L
Last Hero
[Was going to hold off on working on this till next weekend, but since I've got a pretty positive response so far, thought I'd go ahead and knock out the first fight. Thanks for the support so far and hope you enjoy it!]
vs
Reiko Hinamoto led what some might call a...different sort of life. In her career as a wrestler, she'd fought a pop-star, a wrestler, a schoolgirl, her brainwashed sister, the crazy doctor who brainwashed her sister, and the android version of her mother created by the crazy doctor who brainwashed her sister...among other things.
And with all that, this was still the strangest, craziest thing she had ever been involved in.
She had been in the middle of a fight against Anesthesia, fighting for the life of her sister, when she wound up in this place. That cell. That woman and her message and this tournament.
There was a flash of light, and the next thing she knew, she found herself on the inside of something familiar - a wrestling ring. Pristine, clean, surrounded by a darkened stadium full of empty seats. A bright spot - if she had to do this to get back, at least she would be in her comfort zone.
There was another flash of light on the opposite side of the ring, and before it even cleared, Reiko knew who it was - her 'opponent'.
This woman was wasn't dressed for combat, more for a relaxing day at the office, but her demeanor was anything but relaxed - she didn't just look confused, but outright pissed.
"What is this bullshit?" She ran a hand through her short, red hair, only acknowledging Reiko's presence with a glance out the corner of her eye. "Who the hell are you?"
Reiko approached her, cautious, no sure what to make of this woman. "Reiko. Reiko Hinamoto. What's your name?"
The woman's grimace softened into a small smile. "Vice. Guess you're the one I'm supposed to fight, huh?"
Reiko nodded, as Vice turned to look at her in full with interested eyes - almost too interested. "Yes, I think that's the idea. Sorry."
"No need to be sorry." She shrugged and started to walk around Reiko, eyes moving up and down. "You're a wrestler, obviously, a fighter. I am, too. This is just another day on the job for us, right?"
"Mm. That's a good way of looking at it. I'll do my best here, just like always. And if I can, I'll find a way to help the both of us out of this. All of us. I promise."
"Good spirit." Vice extended her hand, motioning for a shake. "To a good fight?"
Reiko hesitated for a moment, just a moment, then accepted the gesture, shaking with Vice. "To a good fi-"
Vice yanked her arm and jerked forward, slamming her forehead hard into Reiko's nose for an instant gush of blood, stunning Reiko before she could even get her guard up. Vice struck her stomach hard with the next blow, then used the hold on Reiko's arm to twist around and toss her across the ring - all the way across it.
Reiko came to a rolling stop and nearly fell out of the ring altogether, grabbing the ropes for support and looking up to see Vice already running to close the distance. She was fast and she was strong and she was clearly out of her mind, but Reiko didn't get the name 'Zero Fighter' from being a pushover; she gathered her sense, grabbed hold of the top rope from the outside, pulled hard and jump up, getting big air and earning a surprised look from Vice before the two crashed into each other with a big splash.
Reiko fell on top of Vice and fought her instinct to go for the pin, instead grabbing Vice's left wrist and going for an armbar...trying and failing. Even though she was pulling on Vice's arm with both of hers, she couldn't quite get it far enough...couldn't quite pull her into...
"Dumbass!" Vice shot her leg up in a perfect split, catching Reiko in the face with a kick that would've broken her nose if the headbutt from before didn't. She fell back with a short scream, cradling it as another fresh stream of blood squeaked out. She quickly got her senses back and looked up, expecting Vice to be on her again - instead, she just saw Vice standing there, running her fingers up her thigh and catching a few drops of blood. She took a dab on her index finger and flicked it back at Reiko. "Up."
Reiko wiped the blood away and stood up, going into her stance. Vice's stand wasn't even a stance, she simply stood there, arms slack at the sides, swaying a bit with that sly smile on all the way. Not taking this the least bit serious. Underestimating her.
Reiko step around her, moved...then charged in, going for a grab. A chokehold, something to knock her out fast, maybe...
Vice struck out in a blur of motion, hitting Reiko in the nose before she could even get close with an attack so fast she couldn't even tell what it was...and no other movement besides that. She just stood there and watched. "You know you can't win this, don't you?"
Reiko moved back in, this time ducking low and going for a leg takedown to bring this back on the mat and make it more about grappling, a sound strategy - ruined when Vice took a quick step back and shot up with her knee, slamming into her jaw and loosening a few teeth. Her body shot straight up, and Vice slammed her palm into Reiko's chest before her feet could even land. Reiko went stumbling into the ropes for support, grasping her jaw with a spare hand.
