Zero Kotobuki vs. Avenging Angel - Pity, Remorse, and Fear

[BlackAkuma]

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or Knockout

***

”Any opinion on your opponent?”

”No.”

”Anything you want to plan out? Maybe some ringside assistance.”

”No.”

”Am I going to get anything other than a one-word answer out of you today?”

”...no.”

Maria Crawford sighed as looked over at her fellow Fallen Angel and occasional tag partner, Zero Kotobuki, watching as the woman got her stretches in, the two of them hanging out in the gorilla position. It was the first time they’d been in action in a while, with management hesitant to give them screen time thanks to all the negative press that had come their way. It was to be expected when they made their mission statement clear - the Fallen Angels were in LAW to dominate, to control, to take over. But management didn’t like the idea of factions running roughshod, and tried to shut them down before things got out of control.

It was nothing a little backstage politics couldn't handle, along with some good old fashioned threats and intimidation, but it meant that they spent an extended time on the sidelines. Maria didn't care, so long as she got paid, but Zero? That was a different story.

As with everything, it was hard to notice unless you were familiar - intimately familiar - with the woman, but Maria was, and she could tell that Zero was, for lack of a better word, fidgety. Try as she might to hide it, the woman needed to fight every now and then, and yearned for the chance to get aggressive and satisfy her violent urges. After taking hiatus from the ring, she needed this more than anything, and Maria almost felt a great swell of pity for her opponent.

”Well, I’m glad we could have this time to talk. I do so enjoy our chats.” Maria shook her head with a rueful smile, as she wasted away some delicious sarcasm. ”Just try not to get carried away out there or have too much fun - Freia wants us to make a statement, strike a little fear. So play with your food. Make it memorable.” She leaned forward, gazing at Zero over the rim of her glasses. ”Clear?”

Zero gazed back with her usual emotionless, dead eyes. Maria could’ve sworn she saw the flicker of something more, though, a brief spark in the periphery. She was ready. More than ready. ”Crystal.”

A few minutes later, the pair were walking down the ramp, coming out as Zero’s

came out over the speakers. Zero walked with her usual robotic gait, while Maria stayed close behind, keeping up with her powerful strides. She threw out a frilly wave to the audience, who all showered her with an appropriate level of hate. Apparently, they hadn't been missed. Good to know.

Maria stalked around the ringside area as Zero slid in under the bottom rope and promptly approached the farther corner. Instead of stretched and shadowboxing as many would’ve done, she merely turned around, leaned against the pads, and stared up the ramp as the music faded, waiting for their opponent to come out…

Zero Kotobuki

Maria Crawford

[DSX93]

Avenging Angel

Tonight was going to be significant. The Avenging Angel has only been a professional wrestler for four years, but it's been more than long enough for her to know that fighting one member (or two in this case; she knew how this was going to go) of a group like the Fallen Angels would mean that you'll be fighting them all. And with the exception of Zero Kotobuki, that was exactly what she wanted.

She wasn't even angry at her. She took a look inside her jacket, so to speak, as she does all of her opponents, and was able to determine that Zero was just a tool that the others were using for their own ends.

Maria Crawford. Saki Hikawa, known to the wrestling world as SA-KI. Asuka Kagumi, known as Freia Kagami. They're the ones that she wants. And sooner or later, they will get their due.

The lights in the arena dimmed as the

featured in Biohazard's "Punishment" signified the coming of the Avenging Angel, stating what was effectively her raison d'être. Her very reason for becoming a professional wrestler in the first place.

"Come on, God. Answer me. For years, I'm asking you, 'Why? Why are the innocent dead and guilty alive? Where is justice? Where is punishment? Or have you already answered? Have you already said to the world, 'Here is justice. Here is Punishment.'

Here. In me."

It may not be everyone, everywhere, but the chains of command in many a wrestling company are toxic wells. Corrupted and apathetic, showing no concern for those under its employ in the event that they end up massacred in their venues. Brutalized in the worst of ways. Broken. And LAW? It wasn't that it's no different. It's worse, with not even the safety of the crowd being cared for: You could incite a riot and run people over on the way out of the building, and what would you get? An extended vacation.

At the end of the day, LAW is a madhouse, and these monsters have their run of the place. And their prospective victims, even if they aren't competitors, are left to fend for themselves. In the absence of competent, caring officials, it's going to take other monsters to help make those strides towards cleaning this place up.

Monsters like her.

A singular purple spotlight shined on the stage to coincide with the last three words of the quote. The Avenging Angel would slowly step into it bearing a face of stone. Focused. Determined. Seemingly ignorant of the crowd that thundered to life with applause at the sight of her, eager to see her do what she does best. Should things go her way, those who wanted to see that done to Zero will be leaving disappointed. But when Maria gets involved -- and she knows that she will...

