SIBLING RIVALRY
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"Go home," said Holly Brockler. The hawaiian girl finished changing into her fighting attire as she poured some water into her long, curly hair and brushed it back. She wore an orange baby-tee and red brief tights.
"Just tell me what you think!" Leilani Brockler pulled on the short grass skirt over her yellow sleeveless leotard. As she put on a lei flower necklace, her sister gave her a disapproving look.
"If you wear those on the mat, someone will feed them to you. Will you just leave?" Holly closed her locker. "I don't care if you want to get the shit kicked out of you, but I really don't want to watch."
"I'm taking the lei off before I fight," answered Leilani. "Give me a little more credit, would ya? I've almost beaten YOU a couple of times."
"We were KIDS!" replied Holly.
"I'm old enough to decide what I want to do," said Leilani, petulantly. "I've always wanted to be a fighter. You're just scared that you'll get beat up by your little sister."
"I'm more worried about getting beat up by a monster. The only stress you're adding to my plate is that I might have to kick my little sister's ass." Holly turned to leave.
Her sister followed close behind. "You picked a great place for us to both compete. I read up on it!"
"I'm so proud that my idiot sister is literate," muttered Holly, as she and her sister entered the main arena area.
"The Combat Lotto. High rollers in the audience, decent entry purses with big bonuses for winning..." Leilani tapped her lip for a moment. "Rumor has it the fights aren't as random as they say, though. They're supposed to just pull competitor names from a bin and toss the winner's back inside. Means there's a risk for us, and I found a site all about times that the name draw's looked rigged for all kinds of reasons."
"Listen!" Holly turned and grabbed Leilani by the side of her neck, raising a fist. "You're really, REALLY pushing your luck-"
"Keep it in the ring," said an arena attendent, looming beside Holly and Leilani until Holly lowered her fist and continued walking.
Holly fumed as her sister grinned behind her. Then, her eyes widened as Roger walked by.
"What's up, Holly?" asked the blonde kickboxer, dressed in a red pair of shorts. "Here to try your luck as well, eh?"
"Hi! I'm Holly's sister, Leilani." The smaller hawaiian girl waved to Roger. He paused, slowly turning to give Holly a look.
"Just...just...don't say anything," muttered Holly.
----
Sitting with her arms crossed, Holly tried to keep her eyes forward. She and Roger ended up on either side of Leilani, all seated on the benches that lined one side of the raised fighting platform. Audience bleachers filled in the other three sides.
"Niu Xiu, get in the ring!"
A teenaged chinese girl hopped onto the platform, wearing a sparkling green sports top with matching silken pants. Her hair was braided back, held out of her eyes as she performed a series of kicks before holding one leg straight up beside her head.
Leilani immediately pointed and nudged Holly. "Look! I'm not the only youngblood in here."
"Good for you," said Holly, in a dead voice.
"Paula Dynamo, get in the ring!"
Metal bracelets on her wrists and a red sleeveless unitard on her body, the bob-cut brunette pumped her fist to the crowd as she entered the ring. Paula shadowboxed for a few moments before slamming a punch down onto the floor, rippling the entire mat.
Niu Xiu attacked first with six alternating spinning kicks. Paula parried each one hard with her fists. Niu stepped in closer and threw two knees towards Paula's gut, each of which was also met with a punching defense. Making a frustrated noise, the chinese girl lifted a leg high up and axe-kicked it down. Paula ducked slightly, uppercutting her opponent's incoming hamstring. Niu Xiu arched her body for one more attack, displaying amazing flexibility as she executed a scorpion kick, her leg kicking around and over her back. Paula wound up as Niu Xiu performed the maneuver, and slammed her knuckle straight into the sole of the chinese girl's oncoming foot.
There was a look of frightened realization on Niu Xiu's face as she stepped back, and immediately stumbled. Panting, the chinese teen gently ran her hands over her legs and felt crippling pain throughout both limbs. She looked back at Paula, who shrugged and gave her a wink.
Screaming a shrill battle cry, Niu Xiu took a wild swing at Paula, who responded by stepping forward and punching the chinese girl in her armpit. Then, she threw a hook with her other fist, scoring a deep blow into Niu Xiu's kidney. Niu Xiu gagged and doubled over, clutching her side as Paula took hold of her chin and righted her body. The chinese fighter gave a pleading look as she gasped for breath, while Paula gently tapped her forehead and smirked.
Suddenly, there were six loud impacts. A left cross and a right cross, snapping Niu Xiu's head from side to side as spit sprayed from her mouth. Two deep body blows, once again doubling the chinese girl over as she coughed something up onto the mat. Finally, a hook to the side of Niu Xiu's face followed by a finishing uppercut. The chinese teen flipped over in place, landing on her head before coming to a rest facedown on the floor.
"Niu Xiu's luck has run out!"
Paula knelt down over Niu Xiu's body, holding her down with one hand as she raised the other into the air. As the crowd's cheers hit an apex, Paula slammed the fist into the back of Niu Xiu's head. The chinese girl's body flopped as a shockwave ran through her, flattening her face into the mat with a bloody spatter. After Paula did a victory lap and headed back to the benches, Niu Xiu was dragged off of the ring and out of the arena.
"Looks like you're the only youngblood in here now," muttered Holly.
"So the fights are brutal, big surprise," replied Leilani. "At least this place can afford some high-end medical tech."
"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that if you lose you won't be crippled, that's a great attitude," said Holly.
"Mac Brogan, get in the ring!"
His face painted and hair wild, Mac Brogan's arm tassles flailed as he ran laps around the ring and hooted loudly to the crowd. A girl with similar face paint hooted back at him from fighter benches.
