Out of the Fire
With Roza acting her spotter, Aria grimaced as she held the barbell on her shoulders. While the squat machine looked simple enough, but with the added weights Roza put on the bar, it took all of Aria’s strength to push upwards. She clenched down on her teeth and lifted the weight, feeling the weight push down on her shoulders.
“Remember, ease into the weight, don’t force it,” Roza said, “The last thing you want is to pull a muscle and be unable to compete. That won’t do too good for your prospects in the ACW.”
Aria nodded and did as instructed. She slowly pushed the weight back to its ready position until her legs were straight. Roza recommended fifteen reps in four sets, and since she decided on her own to stay as Aria’s trainer, Aria took her advice to heart. She was the expert in the field after all.
Grunting, Aria focused on a large red dot painted on a pillar on the other side of the gym. Roza told Aria to focus on the dot as she made her reps. Supposedly, it was to help her keep her from being distracted and just worried about lifting. It worked, for the most part. She focused only on the dot until Roza said something.
“So how was the first two weeks in the ACW?” Roza asked while Aria lowered into a squatting position.
“Pretty… good…” Aria replied, beginning the effort of raising herself to a standing position. “Decent folks there…”
“Being a wrestler is like being in a family.” Roza looked off into the distance, “Wait until you go on tour. The road trips can be long and annoying, but that’s where the best the stories come out of. That’s where memories are made.”
“Thought it was… in the ring…”
Roza shook her head but continued to smile as fond memories washed over her mind. “That’s the other half.”
Aria finished her last set and placed the squat bar back in its holding position. She exhaled loudly after another hard workout and picked up her water bottle for a swig. The cold water felt great as it went down her throat. Roza tossed Aria her towel and she promptly wiped the sweat from her brow.
“So when’s your next match?” Roza asked. Aria sat down to rest and pulled her phone out of her bag.
She flipped through several messages, most of them from the ACW such as the mandatory post and pre-match doctor check-ups. Another message asked if Aria could attend something with Sonata, though Sonata did not say what. Aria replied asking what Sonata wanted; she did not like going into things blind.
Finally she found the message on her next match. “Next SLAM I’m up against Octane. She seems nice. Has a bit of a motor mouth though. I think she gets on everyone’s nerves in the back, but Siege seems to put up with her.”
“She’s fast,” Roza said, “Incredibly so. I saw her run the ropes once and it was like watching a roadrunner with a sugar rush and death wish. She will go vertical if she ever gets a chance, so watch the corners at all times.”
Aria nodded and started to head to the locker room to change when Roza called her attention. She motioned for Aria to join her in her office. She wondered what this would be about but did not voice her concerns, simply following her into what she once called her bedroom. Roza closed the door behind her and sat at her desk while Aria took the familiar spot across from her trainer.
“What’s up?” Aria asked. Roza did not immediately reply, choosing instead to tap a pen on the desk.
“I’ve just been wondering if finding Adagio is a good idea.” Roza looked away as Aria’s lips curled downward into a frown. “Look, I know you want to find her. I just want to spare you the heartache if you find something you did not want to see.”
Aria felt her blood boil beneath her skin. Why was Roza pushing her away from her goal to find Adagio once again? Maybe she was right. Maybe Aria should not know what happened to Adagio. But the more Aria thought of her former siren partner, the more she wanted to know exactly where she was, if she was safe, if she was doing well, anything. No one, not even Roza would stand in her way.
“I’m finding her,” Aria said with an edge in her voice, “I’m grateful for what you did for me, but this is something you don’t get to make a call in. I’m finding her, and I’m making amends and that’s the bottom line.”
“‘Cause Aria said so?” Roza crossed her arms but this was something Aria would not budge on. Aria then had a thought. She furrowed her brow and looked Roza dead in the eye.
“Have you found Adagio? Did you find something about her?”
Exhaling loudly, Roza slid a sheet of paper towards Aria who picked it up and looked it over. The sheet showed a list of addresses, business names, and phone numbers. Aria did not understand what Roza tried to show her with the list. Did Adagio go to all of these places?
