Sarabeth Chummers-Ashworth vs. The Selection (Gauntlet Match)

[Pegasus]

This was tempting fate to the highest levels as Sarabeth escaped into the darkness and cramp room of the underground of the wrestling ring. This is probably where she didn’t want to be when it came to the Selection, but she needed breathing room from them. She heard Miza’s voice just right behind her and even heard little metal clangs bumping into each other. Okay, she wasn’t getting out the way she came in and so she would just quietly—

CLANG! THUMP!

It doesn’t make escaping any easier when you have metal trash cans and iron poles laying on the floor. She said screw it in her mind making her way out of the other end rolling on the floor as the referee saw her, but Miza was a different story. Sarabeth wished this was just a cartoon world and she could just comically shove a bomb under the ring to snuff Miza out, but then again, never mess with the roadrunner lest you become the laughable coyote. Sarabeth just rolled in trying to scan all four corners for that redheaded freak and she had her recover time so she was back in action.

[CaptainL]

Miza could barely see a thing through the pitch blackness, but she could hear the thudding and clanging of metal as Sarabeth blundered around blindly, and that alone was enough to make her giggle. At this rate, Sarabeth was just going to end up hurting herself, and doing half of Miza's job for her. Then again, maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing - after all, it was much more fun if she got to involve herself in the action!

"Awww, what's the matter? Are you shy? Don't wanna play?~"

Sarabeth managed to slip out from under the ring at last, but not long after she did so, the lights began to flicker before they too went out. Even after the bell had rung, the Selection was in control of everything that happened, and they weren't about to let Sarabeth forget about that - or anyone else, for that matter. The lights and sounds and pyrotechnics would respond to them and them alone, and their opponents couldn't trust anything around them. The lights were only out for a brief moment, but when they came back up, Sarabeth would be greeted by the sight of Miza perched on top of the turnbuckle, eyeing her nonchalantly as she hummed a little tune to herself.

"What's the matter? Missed me?~" she cheered, idly kicking her legs. It seemed that someone - or something - was tampering with the lights, and they had gone out for just long enough for Miza to get out from under the ring unseen, just to mess with Sarabeth's head...that, or something far stranger had happened. But Sarabeth wasn't going to have long to think about it. Just then, Miza jumped off the turnbuckle, hurling herself toward Sarabeth with her legs extended for a missile dropkick!

[Pegasus]

It was a noble effort for Sarabeth to stand up against The Selection and their supposed tyranny. They had everything in their favor and the referee could only look on without actually getting involved. The Selection had the numbers, the rules, the obligations, the distractions, the magic tricks, the theatrics, and the aura all in their favor while Sarabeth only had her fists and determination. No help of her own and no support except from those probably watching from afar. Sarabeth wanted this and she wasn’t going to regret going against these creeps, but even she was starting to see that they weren’t going to make her think they were pushovers. Sarabeth was utterly confused surrounded in the darkness and only had a brief moment to widen her eyes as well as question the sight of Miza seemingly teleporting up to the top of the turnbuckle. What the hell just happened? She was under the ring just a second ago!

This helped Miza have enough time to fall down and nail her feet into Sarabeth with the Missile Dropkick as Sarabeth was launched back first into the barricade with a groan and spitting out saliva.

[CaptainL]

From her perch atop the turnbuckle, Miza could practically see the moment Sarabeth's eyes caught her, and the green-haired girl froze in sheer bewilderment, confronted with the idea that she could be in one place one second and a completely different place just a second later. Really, did she think she could expect the Selection to play by the rules here - not just the rules of wrestling, but the very rules of reality as Sarabeth knew them? Of course not. They were above that, and they weren't going to let anything slow down their pursuit toward domination. Miza giggled to herself at the thought of the shock and terror going through her opponent right now...but she also knew better than to waste her time if she had Sarabeth right where she wanted her. Only a second later, she sprung from the turnbuckle, throwing herself boots-first into Sarabeth with enough force to slam her hard against the back of the barricade!

