Arriving for an Excursion

[CaptainL]

With everyone hitting it off as well as they were with their designated sparring partners, the excursionees were ready to throw down then and there. Kayla might not have been quite as enthusiastic as the two Young Lionesses, but she was eager to prove herself and show off her skills, and the more Michiko spoke to Sophia, the more excited she grew at the thought of testing her potential in the ring. In fact, everyone was so eager to get things started that they had forgotten the fact that they weren't actually due to start sparring just yet - until Hank mentioned it.

"...Oh," Kayla muttered to herself before glancing down with a huff. She shrugged her shoulders, but she still deflated a little as she let out a breath. She'd come into this looking forward to showing the world she was a capable wrestler who deserved to be taken seriously, but it seemed like that was going to have to wait. "Okay, then..." Still, she reminded herself, she was grateful for the fact she'd been granted such an opportunity at all. She couldn't lose sight of that.

Sheila and Meiyun, on the other hand, were more willing to wear that disappointment on their sleeves, as both let out sighs by the moment Hank said that he would have to step aside. "Aaaw..." Meiyun muttered. "You're not saying we came all that way just to wait around? Doing nothing?"

"That might be for the best, though," Michiko pointed out. "We're all still recovering from the flight, so having some down time to rest will do us good."

Sheila's attention was focused on another part of the conversation, however. "Hey, wait...who shampoos a carpet, anyway? I thought that was for your hair. Have I been doing things wrong this whole time?"

"Yes," Hana cut in without a moment's hesitation, drawing a glare from the Australian girl.

On the other side of the spectrum, Kirie breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of knowing she wouldn't have to go up against Shelley right away. She quickly turned around to face Hiro with a grin, grabbing him by the arm and leading him down the aisle to the exercise balls. "Well!~ Well then. Looks like we won't need to worry about that, will we, Hiro-kun? C'mon, you can spot me!"

"I...don't have a choice, do I..?"

With the rest of the group dispersing, Michiko decided to head over to the leg press, getting in line behind Logan for when he was done. Kayla drew in a deep breath as she proceeded to the bicycle machines, getting on one beside Max. "Well, might as well get some training in," she muttered to herself as she looked off at the others. Hana, looking around the room, was quick to notice a girl who looked uptight and snobbish, which she knew made for the perfect target, and went over to the weights, where she proceeded to lean nonchalantly against the weight rack with her arms folded, staring at Cinderella with a flat "Sup?" But Meiyun quickly caught sight of her fellow Reformation members, and before anyone had a chance to get another word in, she took off for Jonathan and Daniel, dragging Sheila along behind her as she waved her hand to them. "Guys! We made it in okay!~"

[Pegasus]

Everyone dispersed among themselves ready to see who they could meet and greet with while Hank checked on the sparring room. Emily just went back to her phone having her own peace of mind, Sophia waddled off somewhere with her hands in her pocket, and Shelley started doing some arm curls to loosen up her muscles. Cinderella would be lifting the weights high as she was seen with her long blonde hair done up in a royal bun wearing light blue and teal blue exercise clothes. Her butler stood by in his own gym clothes as he helped the princess re-rack the weights only for Hana to come up to her and she sounded a little confused.

“Pardon me? May I help you?” Cinderella asked in a somewhat haughty British accent.

Logan got off the leg press and saw Michiko before shrugging his shoulders moving on without another thought.

Nick would get on his feet seeing Hiro and Kirie come near his area as he chuckled at how excited Kirie was. “She can’t keep her hands off ya, huh, stud?” Nick joked with a friendly wink towards Hiro.

Max would be focused on his bike training as he passed a brief glimpse at Kayla and then turned to get a better look gasping as he saw his on and off girlfriend. Max is revealed to be African-American with short curly brown, but oranged-dyed hair wearing a black tank top, green shorts, and white sneakers with an orange trim.

“Kay-Kay, is that really you?” Max asked as he stopped pedaling for a second.

“Huh? Oh, Sheila, Meiyun! Good to see you kids around!” Jonathan greeted the Young Lionesses as he stuck out his left hand to high-five the both of them. “I don’t think you two had the pleasure of meeting Daniel. Shiela, you saw him at the wedding, but I’m pretty sure you guys haven’t chatted.”

