Tension Elimination Chamber Match

The audience's deflation at the act of heroism gone horribly awry was akin to experiencing the tumultuous sense of anchored dread in the pit of one's stomach upon seeing the horse you bet your life savings on miss the finish line by the proportionate length of a nose-hair. The celebratory trumpets heralding Ryo's dynamic rescue now having all the valiant courageousness of a pair of plastic kazoos as Dasher's bowl-cut shadow menacingly loomed over Ryo before embedding his elbow into the speedo heartthrob. Dasher was no stranger to scrawny pukes thinking themselves capable of felling the Mighty Inoba. The first day of his puroresu grappling class consists of him thoroughly manhandling into submission each and everyone of his new students in record time. A training tactic meant to demonstrate to them the high levels of grappling perfection he can train them to become and break them down so he can mold them in his manly image...

...which meant that Dasher scouted the young man's dropkick from across the ring, and than some. Over two-hundred and twenty five pounds of very pissed off Dasher being slammed down upon the scrawny heartthrob to his flailing discomfort. Dasher ascending once more with a bull's raging temperament as he glared downward at the trouble-making duo. Steam practically being pistoned out of his flaring nostrils as his biceps bulged and fingers tweeked before one hand would reach down to clamp onto Felina's flowing mane...and his other hand clawing onto Ryo's shabby hair-do. It was a feat of strength in itself that the hulking brute managed to lift both competitor's back to there noodily legs to have them stand across from eachother...and one that came before Dasher reared both their noggins back with a burly roar, and attempted to headbutt them together for an uncomfortable meeting of the minds.

What would Carmen do in this situation?

What would Army do?

What would Leah do?

What would anyone else do?

These were the main questions that were going through Felina’s mind at the moment, and she didn’t like the answers to any of them. The main thing she kept coming back to was the fact that the people she was looking to for examples wouldn’t have gotten in this spot in the first place. But not Felina. Nope. She just had to rush in.

It didn’t sound like things were going any better for Ryo, but she was just about ready to get up and lend him a hand - that was the plan, anyway, until Dasher came in and snatched her hair, hauling her up. ”My hair!” She hissed, putting up a futile struggle as she dragged along. ”Dejalo, dejalo, de-”

Felina’s protests were cut short when Dasher brought her skull together with Ryo’s, making a sound that wasn’t too unlike coconuts smacking each other and pain that wasn’t too unlike having a brick smashed against her forehead. It left her dazed - even moreso than the lariat - and she flopped back to the floor with her arms spread out, staring at the ceiling.

Fuuuuuuuuck Dasher. Him and his stupid muscles and his stupid bowlcut and stupid everything. Not that Ryo would say that aloud. Not that Ryo even COULD say that aloud, nothing but wheezing and groaning escaping his mouth.



While not the smallest fighter in the match, he was still light, and Dasher had several dozen pounds on him, the elbow driving into his stomach at full force was more than enough to take the wind out of his sails, the heartthrob gasping and trying to roll away...only for Dasher to ruin that plan, roughly pulling him up to his feet by his short brown hair, yanking at his scalp. "Owowowhairhairhair!"



Unable to pull himself free from Dashers grip, and his punches just bouncing harmlessly off of Dashers muscular chest, the teen heartthrob looked over at Felina, in a similar position, and, recalling the sting of her kicks, tried to share with her an idea.



"K-kick him in the di-"



*THUNK*



Whatever else he had to say was lost, as he and Felina had a meeting of the minds...literally. His head smashed into hers, sending the teen staggering back several steps towards the ropes, the ker-thunky of the headbutt sending stars and spots and tiny speedos dancing in his vision.



Knees shaking, Ryo tried to fall back onto the ropes, hoping to lean against them and clear his head...only to fall between the ropes instead in his daze, letting out a pained yelp as he landed on the hard steel outside the ring!

What seemed like a brazen act of head colliding ruthlessness, was in actuality, a matter of divine retribution for the bowl-cut warrior. In particular for this bothersome duo battering his own noggin about with those ineffectual flea bites they called "kicks". As a matter of fact, their offensive momentum only transpired because he was merely caught unawares by their blatant cheating and dishonorable double-teaming, and he pitied them both to the point that he merely allowed them an opportunity to get some licks in and make it seem like they had even the slightest inkling of a chance of defeating the Mighty Inoba. Dasher's manly pride manufacturing that excuse so he can keep his broad-chinned head held high while them about in the double headbutt that had them both crumpling to the canvas below.

