Dogfight. 2
The two of us hitting a running neckbreaker together marked the end of the opening sequence we'd planned.
And this match wasn't scripted as some total domination by Miyu. If she beat me too easily, it would throw off Sayuri and Asuna down the line.
We locked up again like the match had just started. I drove a knee into Miyu's gut and tried to chain it into a stunner, but she shoved me into the ropes. I dipped my stance and charged; Miyu jumped, wrapped both legs around my head, and used the rebound to drive me into the mat.
—Thud—
The Frankensteiner landed clean. Miyu immediately hopped up and stomped both feet into my stomach.
"Ugh!"
I cracked my eyes open and looked up at her. She hit her signature taunt — hands open like blades, bouncing on her toes.
"Yaaaaah!"
Then she climbed the top rope with her back to the ring. When she came off with a moonsault, I shot both knees up.
"Gah!"
Miyu screamed and rolled, clutching her midsection. I grabbed the ropes, hauled myself up, and hoisted her for a suplex.
— Thud —
I climbed for the top rope myself. Miyu scrambled up right after me. We sat facing each other on the top and traded punches. Miyu won the exchange — hammering fists and forearms into my head — then locked one arm around my neck and hauled me up.
"Going."
"Got it."
Miyu arched backward and took me with her. A top-rope suplex.
— Thuuud! —
— Whoa! —
— Ohhh! —
Gasps and cheers rolled through the crowd in waves. Miyu got up first. The second she went for a standing leg drop, I rolled out under the ropes and hit the floor.
Hmm. Maybe a little gift for the Korean fans?
I staggered toward the Korean commentary desk.
"Oh! Oh!"
"Charina's coming right toward us!"
"Charina! Hang in there!"
I could hear the Korean broadcast team. Next to them, the Chinese desk was yelling just as loud.
"Yaaaaah!"
Miyu's war cry ripped out from inside the ring. About two seconds later I lifted my head — she'd sprinted to the far ropes and launched herself through them. Her signature suicide dive. I caught it and went over backward with her.
—Whump—
"Hey! This isn't the spot!"
"It's basically the same."
"Yeah, but…"
"Keep going."
"Okay."
Originally we'd planned to do it between the American and Japanese desks. Shifting a few meters wasn't enough of a botch to call it one.
Miyu hauled me up and shoved me toward the steel steps.
— Clang —
— Rattle —
"Aaagh!"
I went sprawling with the top of the steps. Miyu kicked me a few times, dragged me to the barricade, and drove my head into it.
"Ohh!"
Fans' faces were right in front of mine. She kept dragging me along the barricade, slamming my head into it over and over.
—Three!—
—Four!—
—Five!—
The referee's ring-out count. Miyu rammed my head into some broadcast table — German or French, I couldn't tell — then shoved me back into the ring. She climbed the top rope herself, jumped, and crashed down on top of me again. Cover.
—One—
—Two—
I kicked out, legs thrashing free.
"Uwaaaaah!"
Miyu howled and clawed at her own hair. She tried to hoist me for a suplex, but I hooked her ankle with my foot and held on. While she strained, I reversed it — lifted her and dumped her instead.
—Thud—
Still locked on. Just like Eddie Guerrero's Three Amigos, I swung my legs around and flipped the position. Another suplex!
—Thuuud—
"Aaagh!"
If this had been a win, I would've gone for three. But I was booked to lose, and the move carried too much weight — so I stopped at two, selling it like my grip had given out. Outside of a title match or a WrestleMaster-level bout, taking the full Three Amigos meant you were supposed to be half-unconscious. That was the industry rule.
I staggered across her, stepping on her stomach on the way.
"Ugh!"
Then I climbed the top rope again. Standing tall, I spread both arms and threw in a wink — soaking up the flash barrage as I activated Spot Call. I clapped, drawing the crowd with me.
— Clap! Clap! Clap! —
These fans had great timing tonight. Over twenty thousand people, and they locked in clean. Maybe the items and skills helped…
The instant Miyu staggered up and turned toward me, I jumped.
Some people still called it Eclipse. I'd renamed it Dark Fall. The proper name was a diving corkscrew stunner.
It had been a long time since I'd hit Dark Fall. I twisted once in the air, locked onto Miyu's neck, and drove her into the mat.