[CaptainL]

By engaging Hana, Cinderella had taken the bait. Mission accomplished. The first phase of Hana's plan had already fallen into place - and when she heard the refined tones in her voice and the air of bewilderment they carried, the Korean girl had to bite at her tongue to keep herself from cracking up in anticipation. She already knew this was going to be good - the stuck-up ones were always the most amusing to mess with. Even after Cinderella engaged her, Hana barely moved. She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. She wasn't going to do anything to her, or engage her with more than a few words. All she was out to do was to see how long it'd take her to crack. "Hi," she muttered flatly and matter-of-factly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

When Logan stepped off the leg press, Michiko nodded her head to him with a smile and got in, setting the weights to her level. "Thank you," she said before settling into place. She began to run through the motions, pushing her feet up against the plate, but then, she took a pause. This wasn't all about getting exercise in, she thought - she was also here to acquaint herself with the people who would become her new coworkers. And if she and Logan were going to be in this company together, the least she could do was to get started by intoducing herself. "By the way," she explained, "I'm Michiko, from LAW. And you are?"

Hiro was already getting embarrassed by Kirie's antics, and when Nick caught on to them, that wasn't getting any easier. He looked off, gritting his teeth as his face flushed red. "Please, don't...don't make this any harder than it needs to be," he began - but Kirie, undeterred, just hugged him tightly from behind with a cheerful giggle. "Yeah, because we loooove each other that much!~ You hear that, Hiro-kun? They see us!~"

"Yeah, I...I know they do," Hiro grumbled. His face would only flush an even deeper red as he hugged his arms closer to his sides, wishing he was anywhere but here.

He wouldn't be the only one confronted with embarrassment, though. Kayla was just getting started in setting up the bike, but when she heard Max call out to her, she froze. It had been a while since they'd last seen each other, but she'd recognize him anywhere - not the least because no one else called her Kay-Kay. And when she was here to rebuild her image and put herself forward as a serious competitor, the last thing she needed was a cutesy nickname. When she looked back at him, she smiled awkwardly for a moment, but then her face flushed a vivid red as she looked down at her feet. "N-Not so loud...we agreed you wouldn't call me that where other people can hear, remember?" With everyone else occupied in their own business, Kayla wasn't convinced anyone was listening, but she wasn't one to take her chances.

And the two Young Lionesses were eager as ever to greet Jonathan - both of them hopped up to slap a high-five against his hand, before turning to each other for another high-five. Jonathan was no stranger, of course - but Daniel was someone less familiar. Sheila held a finger to her chin, thinking through her thoughts to figure out if she could remember him, but Meiyun hadn't seen him before at all. Nevertheless, Meiyun was quick to clear her throat, and bowed her head politely in his direction. "I'm Meiyun Lai, Young Lioness, and future strongest wrestler in LAW!" she added, holding up a fist and tensing her bicep...which was less than impressive with the middleweight she was.

"And I'm Sheila!" her friend chimed in soon after with a wave. "We're both here for the excursion. You think you can teach us a few things?"

[Pegasus]

Romero would see the princess talking to Hana which was disrupting their mandatory gym time. He was a middle-aged tan-skinned man as he came over dressed in a black t-shirt, baggy black sweatpants, and white sneakers. He cleared his throat to gain Hana’s attention before addressing her in his usual professional tone.

“Pardon me, miss, but her majesty is currently undergoing necessary arm strength training and we really don’t need to be behind schedule. She has two more hours on the clock with three breaks in-between each session. I kindly ask you make this brief. What is your business with her Majesty?” Romero asked as he stood with hands firmly behind his back.

Nick slapped Hiro on the back and extended his hand forward to be nice.

“Ah, just pullin’ yer leg, partner. I’m Nick. Nice to meet you, man. You too, little miss,” Nick greeted.

Logan was about to walk off until Michiko got his attention and he figured he would be nice to the newbies coming.

“I’m Logan. Leader of the Varsity Bulls. The hell is LAW?” Logan asked bluntly.

Max snickered to himself as Kayla always hated when he used cute nicknames in public.

“You can afford to mellow out a bit, Kayla. A nickname won’t melt ya,” Max teased.

