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[Author’s note: Yes, I know we can swear on the SA Forums. I’m choosing to do this as I have it written for really poor comedy value. I also apologize for how long it took to get this out--work has been a pain in the rear end recently.] \___(^)___/ Bel Air, Maryland: The Aerie School of Wrestling at “The End of Nowhere” July 6, 2020, 9:05 a.m.   “Seriously. Why are we out here in this dump of a place?” Hailey Carmichael, true to her standard, was grumbling already before it was even tea time in civilized parts of the world. “As I mentioned on the jet from St. Louis, Miss Carmichael, the RRW staff made a sudden announcement that the arena was no longer available for us. They made arrangements with someone to host this exhibition match you paid for. Told them to not spare any expense.” “At least we’re not in Baltimore itself. It’s worse than London and I didn’t think that was possible.” “Quite, Miss Carmich—” “Ho. Ly. Shite. Is that a pagoda I see?” There was a lull in the conversation as Leslie Burrell turned to see what Hailey was referring to. “It does appear to be a pagoda, Miss Carmichael. A rather small one, likely temporary for this exhibition bout given that I believe I see a ring inside the door.” Hailey paused for a moment, considering. “If whomever is in charge decided to go to this length to impress me, it’s an adequate start at best.” Leslie nodded but added nothing further. Silently, she applauded whomever decided to make this the backdrop for this silly bout that Hailey demanded. It wasn’t enough that she tried to get the Duke of Clarence to buy an island in the Caribbean to continue this whole wrestling thing after the last four months, but then she had to demand a special match with only selected wrestlers involved. She could see the entirely of the RRW staff turning against Hailey—and by association, Leslie as well—over this flaunting of Hailey’s status. But whomever this got assigned to certainly had a flair for the dramatic and for making things memorable. A minute later, the stretch limo came to a stop at the base of the pagoda. The driver hurried out of the limo and opened the door for Hailey, helping her out of the vehicle. The temperature, already pushing 31 degrees (Celsius, naturally), caused Hailey to gasp as the warm air assaulted her. Perhaps wearing dark clothing wasn’t the best of ideas. In the next moment, a dark-haired woman, also garbed mostly in black, emerged from the bottom floor of the pagoda, eyes never leaving the figure of Hailey.  “Miss Carmichael, I presume?” Hailey seemed to bristle at not being addressed by her noble title, but said nothing as she simply nodded. “Welcome to the End of Nowhere. I am Amelia Midnight, the second-in-command of The Aerie here. My boss has asked me to show you to your locker room—well distanced from the others, naturally—so that you will have time to prepare before the match begins in roughly forty-five minutes.” There was a pause as Hailey nodded to show understanding. Then, tilting her head, she asked, “I have to know. Where did you get that choker? I’ve never seen one like that before.” “My fiancé, actually. Because a diamond ring wouldn’t do well inside the ring—I may have been a hardcore and aerial wrestler when I was active, but even that’s a step too far for me—the choker still shows my commitment to him. Same reason I normally don’t have my piercings in, even the one I currently have in right now.” “You’ve got to let me know where he got it from. All my followers on VSCO will be fighting to get one like it.” “VSCO?” Amelia paused for a second, thinking. “Don’t they normally have more beachy type outfits?” “And that is why I have such a following. I do my own thing and the people flock to see it.” “Makes sense. Anyway, Miss Carmichael, if you and Miss Burrell will follow me, I’ll show you to your locker room.....” \___(^)___/ 9:18 a.m. It was a rather non-descript Honda that pulled into the parking space next to the stretch limo a few minutes later. Both front doors opened simultaneously, allowing the two occupants to emerge from the vehicle to stretch their legs. “Man, ain’t this some ****,” the smaller of the two grumbled as the narrator hastily searched for asterisks to keep the story to a PG-13 rating. “The hell is this place, and why the hell is there a pagoda here?” The larger of the two men just shrugged, not quite sure how to come to terms with what he was seeing as well. Seeing the pagoda, though, helped put him a little at ease, which was a welcome feeling given that of the people summoned to this....”invitational match”....he was the only one who missed out on the postseason just a few weeks earlier. The inferiority complex certainly didn’t help with the other issues inside a mind bruised and battered in quasi-legal Baltic mixed martial