“I thought about what you said,” Roza said, her gaze never leaving Aria’s. “These are some of the places I figured young, good looking, desperate girls will go. Those too big for their britches, but also too needy to turn down a job. The way I see it, if she’s not in any of those places, then you should count yourself lucky. It narrows the field a bit, but kid…”
Roza never got a chance to finish as Aria stood up from her chair and rushed out of the door. Jumping to her feet, Roza yelled Aria’s name, but not even that stopped her. The implications in Roza’s voice and her list shook Aria to her core.
As she pushed the doors of Haven Gym open and walked out into the summer sun, Aria pulled her phone out and began to dial the numbers on the list. Her legs simply carried her as she wanted privacy as she made the calls. Yet every number she dialed came up with a busy tone or a voice machine. Groaning in frustration, Aria put the phone down and sat on a nearby bus bench. She needed to think.
Adagio… she wouldn’t work in one of those types of places… would she? Aria knew her as a manipulator, a schemer, but a very goal driven person, even if those goals were for world domination. She reveled in her siren ways. A thought came to mind: maybe Adagio lost all of that because she was, for all intents and purposes, no longer a siren.
To lose one’s identity was something Aria could fathom and it brought no little amount of dread. Every day she told herself that she was Aria Blaze, even when this world seemed to want to forget the name. What if there was no one around to say something similar to Adagio? What if Adagio forgot her own name, or worse, pushed it aside?
With only a list to give her direction, Aria set out for the first place. Without a car, it appeared she was walking the city to find Adagio.
***
Aria did not know if failing to find Adagio was a blessing or a curse. Perhaps it was both. For the few locations on the list Aria did manage to visit, Adagio was nowhere to be seen. This was good, as many of the places were scummy bars, dead-end taverns, and worst of all, strip clubs.
The windows to search were few and far between. With her obligations to the ACW eating up the majority of her time including doctor visits, meetings, and working out to maintain herself, she used what little spare time she had solely for finding Adagio. She had to decline the event invitation Sonata sent her before, and all other social obligations fell to the wayside.
She felt so close, yet with each failed attempt, Aria felt so far as well. Thankfully, if Aria was at none of these less-than-stellar establishments, it meant she could be somewhere else. Maybe somewhere better.
“At least I’m narrowing things down,” Aria said to herself. She then looked down to the list. Only a few places left. One of them being yet another strip club.
She wouldn’t come to a place like this, Aria thought as she walked up to the joint, she has way too much pride. She didn’t even so much as touch another human when we controlled them with our songs. Thought they were all beneath her. What if things changed once we lost our powers? I know I changed. Survival demanded it. Survival could demand something similar from Adagio.
Aria pushed those thoughts from her head. Right now she needed to focus on the goal at hand. She came here to speak to Adagio and maybe, just maybe, make things right.
With a deep breath, Aria pushed the door open when she heard a chilling, familiar voice behind her. It was faint and distant, but Aria could tell that voice anywhere in this world or the next.
She turned around to see the back of a head of bright, curly, orange hair step out of a very nice, shiny convertible driven by a man with slicked back hair and expensive sunglasses. Her throat constricted from nerves. She felt her heart rate beat a hundred thousand times a minute. It had to be her, it just had to be.
Aria moved swiftly across the street, completely ignoring the traffic on the road, eliciting several honks and shouts of annoyed drivers. She did not care. She came too far to be deterred by simple motor vehicles. Adagio was right there. Aria had to reach her.
The choruses of honking horns made the orange haired woman and the man in the convertible turn their heads. Aria finally crossed the street and then ran towards her target, her runners scraping against asphalt. As the two came face to face, Aria could not find the words to say first.
It was Adagio.
She was here.
In front of her.
After all this time, Aria and Adagio stood in the same place. Yet as she looked Adagio over, Aria felt a new anger rise in her throat. On the onset, she looked fine, pretty even, but that was an all illusion created by cosmetics and clothing choices. Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes held a dead gaze that only brightened when she recognized Aria standing before her. Adagio looked gaunt as if she did not eat for months.