"Roger Jones, get in the ring!"
"Atta boy, Roger," said Holly as Roger headed for the platform. He warmed up with a few kicks and elbows before the match began.
Dashing back as Mac Brogan ran towards him, Roger threw a hard heel kick towards the side of his opponent's head. Mac Brogan tilted his neck, barely dodging the blow and grabbing hold of Roger while the kickboxer had one leg in mid-air. The face-painted fighter suplexed Roger overhead, dropping him skull-first onto the mat. Still holding onto Roger, Mac Brogan lifted him onto his shoulders and then spiked him facefirst into the floor in one smooth motion.
"Roger Jones' luck has run out!"
"Already?!" Holly threw her hands into the air. "Roger, you careless idiot!"
Mac Brogan leapt into the air, dropping a hard headbutt into the side of Roger's head to finish the kickboxer off. He then spent some time running laps around the ring in celebration as Roger was dragged away.
"Wow," said Leilani, after a while. "Your friend kinda sucked."
"That's just what happens when you're not paying attention," said Holly.
"And now, following her brother's amazing performance...Betti Brogan, get in the ring!"
Playing to the crowd even more energetically than her big brother, Betty Brogan's hair was short and messy. She wore a blue swimsuit with arm tassles just like Mac's.
"Leilani Brockler, get in the ring!"
"Here goes..." said Leilani, looking at Holly with a moment of unsureness. Holly gave her a nod as she slowly headed to the mat. Leilani quickly shot a winning smile to the crowd, taking off her lei necklace. The grass skirt brushed over her bare legs as she stretched and prepared for her first match.
Yelling in a shrill voice, Betti dove into Leilani and began to grapple with her. Leilani was not expecting such a direct attack and found herself off-guard long enough to receive a sloppy bodyslam. The sensation of being lifted and thrown was not something she was used to, and it shocked her into a heightened sense of tension. As Betti tried to pull her to her feet, Leilani stunned her with a hard blow to one of her ears.
A turning side-kick struck Betti in the gut. Repeating the maneuver, Leilani wobbled as her opponent caught her foot. Betti reared back an arm, snarling in response to Leilani's nervous request to be let go, and then blasted her with a tackling lariat. Betti crawled on top of her opponent and began to apply a front facelock, but began to shriek as Leilani grabbed hold of her scalp and yanked it in several directions. A chop to the throat forced Betti to fall to the side, and Leilani rolled away from her to catch her breath.
Once both fighters finally stood, Betti was enraged and grabbed hold of Leilani. Once again, she began to overpower the hawaiian girl and take control of the grapple. Then, Betti's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. She made a quiet noise as her body froze from the low-blow she had just suffered. Leilani grabbed her shoulders and delivered another hard knee straight into Betti's groin. The wrestler girl went knock-kneed, straining to stay on her feet as tears formed in her eyes. Leilani was able to take her time to deliver a backhanded elbow strike into Betti's face, finally toppling the girl over.
"Betti Brogan's luck has run out!"
Betti inadvertantly curled up, still in pain from the low-blows Leilani had dealt out. The hawaiian girl began stomping on Betti's head, ceasing once the wrestler girl was left staring at the ceiling and sputtering bloody spittle. Panting heavily, Leilani wiped sweat from her brow and then got on the floor wrap her legs around Betti's head and neck from behind. Betti struggled one last time, but the legscissor choke quickly left her shuddering and unconscious. Leilani released her, looking elated as she stood up and beamed at the crowd.
"What'd ya think?" asked Leilani, still a little breathless as she sat next to Holly.
"You are a fucking dirty player," said Holly, watching as Betti's brother helped her removal from the ring. "It's embarassing."
"I knew you'd find something wrong, even if I won." Leilani turned away from her sister. "Typical."
"At least I don't fight like a drunk chick in a bar," replied Holly.
"Holly Brockler, get in the ring!"
"Looks like it's my turn," said Holly.
"Don't leave me alone out here," cooed Leilani, grinning snarkily as her sister gave her a dirty look.
"Nicasio, get in the ring!"
Wearing only blue briefs, the greek wrestler's oiled muscles made Holly take a half-step back as he entered the ring with her. He made a show of flexing once, while Holly tried to ignore it and warm up.
Nicasio was knocked off-balance immediately as Holly leapt and slammed an elbow into his cheek. She followed up with two bodyblows and a kneelift. Throwing a high kick, Holly winced as Nicasio caught her ankle. The greek fighter quickly slipped an arm under Holly's shoulder and pulled her high overhead before slamming her onto the mat. Holly rolled and stood, throwing a hard right into Nicasio's cheek and further bruising the area. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, grabbing the hawaiian girl and quickly taking control. He stunned her with a pair of headbutts, leaving Holly dazed long enough for Nicasio to heave her up onto his shoulders. She began to struggle, but her opponent was still able to extend his arms and press her overhead. Holly kicked and writhed to try and tilt her way out of her predicament, a desperate look on her face as Nicasio held her aloft. Then, he threw her down. Holly hit the floor belly-first, bouncing up onto her knees and clutching her stomach as she let out a loud groan and slumped back to the mat.
Holly cried out in frustration as Nicasio pulled her back to her feet from behind, arms around her waist solidly. The greek wrestler executed a german suplex, dropping Holly headfirst and holding her in place for a few seconds before she folded over herself. Nicasio dove onto her and locked in a bow-and-arrow hold, bending Holly's back as her free arm and leg moved wildly to try and escape. The pain grew, and Holly screamed as her struggles weakened. Nicasio shifted the hold, folding one of her legs under one arm and collecting her head under the other. He stood up, wielding his opponent in a devastating maneuver. Holly's back continued to bend, as Nicasio pulled her head and folded leg back under his arms. She shrieked in agony over and over, her arms and free leg flailing in the air as her body creaked and stretched.
