Marzia Servelli vs. Jonathan Steele - I Quit Match

[CaptainL]

Continued from here

Match Type: I Quit Match
Rules: Match ends only when one competitor says "I quit." No disqualifications. Additionally, Ryan "Fireball" Brown will serve as a guest referee in the match.

----

In the locker room, Marzia Servelli sat on the bench by herself, silently fuming. She hugged her arms around herself, glancing down at the floor, so as not to make eye contact with anyone - just in case doing so might make her think too hard about what she was about to do. Some time ago, Jonathan Steele - her mentor, her trainer, and a good friend - had made a surprise appearance in LAW, warning the Italian away from the path she had started to go down. When they last met, Marzia was still a shy, reserved girl who was afraid to speak up too much, let alone break the rules. But she had grown past that, into a fierce, capable warrior who would let nothing stand in her way - nothing, that was, except for suddenly staring the man who helped her overcome some of her greatest fears in the face, and listening to him tell her where she'd went wrong.

Worse yet, he wasn't alone. When Marzia had left her old life behind, she'd turned her back on her friends and family; all of them were just holdng her back anyway, giving her too much emotional baggage that made her weak, soft, and easily manipulated. Among those was her husband, Ryan "Fireball" Brown. Since she started training under Gail Whittaker, Marzia hadn't so much as thought about him - up until she was forced to, when he stepped up to appeal to her personally. And when that hadn't worked in turning her path around, the stage was set for an I Quit match between Jonathan and Marzia, with Ryan serving as referee.

There was a part of Marzia that wanted to run away. She was nervous. She felt nervous before most of her matches, but the stakes had never been higher than here - where not only would she be under a brutal stipulation, but she would have to confront Jonathan and Ryan in the process. She thought she was over everything, she thought she was stronger, but the mere thought of having to look them in the eye again - not even wrestling them - sent her stomach aflutter. At the same time, Marzia knew she needed this match. The ghosts of her past were the last things holding her down, keeping her from moving on. If she could defeat them, without holding back or shying away, she could show the world once and for all who the real Marzia was.

"Coming first to the ring, from Rome, Italy! At 5'2, weighing 140 pounds, MAAAARZIA SERVELLI!!!"

Spoiler

As the lights shone down around her, Marzia stepped out onto the entrance ramp, her fist raised and her head thrown back in a roar of defiance. From the moment she'd arrived, she wanted to show the world she was done shrinking away, and that she was ready to do her worst...even if she didn't fully believe it herself. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her hand balled into a fist at her side as she marched down the aisle, hearing the boos of the fans around her. Marzia tried her best to focus on the world around her, blocking out her inner thoughts, every doubt and worry that crept its way to the forefront of her mind. She didn't need them now. All she needed was to prove herself - and, as she climbed under the ropes and into the ring, she finally lifted her head, shooting a glare back at the entrance ramp. Whether she was ready or not, it was time.

[Pegasus]

Marzia would be waiting around in the ring for a few minutes more as the crowd wondered if Jonathan either chickened out or was running late. Whatever the excuse would be, Marzia surely wouldn’t love the fact that she was force to wait for her opponent. When Misa raised the microphone to her mouth in order to inform the audience, some static buzzed from the microphone making the ring announcer drop it. Misa covered her ears as the static feedback made a screeching sound before cutting out completely. The lights would then go out ominously as the crowd would let out gasps and frightened squeals turning on their phone lights to get a good view of the action.

The titantron flickered on with static as the camera transitioned over to a dark room as Jonathan could be seen standing with his back to the camera wearing a royal black suit with a nice navy blue tie tucked into his blazer. Jonathan turned around and wiped his mouth before addressing his opponent for the night.

“You should’ve listened to him. Now, get ready to come back home……Roxanne,” Jonathan stated briefly as he took off his sunglasses revealing his red eyes and demonic grin.

The titantron cuts out before red smoke started appearing on one of the corners as a figure started rising within the gas. The smoke cut out to reveal Ryan in his shaman form and his attire from the match with The Heartbreakers. He stood on the top rope and haunches over with his staff in hand eyeing his wife. Lyra would also be ringside chanting to herself and wearing her blue cloak keeping to herself. This was not good for Marzia. There would be one more surprise waiting for her atop the ramp.

