Once again, Sophie found herself backstage at a LAW show. Once again she looked over the roster for the night, trying to find someone in the building who was worth having a match with. And once again, there was nobody who really interested her. It had been weeks since her last proper match. Of course she did have particular tastes but surely she should have been able to find someone by now.
The scene at LAW seemed to be too competitive, everyone just trying to make a name for themself. Maybe the time of proud heroines who fought for justice was over. Everyone around her seemed to only care about glory.
With a disappointed sigh the Imp reviewed the list of names one last time, but now she noticed something. A name she hadn't heard of before, Starlight. It couldn't hurt to check out who she was, so Sophie looked her up and started her research, and with each word she read her grin grew wider. A rookie heroine and sidekick to... NOVA STEELE?!?! This couldn't have been more perfect. Someone Sophie's age continuing the legacy of the great wrestling heroines. And since she was new... she must need a nemesis! I mean every hero needs one, everyone knows that!
Sophie changed into her wrestling attire as quick as she could and made a mad dash to the arena's entrance as soon as the ongoing match was over. She snatched a microphone, strutted confidently out onto the ramp, and with a sinister grin marched into the ring before addressing the audience.
"Now I know you all probably weren't expecting to see me tonight, but I just have to get this out there. I've noticed a bit of a trend lately. I grew up watching heroines dominate the world of wrestling. But where are they today? I was expecting powerful opponents to rise up to challenge me, but when I finally make it here I see nothing but jobbers, falling before anyone who takes this sport even a little seriously. Being evil is no fun when it's this easy."
She turned to the ramp, now addressing the backstage roster. "To be honest it's really frustrating. So if there's anyone back there who'd like to try to prove me wrong, I could really use a punching bag right about now." The trap was set, now she just needed to wait. Spoiler
Last edited by EgoEnjoyer on Sat Oct 18, 2025 3:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
The catering table was a battlefield of snacks. Half-empty water bottles, a few paper cups of coffee, and a large bowl of grapes that had already suffered heavy casualties. Starlight watching the monitor hung overhead, cheeks puffed with fruit and a half empty paper plate as Sophie’s voice boomed from the arena feed.
“Being evil is no fun when it’s this easy!”
Nova Steele’s fingers clenched her plate wrinkling its edges, as the quartered hoagie tipped into bit of fruits and vegetables piled high. The flickering light of the screen gleamed off her blue eyes as she glared at Sophie’s smug grin.
"There it is, the cry of the wicked when the world grows too bright for their liking," Nova declared, voice ringing with that unshakable grandeur. "A villainess, unchallenged, unsatisfied, and soon… undone!" the heroine drew in a deep breath, knowing what must be done but peering down mournfully as the food she had yet to sample. Sacrifices needed to be made. Quietly, she set down the plate and readied herself to go.
Starlight swallowed her grapes with a muffled cough. "Mmmph! H-hang on, lemme just-" she cleared her throat, wiping her fingers on a napkin before pointing at the screen. "Is she totally calling you out, right now? Like, classic villain move. You should totally go-"
"Indeed," Nova interrupted, standing taller, one hand sweeping dramatically across her chest. "The hour of reckoning calls, and the beacon of light must answer! For too long has evil strutted unchecked upon that canvas of valor!"
"...Yeah, okay, but-" Starlight interjected, quickly nomming a cube of watermelon in her pause, "What if this time… I answer it?"
Nova froze mid-monologue, blinking at her apprentice. "You?"
"Why not?" Starlight said, puffing up with that contagious optimism. "She wants a heroine, right? She’ll get one! You’ve already saved the day like a million times before coming to LAW right? Let me handle this one. Besides-” she sucked a bit of watermelon juice from her fingertips, grinning, "-someone’s gotta give the new generation of villains a proper orientation!"
For a moment, Nova simply looked at her, the heroic gravitas slipping into a slow, proud smile. "Spoken like one who has studied the creed of courage well. Very well, my brilliant protégé, go forth and prove that the light is not a legacy, but a living flame!"