arts contests. Once again, it was the young woman in black who greeted the newcomers. “Mister Nagata? Mister Sonner?” “Call me Shaft, baby.” “I think not.” She turned to the active competitor, surprising him by speaking to him in passable, but heavily accented, Japanese. ”Nagata-san, I trust you found your way here easily enough?” “Yes. No thanks to someone who is unable to read a map.” Nagata shifted his eyes quickly in the direction of Shaft Sonner, then returned his attention to Amelia. ”Do I have time to freshen up before the match?” “Yes. Please allow me to show you to your locker room.” She then resumed speaking in English for Shaft’s sake. “Your locker room is down this corridor, if you’d be so kind as to follow me....?” \___(^)___/ 9:31 a.m. His arrival almost went unnoticed, which for a person who was the runner-up in the inaugural season of Rowdy Ringsports Wrestling seemed to be rather unorthodox. It was only because Amelia happened to glance outside to see him getting out of his rental that his arrival was even acknowledged. “Good morning, Mister Knight. Gad to see you’re up and mobile after the finals a few weeks back. How are you feeling?” “....I’ll live. I’ve had worse after all.” “I’m sure. You’re able and willing to wrestle again so soon after what happened to you the last time you stepped in the ring?” “I was paid to be here, miss. Paid a healthy sum, too. A prize fighter isn’t going to let some aches stop him from collecting on a pay day like that.” He said nothing else, taking in the surroundings. Then again, it’s not like he said much during the season; he let his fists talk for him, Amelia thought. “Very well. If you’ll follow me, we have a room set up for you to prepare just down this corridor.....” \___(^)___/ 9:57 a.m. Of the four, he was last to arrive. He was also the only one who arrived in a stagecoach, which really threw Amelia for a loop when she saw it. If we’d known this was going to be happening.... As the horse came to a halt, the driver reached back and beat a gloved fist against the side panel of the coach. A moment later, looking like he had just emerged from somewhere in the early 20th century, a rather young-looking man came out of the stagecoach, looking at the building in front of him.  “Mister Braddock? Please tell me you didn’t spend the entirety of the last two weeks coming here via coach?” “No, ma’am. The good Duke of Clarence ensured that I would not only be here in time, but that I would also be able to arrive in a manner I found becoming.” Amelia breathed a minor sigh of relief. “That’s good. You’re the last of the competitors to arrive. We have a locker room already prepared for you—” “Thank you, ma’am, but that will not be necessary. I took care of my preparations on the last leg of the journey here.” He gestured with his right hand, which Amelia noticed was fully taped in the manner of a professional boxer. “I am ready to begin the pummeling when it is convenient.” “I....I see. In that case, we should get inside; the others will be coming to the ring shortly.” Amelia turned to lead Jack “Classic” Braddock into the pagoda, and in the back of Braddock’s mind he noticed that both legs of hers seemed to be bulkier at the knees, and she walked with a slight limp favoring her left side. These were thoughts, however, that he would not be able to follow up on as he walked to the side of the ring nearest him, and rolled into the squared circle. A couple of circular shuffles around the ring, and a quick bounce off the ropes was all the preparation he felt he needed, as from opposite ends the remainder of the four combatants came into view, all decked out in their normal wrestling attire. Without thinking twice about it, Braddock held open the ropes for Carmichael, who stepped in at the same time as Nagata and Knight stepped through on the opposite side of the ring. For a long, uncomfortable moment, the four wrestlers (and two managers on the outside) stared each other down. It was Knight who spoke up first. “So where’s the ref?” “No ref? No rules!” barked Sonner from the floor on the far side of the ring. “Let’s just get to the fightin’ already!” “Look, I paid for a ref to be here, so where is he? Or she, or whatever?!” Carmichael complained as well. Before anyone else could reply, a loud gong sounded within the makeshift arena, and a rather large man emerged from behind one of the doors that had gone unnoticed by all of the visitors to the place. His role in these strange proceedings was rather clear given the powder blue shirt, black trousers, and bow tie he was garbed in regardless of what his official profile picture may declare otherwise.  “Good morning, esteemed guests. Be welcome here on my property, at The End of Nowhere, for this unique match. My name is Will Prydor, and in another place and time, I ran a company very similar to Rowdy Ringsports Wrestling. In fact, some may even call it the predecessor of RRW....but I digress.” He paused to roll himself into the ring under the bottom rope, coming to his feet in a neutral corner as all eyes followed his movements. “The reason you’re all here today, as I’m sure you’re aware, is that Miss Carmichael’s family paid a rather exorbitant sum to the management of RRW to hold a one-off match featuring the four of you, and specifically the four of you. I do not know why you were chosen. Yes, this match was supposed to be held in the RRW Arena, but roughly a week after the RRW Championship match was held, the CEO of RRW was indicted on tax evasion, fraud, and some sort of illegal medical practice. Something about a cybernetic spine or some such. Everything belonging to RRW was shut down—the arena, the on-demand streaming service, even contracts were to be rendered null and void. “All of that, you may not have known. You also may not have known this: the rumors you may have heard floating about on the internet are true. The Duke of Clarence used some sort of legal loophole to keep RRW from closing down, and has indeed bought an island out in international waters for RRW to continue into a second season, or beyond if he deems fit. For all intents and purposes, the Duchy of Clarence—not the tag team, the actual estate—is effectively the rightful owner of RRW as of this moment. “This is where I come in. His Grace, while having a considerable financial backing, is not versed in the ways of running a wrestling promotion, especially one as unique as RRW. So he found the one person who had done it before and hired them to oversee things until the legal situation had settled.” “So....what? You the boss?” Shaft Sonner asked from ringside. “I am. Until further notice, everything in RRW runs through me before it gets passed on to His Grace to make a formal decision. That includes the stipulations of this little contest.” That drew everyone’s attention right back to the matter at hand, as Prydor figured it would. “For this exhibition bout, I’m going to have this conducted under a ruleset you’ll rarely see even in RRW singles matches, and one that would be somewhat familiar to all four of the wrestlers involved, given their past or their home countries as may be appropriate. This exhibition bout, held within the confines of this Punchsport Pagoda—” “That’s a dumb name,” Hailey muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. “—will be a tag team European Rules match! The first team to score two falls will win the contest, and the match will be conducted in five-minute rounds with a one-minute break in between! All other RRW rules will be in place, and I will serve as the referee for this bout. Miss Midnight, whom you all should have met upon your respective arrivals, will serve as the official timekeeper for this contest.” “And the teams?” “The teams, Miss Burrell, will remain the same as was intended in the original proposal, despite my personal opinions on the fairness of the endeavor,” Prydor said. “I feel that the reigning Tag Team Turmoil champions should not be teaming together for this event, for the sake of competitive balance, but my advice was overruled. As such, it will be Hailey Carmichael and Jack Braddock versus Eugene Nagata and Glenn Knight. Competitors, to your respective corners, and be prepared to wrestle at the sound of the bell. Good luck to you all.” The next thirty seconds saw a last-second strategy session from the corner of Nagata and Knight, while Hailey simply waved her hand at Braddock to get out of the ring, sticking to the plan that got them to the pinnacle of Tag Team Turmoil. A moment later, Knight carefully stepped out to the apron, leaving Eugene Nagata to start the match against Hailey Carmichael. Prydor, seeing both sides ready to go, signaled to Midnight to ring the bell, and this unique exhibition match was officially underway. quote:(00:14) Hailey applied a Side Headlock The next minute was spent in quiet consultation on both sides of the ring. Standing in a neutral corner, Prydor figured the feeling out process was done with, and with fresher competitors in the ring, one team would likely start showing an advantage rather quickly. Any further thoughts were disrupted by the bell sounding to end the one-minute rest period, as the second round began in earnest. quote:(05:04) Braddock hit a Kick To Arm I didn’t think it’d be that decisive, Prydor thought as Nagata, Knight, and Sonner conferred in their corner. Braddock dominated most of that round; another one or two like that and this could be a quick outing. His face betrayed nothing, though, as he shifted his gaze back and forth between the two corners. On the opposite side of the ring, Braddock had found a small stool from somewhere and was sitting on it, looking down at