again, though as herself and not the devious doctor. She reached up finally tearing off her goggles, defined outlines of the plastic pressed into her face like a temporary tattoo giving her an off racoonish look. She could hear the crowd clapping and cheering from here still. Back pressed to the wall she slumped slightly, letting her head lull back against the painted brick.

She didn't really expect The Black Fang to give her the time of day. She was likely a busy woman... but calling her by name at the end of the match. Checking on her? Maybe she would be nice enough to talk to her for a moment or two. She dipped her head, turning over the goggles in her hands as she admired her shoddy craftsmanship. She inched up the wall slightly, trying to fix up her hair and attire to make herself presentable as she waited, hoping to catch her hero on the way to the locker room.