Dasher towered over the clobbered pairing while breathing raggedly, a sweaty shimmer to his bulbous muscles as his head pivoted from staring at either competitor splayed out on the floor. The Dash standing strong after withstood their pittance of an assault, and clearly had his picking of either wrestler to pin, submit, or continue thrashing for his own sadistic pleasure. So it would perplex the audience even further when he instead turned around and centered his beady eyes on the pod adjacent to him...containing the cherubic Leah, and blatantly ignoring the other occupied pod as he marched onward. At first stopping by his own empty pod, to pick up the black pen and headshot of Dasher Leah had left next to him in the optimistic hope he would grant her the privilege of autographing and dedicating it to her brother Edgar. Which Dasher was seemingly doing after biting off the cover of the pen and spitting it away.

"To : Edgar Shaw

From One Grateful Grappler, To One Dedicated Fan...

.....~~~Dasher Inoba~~~....."

After signing his John Hancock on his headshot, Dasher casually strolled toward the adorable blonde's pod with a beaming and heart-warming smile on his face. He presented the headshot face-first so she could read the heartfelt autograph signing, flashing her a thumbs-up in what was seemingly a genuine, sincere, and cordial show of respect and appreciation to his ardent fanbase and the lovely lady inside...until he abruptly tore the headshot in half from the top down. Dasher gingerly continuing to tear the picture in half multiple times right in front of Leah's eyes before taking the scraps and putting them in his mouth simply so he could barbarically chew them up and spit them out. Fans booing Dasher derisively as he delightedly bellowed in booming laughter while turning his back to Leah and strolling back towards the ring...

The Elimination Chamber had been one heck of a spectacle. She loved matches like this, throwing the best in the business at one another in a grueling competition of stamina, strength and cunning. Never in a million years had she seen herself here, in a pod, waiting to be unleashed on her fellow Tension rivals.

She found herself thrilling and cheering to the match highs, though most of her support seemed to be for Felina, everyone in the match had her backing. It was an odd sight to see a competitor giving her foes encouragement from within her pod throughout the match.

Each time the scattered lights played over the pods she steeled herself, ready to go only to be let down as they snapped down over someone else. She would pout and sigh, but ultimately the action of the match was too good to stay sad. Losing Astolfo was unfortunate. She had wanted to get her hands on him again after how fun their last bout had been. Another time maybe. It was cool to see Felina get the pin though.

As Ryo and Felina went back and forth, Leah shouted out muffled warnings to her friend, trying to keep her clued in whenever she was on the back foot. She had to stay in, that was their plan. Take everyone else out then the two of them could have an epic fight! If only this stupid structure would pick her to come in next!

Then came Dasher. She didn't know much about him past what he threw out there for everyone in Tension. He was big, he was bad, and he was a seasoned veteran. Her brother was a large fan, so much so he had gone back to look over the man's whole televised career. Leah how ever was still green when in came to all things Inoba.

She had seen his handful of matches for Tension, taking out Felina's cousin, Mako who was in this match and some other girl she had never seen or heard about. He was undefeated thus far in a high competitive league where he let challengers come at him from any level of experience. She respected that, he wasn't a cherry picker when it came to his fights. All the other stuff? The chauvinism, cheap shots, and attitude? She was almost completely sure those were just part of his act. He didn't seem nearly as bad as the girls in the back made him sound.

Regardless of what people thought of him, his skill and power were beyond reproach. She found herself wincing, leaning back against her pod as each vicious strike was landed between the three, watching them go all in. The blond visibly recoiled as Dasher smashed Ryo and Felina's heads together believing that to be the end for one of them.

But it wasn't.

Dasher left his post in the ring which left the girl to cock her head,. Linking with confusion. It wasn't until she saw him with the headshot and pen that she understood. Taking a breath to sign that autograph. She instantly lit up despite her friend being left battered in the middle of the ring. She leaned forward, pressing her palms to the informed plexiglass with a large smile on her face.

She squinted at the writing on the photo, nodding to confirm he had spelled her brother's name right. She was going to a hero back home when Edgar saw this! She wasn't sure how well he could hear her in the pod, she she brought her hands together, fingers forming a heart shape over her chest as she mouthed the words “thank you”. It felt like the two of them shared a moment, smiling back at one another. People had really misjudged him…

She blinked as those large fingers pulled the headshot in two, jaw going slack as her lips parted slightly leaving her looking dazed and confused by the sudden turn. Leah stepped up to the pod door, pressing a hand to the plexiglass. Had she done something to offend him somehow? Why was he doing that. She felt a pit in her stomach as it was shredded into smaller and smaller pieces until he shoveled what remained into his mouth.