“Adagio…?” Aria finally said. The look of recognition on Adagio’s face turned to annoyance.
“Do… Do I know you? You’re crazy to walk through live traffic like that. Do you want to get killed?” Adagio’s response stung Aria more than she ever figured could be possible. Was it possible for Adagio to forget her? What happened when they went their separate ways?
“It’s me, Aria!” As Aria tried to get closer to Adagio she backed away. This got the man in the convertible to step out of his car.
He stood a full foot and a half taller than Adagio and Aria and he took off his sunglasses with menace. “This chick bothering you, babe?”
Aria raised an incredulous eyebrow. “‘Babe?’ Adagio, don’t play games with me. You have no idea what I went through to find you. What I’ve been through to get this far!”
Adagio’s façade of ignorance broke like an overburdened dam. “I have no idea?! You have no idea what life has been like for me! You walked out on me, remember? You walked out on me, leaving me with that ditz Sonata! I never should have found you in the ocean! I never should have brought you to Canterlot! You two ruined my life!”
“We were in this together!” Aria fired back, “It was always your plans though, Adagio! You’re plans that backfired because you never wanted to listen to anyone else!”
“Hey, you stop yelling at my girl or we’re going to have a serious problem, bitch.” The man stepped between Adagio and Aria while he took off his jacket to show off his muscular frame. Aria, incensed by how poorly this reunion was going, would not be intimidated by such a display. Instead, she took off her own jacket and threw it down on the ground, allowing both him and Adagio to see the results of her training.
Adagio merely gaped at the sight of Aria’s gym-toned body. Her hands balled up into fists. If he wanted a fight she would give it just for a chance to speak with Adagio.
The man took a cautious step backwards. Aria figured he was not used to seeing his challenges met.
“Back off, hair grease,” Aria fired back. “This is between me and Adagio.”
“No, it’s not,” Adagio quickly jumped in. “So you lifted a few weights. It doesn’t stop the fact that you walked out on me.”
“That’s why I wanted to find you,” Aria said, her stance softening. Her hands unclenched. “I wanted to say I was sorry. Sorry for abandoning you. We needed to stick together more than ever then, but I was too stubborn to see that. But things are better now. I found Sonata, Adagio! She’s doing really well! She’s working at a restaurant and has a place to stay. I have my own place too. We can be a trio again, just like the old days in the ocean! We even made friends with the Rainbooms. We don’t have to just survive anymore. We can thrive. We can do all this together.”
If there was one word to describe the look in Adagio’s eyes at that moment Aria mentioned the Rainbooms, it was pure, unbridled hatred.
“You made friends with the people that stripped us of who we are?!” Adagio roared, “Who stripped me of my voice!? You gave up on everything that made you a siren. You died that night, just like Sonata died, just like Adagio died! You are all dead to me! You hear me!? I hate you! I HATE YOU!”
Adagio turned on her stiletto heel and walked off towards the club. The man she came here with shot Aria the dirtiest of glares as the two crossed the road while the lights allowed. As they disappeared into the club, Aria gave a shout of frustration, garnering several strange looks from passers-by. Shaking her head, Aria turned around, not having the will to pursue her.
It was Tuesday night after all. She was needed in Parthenon.
***
Aria went through the motions of putting her ring gear on. Thankfully the other wrestlers gave her a wide berth. Her mind swam from the altercations that occurred during the day. Such thoughts would distract her from her match tonight with Octane, but Aria found them very difficult to push away.
Thankfully, her thoughts could come later. She and Octane had the opening match tonight after a lengthy promo from World Championship challenger Shinigami Chihiro and World Champion Kass. The sooner she got in the ring, the better. She could think about facing Octane rather than facing Adagio again.
Aria waved over Wave Racer when she noticed that Octane was not in the locker room. “I haven’t seen Octane all day,” Aria said, “Have you seen her?”
“Octane’s been up front for the last hour,” Wave explained, “When she found out she was facing you, she was, like, completely excited. I haven’t seen her this hyped since her last ACW National Championship match.”