And Vice just stood there. "I mean, you can't physically win, but not just that. I heard Ryona's rules - you have to beat me until I can't fight anymore. And you? You don't have that in you. I can tell."
Reiko bounced off the ropes and came running at Vice, leaping high for a drop kick - perfect execution, all her power, all her speed, all her agility in one move.
It never connected. Vice spun around like the attack was made in slow motion, dropped down, and made sure that, instead of landing on the soft mat, Reiko landed on the top of her knee, a thick crack coming from her ribs on impact.
Reiko went rolling away, grasping her sides, biting her lip to stop her scream from the streams of pain running across her side. She was used to broken bones, those weren't anything new, but this fight, this situation, everything...there was no tapping out, here.
Vice gave her the time to recover enough to open her eyes and look back up...when she did, all she saw was Vice's face, with a smile that was getting wider every time she looked. "I'm not...going to give up."
"Wouldn't care if you did." She held out her hands and beckoned. "Up."
Grasping the rope tight, she stood, still rubbing her sore ribs, letting the pain feed her determination. She would win. She had to win. She'd come to far to lose here, to end up as Ryona's plaything.
"Ah, there it is." Vice's smile reached full width, twisting from her ear to ear as her eyes narrowed with a crazed glint. "That look. That hero look, like you're going to find a way to beat me and make this whole thing right." She close her eyes and sighed, her tone rough with pleasure, a raw desire that made Reiko wince. "God, I can't wait to rip that look off your face!"
Vice surged forward and Reiko barely had time to get her arms up to block the torrent of punches, raining hard into her guard and driving her against the ropes. Vice reeled back with a hard clothesline that sent Reiko into the turnbuckle, and hit her with a side kick in the stomach that kept her there.
Reiko doubled over, then charged forward, tackling Vice and driving her back, pushing her across the ring and taking elbows in her back all the way. "Yeah, that's it, that's it!" Vice stomped down hard and braced before they could get half way across the ring, grabbing Reiko by the hair tight and spinning her around in one deft move, then laying her flat with a punch in the face that put her spread-eagled on the mat.
"Up!" This time Vice helped her up, grabbing her by the hair again and pulling her to her feet. Reiko slapped the hand away and threw a quick uppercut to her stomach, staggering her just long enough for an standing drop kick to the chest that put Vice against the ropes for the first time.
Vice bounced off with a snarl and came at Reiko as she started to rise, driving a snap kick at her head that she just barely dodged. Moving behind Vice, she shot up and caught her in a full nelson, wrenching her arms upwards. Holding her. Immobilizing her.
"I...can...win!" Reiko took the opportunity to drive some her own knees into Vice's side, tightening the hold while Vice thrashed. This was the way to win - Vice was strong, but with this position, her effectiveness was limited.
Vice let out a feral scream, then pushed forward towards the edge of the ring, bringing Reiko along for the ride. Placing her foot on the turnbuckle, she ran up with impossible flexibility, flipping in the air, twisting out of Reiko's hold. For one, impossible moment, Reiko looked up and saw her above, Vice's silhouette etched out against the lights...then, all she was saw was darkness, as Vice grabbed her by the face and drove the back of Reiko's head into the mat, using momentum, gravity, and her own insane strength to create a thunderous impact.
Reiko's world went white for a moment. Nothing but pain, surging through her head. She gritted her teeth and immediately regretted it - her right molar was definitely cracked, worse pain now. Had to fight through it. Had to win. For Mom, for her sister, for everyone...
"I...am Reiko Hinamoto." She started to sit up. "And I will not-"
Vice landed a snap kick straight in Reiko's throat that put her back down and left her gasping for her air, coughing up a storm, holding her neck. Just when she started to get her breath back, Vice stomped her hard in the stomach and made the task that much harder.
"Up." Vice reached down and grabbed hold of Reiko's hair once more, pulling up, straining her scalp, but the rest of Reiko's body refused to follow. With a grunt, she slammed Reiko face first into the floor, reminding her of the broken nose, giving her so much pain that Reiko couldn't even tell where it was all coming from anymore.
"Up!" She lifted up again, and brought down even harder. Reiko's vision filled with red...so much blood from the nose? It couldn't be just the nose. The mouth, her lip was busted wide open, had to be.
"Up!" Vice smashed her down one final time, and Reiko's body went limp. No movement. She could barely even keep up a solid breath. All she could do was lay there, face down in her own blood, body twitching. Helpless. Prey.
Vice stood up, letting out a contented sigh. "Ah...that was a good workout, thanks. Now, hate to leave a job half finished, so..."