"You got it, boss lady!" Starlight chirped, grabbing her shinai from the nearby case and slinging it over her shoulder. She started jogging toward the entrance, then stopped, half turning to shoot back a wide from to her mentor. "Go, Starlight!" Nova called after her, raising a fist like a general sending her champion into battle. "Let your courage blaze brighter than her arrogance!"
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Cosmic Drift - SYNTHKRONE
The arena lights shifted to white and gold as
burst onto the stage, microphone in hand, grin wide, polish wood of her shinai gleaming. With a flourishing twirl she directed the capped tip to the ring as she strode confidently out to the edge of the stage.
"You wanted a heroine, didn’t you, Vile Vixen?" she called out, pacing to the top of the ramp. "Well, you got one, Starlight, student of Nova Steele, protector of the bright, the bold, and the snack table!" with another flourish she swiped the air with a practiced slash of her shinai, twirling it between her fingers until it came to rest on her shoulder.
"So if you’re done whining, I am here to show you just how hard the path of evil gets when a true heroine stands in your way!" Starlight cocked her head up, putting on her beat serious face as she started slowly down the ramp, not breaking eye contact with her new enemy.
Sophie smiled, satisfied with her little performance, and watched the entrance excitedly. And she wouldn't have to wait long as the lights changed and covered the arena in bright blinding white. Bingo.
The villainess watched as Starlight took the stage and accepted the challenge, and she couldn't help but let out an excited giggle before catching herself and turning it into a villainous belly laugh. "HAHAHA! A true heroine? You're nothing but a sidekick sweetie. Where is Ms. Steele anyway? Did the old hag finally realize she's past her prime?"
A shiver ran down Sophie's spine as Starlight began to approach the ring. The confidence, the posture, that intense glare that could strike fear in the heart of any villain. And of course her body was nothing to scoff at, sculpted to be the perfect crime-fighting machine. This woman was making an amazing first impression.
Sophie found herself blushing as she gawked at the heroine of tomorrow and quickly composed herself, rolling her eyes and turning away from her foe. "Fine... I guess I can settle for number 2. But since I'm so kind as to give you the honor of letting you entertain me, we'll play by my rules." She grinned like the devil she pretended to be and snapped her head back towards Starlight. "Which means no rules!"
Each word dripped with venom as the heroine approached the serpent who was waiting in the ring, soon to be trapped within her coils. The Imp waited expectantly for Starlight's response, hoping the heroine would continue to impress her.
Eager as she was to test this potential new rival, Starlight knew there was an art to moments like this. The performance, the banter, the atmosphere, it was all part of the dance. She might still have been the rookie of the heroine ranks, but she’d paid close attention to how her mentor worked a crowd. And if this was going to be her stage tonight, she’d make sure the people remembered it.
The Young Lioness took her time on the ramp, letting her every step drip with purpose. The lights caught the sheen of her hair and the glint of her polished shinai as she rested it lightly on her shoulder, sauntering forward with a composure that belied the fluttering excitement in her chest.
Then Sophie opened her mouth.
Her smug laughter echoed, the insults rolling off her tongue with practiced venom and Starlight’s whole face soured. Her nostrils flared, and her cheeks puffed up in a way that was far too cute for someone trying to look intimidating. She squeezed her shinai’s handle until her knuckles whitened, muttering under her breath, just barely out of mic range.
“She is not a hag… she is a lovely woman…” she whispered fiercely, almost pouting, before catching herself. She closed her eyes, clenching her fingers around her shinai, borrowing the power within it to center herself. A deep breath in. A slow exhale. Her expression reset like flipping a switch, back to confident, radiant determination.
“She’s here, actually,” Starlight said, raising her mic as she continued her walk, “but as part of my training, it’s my job to sweep out the low-rank minions so she can focus on the big fish!”
She paused mid-ramp, cocking her head with a teasing smile. “You, though… you might be the littlest fish I’ve seen since I got here. If you hadn’t opened your mouth, I’d have guessed your evil power was being as cute as a button.”
