Sparkling Idol Fantasies: Renee Winters vs Sparkling Idol Barbara

[Misfit_Alien]

Unsavory things...devious little scamps...all these phrases were swimming around in Renee's head as she balled her fists, glaring daggers into the devilish soul behind those cold eyes belonging to the Sparkling Idol. Not only was she such a deceitful and malicious person, but she was accusing Renee of being potentially WORSE than her. Renee was...aware...of how things could turn out in this industry. She was entirely obsessed with idol culture, ever since she was a little kid. She was a fortunate woman to have made it to her level of popularity without having signed with any major labels or brands, locking her into a contract with no creative control whatsoever. She felt awful for those who were scarred and left to rot by crooked lawyers and businessmen.

But to hear Barbara calling her out when she didn't know a THING about her...to pull the rug out from under her feet and utterly betray whatever warm and friendly foundation they had been building...that was a painful sting that the Winter Fantasy would only ever be able to describe as 'a knife being jammed directly into her heart'. She was absolutely LIVID but she did NOT lose her composure. To fight back against someone like Barbara, she would NEVER stoop to her level. She would show her what kind of idol she really was. "I'm the kind of idol who fights back against treachery and crookedness, the kind who spreads genuine happiness, the kind that hasn't lost her spark or had her will broken. THE KIND THAT INSPIRES OTHERS INSTEAD OF TEARING THEM DOWN. I'm the idol who is going to make you see just how wrong you are, AND DRAG YOU BACK INTO THE LIGHT SO YOU CAN PROPERLY SHINE AGAIN!!!" She roared. "WHAT GOOD IS A 'SPARKLING IDOL' IF THAT SPARKLE IS TAINTED!?" She asked.

[pu-level-up]

Barbara's grin only widened at Renee's response. "Oh man, you really are that innocent," Barbara said, "I bet this is your first real gig eh? Your first shot in the big leagues!" The blonde idol stepped in, locking up with Renee. "You've never experienced the struggle against other idols, when you're all competing for the same audience, the same fans. When you've got to perform no matter how sick or tired you are, or how hurt you feel. You've never experienced betrayal by those whom you trust the most, your sempais and kouhais, your own management turning their backs. But that's ok Renee, I hope you never have to experience it, even though I know you will!"

With that Barbara switched her grip, grabbing Renee by one arm and twisting it behind her back in a hammerlock. "Because the higher you go, the more you shine, the more others will want to take you down!" Barbara said, "More than enough humans are jealous and cruel to ruin it for everyone else! And all it takes is just one to succeed, and everything gets shattered."

Barbara gave Renee a shove, breaking the hold and letting them both go. "You know, my idol name wasn't Sparkling Idol Barbara to start," she said, "It was actually Shining Idol Barbara. Not much of a difference, I know. But I changed it because my ideals got shattered." She smiled and opened her arms. "But my shine never disappeared Renee. Instead, it reflects off all those tiny broken pieces, sparkling like the glittering sea!"

"Now, drop your naivete and fight me with all you've got!" Barbara said, "Otherwise, you'll never defeat me!"

[Misfit_Alien]

Renee completely dismissed Barbara's words, ignoring everything she said as she couldn't believe Babs' act or trust in her words anymore, she couldn't tell what was real and what was just an act to get her to lower her guard...though, there was a bitter truth to them deep down, a truth that Renee was aware of, though lucky to have never experienced yet. Still, Renee pushed past it all, focusing purely on wrestling as she maneuvered through the Sparkling Idol's crafty Hammerlock, avoiding a painful situation, but still winding up being shoved in the back by Barbara shortly after reversing it the hold. She scoffs and just looks at her opponent...then came Barbara's short anecdote about her idol name, and for some reason that resonated with the Winter Fantasy. It made her feel a bit of pity for her opponent. She felt BAD for Barbara because she knew that what she was saying, the experiences she had been through, all of those might've been true...and yet, all she wanted to do was prove her wrong.