Vice kicked Reiko onto her back, then stomped down hard into the ribs, completely breaking the ones she'd only cracked earlier. Reiko let out a curdling scream, one that silenced with Vice pressed her boot down hard into her neck. "No, no, no - not yet. Save that scream for me."
Keeping the heel pressed on Reiko's throat, Vice grabbed hold of the ropes for support and began to stomp on Reiko's ribs with deadly precision and ruthless force, the methodology of a doctor combined with the crushing power of a sledgehammer.. Between the lack of oxygen and the ever-reaching heights of pain, Reiko lost count - all she could feel were the bones, cracking further with every blow until Vice had gotten each of them.
"Now...scream!" Vice leaped up and brought both heels crashed down in the tattered mess of bones that was remained of Reiko's chest, and she didn't just scream, she wailed, a high pitched shriek that would've ran through the blood of a banshee. She held it as long as her lungs would allow, and it only ended when Vice kicked her in the face, ending it all with what little mercy she could muster. Reiko's body rested, still, the only sign of life coming from the subtle rise of stomach.
"So many bones." Vice plopped down, sitting on Reiko's stomach as the light that brought them there started to engulf them once more. "I'll enjoy breaking them all."
The two vanished with the light, leaving blood and sweat around the ring as the only hints of their existence.
***
Ryona's control room was awash with activity, her servant moving to set up the environments, keep life support running, facilitate the power transfers and dozens of other operations.
Busy little bees, and they afforded Ryona the opportunity to watch the fruits of her labors. And enjoy them in so many ways. If the other fights even approached the last one, this newest batch of servants would be the most promising yet.
"Ma'am." One of her servants called out from behind. "We have a problem."
"Such as?"
"Vice transported back to her cell with Reiko - they were in contact, and we couldn't seperate them. If we go in, we could-"
Ryona looked over her shoulder. "What is Vice doing right now?"
"Excuse me?"
Ryona groaned, shaking her head. "To Reiko. What is she doing to Reiko?"
"Oh, she's...she's breaking her bones, it looks like. One by one."
Ryona sighed, leaning back against the chair and picturing it in her mind. Savoring it. "Very promising indeed...leave them be."
"I...I see." There was hesitation in that voice. Ryona made a note to rub it out of her later. "You don't want to take any action?"
"I didn't say that, did I?" Ryona chuckled. "Put it up on the screen."
vs
Reiko Hinamoto led what some might call a...different sort of life. In her career as a wrestler, she'd fought a pop-star, a wrestler, a schoolgirl, her brainwashed sister, the crazy doctor who brainwashed her sister, and the android version of her mother created by the crazy doctor who brainwashed her sister...among other things.
And with all that, this was still the strangest, craziest thing she had ever been involved in.
She had been in the middle of a fight against Anesthesia, fighting for the life of her sister, when she wound up in this place. That cell. That woman and her message and this tournament.
There was a flash of light, and the next thing she knew, she found herself on the inside of something familiar - a wrestling ring. Pristine, clean, surrounded by a darkened stadium full of empty seats. A bright spot - if she had to do this to get back, at least she would be in her comfort zone.
There was another flash of light on the opposite side of the ring, and before it even cleared, Reiko knew who it was - her 'opponent'.
This woman was wasn't dressed for combat, more for a relaxing day at the office, but her demeanor was anything but relaxed - she didn't just look confused, but outright pissed.
"What is this bullshit?" She ran a hand through her short, red hair, only acknowledging Reiko's presence with a glance out the corner of her eye. "Who the hell are you?"
Reiko approached her, cautious, no sure what to make of this woman. "Reiko. Reiko Hinamoto. What's your name?"
The woman's grimace softened into a small smile. "Vice. Guess you're the one I'm supposed to fight, huh?"
Reiko nodded, as Vice turned to look at her in full with interested eyes - almost too interested. "Yes, I think that's the idea. Sorry."
"No need to be sorry." She shrugged and started to walk around Reiko, eyes moving up and down. "You're a wrestler, obviously, a fighter. I am, too. This is just another day on the job for us, right?"
"Mm. That's a good way of looking at it. I'll do my best here, just like always. And if I can, I'll find a way to help the both of us out of this. All of us. I promise."
"Good spirit." Vice extended her hand, motioning for a shake. "To a good fight?"
Reiko hesitated for a moment, just a moment, then accepted the gesture, shaking with Vice. "To a good fi-"
Vice yanked her arm and jerked forward, slamming her forehead hard into Reiko's nose for an instant gush of blood, stunning Reiko before she could even get her guard up. Vice struck her stomach hard with the next blow, then used the hold on Reiko's arm to twist around and toss her across the ring - all the way across it.