She looked off to the side, as if mulling something over, then nodded decisively. “Grade G Villain. Definitely.”
The crowd broke into laughter and cheers at her exaggerated seriousness, and Starlight basked in it for just a second before circling ringside. Usually she’d have handed her weapon off already, but Sophie’s declaration, no rules, gave her pause. The weight of the shinai across her shoulder suddenly felt heavier, symbolic.
She glanced sidelong at the polished wood, then up at Sophie again. If she unleashed her blade, she had no doubt she could dispatch her foe with ease. It was tempting… to show Nova how strong she could be, show the whole world… but legal or not, something in her gut twisted at the thought of striking an unarmed opponent. It wasn’t who she was. Perhaps, if Sophie proved to be enough of a threat it may warrant it, but she did not wish to sully her blade with such a dishonorable thing.
Starlight exhaled through her nose, nodding to herself before motioning to a nearby crew member. With a reverence that bordered on ceremonial, she passed off the shinai and the microphone. “Keep her safe. She’s not for this fight.”
Then, unarmed and resolute, she climbed onto the apron, slipped through the ropes, and rose inside the ring. Her boots barely made a sound on the canvas as she crossed to her corner, her expression sharpening, her earlier playfulness fading into focus.
She regarded Sophie from across the ring, head to toe, calculating, the weight of her mentor’s legacy pressing at her back.
“Very well. I accept your challenge,” she declared, her tone measured yet burning with spirit. “If I’m to judge your threat level, I must see the true breadth of your power.”
Her stance came alive in the next instant, sharp, clean, practiced. She raised her hands in ready position, one foot sliding back, eyes narrowing with that signature Starlight glare that could cut through darkness itself.
“Now…” she said, her voice steady and clear. “Let’s see what you’re really made of.”
Sophie was in heaven. This woman exuded confidence and she knew exactly how to play the game. Not to mention that she looked absolutely adorable when she got pissed off. Starlight was everything she could have asked for in a rival. Of course the real test was just beginning. Could she back up her bravado in the ring?
But the pre-show wasn't done yet. Sophie's face flushed red, but not because she was embarrassed or angry. It as because Starlight had called her cute. But as long the audience couldn't tell the difference it only served to enhance her act. She stomped her feet like a child and whined into the microphone. "L-L-Low rank m-minion?! G GRADE?! I won't take this from some wannabe heroine!"
Sophie took a step back and "composed herself" as Starlight finally entered the ring, and unarmed too. Seemed she wanted to fight with honor, but honor comes easy while you're still standing. She wondered what it would take for the rookie to abandon her wide-eyed idealism. Would she give in to desperation, or would she let evil win to maintain her heroic image?
Those thoughts could wait until later though. Right now she needed to put one final flourish on their exchange to etch herself into the heroine's memory. "You're testing me? Then you've truly never heard of me..." Sophie's grin returned in full, devious force. She had always wanted to do this.
"I'm the shadow that looms over LAW and the serpent that lurks underfoot! I'm the demon that haunts your dreams then dashes them! You face the insolent, the inhumane, the insidious, IMP!!!" Her words were matched with a flurry of poses and theatrical hand motions meant to strike fear into all who dared to be in her presence. And as the final word left her mouth, she tossed the microphone to the side and made a mad dash towards Starlight, punctuating her speech by throwing herself at the rookie heroine with a dropkick to the chest!
It was an unspoken rule between hero and villain, one of those sacred, theatrical courtesies of battle. When a villain began to monologue, the hero let them. It was part of the ritual. The audience expected it, and honestly… so did Starlight.
So while Sophie reveled in her own villainous bravado, the Young Lioness stood her ground with arms confidently folded, allowing the Imp her moment. Her chin lifted, chest rising proudly, even as she shifted subtly into a more heroic stance, back straight, shoulders square, one fist planted on her hip. She could practically feel the imaginary wind blowing her hair.
But she couldn’t help it.
Sophie’s voice cracked with such overblown intensity that Starlight had to raise a hand to her lips to muffle a giggle. She wasn’t trying to be mean, truly! But… “the serpent that lurks underfoot”? And Imp? The girl literally called herself Imp! How was she not supposed to laugh at all the small jokes?