While the crowd cheered at what they thought to be her imminent defeat, they exploded as Holly somehow managed to throw her free leg up knee-first into Nicasio's face. She scored three hits on his injured cheek before her released her and toppled over, clutching the side of his visage. Holly lay writhing for a moment, then forced herself onto her hands and knees as Nicasio got up. She pushed herself forward, grabbing Nicasio's head and throwing her elbow into his cheek over and over. With a cry of effort, she turned and threw a heel into the greek fighter's face. There was a loud crack as Nicasio spat some blood, twisted, and collapsed facedown on the mat.
"Nicasio's luck has run out!"
Without pausing for breath, Holly leapt into the air and landed knees-first on the back of Nicasio's head, forcing a shudder from the greek wrestler. She tried to stand, but suddenly clutched her back and fell to her knees. Holly had to crawl out of the ring before tenderly getting back to her seat.
"Holy shit, sis," said Leilani.
"Watch your mouth," replied Holly, wincing and gritting her teeth.
"Are ya gonna be okay?" asked Leilani, giving a sideline glance of concern. "Maybe you should quit."
Holly opened one eye to give Leilani a look. "I don't do this to quit. That's not how you make cash in the ring. Sounds like you just want me out of the way."
Leilani did not answer as she decided to look up at the lighting fixtures instead.
"Barefoot Butterfly, get in the ring!"
An impish blonde girl gracefully entered the ring, wearing a butterfly-themed sports top and flowing loincloth. She did a slow, ritualistic dance before throwing aside the shawl around her shoulders.
"Fujo, get in the ring!"
Glowering beneath her dreadlocked dark hair, Fujo was a large african woman wearing a black swimsuit and little else. She towered over Butterfly as she sized her up, leaving her opponent intimidated before the match even began.
When the fighters did engage, Barefoot Butterfly managed to take two steps before Fujo clubbed one side of her head, followed by the other. Butterfly fell to her knees, cradling her skull as Fujo reached down and heaved her into the air. The african fighter caught Butterfly on the way down in a bearhug so fierce, it forced the blonde girl to scream her submission within seconds. Fujo crushed her until foamy spittle began to run from her mouth, and then tossed her aside.
"Barefoot Butterfly's luck has run out!"
The blonde fighter lay shuddering at Fujo's feet as the huge african woman licked her lips. She applied another bearhug, lifting Butterfly right off the mat and forcing her to cry out in pain with one hard wrench. She wrenched again, and Butterfly screamed once more. Fujo smiled, delivering a headbutt before squeezing the hold again. Another headbutt briefly knocked Butterfly out, before another wrenching of the bearhug brought her around with a throaty cry. Barefoot Butterfly croaked in agony as her body cracked from another application of pressure, and lay gasping on the mat when Fujo finally released her.
Sitting down heavily on Barefoot Butterfly's chest, Fujo's weight crushed and broke her helpless opponent's ribs. The blonde girl spasmed once, coughing up blood before she came to a rest, squashed and unmoving underneath Fujo. The african fighter slowly stood up and left the ring, while Barefoot Butterfly was limply taken away.
"Was that...was that even a minute?" said Leilani, quietly.
"Maybe," groaned Holly, still in pain from her previous match. "The bigger question is whether or not that chick survived being made into a pancake."
"Shut up already," complained Leilani. "You know she'll be fine."
"Wait, what's going on?" said Holly, hearing an announcement.
"Due to her record-quick domination, Fujo will now begin her next match...immediately! Get back into the ring!"
As the african woman hungrily stepped back onto the platform, Leilani gripped her knees tensely.
"And the roulette has a special opponent for her! Tonight's giant-killer...Holly Brockler, get back in the ring!"
Holly gaped in horror as she slowly stood. Leilani gave her a worried look, saying "It's...it's alright, she's tired, this is an advantage."
"Just...shut up," answered Holly. She made her way to the ring, stepping on the platform to face Fujo. The african woman stared down Holly, who tried to warm up for a few moments before the match began. She was clearly affected by her close battle with Nicasio, wincing constantly as she circled the ring.
Holly ducked as soon as she saw Fujo make a move, avoiding a clubbing blow. She snapped a kick, followed by an elbow, into Fujo's flank. The african woman swang her fist back, once again missing Holly as she rolled beneath it. The hawaiian girl prepared to follow up, but instead had to step back and brace her lower back with one hand. Fujo watched her for a moment before taking another swing. As Holly got out of the way, Fujo windmilled her other fist around and clobbered Holly across her spine. The hawaiian girl cried out and fell, cradling her back as she tried to get back up. Fujo grabbed hold of her shoulders, wrestling to keep Holly under her control. Though she fought to get free, Holly was slowly forced to bend over before taking another hard overhand blow to the back. Now on her knees, she could only look up to watch as Fujo wound up and clubbed her across the side of her head. Blood hit the mat, followed by Holly's body.
Fujo pulled her opponent back up to her feet, holding the girl steady as she stumbled unsurely on the canvas. As Fujo's arms came around her body, Holly kicked one leg up before she was trapped in a bearhug. With one leg folded between her and Fujo, Holly was able to brace herself slightly against the crushing hold, even though it still forced her to moan in pain. She put one hand on the side of Fujo's neck and began throwing elbows against the african woman's forehead as the bearhug continued to punish her already-pained back. Fujo still held Holly off the floor as she staggered back, the elbows having cut open her forehead. Rather than release the hold, Fujo screamed almost as loud as her opponent soon did, and swang Holly left and right as she put all her strength into the bearhug. The rest of the hawaiian girl's strength was sapped almost instantly as her arms and free leg waved weakly in the air. Using the momentum of her constant swinging, Fujo hurled Holly aside to leave her in a heap on the floor.