[CaptainL]

Marzia had made her arrival in the ring. She was waiting for her opponent to come...but nothing happened. As time went on, and there was still no sign of either Jonathan or Ryan, the Italian woman began to bristle with rising tension. Her teeth clenched and her hands balled into fists. Fearful thoughts were starting to run through her head, all of them too terrible to even consider. After all he knew her, after all he believed in her, was Jonathan just going to play some sort of joke? Had he made Marzia come all this way, desperate to prove herself as moving beyond the shadows of her past, just to show her up? The thought of it made her stomach turn. There was a time when Jonathan was the one person she thought she could trust - now, she wasn't so sure. And even when Marzia vowed to not let her past influence her any longer, she couldn't help but feel this creep beneath her skin.

Her eye twitched nervously, and she bit at her lip to try and keep her mind off of the horrible thought that Jonathan, of all people, would betray her like this. She could feel a tear coming to her eye, but she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head all the same; she couldn't be weak now, not when it mattered the most! No, she wasn't sad. She was angry that he'd do something like this, and that was going to carry her forward! Eventually, it all reached a boiling point - and as she extended her foot to stomp it against the mat, Marzia's voice cut through the air with an angry hiss. "Okay, ENOUGH of this! Where is he-!?"

But it was then that Jonathan would at last make his presence known. Not in the flesh, but over the big screen, which crackled to life right in front of her. In that instant, Marzia let out a gasp. No amount of training, and moving beyond her old, soft self, could prepare her for what she was about to see, with her old friend and trainer standing in the darkness, looking at her as though he was a predator eyeing its prey. She didn't know how he'd set this up, or what his goals were. In those few seconds, she was back to the same old Marzia. She'd been confronted with something that felt beyond anything she was used to, anything she even thought was possible, and she was at a complete loss for how to deal with it.

But soon enough, Marzia realized that she was standing there mouth agape. She couldn't do that - she was supposed to be stronger than this! She shook herself out, gritting her teeth into a snarl as she shot a glare back at the screen. "S-Shut up! What are you doing? What the hell is this even supposed to mean? My name's not Roxanne!" she shouted back. She needed to stand in defiance, just to prove she wasn't scared. And yet, her voice still wavered. Not even Marzia truly believed what she wanted to believe - that she wouldn't let this get to her. That she was stronger.

And then, in a puff of smoke, Ryan emerged - but not the Ryan Marzia knew. She looked on with a gasp at the procession that appeared before her. She knew this was Ryan - but when she knew he was going to be acting as a guest referee for this match, she hadn't expected this. She had no idea what he wanted - or what he was going to do. And when Jonathan had just turned his back on her like this...Marzia couldn't be sure of anything. Not even from her own husband. All she could do was take in a gulp - and when she did, the third member of the party made herself known.

Standing across from Lyra was a starkly pale woman, leaning on a scythe as she gazed back at Marzia with a cold and emotionless stare. Her red eyes coldly focused in on Marzia's as she raised her head to meet her gaze. Kanon Fujiwara had taken claim for Jonathan and Ryan's actions in the past; now, she was here to witness them in person.

[Pegasus]

Surrounded by all sides and all on her own, Marzia was truly faltering in her punk girl persona constantly between from her old self and her supposed new attitude. Kanon had appeared and Lyra continued her chants while Ryan hopped down on the canvas hanging his head low. The lights retreated back on showing the crowd gasping in shock and fright at what they were seeing. They hadn’t seen much yet, though. The lights started flickering as the audience and Misa were shocked seeing everything transpire all at once. Misa decided it best she retreat and hightailed it for the ropes to get to safety.

The lights fully went out and then a new theme would start to play.

https://youtu.be/Mb7nCR0_UCM

A single spotlight showed up on the stage as Jonathan emerge from behind the curtain wearing a long black trench coat, a sleeveless black shirt with three red claw marks on the back, black tights, and black wrestling boots. He carried a staff with him and as the music built to a big beat, Jonathan inserted the staff into a hole in the floor unleashing pyrotechnic cannons to shoot streams of fire into the air. Jonathan outstretched his arms and closed his red eyes letting the crowd soak in the spectacle of his entrance. Jonathan then quickly made his way down the ramp looking all business. His theme continued in a constant loop as the fans saw Ryan knelt down holding his staff in prayer while Lyra took a knee joining him. Jonathan went over to Kanon patting her head before ascending the steps and heading inside the ring staring down Marzia.