“She wants to fight?” Aria asked feeling rather confused. The two got along well; she didn’t want to have a conflict with someone else. Especially after the events earlier in the day.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Wave replied as she lay down on the bench once again. “She’s up in Gorilla.”
Aria shrugged and decided that was the best course of action. She left the locker room and headed towards the Gorilla position, where Octane was exactly as Wave said she would be. The sprightly wrestler did in fact jump up and down in one spot. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she spotted Aria.
“Hiiiiiiiii!” Octane waved at Aria while she continued to bounce on her feet. “This is going to be so great because we don’t get a lot of rookies and I like facing the new girls because I feel we can really learn a lot from each other but don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’re knew because I’m going to give it my all, one-hundred-and-ten percent pure Octane that is exactly what you are going to get so you better be one-hundred-and-twenty percent Aria if you even want to stand a chance because—“
“Octane!” Aria snapped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Look, I just want to make sure everything is fine between us. I heard from Wave that you wanted to fight me.”
“Well duh I want to fight,” Octane said in a rather nonchalant way. “It’s kind of my job and I like facing new friends in the ring because my daddy always said one of the best ways to get to know someone is to tussle with them and you got to train with Roza Del Diavolo and I’ve never faced anyone trained by her so I’m so excited to see you in action because I can always learn something new from somebody new and—“
“Aria!” The stagehand called, “You’re up!”
“This Fire Burns”, started to play as the opening guitar riff shredded through the arena air. Aria emerged from behind the curtain then out on the stage, making her now signature pose. Even with all the thoughts that went through her head, she still went through the motions of her entrance. Adagio may hate her guts, but Aria was still intent on becoming a star in the ACW.
“Introducing first! ARIA! BLAZE!”
Aria could not help but get a little tingle down her spine whenever the announcer called her name. The roar of the crowd, the sound of her name; it drove her to new heights.
Aria jumped onto the apron then jumped over the top rope. She climbed the turnbuckle and posed once more as she smiled for the crowd. She was on a real stage, even if it meant taking bumps. People came to see her perform. Roza was wrong; Aria was not a piece of meat being paraded in front of people. She was a competitor, a rising star. Her momentum was all hers.
Adagio, on the other hand, was the piece of meat swinging around a pole. If that was the life she wanted, she could have it.
The lights suddenly changed as the ones near the stage rapidly blinked on and off. The roar of an engine came to life followed by the sound of an electric guitar. Octane emerged onto the stage with a big smile on her face. She continued to bounce on her toes as she pointed to people in the crowd, only to then get to one knee with her right hand in the air. She moved her hand as if she was throwing a bowling ball down a lane but then two wheels that Aria did not see before came to life, spewing sparks into the air.
“Making her way to the ring! OCTANE!”
Getting back to her feet, Octane broke into a mad sprint towards the ring. She took to the air with a leap that cleared the top rope and she landed gracefully with a roll. She tumbled onto her feet and outstretched her arms for the crowd to soak her in. Aria had to admit, she was rather impressed with Octane’s entrance. The sheer height she attained from the jump alone…
Now Aria realized just who she was facing, but she would not let herself be intimidated.
As the music ended and the crowd focused on the match, the referee stepped into the center of the ring. He looked to both competitors and asked if they were ready? Aria nodded yes. Octane did the same. The referee called for the bell.
DING DING DING
As the bell rang for the match to get under way, Aria tried to push any and every thought about Adagio out of her head. She tried to ignore all of the barbed words, the accusations, and most of all the admission of hatred that Adagio spewed out to her. She had to focus on Octane who looked amped up for the match as she continued jumping in one spot.
Yet try as she might, Aria could not help but feel like all of her efforts were for naught. She finally found Adagio, but instead of making amends, the rift between them only grew larger. The way Adagio acting, it seemed she always hated Aria’s guts.
Well then, that was all right by her standards. Aria didn’t need Adagio in her life anyways. Unlike Adagio serving drinks at a dive music club wishing she could sing again, Aria turned her life around. She made more money than they ever got when they were sirens. She was on a stage, not just cleaning one. Not only that—
Aria never finished her thought as she suddenly felt a pair of boots slam into her chest with enough force to knock her on her backside. She quickly recovered and remembered that she was in a match right now. Octane put her hands up and gave Aria a quizzical look.