“She’s adorable,” Starlight muttered under her breath, shaking her head with a fond grin.
Then came the clatter of the microphone, and before Starlight could finish her thought, she saw movement.
Wait-she’s charging?
Sophie was already airborne.
The imp’s boots rocketed forward, slamming square into Starlight’s chest with a THWACK! that sent a shockwave through her ribs. The heroine’s breath exploded out in a surprised “GHhhuhh!” as she stumbled backward, arms pinwheeling. Somehow, she managed to catch herself on the ropes before tumbling completely out of the ring.
She hunched slightly, a hand pressing to her chest as she sucked in air. Okay… yeah. That one hurt.
Through a grimace, she forced out a strained little laugh. “S-so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” she wheezed, straightening up with an exaggerated inhale that flared her nostrils. Her eyes narrowed, a spark of fire rekindled behind them. “Alright then, if it’s a fight you want, villain, you’ll get one!”
With a burst of motion, Starlight pushed off the ropes, bounding forward in a blur of gold and white. Her boots struck the mat with purpose as she closed the distance and met Sophie head-on, arms snapping up to seize the imp in a collar-and-elbow tie-up. The force of her movement betrayed the pain still lingering in her chest, but even wincing, her grin was bright, determined, and ever so slightly mischievous.
“Let’s see,” she huffed, muscles tightening as she tried to outmuscle her smaller foe, “if that shadow of LAW can hold up against a little light!”
After driving her boots into the heroine's chest Sophie would land on the mat in a handstand and gracefully push herself back onto her feet in a brief display of athleticism and villainous showboating. Once she was upright again she spun on her heels to look at her opponent, who surely would still be recovering from that mighty blow.
But much to the imp's surprise the heroine was already already upon her. Sophie couldn't help but flash an impressed, toothy smile as the two locked up. She still hadn't seen much, but she could tell Starlight was no pushover. A fact that was only made more evident when Sophie found herself sliding backwards towards the ropes.
That body wasn't just for show. Starlight packed a surprising amount of strength and wasn't giving any ground to the villainess. If this kept up Sophie knew she would find herself in a pretty bad spot soon enough, and Starlight would definitely keep this up. It would be dishonorable to break up a pure contest of strength like this. Luckily, Sophie wasn't beholden to the same rules as her opponent.
"It's gonna take...ngghh... a lot more than a little twinkle like you!" Sophie groaned as she strained her muscles, trying desperately to hold her ground. Then suddenly, she stopped pushing back, and pulled, using the heroine's own strength against her. Her knee came up, shooting forward like a bullet right into the heroine's gut.
She released Starlight, letting her body reflexively hunch over. "All this talk about light and dark..." She then grabbed a handful of the heroine's hair and yanked it back, making her look up at the wicked smile of her tormentor. "You should be more worried about keeping the lights on." And with that another knee was launched right into Starlight's head, aiming to make her see stars.
“You’re stronger than you first appear. You’re… very concentrated. Power in your compact frame.” While it was easy enough to make short jokes, this time she had been quite genuine. The imp was holding her own even as Starlight hunkers down her leverage on her, making her work far harder than the Young Lion. It was, however, a losing battle for the villain; eventually, she would overpower her completely.
Perhaps that was why she surrendered her push and let Starlight in. The first knee was a shock to the system, not the pain itself, but the suddenness of it. Starlight’s breath caught mid-push, her whole body jerking forward as the air exploded out of her lungs. She dropped to one knee, arm clutching her stomach as her chest heaved, teeth clenched through a tight hiss.
"Nghh vile… dirty-" she gasped out, half-growl, half-breath.
Before she could recover, Sophie’s hand tangled cruelly in her hair and wrenched her head back. Her scalp burned, her vision swimming as she found herself staring up into that devilish grin. The villainess’s smug words echoed through the ring, the taunt about “keeping the lights on” like salt in the wound.