"And her opponent, standing at six feet and three inches tall and weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds, fighting out of Ridgefield, Connecticut...! The Avenging Aaaaanngeeeell!"

For a moment, she just stood there for about twenty seconds or so, staring forth at the mission. Part psy-op, part what little of the pageantry inherent to professional wrestling that she cared to partake in, and part strategy: If the other two wanted to come out and attack her, well, there she was. They were good, so she wasn't going to down them before Zero and Maria made their way back up the stage, but she'd have some time to get some shots in. Good ones.

That attack never came. She advanced to the ring with even less flash than she would have displayed as Angel. No poses. No flips. No extra sway in her hips. Just her making her way to the ring to fulfill her objective. She stopped at the apron, devoting a few seconds to watching Maria, who was stalking the ringside area. Shooting her a cold glare before grabbing the ropes, pulling herself up, and bending through, ignoring the pop she received from the more amorous element of the audience.

She stopped again at the center of the ring, waiting for Zero to join her so they could get this underway.

[BlackAkuma]

Zero and Maria had come to LAW alone tonight, opting to do this match without having any real backup. Freia had her strip club to run and was holding some kind of special event there, and SA-KI…well, SA-KI was just in one of those moods she got into every now and then, where she was pissed off for reasons only she knew about and couldn't be arsed to do much of anything. Typical, and Maria wasn’t too worried about it, figuring that she and Zero could handle whatever came their way—no need to roll out the entire crew.

Upon catching sight of Angel, however, she found herself rethinking that notion, however. ”Bloody hell…”

She muttered under her breath as she peered up the ramp from the other side of the ring, and saw this colossus of a woman coming through the gloom. Zero didn’t seem all that impressed, but then again, Zero wouldn’t have been fazed if Bigfoot came down to the ring, so that meant little. On the other hand, Maria did little to hide her shock as a woman bigger than them combined came their way, looking towards them with a steely focus.

And no, Maria had not missed the little intro in her theme song, the ominous speech about God, punishment, and justice. It was all nonsense, but combined with the determined look in Angel’s eyes, it spoke of a woman who was here with a purpose. Given the ‘Avenging’ part of her name, it didn’t take much imagination to guess what that purpose was.

A hero. Maria had come across heroes before. Wrestle Angels had more than its fair share, but they had yet to be built like a Sherman tank. This one felt different, and she paced about near Zero as she made her way into the ring and stood tall, cutting an imposing figure. ”Careful with this one. Feel her out.”

If Zero heard her, she didn’t show it, but that was to be expected either way. She came out of her corner and made her way towards the center of the ring, where her soulless eyes made their way up Avenging Angel’s body. Unblinking and unflinching, scanning her with blank eyes.

The referee looked between them, nodded, and then threw her hand down to start the match, with the bell following at the ringside. Zero seemed to take Maria’s advice for the moment - instead of rushing in as she was wont to do, she began to move around Avenging Angel’s perimeter, staying just outside of her reach, circling her. But she was picking up speed with every second, growing faster with each step, a clear indication that she wouldn’t be playing it safe forever…

[DSX93]

Her body was alive, but looking into those eyes, it was like there wasn't anyone inside. Nothing running it but instinct. "Zero" was quite the apt nickname. A five-two, one hundred and twelve pound automaton that scanned her body for weaknesses and optimal routes to decimation as she joined her in the center of the ring without so much as a single step's hesitation. Angel gave her head a slow nod, as though in solemn acceptance of some ugly business to come, taking a deep breath through her nose. And then she squared up. Literally taking a squared stance, feet planted on the mat as per MMA standard.

Angel thought it best to play the waiting game as Zero picked up steam for whatever she had in mind, making no attempts to even close the distance. What little movements she made were made simply to keep her back away the smaller wrestler. She kept a close watch, readying herself to react.

[BlackAkuma]

”Wait for it.”

Maria tapped her finger along with Zero’s feet as she circled her prey, keeping an eye on the woman’s steady movements. Quick as she was, there was a mechanical nature to her movements. Each footfall fell in perfect sync, so calculated that she swore you could set a watch to it.

”Wait…”

The crowd began to grow restless, with some distant cries of ‘do something!’ and ‘wrestle!’, but they might as well have been yelling at a rock for all the good it was doing them. Zero wasn’t going to hear a word of it. She was only going to strike when the moment was right, and that moment was coming-

”Now.”

There was no hint to Zero’s attack, no tell that would give her away. One second, she was strafing, and the next, she was charging forward, dashing into Angel’s space with stunning alacrity. She lashed out with what would’ve been a jab aimed at her opponent’s face, only to pull it back for a feint and fire out two quick kicks at the titaness’ meaty thighs instead, rattling them off in quick succession before she tried to move out of range once more.