“Come on; get your head in the game!” She said, before raising her hands for more grappling. She was right; Aria did need to get her head in the game. No doubt somewhere in the back, Victoria O’Cash watched the match and would judge harshly if Aria did not deliver. Her contract, after all, was not ironclad.
They locked up collar-and-elbow, with Aria possessing the greater upper body strength compared to the much smaller Octane. Aria used her advantage to position herself behind Octane and still managed to maintain control by locking her hands around Octane’s midsection. Octane struggled to break free as she pulled on Aria’s fingers, but a quick shift by Aria as well as a well-placed foot brought down Octane to the mat with Aria right on top.
As long as she held Octane down, Aria neutralized her opponent’s speed factor. From her position, Aria took hold of Octane’s right arm and wrenched it behind her back. However, Octane still had use of her left hand, which she used to pivot on the ground and give her some elevation, enough to twist her entire body around until Aria’s hold on her right arm slackened. Aria did not expect this, nor did she expect Octane to use her entire body weight to pull Aria down. Soon Aria found herself on her back, with Octane on top.
Now elevated, Octane released the hold on Aria and ran for the ropes. Roza was right, Octane moved so fast in the ring that she appeared like a blur to Aria. However, Aria was still fresh herself, so she was able to get back to her feet before Octane made her attack. Aria raised her arm and struck Octane hard with a short yet effective clothesline, shutting down Octane’s offense.
Seeing her opponent down on her back, Aria decided to rush to the ropes herself. She jumped and used the second rope as a springboard, flipping in the air for the lionsault. As she neared for the press, Aria saw, far too late to do anything, that Octane already rolled out of the way.
She crashed into the mat without a soft body to cushion her fall, clutching her midsection from the botched attack. The miscalculation hurt and cost her precious momentum. The pain that shot through chest and limbs from the crash only added evidence to that particular argument.
Aria managed to crawl onto her hands and knees, but not until she heard the running of boots and Octane once again applying a dropkick to Aria’s side, specifically around her kidneys. She gave a shout of pain as she rolled from the force of the kick, though she had to ignore said pain as Octane made for the pin.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Aria would not allow herself to lose so easily, so she lifted her legs and used the force of kicking down to help bring her shoulder up in time. It also helped that the amount of power she used to kick out gave Octane a start and she backed away immediately. Aria got to one knee as Octane approached her, hands outstretched to try a facelock. Instead, Octane’s stomach met with hard rights from Aria and the meeting was intimate. Each strike pushed Octane back until Aria managed to get back on her feet.
Taking the opportunity, moved behind Octane, wrapped her arms around the midsection, and lifted her into a German suplex. Octane’s back smashed into the canvas and she crumbled in a heap in the corner while Aria turned from out of the bridge position.
Standing up, Aria picked up Octane off the ground until they both took a standing position. Aria draped Octane’s arm around her and used her own right arm to cradle the neck, she lifted Octane off the ground and then brought her down with a vertical suplex. Upon impact, Aria broke the hold, which allowed Octane ample opportunity to show her pain by arching her back and screaming out before collapsing once more. Aria crawled over to Octane and hooked the leg. The ref slid into position and started the count.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
However, it was Octane’s turn to make the kickout. Aria took several deep breaths as she brushed her hair out of her face. She then stood and lifted Octane to her feet before winding up and delivering a knife-edge chop across Octane’s chest. The crowd gave a big “woo!” with that strike and Aria looked to be in control, only for Octane to lash out with a chop of her own.
Aria clutched at her chest as she felt the burn of the chop even though she wore a top that covered her entire chest. Grinding her teeth in frustration, Aria delivered another chop to Octane. The crowd gave a “Woo!” with each subsequent chop as the two traded chops in the center of the ring. As great as it was that the crowd got into the match, Aria needed to swing the momentum back in her direction.