Then came the second knee-
-but this time, instinct and stubborn will collided. Starlight’s arms shot up, forearms snapping into place in front of her face just in time in a criss-cross. The blow still hit hard, rattling her through the block and forcing her back to both knees, but it didn’t daze her completely. Her head tilted down for a moment, breath ragged, sweat glistening on her brow.
"Yeaaaaa!" In one sudden burst, she lunged upward, snatching the arm still holding her hair and twisting under it, turning her back to her opponent. She rose with it, throwing her weight forward as her shoulder jammed up into the arm, trying to drag the girl up and over her head with a judo hip toss.
Sophie breathed a quick sigh of relief when the heroine managed to shield herself. The imp didn't want this to end anytime soon, she was having too much fun! She felt like she was walking on air, like she was floating, like she- wait, no, she was floating!
In the blink of an eye Starlight had risen back to her feet and wedged herself under Sophie's arm, lifting her up off the ground. The villainess wouldn't float for long though as she would soon fly, the heroine sending her soaring overhead and back down to the mat with a resounding thud. "WWHAAAA- Oof!"
There was a good deal of power behind that hip toss, and it left the imp a little dazed. Sophie wouldn't stay put however, quickly rolling away towards the ropes and pulling herself back up to her feet. "Hmph... well played, umm... Sunshine, right?" She leaned back against the ropes casually, arms stretched out across them, and flashed her opponent a devious, knowing grin, hiding the impact of her fall well.
The villainess continued her taunting, seemingly unbothered by Starlight's counter. "Not bad for a sidekick, but I doubt you'll be getting a promotion anytime soon." She remained by the ropes, ready to spring at a moment's notice and bracing herself for Starlight's next attack, like a matador waiting for the bull's charge.
Starlight’s motion was understated elegance, a seamless twist of hips and momentum that sent the smaller girl tumbling into the mat with a satisfying thud. She held the finishing pose just long enough to let the cameras catch it, chin lifted, one arm cocked like a comic-book heroine basking in her own legend. The crowd ate it up, the sound swelling into a bright wave of cheers that rolled across the arena. Their radiant rookie had done it again, and even the imp’s scramble to the ropes drew laughter and applause.
Starlight exhaled softly as she reset her stance, giving her arms a brisk shake to work out the sting from the blocked knee. Then, as she started toward her pint-sized rival, her tone shifted from focused to faintly amused.
"You keep getting my name wrong," she noted, her voice carrying that polite sort of curiosity usually reserved for schoolteachers. "Is… memory loss your superpower?"
The remark wasn’t barbed, if anything, it was endearing earnest, as though she really wanted to know. Her ponytail, knocked forward by the toss, slid over her shoulder; she idly hooked a hand beneath it, flicking it back behind her with a casual motion that seemed almost subconscious.
"It’s Starlight, though." she informed with a bright grin, gesturing to her glittering ring gear, all constellations and shimmer. She seemed to believe the imp actually didn't recall her name so wanted to make sure she was accommodating to her forgetfulness… of head trauma. Whatever she could do to help, like a walking burst of optimism.
"Apprentice," she corrected herself a moment later, though the word rolled off her tongue without any defensiveness. In truth, she rather the designation of sidekick. It just felt a bit more whimsical and fun. It was Nova who preferred the more sanitized and professional term, claiming sidekick could be considered derogatory as it carried the connotations of being lesser. "That’s fine. I still have a lot to learn from my mentor," she continued, her smile growing as if the reminder filled her with pride. "Patience is a virtue, after all, no reason to rush the journey."
If the Imp had meant to needle her, it hadn’t worked. Starlight shone right through it, seeming untouchable in her good humor or optimistic obliviousness.
It was only then, mid-stride, that a flicker of realization crossed her face, a sudden “oh right, this is a fight” expression. Her posture snapped back into combat rhythm, light on her feet. With a playful skip, she pivoted, spun, and let her leg whip out in a dazzling arc, her heel cutting through the air toward Sophie’s center mass in a crisp, spinning roundhouse that gleamed like her namesake