“Nice to meet both of you officially. As for teaching you guys, I’m not sure what we can teach that they don’t teach you already where you’re from. John’s here so you can probably do stuff with him, Meiyun,” Daniel suggested as he saw a muscular bald man using the ropes and doing a little battle cry to pump himself up.

[CaptainL]

Oh, ho, this was going to be good. As Romero went up to address Hana face to face, the Korean girl had to squeeze a fist tighter behind her back just to keep herself from breaking out into a big, dumb smile - she knew how much that would compromise her plans, after all. But this almost seemed too good to be true. She could tell from Cinderella's attitude that she was dealing with someone who thought herself far more important than she really was. But this all but confirmed it. She had a designated attendant just to keep other people out of her business? She had her schedule laid out this meticulously? She insisted on being referred to as her majesty? She was exactly the sort of person Hana would have fun messing with. All too much fun.

For a moment, she stood there, focused intently on Romero. The grin on her face kept growing wider and wider, like she knew something big, but didn't want to tell it to anyone. She wanted to let this sink in for as long as she could stretch it out for, just to see how she could lead Romero on; how long he was willing to let her waste his time. And then...she just shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. "Eh. I dunno."

Hiro, meanwhile, huffed, rubbing the back of his neck as Nick introduced himself. "No, uh, trust me, you have no idea how right you are. But, uh, I'm Hiro-"

"And I'm Kirie!!" The pink-haired girl excitedly cut in in front of him with a big grin on her face before he had a chance to finish. "He's the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, and I'm sooo proud to have him as my manager!" At that, Hiro's face deepened a few more shades of red, and he glanced off, wishing he could be anywhere but here.

When Logan introduced himself to Michiko, she opened her mouth, already formulating her response - only for it to fall dead in her throat when she saw that he had no idea what LAW was. That was far more striking, given the circumstances. She put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm...sorry?" she said. "How can you not know what LAW is? You're in the wrestling business and you don't even recognize another promotion? Let alone the one you're working with? Well..." She cleared her throat, planting one first against her side and thrusting the other in the air in a dramatic flourish. "...the League of Anime Wrestling is only Japan's proudest contribution to the world of combat sports, and it's my honor to stand as its representative here in this excursion, so that I might bring some of that greatness to WFPW!" With that, she crossed her arms. "You know, I could just as easily ask what a Varsity Bull is..."

At Max's teasing, Kayla's face flushed red again, but this time, she looked off to the side, letting out a breath before she continued in a softer voice. "...Yeah...sorry," she began. She glanced back over toward Max, where she cracked just the slightest hint of a smile before placing her hand in his. When she felt it there, she squeezed it a little tighter, as though she was reassuring herself in his presence. Maybe the world around her seemed like it had gone mad...but he was still someone she could confide in, and maybe find a little bit of stability in. "I guess it's just that...I'm really excited for the opportunity here. I feel like this is finally my chance to reinvent myself, and come out on top as a real star. I don't want to blow it out of the gate..."

Daniel might have expressed his concerns as to how much he would be able to teach the two Young Lionesses, but that didn't slow them down one bit. Meiyun just sank into a stance, pounding one fist against her palm as a grin flashed across her face. "Oh, that's no problem at all. Any training we can get is good training!" Sheila, too, was getting herself worked up - the moment she saw what John was doing, her own smile grew wider. This guy looked like he was her style, all right! She clambored up onto the apron and pumped a fist in the air, echoing John's battle cry with one of her own.

And in fact...that gave Meiyun an idea. Tapping at her chin, she looked back and forth between John and Daniel. "Hey, there's two of us and two of you...maybe we could practice some team moves together." She had, after all, competed alongside her fellow Young Lioness Nico Cardona under WFPW's banner, so getting some more team experience couldn't hurt!

[Pegasus]

Romero narrowed his gaze and adjusted his glasses as he looked over Hana. He coughed and cleared his throat before backing away from the troll. Romero could see she just wanted to waste his valuable time and he doesn’t want to let his princess falter. The butler turned to his princess and nodded.

“It seems the young miss here just wants to disfigure our time, your majesty. Let’s just ignore her and continue, shall we?” Romero asked.

“I suppose. Then again, maybe she has something to tell us. You know, the kind of people like her act like the jesters back home,” Cinderella retorted to her butler. “Maybe she could crack a few jokes and entertain me?”