Reiko came to a rolling stop and nearly fell out of the ring altogether, grabbing the ropes for support and looking up to see Vice already running to close the distance. She was fast and she was strong and she was clearly out of her mind, but Reiko didn't get the name 'Zero Fighter' from being a pushover; she gathered her sense, grabbed hold of the top rope from the outside, pulled hard and jump up, getting big air and earning a surprised look from Vice before the two crashed into each other with a big splash.
Reiko fell on top of Vice and fought her instinct to go for the pin, instead grabbing Vice's left wrist and going for an armbar...trying and failing. Even though she was pulling on Vice's arm with both of hers, she couldn't quite get it far enough...couldn't quite pull her into...
"Dumbass!" Vice shot her leg up in a perfect split, catching Reiko in the face with a kick that would've broken her nose if the headbutt from before didn't. She fell back with a short scream, cradling it as another fresh stream of blood squeaked out. She quickly got her senses back and looked up, expecting Vice to be on her again - instead, she just saw Vice standing there, running her fingers up her thigh and catching a few drops of blood. She took a dab on her index finger and flicked it back at Reiko. "Up."
Reiko wiped the blood away and stood up, going into her stance. Vice's stand wasn't even a stance, she simply stood there, arms slack at the sides, swaying a bit with that sly smile on all the way. Not taking this the least bit serious. Underestimating her.
Reiko step around her, moved...then charged in, going for a grab. A chokehold, something to knock her out fast, maybe...
Vice struck out in a blur of motion, hitting Reiko in the nose before she could even get close with an attack so fast she couldn't even tell what it was...and no other movement besides that. She just stood there and watched. "You know you can't win this, don't you?"
Reiko moved back in, this time ducking low and going for a leg takedown to bring this back on the mat and make it more about grappling, a sound strategy - ruined when Vice took a quick step back and shot up with her knee, slamming into her jaw and loosening a few teeth. Her body shot straight up, and Vice slammed her palm into Reiko's chest before her feet could even land. Reiko went stumbling into the ropes for support, grasping her jaw with a spare hand.
And Vice just stood there. "I mean, you can't physically win, but not just that. I heard Ryona's rules - you have to beat me until I can't fight anymore. And you? You don't have that in you. I can tell."
Reiko bounced off the ropes and came running at Vice, leaping high for a drop kick - perfect execution, all her power, all her speed, all her agility in one move.
It never connected. Vice spun around like the attack was made in slow motion, dropped down, and made sure that, instead of landing on the soft mat, Reiko landed on the top of her knee, a thick crack coming from her ribs on impact.
Reiko went rolling away, grasping her sides, biting her lip to stop her scream from the streams of pain running across her side. She was used to broken bones, those weren't anything new, but this fight, this situation, everything...there was no tapping out, here.
Vice gave her the time to recover enough to open her eyes and look back up...when she did, all she saw was Vice's face, with a smile that was getting wider every time she looked. "I'm not...going to give up."
"Wouldn't care if you did." She held out her hands and beckoned. "Up."
Grasping the rope tight, she stood, still rubbing her sore ribs, letting the pain feed her determination. She would win. She had to win. She'd come to far to lose here, to end up as Ryona's plaything.
"Ah, there it is." Vice's smile reached full width, twisting from her ear to ear as her eyes narrowed with a crazed glint. "That look. That hero look, like you're going to find a way to beat me and make this whole thing right." She close her eyes and sighed, her tone rough with pleasure, a raw desire that made Reiko wince. "God, I can't wait to rip that look off your face!"
Vice surged forward and Reiko barely had time to get her arms up to block the torrent of punches, raining hard into her guard and driving her against the ropes. Vice reeled back with a hard clothesline that sent Reiko into the turnbuckle, and hit her with a side kick in the stomach that kept her there.
Reiko doubled over, then charged forward, tackling Vice and driving her back, pushing her across the ring and taking elbows in her back all the way. "Yeah, that's it, that's it!" Vice stomped down hard and braced before they could get half way across the ring, grabbing Reiko by the hair tight and spinning her around in one deft move, then laying her flat with a punch in the face that put her spread-eagled on the mat.
"Up!" This time Vice helped her up, grabbing her by the hair again and pulling her to her feet. Reiko slapped the hand away and threw a quick uppercut to her stomach, staggering her just long enough for an standing drop kick to the chest that put Vice against the ropes for the first time.