—Thuuud—
The crowd went so quiet with shock that even the cheers died. The reaction was nothing like the first time I'd used it at the start of the match. Same items, same skill — but the impact of the move itself was just that brutal.
What if I'd come out in the bikini too? Yeah. Using both at once is something I really need to be careful about.
I went straight for the cover.
—One—
—Two—
Miyu hooked one leg over the rope.
"Rope break!"
I dragged her a little farther toward center ring and covered again.
—One—
—Two—
This time she twisted free. I slapped the canvas with my palm, sold some frustration, and made a show of hesitating — like I couldn't decide what to hit next.
Ding.
An alarm went off in my head. The nine-minute timer I'd set.
I pulled Miyu up and locked her head between my thighs. She tapped my leg once — ready — and I pinched my core and hoisted. The second she left the mat, her legs flashed. She swung up onto my shoulders like a piggyback reverse, spun, and dropped into a head-scissors whip that chained straight into a crossface.
My back arched the wrong way, bent like a bow.
"Nnngh!"
I groaned and clawed at her hands, but Miyu sold cranking it harder.
"Yaaaah!"
I slapped the mat. Tap-out. Submission.
— Ding ding ding —
The winner of this match… Miyuuuu Skyyyy!
The ring bell rang. The ring announcer made the call. Applause and cheers rolled through the arena. Miyu celebrated like she'd just won the world — but the irony was thick: the crowd was chanting my name more than hers.
That never happened in the Charlotte match. This time was different.
In a loss, I am never using the skill and the item together again.
A moment later I got back to my feet. I offered both cheeks to Miyu. How long had it been since someone pinched my face? Middle school, maybe — the homeroom teacher. That was probably the last time…
Though Miyu's grip felt a little aggressive. Was I imagining that? She wasn't doing this on purpose because I'd gotten more cheers… right?
"Hurry it up. We're running out of time."
At the ref's word, I climbed out first and headed backstage. Waiting for their entrance were Chicago Knight & Rudolph, and our own TPA team of Tyler & Edward — all of them looking sour. I didn't have many close friends among the guys, but after that Detroit trip I'd gotten pretty tight with these two.
"Ugh. Rina! Tone it down a little."
"Huh?"
Tyler sighed at me. Tone what down? My life was on the line here.
"Never mind. Forget it. We just have to work harder. Good match."
"Yeah. You too, Edward — go get 'em. And you two — watch the injuries."
"…Yeah."
"Good work."
Chicago Knight and Rudolph sounded like they were forcing the words out. I'd planned to wait for Miyu and walk into Gorilla Position together, but hanging around here was only going to make things more awkward, so I headed in alone.
"Good work."
"Good game, Rina."
"What can I say? You're even better in a live match."
Paul, the producers, the writers — they all came over to greet me. Then Stacey walked up.
"Is it just you getting a different lighting package? Why does your face look even more radiant?"
That's all item boost, ma'am.
"I don't know. Maybe the sweat caught the light nicely."
"That's nonsense! And stop with the false modesty — it's not a good look. Well… you're pretty. Young. Great skin. That's probably it."
I had nothing to say to that, so I just stood there. Perfect timing — Miyu walked in.
"Haaah! How is an ugly person supposed to live? I won the match — so why is everyone chanting your name?!"
And what was I supposed to say to that? Because I'm young? Because I'm pretty? Ugh. My head hurt.
"Great work out there, Miyu. Hmm. The crowd was pretty quiet until Rina hit the Eclipse… so maybe that was the culprit?"
"You think so, Stacey?"
She wasn't wrong.
"Miyu, I think that's it. It's not a move you see every day."
"Damn it! Guess I need to start practicing an Eclipse of my own."
Miyu spat a curse in Japanese — she really did sound pissed — and stalked off. Even I hadn't expected the synergy to hit that hard.
I watched her talk with the others for a moment, then headed back to my own locker room.
Whew. Either way, this match was the end of my in-ring career in TPA. From here on, if I stepped into a ring, it'd be as a wrestler for the newly launching brand. Facing the same stars I'd watched on TV. Challenging for championships. Walking into the Noble Rumble and WrestleMaster.
Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.