“I rather not get sidetracked by sideshow antics. Maybe she’s better built for a puppet show or something,” Romero scoffed.

Logan scoffed just rolling his eyes as he stared down at Michiko with a stern glare. “Trust me when I say….you don’t want to mess with the Varsity Bulls. I work here, not for your dumb company. I don’t have time to watch Japanese wrestling when I’m repping touchdowns on the football field. You better learn some respect or me, my boys, and Becky will tackle you into the dirt.”

Nick just chuckled to himself as he shook Hiro’s hand and even did the least by getting Kirie an exercise ball to start working out with. Nick patted Hiro on the back.

“If you need a moment to compose yourself, take a bathroom break. I’ll help the missy start out.”

Max smiled and grabbed Kayla’s hand as he got off the bike machine pulling her off and giving her a gentle hug. “I know you’ll knock it out of the park here. It’s like me and my family. We all set out on our own paths. My brother played basketball and eventually coached others, Jasmine went to medical school and now, she’s a respected doctor. Koko started making mixtapes and now, he’s signed to a label as a rap star. And there’s me and you, we wanted to do this and we’re here now. I remember our first date back in England. You showed me a really good time.”

“Hey John, we got some new recruits here!” Daniel called to his best friend as the bald guy turned around.

“Was that the battle cry of a fellow warrior I heard?” John asked as he came over to the two YLs.

“This is Meiyun and that’s Sheila who uttered it. They want to try building some team moves with us. Maybe even incorporate Jonathan in somehow,” Daniel stated as Jonathan just said “Maybe?”

John crossed his arms over his massive chest giving it some thought. “Digging the idea, but….can you girls handle what the Submission Machine could bring to your lives? My Suplex Initiation will tell me everything.”

[CaptainL]

Some people might have been disheartened by being brushed off by those around them. But not Hana. Even when Cinderella disparaged her to her face, she just grinned a little bit wider - knowing that her very presence was enough to irritate the two of them told her that her ploy was working, and she folded her arms behind her back, leaning in toward Cinderella to get even just an inch closer to her face. They were doing exactly what they weren't supposed to do - feeding the troll. In acknowledging Hana's antics, they were telling her that her tricks were working, and that she could only expect to get more amusement out of their annoyance if she kept it up. With that in mind, she had no reason not to keep escalating!

"Aww, what's the matter?" she huffed. "You know, I do birthday parties too, if that's more your speed." Then, she lay down on a nearby bench, her hands folded behind her head, reclining as casually as she would be if she were sunbathing on the beach - and doing absolutely no work whatsoever, even if she was in the gym. "I'm just layin' around. I had a long trip, y'know. Can't a girl rest?"

Michiko had been eager to introduce herself, but Logan only met that with a glare. And that was enough to tell the lilac-haired girl that she couldn't expect to hit it off with him as freely as she thought. But she wasn't going to back down, either. She knew a challenge when she saw one, and she needed to show that her burning spirit and her dedication toward justice would carry her through, even in the face of danger! She only locked a glare on Logan in turn, her muscles going firm as she crossed her arms and leaned in closer - her very posture was a message that she wasn't going to let herself be pushed around so easily. "I'll show you some respect when you show me you've earned it," she huffed. "And you sound like nothing more than a bully to me - and I doubt the people you keep as company are much better! I have no reason to respect those who have none to spare! So don't push me!"

Hiro could overhear some of their conversation - and he stared back in Michiko's direction, blinking a few times in bewilderment. Michiko...really didn't know when to back it off, he could see. He just hoped that wouldn't get her into too much trouble. Either way, when Nick gave him some advice, he was brought back down to reality, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, maybe I'm just too tense. I...kinda run into that a lot, but..."

Kirie took the exercise ball, and started to go through a few ab crunches with it - but when she looked up to take note of the conversation, she began to put two and two together in her mind. Nick was giving her things? And urging Hiro to leave? Her eyes narrowed in a glare - this didn't seem right! Surely, there were more sinister motives at hand! "HEY!" she snapped. "Is this some ploy to hit on me? Because I'm not interested, you know-!"

Hiro let out a sigh. Aaaand there was why he felt so tense. If there was ever a cue for him to go, this would be it. "...I should take your advice," he muttered, turning to head for the bathroom.

