Trip around a mall (IM with Tarantulust)

Winning the 24/7 title brought quite a few challenges to Alice...but ones she was more than ok with. Being a champion that had to defend her title whenever she was challenged no matter what meant frequent and often fights for it. Others might be off about such a predicament, but the Pale Rider was always up for a fight...as long as she took a few precautions along.

The title was meant to be always carried around by her, with her wearing it slung over her shoulder (the title being too big for her to put around her waist properly)...and along with it, she wore a sports bag containing several things to protect her from possible brawls, included: a kendo stick, bag of thumbtacks and a bat wrapped in barbed wire (which she did accidentally cut herself one while packing it up). And if she needed more weapons? She could improvise with something in the area.

This had become her standard mode of going outside wherever, for simple walks or to the Tension arena for work. With her prepared for battle for any time, she believed she’d hold the belt for as long as she liked…

That was what she believed as she walked outside a large shopping mall near her house. She was planning to buy some groceries, but for now, Alice, dressed in a white tank top and jeans combo, was looking at the new released DVDs and video games in a video store...unaware that she was about to be jumped…

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The man that watched Alice stroll around did so in a discreet manner. He was well aware of the 24/7 belt she had been burdened with, and truth be told he wanted no part of such things. Really, she was just an easy target to play with...something to poke at and see how it squirmed a bit. What made it even more enjoyable was just how small she was...it was as though she were a mere child, walking around with such a large belt on her shoulder. It reminded him of a young girl carrying her blanket to bed...

His grin only grew as he gestured for his plan to start, and he would get to watch the chaos unfold.

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Alice had only just begun her shopping... probably only just entered the store when a group of guys passed by her. Almost on cue, one whistles right behind her, admiring her posterior in those tight jeans as his friends chuckled from behind.

"Well, looking here! I didn't know they had cuties on sale over here...what's your name sweetie? Maybe you can hang with us!"

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As Alice stood watching the video store, trying to eye all the information she needed to know about what was inside there without actually entering it...someone behind her would be just shy of wolf whistling at her from behind. Turning, she would see a couple of guys, one of whom (she assumed the original whistler) would begin catcalling her. Even if those guys didn't employ that tactic...she felt an aura of shadiness around them.

Looking the whistler square in the eye with a casual expression, Alice answered his request:

"Hmm...nah. But I am sure that pile of garbage over there would hang out with you!", she pointed to a trash bin nearby: "That seems to be much more of "your level"", she finished, before turning her back, to go to the next shop...preferably away from this group...

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"Aww, come on babe, don't be such a bitch."

The man walked right up and wrapped his arm around Alice, his grin spreading wide across his face as his friends chuckled behind him.

"Maybe we will take you to a salon, and doll you up a bit babe...hide that ugly scar on your eye."

The group started to gather around Alice, one of them grabbing at her bag, while another pushed her title belt around.

"The hell is this supposed to be? A kids toy? You some sort of a Neet Otaku type?"

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The moment she heard the word "bitch", Alice tried to walk away faster. She knew these guys were trouble, and there were some risks she wasn't comfortable with taking.

But before she could get away, one of the guys, same one who catcalled her earlier, would grasp at her arm trying to stop her from walking away. Turning to him with an angry expression, she would tell him : "Not in the mood for a salon...but how about you go to a hospital on a stretcher?"

Before she could wind her arm to punch him, she suddenly felt her sports back being pulled by the guy's friends. She tried to resist, pulling it back towards her...only for someone to try to push at her belt.

This was the last straw. Alice, not thinking straight, would try to ram her elbow straight into the belt grabber's face!

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The onne in the shadows leaned against the wall as hos plan came to fruition. Truth be told, it was a very basic plan. But when dealing with a weakling that had a temper bigger than them, complicated plans served no purpose.

Alice had thrown the first blow, elbowing one of the men right in the nose! He dropped like a brick, while the others acted surprised she had gotten violent!