That was for her brother. She had planned it for weeks ever since finding out she would be sharing a ring with him. Her brow furrowed as her confusion was enveloped by sadness and angle as her hand pressed harder to the door. She sniffed softly, feeling a bit of moisture welling up from under her eyes. Why was he being so mean?

Her eyes followed the horrid wad of chewed paper as it was spit onto the grating. They drifted back to Dasher as he started to move away, laughing… he was laughing at her. Her fingers clenched into a fist as she pounded on the plexiglass ineffectively. She wasn't sure if it was to get his attention or to simply break free. The more she did it however the more she wanted release, right now, to try a different put him down. She threw her back against the rear of her pod, thrusting her leg out to kick the door over and over to try and budge it.

Dasher's Tension career was one marred with controversy and intrigue towards his chauvinistic approach to the grappling profession he held most sacred. Television hosts and sports journalists debating as to whether the bowl-cutted brute's argument held any merit as to whether the ladies in Tension had any place in a wrestling ring with a man who could do them serious damage. And if wailing away on inferior male specimens, as Dasher put it, was in actuality a disgrace to the sport and merely deludes the women into thinking they contend in a real man's wrestling league. With all the punditry regarding his philosophy, there was always an air of mixed reception whenever Dasher enforced his chauvinistic will upon the ladies in as merciless a manner as would be expected from him and his old-school mentality.

...save for this particular moment. With what was unequivocally the most vociferous round of booing contempt the dashing brute had ever garnered after quite literally tearing apart the doe-eyed hopes of the cherubic pod occupant. Which was an odd occurrence considering that of all the nefarious acts Dasher had already perpetrated in the Tension ring, it was the tearing of a piece of paper that finally united the crowd in vehement jeering towards the grappling legend. The nearby cameraman having seemingly caught the exact moment Leah's heart was crushed with the booming guffaws of the villainous bully echoing in the distance as the tear-jerking cherry on top. But Dasher was in no mood to placate any of the starry-eyed hopes and dreams of this bothersome blonde waving a headshot in front of him and daring to ask for an autograph in the middle of a match.

The very notion of this little girl obtaining an autograph for her brother was quite laughable to Dasher, especially when this supposed brother of hers should have been the one to step into the ring with Dasher and humbly ask for an autograph himself, like a man. To have your sister do the talking for him was an insult to any man's pride, and he delighted in being the ruthless authoritarian to teach this misty-eyed girl a lesson in overstepping her bounds. But as Dasher marched onward, he noticed the speedo-clad heartthrob languishing at his feet. He switched his attention from Ryo, to Leah's pod, and back again. An unsettling smirk on his face indicating the idea having just popped into head. Dasher clamped his meaty mitts onto the back of Ryo's head and the collar of his jacket to haul him back up. He would take a few steps backward to get him some running distance. A bellowing roar coming from Dasher before stampeding forward and ruthlessly chucking Ryo against Leah's pod at ramming speed...

After falling through the ropes and onto the cold steel, it took a couple minutes for Ryo to regain his bearings. With his blurry vision starting to clear up, and the buzzing in his head refusing to go away, the sexiest male fighter in the match rolled over, starting to push himself up. He was near a pod, an angry Leah pounding on the plexiglass, each muffled thump matching the pounding in his head. She was clearly pissed about something, and directing her attention, not at him...but at...

*Thwack*

The sound of skin slapping on skin filled his ears, as a mighty hand clasped around the back of his neck, the size and strength making it very clear that the mighty Dasher had him in his grasp.

"...Oh shit..."

He groaned, being hauled up onto his boots, struggling and grabbing at Dasher's arm, in a futile attempt to escape his grip, much like a kitten trying to escape a grown cat when its grabbed by the fur on its neck. He was forced to step back, head aimed to look right at Leah's pod...which then came closer, and closer-

"NonononononoFUUU-"

-before the teenager was thrown straight into Leah's pod, hitting the glass with all the immense force Dasher could put into his throw. The plexiglass took the impact of his body, seemed to ripple for a moment as it resisted him, cracks very briefly appearing in the surface before it gave way, the teen breaking through the pod, bits of shattered glass cutting into the skin on his forehead, shoulder, and arm, momentum carrying him forward until he crashed onto the lovely Leah, taking them both onto the steel ground!