"Get up...c'mon, sis, get up..." muttered Leilani as she watched her sister instead lay facedown on the mat and merely convulse with breath every few moments.
"Holly Brockler's luck has run out!"
Rolling Holly over onto her back, Fujo stood over her long enough for the hawaiian girl to realize what would happen before sitting down onto her chest with all her weight. Holly gagged, kicking weakly against the floor as her opponent took hold of her head and leaned down to say something. As Holly shook her head, Fujo nodded and stood up, then kicked her back over onto her stomach. Holly tried to get up, but instead screamed in pain as Fujo sat down on the small of her back. The african woman stood up, and then sat down once again to force a flop from Holly's body. Grabbing hold of her opponent's scalp, Fujo lifted Holly's face off the mat and then began banging it down into the canvas.
Leilani covered her mouth as Fujo lifted her sister's face off the mat to show the crowd a bloodied and unconscious visage. The african woman let it fall to the floor with a wet sound, and then bellowed her victory while still seated on Holly's back. Leilani got into the ring after Fujo left, making sure her sister was safely carried away.
"Leilani Brockler has volunteered to be in our next match! A big round of applause, everybody!"
The crowd cheered, but Leilani only looked upset. She had a bad feeling about being put in the ring right after her sister's defeat, and felt a cold chill in her stomach at the next announcement.
"What a twist of fate! Mac Brogan, get in the ring! The roulette has decided to let you battle the fighter that eliminated your sister!"
Leaping straight into the ring, Mac Brogan hooted at the crowd before pointing straight at Leilani. She took a half-step back, fingers gripping the sides of her grass skirt as she watched him psyche up and psyche her out. "F-freak..." she muttered to herself. "Just...breathe...he's dumb like his sister, just...just breathe and take him down."
As soon as the match began, Leilani was desperately diving left and right to avoid Mac Brogan's unending lariat attempts. Realizing that she was tiring out long before her opponent, she took to the floor and slid between his legs as he ran towards her. Locking her legs with his, she tripped Mac and caused him to crash to the ground.
Diving onto the facepainted wrestler, Leilani applied a sleeperhold and a bodyscissor, holding tight the entire time he forced himself back up to his feet. Mac Brogan grabbed hold of Leilani's head and tossed the girl over his shoulder. Reaching down to pick her up, he was staggered as she kicked a foot straight up into his groin. Scrambling to her feet, Leilani threw two more low-blow knee strikes into her opponent, followed by a turning thrust kick right into his genitals. Mac Brogan toppled over, laying in a heap.
"YEAH!" shouted Leilani, gleefully leaping with joy and playing to the crowd. She heard them cheer louder and louder, and felt as though she had finally out-done her sister. Her happiness ended as she turned around and saw an enraged Mac Brogan staring down at her, realizing that both the match was not over and he was much larger than she was.
Throwing another low-aiming knee strike, Leilani was instead caught and lifted into the air. Mac turned, swinging her overhead in an arc that ended with her body slamming into the mat. Before she could crawl to her knees, Mac pulled her up and lifted her overhead once again. Turning around, he let Leilani yelp in terror before throwing her straight out of the ring. She travelled a long distance before crashing into the fighter's seating benches, painfully flopping onto the arena floor and writhing in pain. Two ring attendents collected her, heaving her onto their shoulders and ignoring her protests before throwing her back into the ring.
Leilani had little time to collect her senses before she found herself in a lock-up with Mac Brogan. Completely outmatched in grappling prowess, the hawaiian girl's struggles were staunched with a hard knee to the side of her gut. Mac pulled her overhead in a vertical suplex position, holding Leilani upside-down for quite a while before dropping her onto her back. Grabbing a handful of her hair, Mac Brogan yanked her off the mat right into a standing position.
Only able to make pained little noises, Leilani wobbled from side to side. She was barely able to stay standing, watching helplessly as Mac Brogan once again pointed right at her, and then at the ceiling. Leilani slumped to her knees, raising her hands and shaking her head. "N-No...I give." She saw Mac Brogan pause to hear her out, and tried one last desperate plan. "I-I learned my lesson, I fought dirty a-and your sister didn't deserve it." Mac Brogan loomed silently. "I give up, I give, I-UHK!"
A hand on her throat, Leilani sputtered as she was lifted back up to her feet. "Guh-give, give, g-guh!" Mac Brogan shook her head, and then roared as he heaved her straight up into the air and over his shoulders. Leilani had only a second to struggle before she found herself pressed over his head, held in place high above the mat. The hawaiian youngster screamed in fright, shaking her head and kicking her bare legs as her grass skirt jostled overtop of them. Mac Brogan planted his feet, and then pushed her up as hard as he could. Leilani shrieked as she went up, and then down. Her voice cut off as she slapped into the mat facefirst. Spreadeagled and unmoving, Leilani's entire body spasmed once as Mac Brogan delivered a hard falling headbutt. Her hair and grass skirt were splayed all over the mat, the little hawaiian girl now a beaten body in a swimsuit that remained in the ring until she was dragged away.
----
Both girls padded painfully to the locker room, dragging their bare feet on the tiles and trying to ignore one another. As they got changed, Holly could not help but crack a smile.