The Young Lioness fell back with the sound of a loud clang; several fans groaned at the thought of the pain she was surely enduring. But any pain she felt wouldn't be enough for Miza. She held her back high and strolled closer, as nonchalantly as if what she was doing wasn't even remotely out of the ordinary. There, she reached in and grabbed a handful of Sarabeth's hair - and, pulling her head closer with one arm, shot out an elbow with the other to strike her square in the middle of her forehead!

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth grunted hard as Miza took her shot as her forehead killed her upon the strike. Her head was ratting around like as if a happy baby was shaking their toy rattle excitingly. Her ears were burning from the intense action put on her and a headache started to set in. Not to mention, Saka put her through the wringer earlier and Miza was just adding on where her fallen partner left off. That just meant Sarabeth couldn’t take this lying down. Maybe she would go through more torture later, but she had to be ready for the bigger members. She couldn’t just be a fly to squash for them.

Sarabeth fired back with a Headbutt straight to Miza’s head clonking their skulls together! Sarabeth went to one knee and she closed one eye from her own pain. However, any amount of turmoil was worth it if she wanted to win over these devils. Sarabeth then scurried to another side of the ring looking under the ring to fish out a kendo stick. If the referee wasn’t going to count disqualifications, that meant she was free to strike by whatever means necessary. She ran over with a battle cry to Miza starting to wail shot after shot with her weapon on Miza’s body!

[CaptainL]

Miza was determined to finish the job her partner had started, taking Sarabeth down by whatever means were necessary. When she drove her elbow hard against Sarabeth's skull, the resounding thud that rang out was enough to make several fans in the crowd wince. But what brought even more gasps was the fact that, in spite of all the pain she was being put through, Sarabeth wasn't going to stop - she was just going to shoot back even harder, ramming her skull back against Miza's own! The pain in her head didn't even seem to bother her - it was a small price to pay in order to stand up to the Selection!

Miza's head was throbbing from the strike, and she clutched at her skull as she went stumbling back into the corner, doubled over. That left Sarabeth with the opportunity to grab a kendo stick and arm herself - and soon enough, she had thrown herself back into the fray, swinging away at Miza's midsection. Each blow landed with a crack, causing Miza to turn from one side to the other. But if Sarabeth was going to fight back, so was she! Each blow was steering her back further and further into the corner, but there, as her back was forced up against the turnbuckle, she would reach up and grab the kendo stick in her hands, trying to halt the momentum of its swing. If that worked, she'd turn her weight to the side, trying to control Sarabeth's motion and throw her against the ropes instead.

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth cracked her stick against Miza with every fiber of her being. She wasn’t going to let up even if the referee looked so conflicted as she leaned over the ropes. Normally, she held authority to disqualify Sarabeth, but that would just anger The Selection who didn’t want anyone trifling with their prey, but them and Miza was going to make sure that was known further. Miza managed to ward off the pain long enough to grab the stick and look Sarabeth down with a manic stare. Sarabeth gasped and before she could react, Miza twisted her body violently as Sarabeth rolled into the ring only to sit up and realized her weapon was taken from her!

[CaptainL]

Strictly speaking, this wasn't formally a no-DQ match - however, it was no secret to anyone that any enforcement of the rules was going to be lax at best. The Selection ruled any ring they set foot in, not any promotion or athletic commission, and any referee foolish enough to step into their business was going to receive a stern reminder of the power they wielded. But that was something Sarabeth could use to her advantage just as much as her opponents could, as she began to crack away at Miza with the kendo stick! With every resounding thwack that rang out as the weapon met its target, the fans began to cheer, urging Sarabeth to keep fighting on. When the presence of the Selection was palpable on the air, no one wanted to raise their voice too much, lest it draw unwanted attention - but if Sarabeth was actually fighting back, and actually making strides, there was some glimmer of hope that she just might be able to win, in spite of all odds!

But it wouldn't be long before Miza got her hands up, grabbing the kendo stick to snatch it out of Sarabeth's clutches - and, in the process, rolling her opponent under the ropes and back into the ring. As Sarabeth came away from their impromptu lockup, the stick was left in Miza's hands - and she too would soon follow Sarabeth into the ring, waving the stick back and forth through the air a few times. Her eyes settled on Sarabeth, and there she let out a low, sinister chuckle. "Eheheheh...I think it's myyyy turn now~" she teased, tapping the stick in her hand a few times - right before she took off running at Sarabeth, swinging the stick over her head in a great arc before she would attempt to bring it down on her in a hammer-like blow!