On some level, Felina knew, she shouldn’t have cared that much about what Dasher was doing to Leah. Whether it was a boxing match or a wrestling match or a match in a some crazy torture chamber of a ring, it was the same philosophy. In the ring, everyone was an enemy, and any alliance would be temporary at best.

Maybe if she hadn't gotten to know Leah, she wouldn’t have cared. If the two of them weren’t sharing text and chatting with each other and if the blonde hadn’t became pretty much the only consistent friend she had in Japan, despite her brother’s objections. If she didn’t strongly suspect that Leah was the nicest, sweetest, most innocent person walking God’s green Earth.

But she did have all those experiences. She did know Leah like that. So, when she saw her friend’s hopes smashed like that, it lit a fire in her, a strong desire to slap Dasher in the face.

It was just a shame that desire couldn’t translate to real action at the moment. Not when she was still reeling from all the damage, and especially not with Ryo getting ragdolled about the ring, a path that wound up with him getting smashed through into Leah’s pod like a battering ram.

”Leah!” Felina called out as she crawled her way across the ring, looking - and feeling - like she’d just come out of a battlefield. ”Leah, are you okay?”

The plexiglass quaked with each kick as she slammed the soles of her shoes into the clear barrier. Even with the added pushing power of being to the back of the pod wall, it did little but wobble and deform around her blows before returning to it's usual hardened shell. It was no use. She could be at this for hours and it wouldn't budge.

Stepping away from the back wall she pressed her gloved palm to the plexiglass, leaning in cloth to let out a hot huff to fog up the pod again so she could write Mr. Dasher a very strongly worded expression of her dismay. As she dragged her finger along the foggy surface, she saw something suddenly come flying towards her.

The blond let out a scream, shuffling backwards right before Ryo came smashing through her pod window. His body careenee into her, slamming her into the hard rear wall before both young athletes tumbled to the floor. She had fallen slumped up against the side of the pod with Ryo draped almost entirely on top of her half sitting form in an awkward manner. She winced, blinking down at the man limp up against her, his chin nestled neatly attop her breasts.

She was in pain, but hadn't taken the brunt of the blow, that had fallen squarely on Ryo and the pod door. Leah slowly reached up to grasp for his shoulders, about to simply roll him off her and get up before she realised she had been freed. She perked a bit, sitting up a bit more before slumping as the pain hit her with renewed force.

“Fine!” She called out to the inquiring Felina. Her friend who desperately needed her right now. She didn't have time to properly thank Ryo for getting her free in a roundabout way… so she pulled him in a bit closer for a tight but brief hug before trying to gently ease him off her.

“My hero~" She chirped adorably, trying her best to pull herself up after she was out from under Ryo. Her legs were a bit shaky, but that would pass. Just a bit of shell shock. Carefully she attempted to step over Ryo and the remains of the pod to the steel grating beyond, eyes locked on Dasher.

As if Dasher didn't already have enough grievances with this deplorable excuse for a wrestling organization...he can now add shoddy workmanship to his ever-growing pile of criticisms. The Dashing One cocking an eyebrow with a hardy harrumph at how effortlessly he managed to send the speedo-clad heartthrob careening through the plexiglass pod and atop it's sugary sweet inhabitant. If this were a reputable Puroresu wrestling league, no amount of man-made force could have allowed that pod to crumbling in on itself like that. Dasher only just than assuming that the architects and handyman behind this ring simply did not compensate for the unbridled strength of the Mighty Inoba~...and not for once did he take into account that Leah had been furiously pounding away at the pod from within, and was most likely a significant contributor to the capsule's booming implosion.

Stunned audience members nevertheless gawked at the unexpected development. Them, alongside dumbfounded backstage personnel now scrambling to make sense of this unprecedented situation and the sheer maddened chaos unfolding within the ring...all had no idea what to make of any of this. A stuttering voice over the speakers haphazardly announcing Leah as the next legal participant despite the lack of countdown so as to keep some semblance of order. Leaving one petite blonde to acquire the freedom she was scrambling to obtain...which she may end up regretting quite soon. The hulking, bowl-cut brute with bulbous, sweat-sheened sculpted muscles centering his beady-eyes on the bubbly lady Shaw stumbling out of her pod. Dasher seeing no fathomable reason to retreat, or to advance on such an unimposing "challenger", so-called. Instead Dasher would see what Leah would do now that she doesn't have the plexiglass pod to separate herself from the Dashing One...Dasher cracking his neck to one side with a menacing grimace...