It was not meant to be as Octane kicked hard and fast right into Aria’s stomach. Keeling over forward, Aria did not resist as Octane locked her arm around Aria’s neck and fell over backwards with a DDT. The tremors that rocked through Aria’s head shot like a rocket full of pain. She did not have time to recover as she felt Octane drag her body to the middle of the ring. Turning her back, Octane performed a standing moonsault and pressed her weight on top of Aria. Aria cried out but still had enough strength to kick out when Octane made for another pin.
As Octane dragged Aria to her feet, Aria tried to rally back as she clutched her hands together to ram her elbow into Octane’s abdomen. Octane recoiled backwards just as planned, allowing Aria to grab her arm and throw her to the ropes with an Irish whip. Instead of rebounding off the ropes, Octane held on to the top rope. Not exactly what Aria planned, but she could take advantage of this. With a head full of steam, Aria rushed forward with her arm outstretched for a clothesline.
Octane was ready though and pulled down on top rope. She positioned her body so that she could flip Aria out of the ring and onto the floor. Aria’s eyes went wide as she flipped over the top rope, though she just managed to hold on with one hand and stay on the apron.
Yet as she turned to get back in the ring, Octane battered Aria’s stomach with a shoulder block right between the top and second rope. Aria held on to the top rope while clutching her gut her pain. Octane took advantage by flipping over the top rope and more importantly over Aria’s head. As she made her way to the ground, Octane grabbed Aria’s sides and slammed her down to the floor with a sunset flip powerbomb.
Aria never felt pain like this before but if she had anything, she could say it would be ‘damn that hurt.’ Yet words would not come, as Aria could only lay unmoving in some effort to recover from Octane’s unique offensive. She thought she heard the referee begin the countout. Aria rolled over onto her front and blinked rapidly to get her vision back. She felt around for something to hold on to, her hand clutching the fabric of the apron. She climbed up until her hand felt the hard edge of the ring, but she also felt the gloved hand of Octane on her arm.
With a hard pull on Aria’s arm, Octane moved for an Irish Whip of her own. She tried to throw her towards the steel steps, but Aria, acting purely on instinct, reversed the whip by planting her feet and keeping her weight down. Instead, she used the momentum from Octane to throw her into the steel steps. Octane, due to her small size, could not resist the throw and she crashed into the side of the steps with a thunderous roar. Octane arched her back as she collided with the cheap steel and she fell to her side. Aria took the time to catch her breath and get her focus back.
The referee made the count to three and called for the two to get back in the ring. On painful legs, Aria walked over to Octane and pushed her back into the ring. While Aria rolled under the bottom rope, Octane recovered and climbed back to her feet. The two clashed again as they stood tall, lashing out at each other with another series of chops. Annoyed, Aria rushed forward for a short-range clothesline, only for Octane to duck under her arm, turn, and take hold of Aria’s midsection. With a heave, Octane lifted Aira into the air, and then extended her right knee. With the aid of gravity Aria’s tailbone landed flush with Octane’s knee, sending shocks throughout her body. Aria fell to her front, kicking her boots on the mat before Octane turned her over for the pin. The referee slid into position and began the count.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Again, Aria managed to get the shoulder up, though now it was getting more difficult. Octane shook her head and breathed hard, but stood up in on one knee to continue the match. Hoisting Aria to her feet, positioned herself in a rear grapple and pushed Aria towards the turnbuckles. There, she lifted Aria into the air and sat her on the top padding. Aria gave her head a light shake as she felt her knew elevated position and then the grappling hold of Octane’s hands around her stomach. Instinct took over as Aria, instead of getting the bad end of a superplex, delivered sharp elbow strikes to Octane’s side. With a final shove from her shoulder into Octane’s jaw, Aria pushed the smaller wrestler off her and saw that she fell to the mat.
With Octane flat on her back, Aria turned around on the top turnbuckle, seeing a high risk but great possibility. Standing tall, Aria pointed towards the ceiling to hype up the crowd and then leapt from the top rope with her elbow aimed at Octane’s chest.