-----------------
"Go home," said Holly Brockler. The hawaiian girl finished changing into her fighting attire as she poured some water into her long, curly hair and brushed it back. She wore an orange baby-tee and red brief tights.
"Just tell me what you think!" Leilani Brockler pulled on the short grass skirt over her yellow sleeveless leotard. As she put on a lei flower necklace, her sister gave her a disapproving look.
"If you wear those on the mat, someone will feed them to you. Will you just leave?" Holly closed her locker. "I don't care if you want to get the shit kicked out of you, but I really don't want to watch."
"I'm taking the lei off before I fight," answered Leilani. "Give me a little more credit, would ya? I've almost beaten YOU a couple of times."
"We were KIDS!" replied Holly.
"I'm old enough to decide what I want to do," said Leilani, petulantly. "I've always wanted to be a fighter. You're just scared that you'll get beat up by your little sister."
"I'm more worried about getting beat up by a monster. The only stress you're adding to my plate is that I might have to kick my little sister's ass." Holly turned to leave.
Her sister followed close behind. "You picked a great place for us to both compete. I read up on it!"
"I'm so proud that my idiot sister is literate," muttered Holly, as she and her sister entered the main arena area.
"The Combat Lotto. High rollers in the audience, decent entry purses with big bonuses for winning..." Leilani tapped her lip for a moment. "Rumor has it the fights aren't as random as they say, though. They're supposed to just pull competitor names from a bin and toss the winner's back inside. Means there's a risk for us, and I found a site all about times that the name draw's looked rigged for all kinds of reasons."
"Listen!" Holly turned and grabbed Leilani by the side of her neck, raising a fist. "You're really, REALLY pushing your luck-"
"Keep it in the ring," said an arena attendent, looming beside Holly and Leilani until Holly lowered her fist and continued walking.
Holly fumed as her sister grinned behind her. Then, her eyes widened as Roger walked by.
"What's up, Holly?" asked the blonde kickboxer, dressed in a red pair of shorts. "Here to try your luck as well, eh?"
"Hi! I'm Holly's sister, Leilani." The smaller hawaiian girl waved to Roger. He paused, slowly turning to give Holly a look.
"Just...just...don't say anything," muttered Holly.
----
Sitting with her arms crossed, Holly tried to keep her eyes forward. She and Roger ended up on either side of Leilani, all seated on the benches that lined one side of the raised fighting platform. Audience bleachers filled in the other three sides.
"Niu Xiu, get in the ring!"
A teenaged chinese girl hopped onto the platform, wearing a sparkling green sports top with matching silken pants. Her hair was braided back, held out of her eyes as she performed a series of kicks before holding one leg straight up beside her head.
Leilani immediately pointed and nudged Holly. "Look! I'm not the only youngblood in here."
"Good for you," said Holly, in a dead voice.
"Paula Dynamo, get in the ring!"
Metal bracelets on her wrists and a red sleeveless unitard on her body, the bob-cut brunette pumped her fist to the crowd as she entered the ring. Paula shadowboxed for a few moments before slamming a punch down onto the floor, rippling the entire mat.
Niu Xiu attacked first with six alternating spinning kicks. Paula parried each one hard with her fists. Niu stepped in closer and threw two knees towards Paula's gut, each of which was also met with a punching defense. Making a frustrated noise, the chinese girl lifted a leg high up and axe-kicked it down. Paula ducked slightly, uppercutting her opponent's incoming hamstring. Niu Xiu arched her body for one more attack, displaying amazing flexibility as she executed a scorpion kick, her leg kicking around and over her back. Paula wound up as Niu Xiu performed the maneuver, and slammed her knuckle straight into the sole of the chinese girl's oncoming foot.
There was a look of frightened realization on Niu Xiu's face as she stepped back, and immediately stumbled. Panting, the chinese teen gently ran her hands over her legs and felt crippling pain throughout both limbs. She looked back at Paula, who shrugged and gave her a wink.
Screaming a shrill battle cry, Niu Xiu took a wild swing at Paula, who responded by stepping forward and punching the chinese girl in her armpit. Then, she threw a hook with her other fist, scoring a deep blow into Niu Xiu's kidney. Niu Xiu gagged and doubled over, clutching her side as Paula took hold of her chin and righted her body. The chinese fighter gave a pleading look as she gasped for breath, while Paula gently tapped her forehead and smirked.
Suddenly, there were six loud impacts. A left cross and a right cross, snapping Niu Xiu's head from side to side as spit sprayed from her mouth. Two deep body blows, once again doubling the chinese girl over as she coughed something up onto the mat. Finally, a hook to the side of Niu Xiu's face followed by a finishing uppercut. The chinese teen flipped over in place, landing on her head before coming to a rest facedown on the floor.
"Niu Xiu's luck has run out!"
Paula knelt down over Niu Xiu's body, holding her down with one hand as she raised the other into the air. As the crowd's cheers hit an apex, Paula slammed the fist into the back of Niu Xiu's head. The chinese girl's body flopped as a shockwave ran through her, flattening her face into the mat with a bloody spatter. After Paula did a victory lap and headed back to the benches, Niu Xiu was dragged off of the ring and out of the arena.
"Looks like you're the only youngblood in here now," muttered Holly.
"So the fights are brutal, big surprise," replied Leilani. "At least this place can afford some high-end medical tech."
"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that if you lose you won't be crippled, that's a great attitude," said Holly.
"Mac Brogan, get in the ring!"
His face painted and hair wild, Mac Brogan's arm tassles flailed as he ran laps around the ring and hooted loudly to the crowd. A girl with similar face paint hooted back at him from fighter benches.