"It's not being naive!! It's simply being KINDHEARTED. Think what you will of me, but I refuse to change for a corrupt system, and I refuse to yield who I am just because of other people. I REFUSE TO YIELD TO YOU AND WHAT YOU'VE BECOME!!!" She yelled, balling her fists before rushing in and feinting a furious punch aimed at her opponent's FACE so that Barbara would be distracted. In reality, Renee moved in so that she could get in close and deliver a strong knee to Barbara's stomach, attempting to force the woman to fold over in pain before she would attempt to lock one of Barbara's arms, slinging her own arm around the Sparkling Idol's back. She would raise a knee up and wrap it over Barbara's head before rolling herself and Barbara down to the mat, locking in a vicious Triangle Lancer submission, a finisher she aptly dubbed 'Frostbite'!!! Upon landing the submission, Renee leans herself back to secure her weight down across Barbara's body to make it harder for the Sparkling Idol to roll her up and escape.

Spoiler

[pu-level-up]

"I won't ask you to yield to me," Barbara said, "The system will wake you up soon enough. I will make you submit though!"

Barbara got into her fighting stance, prepared to receive whatever Renee threw at her. Seeing Renee coming in with another punch at her face had the idol both surprised and furious. Was Renee so mad she was willing to break all the rules of being an idol? Or did she not consider Barbara an idol anymore after that cheating move? Either way, Barbara wasn't about to stoop so low. She brought her arms up, aiming to block the blow and continue teaching Renee her lesson...

"UGH!" Barbara gasped when Renee's knee struck her instead, smashing into her unprotected gut. The blow doubled the idol over Renee's knee, as she wanted, stunning her and leaving her open to Renee's follow-up! Barbara let out a pained gasp when Renee locked one of her arms, then a squeal as Renee flipped her over onto her back, pressing down for an incredibly humiliating and painful submission!

"Haaah! AaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!" Barbara screamed as Renee began working over her arm. Her legs kicked the mats, free hand balling into a fist to keep herself from tapping out. This was bad, Barbara could tell Renee was holding nothing back! She had to break free from this hold quickly! Luckily, as she got flipped onto the mats she landed closer to the edge of the ring. The idol desperately reached out with her feet, trying to hook one onto the bottom ropes, hoping that a rope break would be able to free her from the clutches of the frosty idol!

[Misfit_Alien]

With her 'Frostbite' locked in, it'd be only a matter of time before Renee had Barbara tapping out, it was just about keeping the woman away from the ropes and struggling to resist. Renee was absolutely fuming over this turn from the Sparkling Idol, someone she was starting to respect and admire. How could someone allow themself to be broken like this?! How could they use their own pain as an excuse to try and subject others to a similar pain? How could they not inspire and teach others to avoid their own fate? Barbara was forgetting the most crucial part of what being an 'IDOL' truly meant...it meant being a leader, a symbol, a ROLE MODEL...

When people look up to you, they look for hope, safety, and direction...not just some flashy performance with a few dance moves, colorful outfits, and pristine vocals. You're meant to inspire on more than just the surface level. You're meant to uplift others, not tear them down...and yeah, the 'industry' is certainly to blame for this 'madness'...this illness, this contempt for others paired with a need to bring them down beneath you, because if you don't then you'll be the one on the chopping block. Fear had circulated through so many idols and that fear slowly morphed into paranoia, distrust, spite, and rage. It wasn't just Barbara who was like this, so many of their fellow idols were likely going through the same thing. Regardless, it didn't matter how many people were left tainted and marred by the 'harsh reality', Renee would get through to them and show them that there's still some good in what they do and that they shouldn't lose hope...Barbara would be one of the first people she'd try to get through to, and it starts by making her tap out here and now to prove that she was wrong about Renee and her ideology as the Frenchwoman tightens the hold.

[pu-level-up]

The more Barbara tried to go for the ropes, the harder Renee wrenched on her arm. The blonde idol's vision was turning black from the pain, her legs kicking as she tried to reach for the ropes to no avail. She was so close, so close to getting a rope break! Through tightly squinted eyes Barbara could tell her toes were just about to touch the ropes, maybe even brushing up against them and making them wobble. But it was no use, the referee wasn't going to count that as a rope break, and Renee was about to pop her arm out of its socket!

"Nooooooo! NO NO NO!" Barbara screamed in protest. She couldn't let this happen! But her arm just hurt too much, Renee was about to cripple her!