"Stupid little-"

One man lunged to grab her, while the other stepped on to punch her across the jaw!

Oddly, no one else seemed to be around. It was as of suddenly, every one had disappeared into thin air, leaving Alice to fend for herself

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Only once Alice connected her elbow into the belt grabber's face did she realize the major error she commited. In terms of numbers, she was at a severe disadvantage.

One of the other men would quickly step in to protect his buddy, nailing Alice straight into her jaw!

"UUURGH!", she screamed, the impact of the strike from a bigger person forcing her to stumble to her right. There was no way this sort of fight wouldn't be taken apart quickly, but she would hate to be here by the time police arrive...

...although, strangely, she noticed, even in her dazed state after the punch that there was no one at the mall in the nearby vicinity. Stores were still open, yet there were no shopkeepers inside of them...

There was only one thought on the smaller Brit's head as the men approached her: "Get out"

But with 3 men had the exit behind them with their backs. No matter what, Alice had to get through them in some way in order to escape.

Still, she first needed a second to recover and come up with a plan. Her punch still stung, a shot to her jaw made the room slightly wobbly in her eyes...that's not to mention the gang of men, all much bigger than herself, ready to beat her to a bloody pulp.

"H-hey...", she would mutter in an unsure voice: "You large men vs one tiny lady...how is that in any way fair?", she would explain the situation to her assailants, slowly stepping away, her hand reaching for the zipper of her back to open it...

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The blow glanced off of Alice's jaw, but it had enough of an effect for the attackers liking. Already, Alice seemed to be shaking in her boots, one punch being all it took apparently.

"Heh, this is gonna be easier than I thought."

"Wonder why he is paying us so much, for something like this..."

"Shut up. Lets hurry this up, so I can get a drink"

The three seemed to argue amongst each other, none of them noticing the champ reaching into her bag before moving in to attack once again.


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Distracted by Alice's scared demeanor, the Pale Rider had enough time to unzip her bag, reaching for the first weapon she could find...which just so happened to be a Kendo Stick.

Before the trio could realize what she was doing, Alice would rush forward, slipping her bag off of her arm, aiming to hit the man in the center with it to take him out for just a split second (in no way would the force of her throw would be enough to take him out)

At the same time, Alice rushed towards the man to her right, swinging her stick upwards to smash it downwards, right onto the man's head!

This would leave the man formerly to her left unoccupied...meaning he still had free range to attack the Brit, a necessary risk the Pale Rider decided to take as she attempted to take out at least one of her assailants.

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The trio's talks about what to do with little Alice distracted them from the threat she posed. In an instant, she made her move and struck out in a flash! She was brandishing a kendo stick, and swung the weapon down on the tallest of the group, leaving him to grasp his head and curse in anger as the wood inflicted a sharp wound on his head! The bag she tossed hit the other thug, but he was quick to toss it away, lunging towards her as the third man fled, back peddling a few steps out of fear Alice might turn the stick on him.

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The gambit worked, and thankfully, the man to the far left of her would flee the scene, making the Brit's job so much easier. The thug she hit on the head would also be incapacitated for a few seconds...meaning her target for the current split second was clear.

Paying little attention to the thug she just struck, she would turn to face the guy who catcalled her earlier, right as he lunged at her to grasp her.

Quickly jumping to the side, Alice would attempt to push her kendo stick sideways, attempting to ram it right into the thug's face!

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"Ack!"

The man would soon realize his folly as Alice rammed the kendo stick into his face! The pain was sharp, and he grabbed his face suddenly, howling in pain! This little girl was seriously turning out to be a pain in the ass, much more so then they were led to believe.

"You bitch! Stop using your goddamn kendo stick and fight for real!"

Both remaining thugs would throw a right hook aimed right for her. In their rage, they likely didn't see that their trajectory could easily be used against them, if Alice so desired.