[DSX93]

"Do something!"

"Wrestle!"

Angel wanted to say to those two, "You wait." And in her thoughts, she did. This isn't just a match. It was the opening shots of a war will give them all the blood they want to see. But for now, she was focused on trying to get a feel for Zero's speed. Seeing what her maximum was with her circling footwork. No doubt she'd be making a lot of use of it, and she couldn't count on Maria's cues throughout the entire thing.

”Now.”

But they were helpful while she had them -- shit, she's fast!

Angel knew right away that the jab was a distraction. It might not even be getting thrown in the first -- nope. But she stood in place; even if it were, Zero would've been punching up, the differences in their weight making it quite manageable. Instinct lifted the vigilante's leg, but that was where Zero's advantage in the size difference was made visible. Since she had less to move around, she was able to land the first hit before Angel's leg was properly bent and steeled. Nothing that would made her stand any less than strong, but she couldn't allow this to keep happening. The second would be properly checked; as fast as the smaller fighter was, it still took some time to switch legs.

Angel made no attempts at retaliation. She was still measuring. Zero would get a response, however: One of those nods that said "well played", with that impressive speed. It was a showing of respect that she gave to no one she considered an enemy. It most likely wouldn't be acknowledged, but she gave it anyway.

"Oh, come on!"

"Fight already!"

Alright, Zero. The ball is still in your court.

[BlackAkuma]

God, they were lucky Zero was on their side. Maria had wrestled her a couple of times, years ago when they were both in Wrestle Angels, once in a tag match and once solo. While she’d won both times, they had still been two of the most painful, arduous experiences of her career, with her bringing scores of bruises and aching bones. Taking on the Massacre Ordinance was like fighting a porcupine - you might win the fight, sure, but the damage you take doing so hardly makes it worthwhile.

Maria looked on as Zero’s kicks sliced into the Avenging Angel’s knees, then…hm.

It wasn’t the response that startled Maria, but the utter lack of one. It was one thing to take kicks like that and keep moving, another thing entirely to shrug them off and barely register them. She didn’t cry out or stagger; she just stood there with her focused face. Stalwart, this one. That was more than a tad worrying.

If Zero shared that worry, she didn't show it, though that would be par for the course with her. Instead, she kept moving, juking left and right, showing her footwork as she danced in and out of her opponent’s range. She measured her, got a feel for her response times, and collected data with all the efficiency of a supercomputer. The crowd grew restless, but Maria knew better than to heckle her. The ax would fall soon enough…

Zero moved in and spun about as she close the distance, barely touching the ground as she rotated, turning her body into a black and green blur. She came out of the twirl with a good deal of momentum and used it all as she brought her leg up and drove her foot hard towards Angel’s stomach, looking to hit her with a Spinning Heel Kick, going straight for the steely abs.

[DSX93]

It was a good hit that knocked some of the air out of her lungs and the rest of her into the turnbuckle behind her. If Zero had come alone, she would've stayed there after re-collecting it. Maybe bait her into taking a more straightforward offensive. But with Maria there, it was pointless: She would've called that stratagem out, and she was too smart to get physically involved this soon. Especially in plain view of the referee; it was an inopportune angle.

Time to switch it up a bit. Angel left the corner with some pep in her step, coming back with two jabs to distract while her right reared back for the stiff straight that would follow. Nothing that required too much commitment, and thusly shouldn't be too obvious. But she knew before she even threw them that they weren't going to connect, but that wasn't the point. This was another method of hopefully spurring Zero into action. Maybe her response would be one that she could capitalize on.

[BlackAkuma]

Maria was making a habit of strolling about the ring, rarely staying in the same place for more than a moment. To the naked eye, it might have appeared like random strolling, but that was far from the truth - her positioning was purposeful, thoughtful, strategic. She took care to be far enough from the action that the referee wouldn’t take notice but close enough that - if the opportunity arose - she could take advantage and score a few quick hits while the referee was distracted.

Precautionary tactics. They were wholly unnecessary at the moment, as Zero seemed to have the situation well in hand. Always fleet of foot, she moved in with no fear as the jabs flew her way, deftly dodging both of them. The right that came after them was a slow one, and Zero was quick to duck low and dart to her foe’s blind spot.

She rose up as soon as she was clear and flung her fist through the air like a whip, trying to hit her foe with a backfist to the face - her old finishing move, the Silent Knuckle.

[DSX93]

There we go.

When Zero zoomed to the side, faster than her eyes could see, and out of her field of vision, Angel knew that bigger shot was coming. Instinct lifted her arm into place, and only just in time. The Silent Knuckle was a well-practiced blow that could take out a heavyweight if they weren't careful. She spun round the moment she felt the impact, throwing a back elbow towards Zero's head with the rotation.