Kayla let Max pull her into a hug, and as she leaned in against his chest, she let out a long, deep breath; the tension began to flow out of her body as she did, causing her to grow slack against him. Yes, she thought to herself; she really was getting too caught up in everything - and she needed to put her trust in him. Someone who cared. She should be happy to have someone to lean on like him when she was at a crossroads in her life, left to redefine herself in a new promotion, with new people, and looking toward a future that was uncertain, but that could offer her the opportunity of a lifetime. It was scary, sure - but she had someone to guide her.

Even if she did blush when he brought up their date. "Y-Yeah, heh...well..." She cleared her throat and stood a little straighter, changing the subject. She looked back at the bikes, but that was when an idea came to her. "Hey, you wanna hit the track? If we're gonna warm up, we might as well do it together..."

Sheila didn't waste a moment - she got into the ring, facing John with a grin on her face as she crossed her arms defiantly. She wasn't going to let anyone intimidate her into backing down - not when she was here to show off her talents to the world! "It doesn't matter if I take on you, or Daniel, or even both of you at the same time - with or without Meiyun!" she boasted. "I'm undefeated at TLC matches! I can take it!"

Even if Sheila was perhaps picking a fight too big for her, Meiyun did nothing to deescalate the situation - although, when Sheila mentioned she could take on the team without her, she did cut in with a "Hey!!" Nevertheless, she could feel the hype, and she was getting lost in it just as much as her classmate. Meiyun quickly struck a fighting stance, pounding her fist against her palm and cracking her knuckles. "And it doesn't matter how good you are with submissions, because I'll be able to bring you low before you even get your hands on either of us!" Even if Meiyun was by all accounts outmatched, she was sure it would just make things more impressive if she managed to beat him!

[Pegasus]

Hank would come back out into the main room as he noticed all of the tension and mingling going on. He clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention as he cleared his throat.

“Sparring room is ready. The cleaners confirmed they got done 10 minutes ago. The six rings in there are all ready for today’s practice and showcase, but it seems we do have some other volunteers going on. I’d say this, Kayla gets her shot at Shelley first while Shiela and Meiyun team up for some intergender sparring against Daniel and John. Kirie takes on Emily, Hana takes on Cinderella, and Michiko can take on Sophia. This way to the mats,” Hank explained.

Max grabbed Kayla’s hand giving a firm squeeze. “Look who is finally getting her chance to branch out. Maybe you’ll be okay with me being your manager?”

Emily smirked and cracked her knuckles seeing Kirie across the room. Sophia made a nod over to Michiko as Logan just scoffed moving on from the justice wrestler. Shelley smirked over at Kayla ready to bring her MMA experience to the table against Kayla’s Strong Style training. Cinderella was smiling ear to ear as Romero helped her up and the butler gave Hana a very narrowed glare as he had to indulge in her antics more.

Daniel and John fist bumped as Daniel looked over at the two rookies. “Don’t make it too easy on us then.”

Hank led everyone into a big auditorium room that was filled with six wrestling rings with standard black ropes and turnbuckle pads. All the apron coverings had the WFPW logo on them and studio lights were turned on by the production booth on the second floor. A small titantron and entrance stage would be provided as well. Ali came up to everyone that was participating and pointed over to the locker rooms.

“Please grab your gear and put them on and then we can move on to entrances.” Ali instructed.

[CaptainL]

The various wrestlers of both promotions had had plenty of opportunity to introduce themselves to one another. Barely an hour into the excursion, new friendships and rivalries had been forged, and for many, they were sure that they hadn't seen their new coworkers for the last time. But now, it was time to move on - and when Hank stepped back out to make his announcement, every head turned in his direction. When Kayla heard the news that she would be first up against Shelley, she smiled a little to herself, bringing her hands together to crack her knuckles. "Alright," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, as she drew in a deep breath. She knew full well how much potential Shelley saw in her, and if this was her chance to prove it to her first-hand...then so be it.

Of course, her attention was quickly diverted as Max gave her hand a squeeze. The confident, bold look fell from Kayla's face, and in its place was a meek smile as she glanced down with a blush. He really wasn't being subtle with this whole thing...but, at the same time, he was right. If she was getting recognized, and getting opportunities, she had to be moving in the right direction. "I...don't think it'd hurt," she added softly, taking care that only Max would hear. "But whatever she throws at me, I can handle it, alright?"