"Roger Jones, get in the ring!"
"Atta boy, Roger," said Holly as Roger headed for the platform. He warmed up with a few kicks and elbows before the match began.
Dashing back as Mac Brogan ran towards him, Roger threw a hard heel kick towards the side of his opponent's head. Mac Brogan tilted his neck, barely dodging the blow and grabbing hold of Roger while the kickboxer had one leg in mid-air. The face-painted fighter suplexed Roger overhead, dropping him skull-first onto the mat. Still holding onto Roger, Mac Brogan lifted him onto his shoulders and then spiked him facefirst into the floor in one smooth motion.
"Roger Jones' luck has run out!"
"Already?!" Holly threw her hands into the air. "Roger, you careless idiot!"
Mac Brogan leapt into the air, dropping a hard headbutt into the side of Roger's head to finish the kickboxer off. He then spent some time running laps around the ring in celebration as Roger was dragged away.
"Wow," said Leilani, after a while. "Your friend kinda sucked."
"That's just what happens when you're not paying attention," said Holly.
"And now, following her brother's amazing performance...Betti Brogan, get in the ring!"
Playing to the crowd even more energetically than her big brother, Betty Brogan's hair was short and messy. She wore a blue swimsuit with arm tassles just like Mac's.
"Leilani Brockler, get in the ring!"
"Here goes..." said Leilani, looking at Holly with a moment of unsureness. Holly gave her a nod as she slowly headed to the mat. Leilani quickly shot a winning smile to the crowd, taking off her lei necklace. The grass skirt brushed over her bare legs as she stretched and prepared for her first match.
Yelling in a shrill voice, Betti dove into Leilani and began to grapple with her. Leilani was not expecting such a direct attack and found herself off-guard long enough to receive a sloppy bodyslam. The sensation of being lifted and thrown was not something she was used to, and it shocked her into a heightened sense of tension. As Betti tried to pull her to her feet, Leilani stunned her with a hard blow to one of her ears.
A turning side-kick struck Betti in the gut. Repeating the maneuver, Leilani wobbled as her opponent caught her foot. Betti reared back an arm, snarling in response to Leilani's nervous request to be let go, and then blasted her with a tackling lariat. Betti crawled on top of her opponent and began to apply a front facelock, but began to shriek as Leilani grabbed hold of her scalp and yanked it in several directions. A chop to the throat forced Betti to fall to the side, and Leilani rolled away from her to catch her breath.
Once both fighters finally stood, Betti was enraged and grabbed hold of Leilani. Once again, she began to overpower the hawaiian girl and take control of the grapple. Then, Betti's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. She made a quiet noise as her body froze from the low-blow she had just suffered. Leilani grabbed her shoulders and delivered another hard knee straight into Betti's groin. The wrestler girl went knock-kneed, straining to stay on her feet as tears formed in her eyes. Leilani was able to take her time to deliver a backhanded elbow strike into Betti's face, finally toppling the girl over.
"Betti Brogan's luck has run out!"
Betti inadvertantly curled up, still in pain from the low-blows Leilani had dealt out. The hawaiian girl began stomping on Betti's head, ceasing once the wrestler girl was left staring at the ceiling and sputtering bloody spittle. Panting heavily, Leilani wiped sweat from her brow and then got on the floor wrap her legs around Betti's head and neck from behind. Betti struggled one last time, but the legscissor choke quickly left her shuddering and unconscious. Leilani released her, looking elated as she stood up and beamed at the crowd.
"What'd ya think?" asked Leilani, still a little breathless as she sat next to Holly.
"You are a fucking dirty player," said Holly, watching as Betti's brother helped her removal from the ring. "It's embarassing."
"I knew you'd find something wrong, even if I won." Leilani turned away from her sister. "Typical."
"At least I don't fight like a drunk chick in a bar," replied Holly.
"Holly Brockler, get in the ring!"
"Looks like it's my turn," said Holly.
"Don't leave me alone out here," cooed Leilani, grinning snarkily as her sister gave her a dirty look.
"Nicasio, get in the ring!"
Wearing only blue briefs, the greek wrestler's oiled muscles made Holly take a half-step back as he entered the ring with her. He made a show of flexing once, while Holly tried to ignore it and warm up.
Nicasio was knocked off-balance immediately as Holly leapt and slammed an elbow into his cheek. She followed up with two bodyblows and a kneelift. Throwing a high kick, Holly winced as Nicasio caught her ankle. The greek fighter quickly slipped an arm under Holly's shoulder and pulled her high overhead before slamming her onto the mat. Holly rolled and stood, throwing a hard right into Nicasio's cheek and further bruising the area. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, grabbing the hawaiian girl and quickly taking control. He stunned her with a pair of headbutts, leaving Holly dazed long enough for Nicasio to heave her up onto his shoulders. She began to struggle, but her opponent was still able to extend his arms and press her overhead. Holly kicked and writhed to try and tilt her way out of her predicament, a desperate look on her face as Nicasio held her aloft. Then, he threw her down. Holly hit the floor belly-first, bouncing up onto her knees and clutching her stomach as she let out a loud groan and slumped back to the mat.
Holly cried out in frustration as Nicasio pulled her back to her feet from behind, arms around her waist solidly. The greek wrestler executed a german suplex, dropping Holly headfirst and holding her in place for a few seconds before she folded over herself. Nicasio dove onto her and locked in a bow-and-arrow hold, bending Holly's back as her free arm and leg moved wildly to try and escape. The pain grew, and Holly screamed as her struggles weakened. Nicasio shifted the hold, folding one of her legs under one arm and collecting her head under the other. He stood up, wielding his opponent in a devastating maneuver. Holly's back continued to bend, as Nicasio pulled her head and folded leg back under his arms. She shrieked in agony over and over, her arms and free leg flailing in the air as her body creaked and stretched.
