Showdown '19: Riza Hawkeye vs Army Rodriguez Best of 5 Match Series Finale: Last Person Standing Match

God damn, it had been a year, hadn’t it?

Army was just hanging in the back, getting ready for his match - his first ever PPV bout - when it all hit him at once. He and Hawkeye had been going at this for months, so long that he’d almost forgotten how it started. It was crazy to think there was so much story to this, that he’d fought this woman four times in the past year and five times in total. He’d spent more time in the ring with her than anyone else, had taken her on in just about every match there was. Hardcore. Hentai. Submissions. All this, because of one of his first matches from almost half a decade ago, back when he was just starting. He couldn’t have ever imagined it would go so far back then, that he’d be doing this on the grandest stage Tension had to offer.

It was humbling. More than a little humbling. But here he was, on the way to his biggest match, ever. It wasn’t for a title, but it almost didn’t need to be. If he came out on top of this series, he’d have a solid name, finally stepping out from under his sister’s shadow and getting recognition on his own merits, no question. Title shots? They could happen. It could all start here, tonight.

He was ready. More than ready.



Instead of his usual theme, Army came out to something special, and he was dressed for the occasion as well, putting on his red and black boxing trunks, going with the match shoes and topping it up with his tapes fists. He marched his way down to the ring like he was heading towards a prize fight, throwing out jabs and straights along the way, shadowboxing, making sure his footwork was clean and crisp. The audience was strong in Hawkeye’s camp, but there was more than a little support for him, as well, and he acknowledged it with a pumped fist in their direction.

Sliding into the ring, he made his way over to his corner and took up position, bouncing on his heels and keeping his blood pumping as he waited for Riza to show.

A year.

Hawkeye had been back in Tension for a whole year now. It honestly didn't seem real to her. A year ago, she had only just came back, nervous about if she could compete at such a high level, and scared of fighting Army again, a lack of confidence in her abilities evident in everything about her, and the crowd barely remembered her existence.

Now, here she was a year later, she had bested her rival twice, had a public hentai match, had fought Army from pillar to post and back, and had generated a growing and passionate fan base through her efforts, cementing herself as one of rising stars of the Tension roster.

Now, here she was, on her first ever pay per view match, just one match away from winning this series, and fully redeeming herself for her previous run. Finally, everything was coming together.

All she had to do now...was win.

Clad in her white bikini top, blue and black camo, blue vest and boots, the former soldier adjusted her gloves one last time as her music started to play, and finally came out, hearing her growing fan base calling her name and cheering their support for her.

Coming down the ramp, she slapped hands with various fans, before sliding under the ropes and entering the ring, standing on the turnbuckle and raising her arms for her fans, basking in the spotlight she'd never thought she'd be able to earn.

Finally, she turned and dropped down, gazing over at Army. When they faced off in their first match when she came back, she had looked at him with trepidation, fear, and animosity. Now though, she gave him a friendly smile, respect in her eyes. She had long since dropped her overall grudge with the man for her original loss to him, having prove herself against him, and him having proven himself to be a worthy opponent and a great competitior in his own right.

She honestly did have a lot of respect for him, some admiration perhaps...and as she fully embraced during their hentai match, she was very attracted to him as well, though that wouldn't change the outcome of this match in her mind.

"This is gonna finally settle things between you and me. You ready for me Army? I'm not planning on letting myself get choked out again this time."

And here she came.

Even now, after all this time and all these matches, after spending more time in the ring with Hawkeye than anyone else, it was still hard for him to believe that the woman walking down the ramp was the same one he’d barely had a problem with when they first met. Oh, there were similarities - the hair, the eyes, face, the skin. But aside from that, she was almost an entirely different person, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was the only one who noticed them. Did anyone else appreciate the more confident way she walked? Did anyone else note how she’d grown more muscle and toned her entire form? Was he the only one who could feel this strong aura radiating from her, one that he was damn sure hadn’t been there before?

She’d changed a lot in the last few years. He was hoping the same could be said about him, and there was only one way to find out for sure.

He was still doing a little shadowboxing when she stepped into the ring, but he paused when she spoke up and came his way. No taunts, no trashtalk. Just respect. They’d been through the ringer, truly tested each other, and they were about to put the bow on it all. So what could he say in response?

Nothing.

He just stepped forward and extended his fist, looking for a bump to kick things off.

Nothing to say. No response. At first, Hawkeye wasn't entirely certain how to take that. Perhaps she had misread the man, perhaps there was harder feelings there than she originally thought?