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"3 v 1 is apparently "fighting for real" where as using weapons...isn't...nothing wrong with logic there" Alice would think in her head as the shot with her stick landed square on the thug's nose...right as she saw him approach and pull his fist back...at the same time, feeling angry presense behind her.

Right as the 2 thugs launched their fists, Alice would use her small stature to the fullest, ducking and rolling towards the exit, turning around to see the fruits of her labor her dodge would yield...

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The little girl ducked under both of the thugs blows, their fists sailing over and and crossing into their partners space. With the sound of a heavy thud, the two men managed to clock each other in the face. It may have been a comical display, had it not been for the seriousness of the situation. There had been four attackers at the start of this brawl, now they were whittled down to a single foe. The man off to the side was almost impressed...sure, he had hired low level street punks to fight a supposed champion, but anyone beating three out of four opponents in an ambush was impressive if only by their quick thinking. It certainly made for an interesting show.

The last thug recovered from the pain in his nose, his rage making him lunge towards his target without caution! He wildly threw a kick towards the woman's leg, looking to try and knock her off balance, but his technique was sloppy, unfocused. Even the man in the corner could see this fight would soon be at its end, and so began his approach, a coy smile resting on his lips as the conflict began to subside.

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With both of the last thugs taken down, Alice, her title still on her, would dash to her bag to grab it, before her attention got back to her door. Alice would try to toss her kendo stick away, in order to be less encumbered...

...only for a thug to quickly ram a wild kick at Brit's leg!

"GAAAGH!"

Alice dropped to her knee before turning to the "last man standing" as it were...and promptly nailed her stick into the side of his face!

In the corner of her eye, however, the Pale Rider noticed...that there was yet another person in this ghosted part of the mall...and she tried to shoot her head to look back before the man got too close!

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With the side swipe of her Kendo, and the thug's off balance strike somehow finding its mark, Alice and the man managed to exchange blows with one another. Unfortunately, the strength of the Kendo sword far surpassed the man's endurance, and like his friends, he too was left past out on the floor. Perhaps the pale rider thought she had finally earned herself a break, the poor champion getting ambushed out of no where on her time off. Anyone would have sympathy for her state of mind. Perhaps she would call her sister for back up and to take her home?

All those thoughts would disappear as a new shadow loomed over her. By the time she noticed, it was already too late. When she turned around, a well dressed man in a black suit was standing over her; a smile that belonged on a devil cracked across his face, and his burning eye peered down at the weak girl without a sense of mercy. In fact, all that danced around in that eye was simple entertainment. He thought this entire situation was amusing.

"Well well, you must be young Alice, the AFW 24/7 champion." He said with an all too knowing tone, "I really don't usually care for these sort of things, but why not have a bit of fun? My Name is Drake Fond...Perhaps you've heard of me?"

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With Clara staying over in Kyoto for a few days of break, and to potentially tag with her kn an episode of Tension, the Pale Rider really thought of calling her sister to come collect her to get her home. While physically, she was barely hurt, mentally she was exhausted by the situation, and just wanted to lazy the day away...

And those thoughts were completely dashed as she slowly pulled her head up to see the man from the corner of her eye.

And this time, she knew exactly what the man wanted from her.

She heard the name "Drake Ford" during Tension Rising Star tourney, but after being eliminated in semifinals, she did not meet any other competitors from their...life found a way however.

The series of events was too coincidental, she realized...but she didnt have time to mull over just how the thugs and the cold eyed man with the eyepatch. He was too close to her, and not in an upright position...and still in a fighting state of mind, attempted to do so quick, trying to pull herself up to her feet before Drake attacked!

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"My my...just what happened here young Alice? Fall down a hole and into wonder land, did we?"

Drake's eye surveyed the fallen goons he had hired earlier that day. How dull. He knew they were a bunch of low lives but considering how many there were, they really should have done better. The man's practiced smile came off as genuine enough, and he extended and arm down to Alice to help her up. His hands were wrapped up in a pair of black gloves. Only his eye gave away his dire intent for Alice.