“Don’t forget that you want freedom from us, Marzia. It’s not like I’m not abiding by your wish. You will get what you seek. A ticket to a new life and away from us for good. Is that what you truly want, though?” Jonathan suddenly asked her. “[color=#FF0000s]But I already know the answers. The tears that stream down your face tells me that you do not want this at all. You’ll convince yourself no doubt, but you want to come home. But it seems only if I beat you.[/color]”

Jonathan then took off his trench coat as the lights came back on and Ryan rose to bow his head. He came to the middle before shooting a glare at his wife before simply tapping his staff against the canvas. A ring worker presumed that was a call for the bell and he went to ring it.

DING! DING! DING!

[CaptainL]

Marzia had been on edge with her opponent's new entrance. It wasn't like anything she was used to, and everything about it rubbed her the wrong way; she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong going on. She didn't know who these people were, what they wanted, or what the presentation was about. Worst yet, she was seeing all of this, it was chilling her this much, and Jonathan himself wasn't even there.

That was about to change.

As the music started, Marzia shuddered, clenching her teeth. Her hands balled tight at her sides to try and draw herself back to reality. She wasn't supposed to be afraid like this. She was supposed to be stronger than this! That was the whole reason she put so much work into shaping herself into her new persona - she was out to prove she wouldn't be held back by her creeping anxieities and her desparation to prove she was worth it. She couldn't run away or cower in her matches any more. But Jonathan seemed determined to scare her into submission - the same Jonathan who had worked so hard in helping her overcome her fears, and now he was undermining it all!

This wasn't supposed to be this way. Marzia had agreed to the stipulations - an I Quit match, against Jonathan, with Ryan as guest referee. It was supposed to be simple. She was still nervous about having to face her trainer, with her husband watching, yes, but she at least knew what to expect. Here, they had completely pulled the rug out from under her feet. There was only one explanation Marzia could think of - they had to be mocking her! They wanted to see her run away in fear! For all she knew, they never even believed she could get stronger in the first place. And Marzia wasn't having that!

Hissing through her teeth, she stomped a foot down against the mat. As Jonathan emerged from the curtains, she ran to the ropes to lean over at him, jabbing her finger in his direction. "Listen, you-! I know you're trying to fuck with me, and it's not funny! But it's not going to work, you hear me!? It's not going to-"

Despite all her bravado, the moment Jonathan inserted his staff into the ground, Marzia fell silent. She watched the fireballs rising in the air, and a chill ran over her from head to toe when she realized how much Jonathan had put into this, and how woefully unprepared she was. She thought she would be as ready as she could be - but now, faced with something this big, she was truly, hopelessly over her head.

Joining her fellow disciples, Kanon too lowered herself to her knees, bowing her head to Jonathan as he passed. She didn't even flinch as he patted her on the head. But as Jonathan got in the ring, Marzia took a step back, holding her hands defensively in front of her. She looked up at her opponent with a snarl, ready to tell him to back off...but his words cut straight to her heart, and it made her eyes go wide with shock as her stance eased.

"H-Huh..?" What did Marzia want? Did she want to have her old life back again, with all her friends and family? Did she want to leave that all behind if it meant she could take pride in herself for once, and have successes worth celebrating? She wasn't even sure if she knew what she wanted. But Jonathan seemed to - and it was that that made her let out a gasp.

"No..! That's not true...this is the new me! You don't get it-!" she blurted out, the anxeity rising in her voice as her heart raced in her chest. She wanted to tell Jonathan he was wrong, that she was never going back, and yet...he already seemed to know everything. And how could he not? He had known her for this long, she'd confided her deepest secrets in him. If anyone knew what Marzia wanted, it would have to be him - and now, he was willing to use all that against her. Marzia had always worked best when she had the opportunity to analyze her opponents and prepare accordingly. But how could she adapt to someone who seemed a step ahead of everything she did?

It wouldn't matter. Soon, Marzia heard the bell - and with it came a sense of relief. Now, there was no time to dwell on her feelings or reflect on where she should go from here. She just had to win the match! Tossing off her leather jacket, Marzia wasn't going to hold back. If Jonathan was still going to doubt her, she'd show him - the moment the match began, she charged toward him with her arm drawn back to slam an elbow against his gut! She might have been hesitant about facing her past before - but when Jonathan was stoking her rage, that was the least of her concerns!