Then he extended his fist, and the blonde military woman flashed him a genuine smile, understanding his meaning right away, before reaching out and bumping her own fist against his, the crowd applauding in approval of their mutual show of respect as she backed up into her corner.

There were no more words to say, no more taunts, teases, or proclamations. They had earned each others respect and admiration...all that was left to do now, was wait for the bell to ring.

Once it did, Hawkeye wasted no time, rushing forward towards her opponent in the corner, dashing towards him before leaping upwards, sticking her knee out to try and nail him in the chest for a daring and bold opening move!

Army had a feeling that Hawkeye would be bringing the fight straight to him, right from the get-go. After all, sizing up opponents was nice and all when you were going in half-blind, or even when you’d only seen them fight in recordings. Studying an opponent was no substitute for a head-on confrontation.

But they’d had head-on confrontations. They knew each other about as well as two platonic people could. So Hawkeye knew that, at the start of this match, there was one place she needed to be.

In his face.

”Nope!” Army’s boxing training come to the rescue, as he juked to the side with a quick shift, putting himself at Hawkeye’s flank thanks to some swift footwork. It was a good position, and one he didn’t want to squander. Planting his feet, he lashed out with a quick jab towards Hawkeye’s face, then dropped and threw an uppercut towards her gut, looking to send her on the backfoot with the first strike of the match.

Damn. He knew her too well.

Instead of smashing Army in the face with her leaping knee strike, giving her an advantage right off of the bat, he was able to avoid her, the blonde woman landing on her feet and swiftly turning around...and threw her head to the side, just barely avoiding a sudden jab from Army, who, as usual, proved faster than one would assume from his size. She also managed to avoid his follow up strike, back-stepping to avoid his attempted mid-uppercut.

Army would still get what he wanted though, as her back-step only put her closer to his corner, something he no doubt wanted, to try and trap her. Looking to retaliate, she dropped to a crouching position, sticking her leg up and sweeping it out in a half circle, attempting to try and trip his legs out from under him!

In the lead up to this match, Army had been working with Carmen to sharpen a few things up, his jabbing game being one of them. He’d never had the best jab, focusing more on his heavier knockout punches when he’d been a boxer and relying on his reach, so he figured upping his speed would help him tag the faster, more agile Hawkeye. He doubted he could put her on the mat for ten seconds with his jab, but if he could lock her down, stun her long enough, then maybe…

Well, it was a nice idea. But would it work out in the long run? So far, the results weren’t too promising. She not only dodged the jab, but avoided the followup as well, showing some top-notch footwork. But they weren’t in an infinite space, and she found herself in the corner - that, he could work with.

”There!” Army charged in with his fist draw, going for a heavy hook that would’ve sent her reeling if it hit - and it almost did. Instead, it whiffed, missing her as she ducked and lashed, slicing him in the ankle with a swift trip. It brought him to his back quick, right at her feet, but he immediately rolled away from Hawkeye to try and get back up. Even a second’s disadvantage was too long.

For a split second, Hawkeye had the advantage, using her clever wit and quick reflexes to trip the powerhouse Army down...only for him to roll away while she was getting up to her feet.

Well, she wouldn't let that stop her, now would she?

Backing up, she watched Army as he came to a stop, and, once he started rising, she'd charge at him, fans recognizing what she was going for as she'd reach him his rising body, throwing her knee out for her signature Boma-Ye finisher...only to intentionally throw it past his body, just close enough to scare him, without actually hitting him. Put a little fear of god into the man, make him think she could KO him at any point, play with his head a little, that sort of thing.

Might not work, but with an opponent like Army, getting in his head even a little could make a big difference.

After passing him though, she'd stop and pivot, swinging her other leg out in an attempt to give him a good kick to the ribs as a tenderizer!

Sure enough, Hawkeye wasn’t the type to let on an opening stay open for very long - he’d barely had enough time to get his bearings before he saw her closing in, fast with that deadly knee of hers. He jerked back, tried to avoid, braced himself in case he couldn’t, and…

Nothing. Missed him by a country mile. Playing with him.

Okay.

He smirked, but the smile didn’t last for long. She did have a move for him to take, just not the one he’d been expecting, and he gasped as her kick connected and knocked him a back a step, wincing.

When he came back, though, he had a little something for her. She wasn’t the only one who could end a match quick if they needed to, and he proved it as he spun around and lashed out with his own finisher, swinging his arm for a discus lariat - or, as he liked to called it, Hurricane Armando.