As Alice stood, she would find Drake mere inches away from her. His smug, smiling face so close to her own one might think he was about to give her a kiss.

"Now now, little Alice. You seem nervous. You belong to the masked girl, don't you...what was her name...Clara? I love her mask design, very charming...in a childish sort of way. Playing super villains is cute, I really think it is...but..."

Drake seized Alice's kendo stick, his smile never fading away as he looked to rip the weapon out of her hands.

"I think your gimmick in particular needs some work...but lets not think about that. instead, why not focus on that belt on your shoulders. I understand its up for auction~"

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Despite Alice's fears, Drake's first action...was to help her up. She was in the middle of pressing the soles of her feet on the ground before he seized her arm, and pulled her to an upright position, face incredibly close to her's...to the point of making the slightly winded down Brit uncomfortable.

She feared taking a step back, knowing that Drake could easily pull her back towards him, all the while talking to the Pale Rider with poison in his voice, mocking her and her sister without actually saying anything insulting...Alice was preoccupied with paying attention as to what Drake had planned. Punch, kick, trapping her in a hold...heck, another goon might punch her on the back of the head, knocking her out for good, resulting in her losing her belt:

"I would...very much prefer if you didn't speak my sister's name with that shitty tone of voice...", she spoke with silent rage in her words.

...but no, the eyepatched man priority would be the champion's weapon. The move came so suddenly that Alice could barely apply force on her stick to pull it back, Drake yanking it from her hands within 2 yanks as Alice tumbled...before trying to step away from the range of her former weapon, needing to recupperate and get another weapon out of her bag!

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The silver tongue snake simply chuckled at Alice's complaint, grabbing the hilt of Alice's sword and flicking the "blade", getting an idea of it's weight.

"Is that so? Well, I'll try to keep Clara's name out of my mouth. Gaster is a bit much, even for me...that's your last name, isn't it? What an odd thing to use for a villain persona."

The very second Drake noticed Alice moving towards her bag, he swiftly swung the sword, fast and subtle, to crack against one of the pale riders legs. His eye moved from Alice to the bag, and of Drake successfully dropped his target, he would kick the bag away...his eye mocking Alice's weakness.

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Alice paid little mind to Drake's ramblings, trying to keep her head in the fight instead. Finding her balance she quickly tried to reach for the inside of her bag, trying to draw a nearby baseball bat to fight Drake off...

...only for her former weapon to thunderously impact across her leg!

"Aaaagh!"

The impact force her to fall right onto her right knee, hissing in pain with Drake kicking the Brit's wrpaon bag off of her shoulder, leaving Alice defenseless.

Quickly, she tried to find a way to at least momentarily daze her eye patched rival, trying to get him back for hurting her leg with a, possibly slightly predictable leg sweep...

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Drake's eye watched Alice carefully. It was practically unblinking, the way it seemed to observe her every move, hell her every breath. Drake's aim was true, and she fell to the floor in a huff, the irony of her own weapon being used against her would have made him smile, if he wasn't doing so already. He was holding all of the cards, so why not play the game a little longer.

He figured a panicked, rough and tough fighter would strike back, and due to his positioning and her sad state on the floor was really limited to two options: an uppercut, or a leg strike. With her back towards him, he was leaning towards a leg strike. Seeing her hips began to move, he was sure it was a low attack. Drake flinched back to a safe distance to avoid the sweeping leg, only to dart forward and attempt to SLAM his knee right into her chest!

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With Alice making a slightly predictable move in going after Drake's leg, her eye-patched foe would easily predict her move, darting away from the Brit...

...and dashing forward right as she pulled it back, Drake ramming his knee straight into Alice's chest!

"GRAAAGH!", the Pale Rider screamed before struggling to close her mouth, the strike and the cry taking all the air out of her lungs. The Brit defensively rolled herself into a ball, unable to do much else in the face of her weapon wielding foe...