"STOP!" Barbara screamed, "I SUBMIT!" Her free hand slammed against the mats, tapping out furiously as she finally gave in. "I GIVE! LET ME GOOOOOOOO!"

[Misfit_Alien]

Renee continued to lock Barbara's arm in as tight as she could make it until the woman finally tapped out. When she did, Renee immediately released her from the submission hold, taking exquisite care to reset her fellow idol's arm and ease the pressure and tension that built up in those final moments of the match. The bell rings and the Frenchwoman is declared the winner, but she doesn't care about that right now, at least, not as much as she cares about Barbara. Instead of bragging and showing off, instead of immediately taunting the Sparkling Idol with how wrong she was about her, she instead chooses to tend to her opponent's potential injuries to lessen the pain and soften the blow of the loss, not as an attempt to show off how much better of a person she was than Barbara, but just to help for the sake of helping. Renee is able to help therefore she WILL help...because that's the kind of idol she wants to be.

"I'm sorry...nothing's broken, rest assured, you'll just be sore for a while. I specifically learned that move because I can gauge it well because I don't want to leave people I face broken." She said. "I don't WANT to be your enemy, Barbara. I still look up to you as an idol...you're my senpai, after all." She said, smiling softly, giving Barbara what she wanted earlier despite her not winning. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop what I'm doing. No matter how long it takes, I'm going to show you and the whole WORLD what a real idol is supposed to be...my only hope..." She began to say as she stood up, offering a hand out for Barbara to accept. "Is that you'd join me on that path...the path to be BETTER."

[pu-level-up]

Barbara knew nothing was broken, and that in a few moments she would be fine (she was a skilled submission it at this point, after all). That didn't stop her from pouting and throwing a little tantrum in frustration at being forced to lose to a kouhai. "Ohh get off!" Barbara said as Renee attempted to fuss over her, pushing the dusky idol's hands away, "I'm fine, I don't need your help!"

She sat up as Renee made her little speech, rolling her blue eyes at just how contrived it all sounded. "Gosh, you can really keep up the act," Barbara said. Then she realized Renee wasn't acting, she really believed in that stuff! "Oh my gosh," Barbara said, shaking her head as she let out a mirthless laugh, "How much idol anime did you watch as a kid? You sound just like those protagonists!"

The idol got back up to her feet with a little bit of a struggle, not taking any of Renee's help as she got up. "Haaah..." Barbara panted. Now that the match was over all the adrenaline left her body. She felt exhausted and needed an ice bath. "Listen here Renee," Barbara said, "I'm not here to crush your dreams or anything, but in this league, people want to see idols like us lose. They want to see us beaten and humiliated, our spirits crushed and bodies broken. That positive attitude of yours is only gonna get you hurt in the long run."

" There's a couple of ways you can turn out," Barbara said, "Be a loser, or become a winner. Just know that if you do choose the latter, you might not like how you turn out in the end." She patted Renee on her shoulder with her good arm. "I wish you the best of luck!" With that, Barbara made her way out of the ring, one hand gingerly favoring her aching shoulder.

[Misfit_Alien]

Renee could only bashfully blush at Barbara's remark about 'idol anime'...Renee technically had an answer to that question...an answer she DEFINITELY didn't want to answer for fear of embarrassment. However, she perked up upon seeing that Barbara realized that her intentions were genuine, that this wasn't a personality or some facade, this WAS the kind of person the French idol was. Still, hearing her following words almost left the Frenchwoman demoralized...almost...if anything, it just fueled Renee's passion and drive. It made her want to succeed without becoming a cruel and twisted version of herself like so many had done before her. Even if Barbara wasn't going to join her, she'd still do everything in her power to change the status quo and shake the world of idol culture to its core. For now...she'd need a LONG rest, there was much to do and only so much time in the world, if she wanted a chance at making her dreams a reality, then she'd need to be at her very best in order to do so. With a firm pat on the shoulder from Barbara to symbolize a newfound mutual respect between the two, the French idol now stands alone in the ring as the winner of this match, the crowd's cheers surrounding her as she smiles and raises an arm up in a peace sign, soaking up the appreciation for a moment longer before leaving the arena shortly after...


Winner by Submission: Renee Winters