the mat as he gathered his composure. As Amelia rang the bell to start the third round, Leslie Burrell reached in to remove the stool as Braddock stood up, and Prydor forced himself to focus on the legal competitors as the match picked up almost immediately. quote:(10:04) Braddock hit a Kick To Arm “Oh, what the **** is that ****,” Sonner shouted from ringside as the narrator thanked his lucky stars he hadn’t thrown out all of the asterisks yet. “You did that on purpose!” “I did,” Amelia agreed from the opposite side of the ring. “Five minutes had elapsed. Those are the rules.” “That’s not what I meant! You waited to end the round conveniently when the momentum was on our side!” “Sir, I assure you, I cannot control the flow of time. I’m just keeping track of it. Speaking of, there’s only forty seconds left in the rest period. I’d advise managing your client. Maybe you’ll be more useful there than actually interfering on his behalf since you couldn’t be bothered to all last season.” If looks could kill, as the expression goes, Amelia Midnight would have died at that moment in time. As it was, Shaft Sonner just stared daggers at her until she rang the bell to begin the next round. Though, Nagata silently admitted to himself, she did have a point there.... quote:(15:04) Braddock hit an Open Handed Slap Leslie Burrell, for one, was grateful when the bell rang to end the round. Hailey had been taking too much punishment for her liking after Carmichael had tagged into the bout. Worried about her charge, she started to climb onto the apron but Carmichael waved her off. “I’ve taken worse. This is nothing, just a part of the plan.” Leslie was about to ask what plan Hailey was talking about, but wisely kept her mouth shut as Hailey scowled across the ring at her opponents. The last few seconds of the rest period ended, and the bell sounded to start the fifth round of this contest. quote:(20:04) Glenn hit an Eye Poke “Boss, you may want to tag me in.” “I know what I’m doing!” Braddock simply raised his hands placatingly, letting Hailey recover without any other provocation. Meanwhile on the other side of the ring, a terse silence hung over all three men in that part of the ring. If they couldn’t figure out a strategy by this point, then words would do them little good. It was a relief to everyone involved when the bell rang to begin the sixth round of the match, if only to break the tension that was hanging thickly within the pagoda. quote:(25:16) Hailey applied a Top Wrist Lock To Hammerlock It’s coming, Prydor thought as he watched Nagata recover on the apron. He’s going to want to come in, thinking Knight isn’t fully recovered, and he’s going to get caught. Either this round or next. Outside the ring at the timekeeper’s position, Midnight was thinking similar thoughts, just focused on the opposite side of the ring. Braddock is just itching to get in there, it’s clear from how he’s pacing on the apron. One way or another, he’ll get in the match, and that’ll be the beginning of the end. I’d rather trust a pinfall than a submission in a tag match for one reason—it’s quicker. Looking down, she realized she had almost missed the end of the rest period. Thanking the Fates that she wasn’t late on the draw, she rang the bell to start the seventh round. quote:(30:04) Hailey hit an Eye Poke Braddock was quick to drop into the cover, and by the time Knight saw what was going on to get into the ring, Prydor was on his second count. There was no way Knight was breaking that pin up, and a second later, Jack Braddock had put his team up by a fall. Nagata was given a few seconds to get back to his feet before the match resumed, with the reigning Tag Team Turmoil champions just one fall away from winning this exhibition bout. quote:(32:38) Eugene hit a Punch Jack looked ready to end it right there, Amelia mused silently as Braddock sat on the little stool that Leslie Burrell had remembered to put back in the corner for him. If the time hadn’t run out, he probably would have managed it. Glenn and Nagata are going to have to pull off a miracle at this point to get back in it. I just don’t think they can. Not after what I’ve seen so far. quote:(35:04) Glenn hit a Kick To Knee “There ya go, champ! Gimme another round or two like dat and we’re back in it!” Shaft Sonner called from the floor as Nagata remained on his feet, staring across the ring. “He ain’t got **** on ya!” If that were true, Knight thought sullenly, he wouldn’t have been pinned earlier. Stop lying to the man and tell him the truth—one mistake and this could be over! Knight barely had time to think that it was reasons like this that he preferred to fight without a second in his corner before the bell rang to start round number nine, and he had to turn his attention back to the twenty-by-twenty ring in front of him. quote:(40:14) Eugene