[Pegasus]

Jonathan knew that playing with Marzia’s emotions made her an easy target for sure. How he likes to play his matches is stoking the fire and making it burn. Like one would keep throwing in sticks and logs to make an open fire keep it’s flame burning, Jonathan had to keep Marzia emotional even if his heart wasn’t in it. Marzia always played her emotions up even in the ring and if you could get her flustered enough, it would be a hard way to fight back for her. She needed to remember where she came from.

Jonathan took the shot to his gut moving back as he grimaced a little. She hits hard when angry and that was to be believed. Jonathan would try to shoot back a forearm to his Italian opponent’s head hoping to send her back. He charged in further going for a Superkick to launch Marzia into a corner. Jonathan looked over at Kanon as he narrowed his gaze.

“Kanon, give me a weapon, quickly!” Jonathan demanded.

[CaptainL]

Marzia couldn't believe it. She thought she was through all of this. She thought she was better than this. She swore that she wouldn't be held back by her doubts and her anxieties, and that by pushing past them, foregoing everything that had tied her down before, she could finally win the success she always deserved as a hard-edged, unremitting brawler. But here she was, letting herself get distracted by all the memories she had, of being with Jonathan and Ryan, of being happy. Had she thrown those all away, all in the mindless pursuit of strength? Was she moving in the wrong direction?

Tears began to form in her eyes as she thought back on it all - but the moment she felt the moisture touch her cheek, she sucked in a breath, shaking herself back to her senses. Her eyes narrowed in a glare, and her teeth clenched in a snarl, as she balled a fist tight enough to dig her nails into her palms. It didn't matter. This was exactly what made her weak before! This was why she had to change - and ever since throwing away the past, she'd actually been able to succeed! She needed to keep moving forward, no matter how many bridges she needed to burn in order to get there. And that was why it was so important that she won this match. If she could defeat one of the people who tethered her to her past, with another watching, without even letting her emotions get in the way, she would be able to prove once and for all that the old Marzia was gone for good. All the nagging doubts would be gone. She could finally be at peace!

That desire, that anger at her past, was what fueled Marzia forward. She let out a roar as she took off in a charge straight toward Jonathan. She wasn't thinking, and she wasn't plotting her strategy; now, she just wanted to hit him, and hit him hard - just to prove that she could. Even when her elbow collided with Jonathan's stomach, and when she felt him shrink back, that didn't stop her. That was far from enough! As soon as her one fist pulled back, Marzia balled another with her other hand, whipping that toward his jaw!

But before that could land, Jonathan struck back with a blow of his own - first throwing a forearm across Marzia's head, which caused her to crack to the side as she let out a groan and stumbled back; then, his superkick struck her straight in the jaw, knocking her off her footing and back into the corner! Marzia landed against the ropes with enough force to shake the ring - and when Jonathan called to his attendant for a weapon, she was in no place to resist.

"As you wish, Father," Kanon said flatly with a curt nod of her head. She reached down, seemingly producing a baseball bat from nothing out of the darkness around the ring apron, and held it out for Jonathan.

But Marzia wasn't about to let his attacks slow her down for long. Soon enough, she shook herself out, and looked back up. She needed to show she wasn't the same, weak Marzia who could be taken down so easily, and when she locked eyes on her foe, she snorted like a bull ready to charge! She was quick to push herself back to her feet, and there she took off running for Jonathan, preparing to throw herself off the ground as she got close to hurl herself into him with a spear!

[Pegasus]

Jonathan had managed to ward off Marzia with his strikes and kick before asking his disciple for a weapon. Kanon went under the ring and pulled out a baseball bat as Jonathan grabbed it turning around to see Marzia get fired up. The glare was ferocious at first and this made the Italian girl seem even angrier than she usually let on. Marzia took off running for Jonathan as the former Instant Classic thought he couldn’t hit her dead on with the bat, but Lyra slid into the ring and took the Spear for her mentor! Lyra held her gut and slid out of the ring near the ramp as Jonathan looked down following his cloaked disciple’s discarded body.

Jonathan then looked at Marzia as he started whacking her back with the bat three times. He then used the bat to grab her up by the throat and start choking her out. Jonathan asked for a mic from outside and he got it before putting it to his lips. Marzia would no doubt struggle to get loose, but her male opponent kept a tight grip on her.

“It’s not gonna get easier, Marzia. I’ll give you this one chance to run and hide. Say it!” Jonathan demanded as he put the mic to Marzia’s mouth hoping for a quick end.