While the crowd cheered at what they thought to be her imminent defeat, they exploded as Holly somehow managed to throw her free leg up knee-first into Nicasio's face. She scored three hits on his injured cheek before her released her and toppled over, clutching the side of his visage. Holly lay writhing for a moment, then forced herself onto her hands and knees as Nicasio got up. She pushed herself forward, grabbing Nicasio's head and throwing her elbow into his cheek over and over. With a cry of effort, she turned and threw a heel into the greek fighter's face. There was a loud crack as Nicasio spat some blood, twisted, and collapsed facedown on the mat.
"Nicasio's luck has run out!"
Without pausing for breath, Holly leapt into the air and landed knees-first on the back of Nicasio's head, forcing a shudder from the greek wrestler. She tried to stand, but suddenly clutched her back and fell to her knees. Holly had to crawl out of the ring before tenderly getting back to her seat.
"Holy shit, sis," said Leilani.
"Watch your mouth," replied Holly, wincing and gritting her teeth.
"Are ya gonna be okay?" asked Leilani, giving a sideline glance of concern. "Maybe you should quit."
Holly opened one eye to give Leilani a look. "I don't do this to quit. That's not how you make cash in the ring. Sounds like you just want me out of the way."
Leilani did not answer as she decided to look up at the lighting fixtures instead.
"Barefoot Butterfly, get in the ring!"
An impish blonde girl gracefully entered the ring, wearing a butterfly-themed sports top and flowing loincloth. She did a slow, ritualistic dance before throwing aside the shawl around her shoulders.
"Fujo, get in the ring!"
Glowering beneath her dreadlocked dark hair, Fujo was a large african woman wearing a black swimsuit and little else. She towered over Butterfly as she sized her up, leaving her opponent intimidated before the match even began.
When the fighters did engage, Barefoot Butterfly managed to take two steps before Fujo clubbed one side of her head, followed by the other. Butterfly fell to her knees, cradling her skull as Fujo reached down and heaved her into the air. The african fighter caught Butterfly on the way down in a bearhug so fierce, it forced the blonde girl to scream her submission within seconds. Fujo crushed her until foamy spittle began to run from her mouth, and then tossed her aside.
"Barefoot Butterfly's luck has run out!"
The blonde fighter lay shuddering at Fujo's feet as the huge african woman licked her lips. She applied another bearhug, lifting Butterfly right off the mat and forcing her to cry out in pain with one hard wrench. She wrenched again, and Butterfly screamed once more. Fujo smiled, delivering a headbutt before squeezing the hold again. Another headbutt briefly knocked Butterfly out, before another wrenching of the bearhug brought her around with a throaty cry. Barefoot Butterfly croaked in agony as her body cracked from another application of pressure, and lay gasping on the mat when Fujo finally released her.
Sitting down heavily on Barefoot Butterfly's chest, Fujo's weight crushed and broke her helpless opponent's ribs. The blonde girl spasmed once, coughing up blood before she came to a rest, squashed and unmoving underneath Fujo. The african fighter slowly stood up and left the ring, while Barefoot Butterfly was limply taken away.
"Was that...was that even a minute?" said Leilani, quietly.
"Maybe," groaned Holly, still in pain from her previous match. "The bigger question is whether or not that chick survived being made into a pancake."
"Shut up already," complained Leilani. "You know she'll be fine."
"Wait, what's going on?" said Holly, hearing an announcement.
"Due to her record-quick domination, Fujo will now begin her next match...immediately! Get back into the ring!"
As the african woman hungrily stepped back onto the platform, Leilani gripped her knees tensely.
"And the roulette has a special opponent for her! Tonight's giant-killer...Holly Brockler, get back in the ring!"
Holly gaped in horror as she slowly stood. Leilani gave her a worried look, saying "It's...it's alright, she's tired, this is an advantage."
"Just...shut up," answered Holly. She made her way to the ring, stepping on the platform to face Fujo. The african woman stared down Holly, who tried to warm up for a few moments before the match began. She was clearly affected by her close battle with Nicasio, wincing constantly as she circled the ring.
Holly ducked as soon as she saw Fujo make a move, avoiding a clubbing blow. She snapped a kick, followed by an elbow, into Fujo's flank. The african woman swang her fist back, once again missing Holly as she rolled beneath it. The hawaiian girl prepared to follow up, but instead had to step back and brace her lower back with one hand. Fujo watched her for a moment before taking another swing. As Holly got out of the way, Fujo windmilled her other fist around and clobbered Holly across her spine. The hawaiian girl cried out and fell, cradling her back as she tried to get back up. Fujo grabbed hold of her shoulders, wrestling to keep Holly under her control. Though she fought to get free, Holly was slowly forced to bend over before taking another hard overhand blow to the back. Now on her knees, she could only look up to watch as Fujo wound up and clubbed her across the side of her head. Blood hit the mat, followed by Holly's body.
Fujo pulled her opponent back up to her feet, holding the girl steady as she stumbled unsurely on the canvas. As Fujo's arms came around her body, Holly kicked one leg up before she was trapped in a bearhug. With one leg folded between her and Fujo, Holly was able to brace herself slightly against the crushing hold, even though it still forced her to moan in pain. She put one hand on the side of Fujo's neck and began throwing elbows against the african woman's forehead as the bearhug continued to punish her already-pained back. Fujo still held Holly off the floor as she staggered back, the elbows having cut open her forehead. Rather than release the hold, Fujo screamed almost as loud as her opponent soon did, and swang Holly left and right as she put all her strength into the bearhug. The rest of the hawaiian girl's strength was sapped almost instantly as her arms and free leg waved weakly in the air. Using the momentum of her constant swinging, Fujo hurled Holly aside to leave her in a heap on the floor.