Sheila and Meiyun, meanwhile, turned to each other to slap a quick high-five. "Aaaaall right!~" It wouldn't be their first time working together in a tag match, but that was still something they hadn't gotten to do all that often, and they were eager to show Daniel and John what they could do. Meiyun even flashed a grin back in the direction of the two men and pointed a finger toward them. "It's about time you saw the spirit in a couple of Young Lionesses!" she boasted.

When Hana heard that she and Cinderella would be facing off, she crossed her arms and shot a smug grin back in her next opponent's direction. She didn't say a word - that one smug look was all she would need to get her point across. Hana had already reveled in the opportunity to mess around with Cinderella's head, and now, she could only wait to put her patience to the test.

With Hank's order for everyone to get in gear, most of the wrestlers made their way off toward the locker room. Sheila had begun to undress right there on the way, without a care as to what she was doing - something that made Hiro spin back around to face her, face red and eyes wide in shock. But Kirie was right behind him, and she quickly clasped her hands over her boyfriend's eyes before casting a glare at the Australian. "OHHH no you don't!! I'm not going to let any of you little hussies seduce my darling Hiro-kun away from me, you got it!?"

"Kirie, calm down..." Hiro muttered. Even if he couldn't see Sheila, he was already blushing hard from Kirie's outburst more than anything else. But Sheila didn't even seem to realize what was going on. "Huh..? What'd I do?"

"...In here." Meiyun grabbed her by the arm, leading her along into the locker room. Soon enough, everyone was in gear and hanging around backstage, waiting on the signal for who would enter first.

[Pegasus]

Hank and Ali would step back as Ali started cycling through the order of entrance music that was getting ready to play on the screen. Since there were no referees available at this time, this would be just simple sparring and the wrestlers could make it as real as they wanted although they would have to count their own pins due to the lack of referees at this time. Ali then played the first entrance theme as it was time for the newcomers to show what they learned in LAW.

Shelley’s Theme Song

https://youtu.be/Rpmk3P1hdkw?si=MweaHsnS2aNbk63H

Shelley heard her music start as she threw a thumbs up to Kayla as she came out screaming a battle cry wearing her cowboy leather jacket over a bright red MMA sports bra, bright red and black MMA trunks, red fingerless MMA gloves, and red and black wrestling boots. She grinned with her mouthpiece in slapping her own head before grabbing the middle rope to one of the rings heading inside as she screamed and beat her chest.

Daniel and John’s Theme Song

https://youtu.be/JMfcIiH_OBw?si=fqRIOGK7OPMc7LZT

Daniel and John came out of the curtain as John wore a white towel around his neck, brown sweatpants, and no footwear as Daniel wore a blue “My Hero Academia” t-shirt, white shorts, and white sneakers as they both fist bumped. Daniel loosened himself as he went to the closest ring he found hopping on the apron as John joined him throwing the towel off before both men got in the ring.

Emily Workman’s Theme Song

https://youtu.be/BzE1mX4Px0I?si=xUJ0pxaIITyO1hsC

Emily came out in a grey tank top and ripped blue jeans with black combat boots on as she cracked her neck. She just went to the closest ring near her getting on the apron and headed inside as she saw all the other wrestlers warming up around her.

Cinderella’s Theme Song

https://youtu.be/8Paqvq7XZGs?si=0rFKdHzoEU-d4xn9

Cinderella didn’t have her usual graceful entrance as she came out with her hair in a long ponytail wearing a teal blue spandex bra, teal blue trunks, and white boots as Romero followed her out in a black royal suit with a yellow tie, a pocket watch in his suit pocket, white fancy gloves, white dress shirt, and black dress shoes. Cinderella did a twirl as Romero led her over to one of the rings and helped her up on the apron as Cindy slipped into the ring ready for Hana and to teach her some manners.

Sophia’s Theme Song

https://youtu.be/9gUQcgHM634?si=i5yPWtDZvDVqiWDk

Sophia came out wearing a black t-shirt along with Jean shorts along with black elbow and knee pads and black combat boots with white laces as she stormed over to one of the empty rings sliding in as she immediately tugged on the top rope to warm up.