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was shocked as her weapon was taken from her clutches! The only bastion of safety for her and it was now in a deranged motherfucker’s hands! Bad place! Sarabeth backed up as Miza rolled in holding the kendo stick with a happy venom in her voice. Maybe this chick didn’t get mad very often due to her joyous personality, but Sarabeth can hear hatred and giddiness behind every word uttered. Miza took off like a mental patient gone loose as she tried to strike down the Young Lioness with the kendo stick, but Sarabeth was still good enough to roll out of the way! Sarabeth narrowly avoided the strike as she backed up on her hands and knees bashing elbows into Miza’s back! She just wanted to end this right now and move on! Sarabeth dropped down and went for a low blow to Miza’s crotch before rolling her up for the cover! Sarabeth held Miza’s legs over her body putting so much weight and pressure on them. Even if Miza wasn’t yet tired, it was going to be hard to kick out of this rollup pin straightaway.

“1! 2!”

[CaptainL]

When Miza held the kendo stick aloft, she wasn't wielding it like a wrestler going for a cheap shot. No, she grasped the stick with a white-knuckled embrace, hoisting it high over her head, her eye twitching with a manic energy. Her whole body was taut, prepared to bring the stick down with enough force to hurt. It might as well have been a sledgehammer in her hands, and Miza might as well have been a homicidal maniac...which probably wasn't that far off from the truth.

However, when Miza did bring the kendo stick down with a manic cackle, it would only smack into the bare canvas! "Ahh?" Miza mused aloud, raising an eyebrow curiously at the sight. "That wasn't supposed to happen..." Indeed, Sarabeth had managed to roll herself to the side, dodging at the very last moment - and now, she had hell to pay!

Sarabeth had been pushed around for too long. Now, she flew into a berserk rage, bludgeoning Miza under a barrage of elbows! Miza sputtered and gagged as every strike landed against her back with the sound of a thud; the kendo stick dropped from her hands and clattered against the mat, and she doubled forward with a pained groan as she clutched at her chest. And that was only the beginning - it was about to get a lot worse, when Sarabeth slammed a kick right between Miza's legs!

"GYAAAH!!" The redhead dropped forward onto her hands and knees as everything suddenly went numb. Her whole body was throbbing with pain, and her eyes were squeezed shut. The fans burst out into cheers - even if it had been a cheap shot, no one would've dared to boo Sarabeth. She had been backed into a corner, but now she was fighting back and hitting the Selection where it hurt. Even if they'd engineered this match to be her downfall, she wasn't going to let them get away with it! They were cheering on every move as Sarabeth rolled her weight forward and pulled Miza into a pin, and as Miza threw her hips back and forth in a desperate bid to struggle free, they counted along with every call of the ref. It was high time that Sarabeth took these matters into her own hands!

"THREE!"

Try as she might, Miza wasn't able to get out - not between the paralyzing pain from the low blow, and the tight pressure that Sarabeth was weighing down on her as she folded her body in half. Another gong sounded. Once again, Sarabeth had claimed victory over one of the members of the Selection! It seemed as though the pendulum was swinging back her way after all - and if she had taken out Miza even faster than Saka, perhaps she had a chance after all!

But if anyone believed for a second that Sarabeth was in control here, they would soon be corrected. Once again, the lights cut, plunging the arena into darkness for few seconds. A moment later, the darkness would be broken by a single faint blue spotlight that shone down over Sarabeth and Miza. This time, the Young Lioness's last opponent hadn't vanished - Miza was still there, pinned beneath her. But standing just above Sarabeth, with her foot planted between her shoulder blades, was Roxanne Wolf, the leader of the Wild Jackals. And she stared down at Sarabeth with a withering glare, her arms crossed and her body rigid.

Spoiler

"You might've beaten my girls," she growled, "but I won't be that easy." She lifted her boot, prepared to stomp Sarabeth directly on her back!