"Get up...c'mon, sis, get up..." muttered Leilani as she watched her sister instead lay facedown on the mat and merely convulse with breath every few moments.
"Holly Brockler's luck has run out!"
Rolling Holly over onto her back, Fujo stood over her long enough for the hawaiian girl to realize what would happen before sitting down onto her chest with all her weight. Holly gagged, kicking weakly against the floor as her opponent took hold of her head and leaned down to say something. As Holly shook her head, Fujo nodded and stood up, then kicked her back over onto her stomach. Holly tried to get up, but instead screamed in pain as Fujo sat down on the small of her back. The african woman stood up, and then sat down once again to force a flop from Holly's body. Grabbing hold of her opponent's scalp, Fujo lifted Holly's face off the mat and then began banging it down into the canvas.
Leilani covered her mouth as Fujo lifted her sister's face off the mat to show the crowd a bloodied and unconscious visage. The african woman let it fall to the floor with a wet sound, and then bellowed her victory while still seated on Holly's back. Leilani got into the ring after Fujo left, making sure her sister was safely carried away.
"Leilani Brockler has volunteered to be in our next match! A big round of applause, everybody!"
The crowd cheered, but Leilani only looked upset. She had a bad feeling about being put in the ring right after her sister's defeat, and felt a cold chill in her stomach at the next announcement.
"What a twist of fate! Mac Brogan, get in the ring! The roulette has decided to let you battle the fighter that eliminated your sister!"
Leaping straight into the ring, Mac Brogan hooted at the crowd before pointing straight at Leilani. She took a half-step back, fingers gripping the sides of her grass skirt as she watched him psyche up and psyche her out. "F-freak..." she muttered to herself. "Just...breathe...he's dumb like his sister, just...just breathe and take him down."
As soon as the match began, Leilani was desperately diving left and right to avoid Mac Brogan's unending lariat attempts. Realizing that she was tiring out long before her opponent, she took to the floor and slid between his legs as he ran towards her. Locking her legs with his, she tripped Mac and caused him to crash to the ground.
Diving onto the facepainted wrestler, Leilani applied a sleeperhold and a bodyscissor, holding tight the entire time he forced himself back up to his feet. Mac Brogan grabbed hold of Leilani's head and tossed the girl over his shoulder. Reaching down to pick her up, he was staggered as she kicked a foot straight up into his groin. Scrambling to her feet, Leilani threw two more low-blow knee strikes into her opponent, followed by a turning thrust kick right into his genitals. Mac Brogan toppled over, laying in a heap.
"YEAH!" shouted Leilani, gleefully leaping with joy and playing to the crowd. She heard them cheer louder and louder, and felt as though she had finally out-done her sister. Her happiness ended as she turned around and saw an enraged Mac Brogan staring down at her, realizing that both the match was not over and he was much larger than she was.
Throwing another low-aiming knee strike, Leilani was instead caught and lifted into the air. Mac turned, swinging her overhead in an arc that ended with her body slamming into the mat. Before she could crawl to her knees, Mac pulled her up and lifted her overhead once again. Turning around, he let Leilani yelp in terror before throwing her straight out of the ring. She travelled a long distance before crashing into the fighter's seating benches, painfully flopping onto the arena floor and writhing in pain. Two ring attendents collected her, heaving her onto their shoulders and ignoring her protests before throwing her back into the ring.
Leilani had little time to collect her senses before she found herself in a lock-up with Mac Brogan. Completely outmatched in grappling prowess, the hawaiian girl's struggles were staunched with a hard knee to the side of her gut. Mac pulled her overhead in a vertical suplex position, holding Leilani upside-down for quite a while before dropping her onto her back. Grabbing a handful of her hair, Mac Brogan yanked her off the mat right into a standing position.
Only able to make pained little noises, Leilani wobbled from side to side. She was barely able to stay standing, watching helplessly as Mac Brogan once again pointed right at her, and then at the ceiling. Leilani slumped to her knees, raising her hands and shaking her head. "N-No...I give." She saw Mac Brogan pause to hear her out, and tried one last desperate plan. "I-I learned my lesson, I fought dirty a-and your sister didn't deserve it." Mac Brogan loomed silently. "I give up, I give, I-UHK!"
A hand on her throat, Leilani sputtered as she was lifted back up to her feet. "Guh-give, give, g-guh!" Mac Brogan shook her head, and then roared as he heaved her straight up into the air and over his shoulders. Leilani had only a second to struggle before she found herself pressed over his head, held in place high above the mat. The hawaiian youngster screamed in fright, shaking her head and kicking her bare legs as her grass skirt jostled overtop of them. Mac Brogan planted his feet, and then pushed her up as hard as he could. Leilani shrieked as she went up, and then down. Her voice cut off as she slapped into the mat facefirst. Spreadeagled and unmoving, Leilani's entire body spasmed once as Mac Brogan delivered a hard falling headbutt. Her hair and grass skirt were splayed all over the mat, the little hawaiian girl now a beaten body in a swimsuit that remained in the ring until she was dragged away.
----
Both girls padded painfully to the locker room, dragging their bare feet on the tiles and trying to ignore one another. As they got changed, Holly could not help but crack a smile.