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BAM!!!

Alice's Skull was thrown backwards as Drake drove his knee right under her chin, practically throwing the smaller woman away as she crashed against the floor in a violent heap. As if by pure instinct, Alice curled up into a ball, trying to protect herself from whatever Onslaught Drake had planned. The one-eyed man's smile was gone, a look of contempt and disappointment clear as day on his face, his smiling mask falling away.

"This is the twenty four hour champion? Not that I'm complaining, but this a kind of pathetic. Who did you beat to get this belt, a third grader? I'm starting to think this whole thing was a waste of my time..."

Drake took the kendo sword in his hand and SMASHED it across his knee, snapping the thing in two before discarding it over his shoulder. He callously sauntered over to the beaten woman, grabbing her by the top and ever so slightly hoisting her off the floor.

"Are you still awake?"

Without waiting for a response, Drake simply kicked Alice in the ribs, dropping her like an empty sack and walking away.

"Waste of time and money, this whole thing..."

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"Uuuuurgh", Alice coughed and wheezed, trying to get her breathing to a semblance of a rhythm quickly...to little success. She was facing away from Drake on the floor, hearing him berating her, the Pale Rider gritting her teeth in response. As she tried to push the palms of her hands into the ground to try and stand up, she heard the sound of wood crackling, realizing that the eyepatched man just broke her Kendo Stick over his knee. That particular Kendo Stick was a record holder. She has had it for more than a year now, the longest time one went without breaking.

Drake would easily hoist Alice up, ask her whether she was awake, and nail her in the ribs before dropping her back on the floor...before walking away, much to the hurting Alice's confusion.

"W-wait...gakh...", she wheezed: "All this...urgh...effort, hiring goons, beating me...kah, up...all to belittle me...?", she asked to Drake walking away

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"My Apologies." Drake muttered over his shoulder, waving her off without even giving the woman he tormented a second glance. "You see I thought I was fighting a Champion, and made preparations to take down such a person."

Drake walked over towards the belt that had been thrown away during the fight. His face reflected in the shiny title, showing him his own ambivalent expression as he plucked it up from the floor and observed it with little reverence. "I had an idea that maybe this belt might provide me with some influence, but now that I see who its attached to...Well lets just say I have given up on such ideas."

The one eyed man dropped the belt, and carelessly kicked it to the side, letting it skid across the floor and impact against a trash can. Drake would return to Alice's beaten form, crouching down and gently taking hold of her chin so she can look into his eye. Not a shred of sorrow or guilt could be seen in that cold eye.

"I want you to understand...I really don't give a shit about you. This was all just business. Anyone could have held that title and the only difference is where this attack happened. Belittling you is the the only thing I get out of this whole affair, so don't worry. After this, you won't even be a passing thought for me, Alice. Not you, or your shy little sister Clara."

After smiling a smug, sadistic smile, Drake stood back up and proceeded to walk away, letting the broken champion lay where she chose. His business was finished with her. On to bigger and better things, as they say~


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Slowly, Alice rose back to her feet, lurching forward with her arm over her stomach, as she listened to Drake's cold words...

Up until he kicked her dropped belt aside towards a trash bin.

"What the fuck are you...?", she said in an angry tone, only for Drake to seize her by her chin, as he continued to speak his stinging words, further putting her down...and breaking the taboo she put down for him.

But she allowed him to turn away and leave. She was completely beat up and he didnt even break a sweat. If this fight was going to fight it's way online, she, the champion was going to look even worse than she already has been.

And so Drake left, and strangely, afterwards, people started coming around the area quite quickly, the Pale Rider not realizing where they were coming from.

Gritting her teeth, she collected her belt, and looked at her reflection in it's still shiny form. Casting one last passing look to where Drake has been, she formulated her plan in her head. No way would Drake be a passing thought on her mind until she saw him beat up and bloodied on the floor...