[CaptainL]

To Marzia, it didn't matter if Jonathan had armed himself. If she could just strike him hard enough and fast enough, she'd be able to stun him before it even mattered. But more to the point, Marzia was stubborn. She had already made up her mind that she was going to hit Jonathan hard, and she wouldn't let anyone tell her otherwise, baseball bat or no. She had always been this way, but her pursuit of strength and ferocity had only tempered that stubbornness. She was willing to throw herself into the line of danger if that was what she needed in order to keep her foe down!

Sure enough, Marzia felt her body crash into something, sending her sprawling to the mat. But when she looked back up, it was with a gasp. She hadn't hit Jonathan at all - it was Lyra who now lay there, going rolling out of the ring. Suddenly, everything slowed to a crawl, leaving the Italian girl sitting there on her knees with her mouth agape. Just when she thought she had actually done something, Jonathan had played another trick on her! The realization began to set in that Marzia had no idea what she was up against - what to anticipate, or what to prepare for. At any given moment, everything about the match she thought she knew could change. And that thought was enough to send a chill down her spine!

In her moment of shock, Marzia had let her guard down. That, of course, was a mistake. She was only reminded of the match she was in a moment later, as Jonathan swung the bat downward to land a couple of firm strikes along her back! Each time it came down, a loud crack rang out as Marzia buckled against the blow. She threw her head back, crying out in pain; she didn't want to show any sign she was weak, or that she couldn't do it, but she just couldn't help herself. Then, Jonathan pressed his bat against Marzia's neck, using it to haul her to her feet. She hissed against the pressure bearing down on her throat, her teeth clenched in a snarl, but with each passing second it felt as though her airways were narrowing down more and more, making it harder and harder for her to keep the air in her lungs. She brought her arms up, grasping both sides of the bat, as she tried to push it away from her, fighting for every gasp of air she could take in.

But if there was any blow that struck Marzia the hardest, it was what came next - when Jonathan held the microphone in front of her face, offering her a chance to surrender. One eye opened to see the scene before her, but her gaze quickly turned upward to settle on her opponent's face - and when it did, her eyes narrowed into a hateful glare. Jonathan might have been getting in her head, trying to psyche her out, even hitting her hard...but this was too far. Now, after all he'd done to help her up, to keep her striving for success, he was mocking her. Belittling her. Talking down to her. And Marzia wouldn't have it!

"How about I say this!?" she hissed, her voice choked from lack of air, but still with the fury of a woman scorned. She let go of the bat with one hand - and used it to grab for the microphone instead! If she could, Marzia would attempt to wrench the device away from Jonathan, and throw it into his face in a show of defiance!

[Pegasus]

Jonathan truly did believe Marzia had the potential in her to go very far in wrestling and he personally trained her with that end goal for her in mind. However, Marzia was too shy and miserable to believe she could reach the same heights as everyone else. It bothered him to no end to hear her complain about every loss when things didn’t work out for her and he couldn’t deny that he grew tired of her prattle time after time after time. She just couldn’t see the bright side of it that as long as she gave 100% in the match and still came out the loser, Marzia could only go forward with more experience and learn from the mistakes she made in each match. No, she sides with Gail and becomes a different person blaming everyone who helped her succeed! That was a broken stick too far and it broke the camel’s back for him.

It then hit him, literally, that Marzia was hurt and thought Jonathan was just as bad as her. The mic shot up in Jonathan’s face as he let the bat go and Marzia feeling his face as the mic’s feedback static hit his ears and made him scream in pain going down to his left knee. Jonathan snarled as he came back up to his feet with his ears ringing. Jonathan’s eyes laid on Kanon as he softened his gaze and turned back to Marzia.

“So, you must think we are equally bad together? That I have forsaken you…that I betrayed you….no, no, no, Marzia, that burden lies with you. You turned on me. On Ryan. On Astrid. On Brianna. On everyone. Does the truth hurt that you can’t take it? You did this to yourself, Marzia. A wolf can only be a ravenous creature until it’s hunted and the tables turn within the moment. The prey strikes back. The predator becomes outnumbered. Rise, Kanon, Lyra, show this traitor how we deal with them,” Jonathan ordered as he raised both of his hands as the arena lights started to flicker.

Lyra got back to her feet as she dove under the ring bringing out a kendo stick that she slung over her shoulder. She started muttering to herself and stepped on the steel steps coming up slowly with Kanon surely behind her.