Vice bounced off with a snarl and came at Reiko as she started to rise, driving a snap kick at her head that she just barely dodged. Moving behind Vice, she shot up and caught her in a full nelson, wrenching her arms upwards. Holding her. Immobilizing her.
"I...can...win!" Reiko took the opportunity to drive some her own knees into Vice's side, tightening the hold while Vice thrashed. This was the way to win - Vice was strong, but with this position, her effectiveness was limited.
Vice let out a feral scream, then pushed forward towards the edge of the ring, bringing Reiko along for the ride. Placing her foot on the turnbuckle, she ran up with impossible flexibility, flipping in the air, twisting out of Reiko's hold. For one, impossible moment, Reiko looked up and saw her above, Vice's silhouette etched out against the lights...then, all she was saw was darkness, as Vice grabbed her by the face and drove the back of Reiko's head into the mat, using momentum, gravity, and her own insane strength to create a thunderous impact.
Reiko's world went white for a moment. Nothing but pain, surging through her head. She gritted her teeth and immediately regretted it - her right molar was definitely cracked, worse pain now. Had to fight through it. Had to win. For Mom, for her sister, for everyone...
"I...am Reiko Hinamoto." She started to sit up. "And I will not-"
Vice landed a snap kick straight in Reiko's throat that put her back down and left her gasping for her air, coughing up a storm, holding her neck. Just when she started to get her breath back, Vice stomped her hard in the stomach and made the task that much harder.
"Up." Vice reached down and grabbed hold of Reiko's hair once more, pulling up, straining her scalp, but the rest of Reiko's body refused to follow. With a grunt, she slammed Reiko face first into the floor, reminding her of the broken nose, giving her so much pain that Reiko couldn't even tell where it was all coming from anymore.
"Up!" She lifted up again, and brought down even harder. Reiko's vision filled with red...so much blood from the nose? It couldn't be just the nose. The mouth, her lip was busted wide open, had to be.
"Up!" Vice smashed her down one final time, and Reiko's body went limp. No movement. She could barely even keep up a solid breath. All she could do was lay there, face down in her own blood, body twitching. Helpless. Prey.
Vice stood up, letting out a contented sigh. "Ah...that was a good workout, thanks. Now, hate to leave a job half finished, so..."
Vice kicked Reiko onto her back, then stomped down hard into the ribs, completely breaking the ones she'd only cracked earlier. Reiko let out a curdling scream, one that silenced with Vice pressed her boot down hard into her neck. "No, no, no - not yet. Save that scream for me."
Keeping the heel pressed on Reiko's throat, Vice grabbed hold of the ropes for support and began to stomp on Reiko's ribs with deadly precision and ruthless force, the methodology of a doctor combined with the crushing power of a sledgehammer.. Between the lack of oxygen and the ever-reaching heights of pain, Reiko lost count - all she could feel were the bones, cracking further with every blow until Vice had gotten each of them.
"Now...scream!" Vice leaped up and brought both heels crashed down in the tattered mess of bones that was remained of Reiko's chest, and she didn't just scream, she wailed, a high pitched shriek that would've ran through the blood of a banshee. She held it as long as her lungs would allow, and it only ended when Vice kicked her in the face, ending it all with what little mercy she could muster. Reiko's body rested, still, the only sign of life coming from the subtle rise of stomach.
"So many bones." Vice plopped down, sitting on Reiko's stomach as the light that brought them there started to engulf them once more. "I'll enjoy breaking them all."
The two vanished with the light, leaving blood and sweat around the ring as the only hints of their existence.
***
Ryona's control room was awash with activity, her servant moving to set up the environments, keep life support running, facilitate the power transfers and dozens of other operations.
Busy little bees, and they afforded Ryona the opportunity to watch the fruits of her labors. And enjoy them in so many ways. If the other fights even approached the last one, this newest batch of servants would be the most promising yet.
"Ma'am." One of her servants called out from behind. "We have a problem."
"Such as?"
"Vice transported back to her cell with Reiko - they were in contact, and we couldn't seperate them. If we go in, we could-"
Ryona looked over her shoulder. "What is Vice doing right now?"
"Excuse me?"
Ryona groaned, shaking her head. "To Reiko. What is she doing to Reiko?"
"Oh, she's...she's breaking her bones, it looks like. One by one."
Ryona sighed, leaning back against the chair and picturing it in her mind. Savoring it. "Very promising indeed...leave them be."
"I...I see." There was hesitation in that voice. Ryona made a note to rub it out of her later. "You don't want to take any action?"
"I didn't say that, did I?" Ryona chuckled. "Put it up on the screen."
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