applied a Front Facelock “Why haven’t you put him away yet? What about your grand pummeling?” Carmichael hissed at Braddock as the latter sat on the stool following the ninth round. “I’m not allowed to enjoy it? Just like how you don’t enjoy making people submit by causing them all sorts of pain?” This rendered Carmichael speechless, something Leslie Burrell had only seen on a handful of occasions. Braddock pressed on. “At this point, they’re going to need to bust one of us open and beat on us profoundly to win this match, Hailey. Trust me on this. You can see it in the body language. They know it as well as we do.” Any reply she would have had was cut off by the sound of the bell. Braddock leapt off the stool and charged towards the center of the ring, ready to let Marciano’s words of wisdom ring out within the pagoda once more. quote:(45:04) Braddock hit a Thrust Kick “Dammit, Eugene, ya need ta get out of there! He’s got ya where he wants ya!” Nagata shook his head. “No. I’m in better condition than Glenn.” “Now wait a minute—” “No, Glenn. I’m staying in this. You need more time to recover.” Just to make sure Knight wouldn’t blind-tag himself into the match, Nagata moved almost midway between his corner and the neutral one, casting a sideways look at Knight who looked ready to spit fire at Nagata. This didn’t go unnoticed in the opposing corner. “Hailey, just sit tight. It’s time to end this.” “But I want to get in there!” “Do you really think Nagata’s going to submit? It’ll be quicker to knock him out than it will to make him tap. Just be ready to take out Knight if he comes for the save.” “Look here—” “Hailey, I appreciate what your father is doing for me, but just this once, ****ing listen to me!” There was a pause. Braddock never swore. It wasn’t like him to do it now. “I don’t like it, but fine.” Jack nodded at this, and was already advancing towards the center of the ring as the bell sounded to begin the eleventh round. quote:(50:04) Braddock blocked a Punch I’ll be damned, Hailey had time to think before she saw Knight start to get in the ring. Springing off the bottom rope, she used the strand to propel herself over the top rope and into the ring. As Braddock was falling into the cover, Hailey stepped up, leading with her right foot on Jack’s back, and pushed herself up and forward off of Braddock. Knight, expecting her to go around Jack, was caught off guard and ate a flying clothesline for his efforts. Carmichael latched on a grounded side headlock, trying to keep Knight immobile long enough for Prydor to drop to the mat: 1..... 2..... THREE! Midnight rang the bell one last time, bringing an end to the match at the 53:06 mark in favor of the Tag Team Turmoil Champions, Jack Braddock and Hailey Carmichael. Hailey released the headlock on Knight and got to her feet, quickly ducking between the ropes to stand at ringside as Braddock did the same. The victors celebrated for a few moments before heading back towards their locker rooms. Prydor was knelt down to check on Nagata, so he didn’t see Knight roll out of the ring disgustedly and trudge back towards his locker room. It took Nagata a minute or two to recover, but finally he made it out of the ring and, with Sonner’s help, back to his locker room as well. Prydor just sighed sadly when everyone was out of the ring. He was going to thank everyone for participating in this match, but all four participants seemed to want to get out of there as soon as they could. Not like I can blame them, honestly. They should be resting now before the next season starts. It’s just....hell, it’s not even that. I almost miss the challenge of being an owner and a participant at the same time in something like this. Prydor looked out at the timekeeper’s station, and saw a wistful look on Midnight’s face. “You miss it too, Ames?” She nodded. “If only my knees weren’t so jacked up. I’d love to get back into it. I still think I could have made a run at the championship had we continued.” Prydor chuckled. “Probably. At least you fared better in the finals than Knight did in his.” Behind them, Braddock’s voice called out, “I thought I saw a limp from you when I came in. That explains things.” Midnight jumped slightly, a guilty look crossing her face. Braddock walked around the ring, approaching the pair of now-retired wrestlers. “I thought I hid that pretty well,” Amelia said with a slight tone of disappointment in her voice. “Your legs bulk up at the knees. Braces, I presume?” At Amelia’s nod, he continued. “Helluva way to go out. What did it?” Silence reigned for a moment. Prydor spoke up. “Torn ACL, plus things outside the ring. We’d rather not talk about it.” Jack nodded. “Fair. Look, thanks for having us here for this. I know this can’t have been easy for you, especially hearing what I did, and then having to be right back in the thick of it. Especially with the stuff going on out there. You sure you’re going to be fine taking over when the next season starts?” “Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t think my wife wants me to go out in public right now. Not with two little ones and everything.” Jack turned to Amelia, surprise on his face. Amelia shook her head vehemently. Prydor spoke up again. “No, Amelia was one of the participants when I ran The League in its last season six years ago. Just been comrades in arms since.” “It shows,” Braddock said. The sound of a car engine starting a moment later startled everyone, and they turned to see Glenn’s rental car backing out of the spot it was parked in, and quickly put into gear and heading down the access road towards the main throughway. None of the three standing inside the pagoda were surprised. A few seconds more passed before Hailey and Leslie emerged from their locker room, dressed once more in casual attire. “So, Mister Prydor, should we expecting to see you soon?” Will sighed. “Against my better judgment. I’m needed here more, but I gave my word to your father.” Carmichael laughed at this. “The word of a gentleman? How rare is that in this day and age?” “Gentleman? Me?” Prydor paused. “I’m no gentleman. But I like to think I’m a man of my word. No more and no less.” Carmichael simply nodded at this. “Leslie? We’re leaving.” Without another word to the host, she spun on her heel and walked towards her limo. Leslie Burrell only had time to get out a quick “thank you for your hospitality” before she turned and had to hurry to catch up with Hailey. Looking outside, Braddock saw that the stagecoach he had arrived in had already departed as well, and a mild panic came over his face. “I should probably try to catch Hailey,” was all he got out before sprinting out the door, calling for them to hold the limo. Thankfully for him, the limo stayed long enough for him to clamber in the back before it pulled out and started down the access road. It was another few minutes before the last of the visitors came out. Nagata was walking gingerly, an ice pack held to his jaw. Beside him, ranting in a profanity-filled tirade at the injustices brought upon them by these fools, stalked Shaft Sonner. The latter simply blew by Prydor and Midnight on his way out the door. Nagata at least stopped long enough to respectfully bow and thank them both for the opportunity before heading out of the pagoda himself, slouching into the passenger seat of the Honda with ice pack still firmly held to his jaw. Sighing, Will turned to Amelia. “And then there were us.” “Yup. We should probably start on getting the ring broken down. They’re coming tomorrow to take down the pagoda. I know your wife didn’t like the look of it from the living room.” “I don’t blame her. But it made the impression that I wanted, so I’ll consider the rental cost well-spent. But the sooner we get this ring apart, the sooner we can get back inside where it’s cool and start figuring out just how the heck this is going to work a second time.” “Wait. You’re seriously going to do it?” “Yeah, Ames. Someone has to keep the machine going. Until things get fixed in Missouri, and until the school is able to reopen, might as well be me. If it helps pays the bills....” “Just....remember to wear a drat mask, okay?” “Now you’re starting to sound like my wife. Come on. Ring isn’t breaking itself down, you know.” The future would harbor its own challenges. He had never handled a roster of thirty-two before; the most he’d ever dealt with at once was twenty (and that included himself). But, with the Fates willing and a little bit of luck....maybe he could catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. It was worth a shot, anyway. \___(^)___/ This officially ends this Let’s Play of Wrestling Spirit 3. The wrestlers involved in the above match were all goon-controlled characters, and the majority of the players thought having one last match just featuring them would make a fitting conclusion to the LP. I am going to take a few weeks to recharge my mental batteries, spend some time in other games and projects (FF1 Randomizer, Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, Stellaris Console Edition, Path of Exile, and maybe even revisit No Man’s Sky again—the majority of the above list are all on my PS4 and what’s not is on my Vita TV) before resuming RRW over in the Fight Island subforum. Yes, season two happening on an island is no coincidence, just like this match being held within a Punchsport Pagoda was no coincidence either. Again, thank you for reading this far on this little adventure, and if I got the goon characters wrong from how y’all were imagining them, the fault is mine for taking the liberties I did with what info I had to work with. --SF
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