Octane rolled out of the way just in time for Aria to plummet to the canvas. Her elbow stung with pain and she held onto the joint while moaning from the agony. With both competitors down and not getting up, the referee began another ten count. Aria rolled over to her back and looked at Octane. Just how was she going to put this daredevil away? Vesper did it twice. Maybe she should have watched those matches.
Despite the brutal nature the match took on, Aria saw that Octane was smiling. For whatever reason, Aria could not help but smile as well. As hard as the match was on her body, Aria found herself enjoying it. She’d enjoy it more if she won, of course, but now she found a newfound respect for Octane and the sheer toughness she showed in the match.
They both stood up at the same time, their chests heaving with each laboured breath. Octane moved first, extending her foot for a powerful kick aimed right at Aria’s jaw. Aria caught the foot just in time and pushed Octane back into the ropes. Octane rebounded on uncertain footing, so much so that her stance wobbled under her own momentum. Aria took advantage by ducking down and lifting Octane onto her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. She then dropped Octane onto her back with a Death Valley Driver, remaining on top of her to make the quick pin. She hooked the leg and the referee made the count.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Yet still Octane got the shoulder up. The match continued.
Aria shook her head and could not believe the beaten Octane took. It was time to put her down. Aria slowly made her way to the corner, her eyes locked on Octane’s form. She held on to the second rope and rocked back and forth as she waited for Octane to crawl back to her feet using the turnbuckle for support. As she waited, the crowd began to chant: “Spear! Spear! Spear!”
As Octane stood up and turned to face Aria, Aria ran at a full sprint with her shoulder lowered for the full on tackle. As she neared, Octane dropped down, holding on to the middle rope while Aria threw herself straight into the ring post.
The smack echoed through the arena and the crowd seemed to collectively wince as bone smashed into steel. The misery that rippled through her body from her shoulder was unlike anything she ever faced before. She did not even have it in her to cry, moan, or make any other disparaging noise. Instead, she fell over backwards and grasped at her hurting shoulder. She did not think it was broken or dislocated, but it did hurt like hell.
Octane took a deep breath and stood up. She then grabbed Aria’s left arm and leg and dragged her body away from the turnbuckle. With Aria still out of it, Octane then ran towards the turnbuckle and began to climb it. Squatting on the top of the turnbuckles, Octane raised her hands in the air, pointing to the sky, before taking off with a great leap. She flipped once in the air as she neared Aria—
Only now for Aria to roll away for a change, leaving Octane to smash front-first into the canvas. Once again both competitors were down and the referee started another three count. Aria continued to roll towards the ropes until she was certain she could climb them without being harassed. Octane managed to crawl towards the ropes closest to her as well. Both of them breathed heavy. Both of them were battered and bruised.
But neither would give up.
Both competitors climbed up to their feet and stared at each other from across the ring. As the two approached each other to continue the match, the lights suddenly went out, putting them in complete darkness. The crowd murmured in anticipation, though Aria looked around in annoyance. With the exception of the emergency lights and exits signs as well as many, many cellphones, Aria was stuck in the dark.
The Teratron then suddenly came to life showing a grainy image of a small porcelain doll. The sight of it sent chills down Aria’s spine. A great, gloved hand that picked up the doll drove Aria to further terror. Aria pressed her back against the turnbuckle, her eyes wide as she could only watch the Teratron. She wanted to look away, but something compelled her to watch.
Another hand appeared and held the doll gently, while the gloved hand stroked its long, violet hair. A high-pitched voice, one belonging to a little girl, whispered her words, though the sound system in the arena allowed it to be clearly audible.
“Dolly, dolly, play with me.”
As the gloved hand stroked the doll’s hair, a flame ignited near the scalp. Soon flames engulfed the doll, while still held in the clutch of the hand. The hand then casually dropped the doll, of which the camera followed the doll until it collapsed on the floor.
As soon as the doll hit the floor, a firestorm erupted from the stage. The explosion of pyrotechnics filled the arena followed by a wild chorus of cheers. From the loudspeakers came a guitar riff Aria hoped to never hear again. Yet as the music played, the arena lights turned red, and the figure emerged from behind the curtain, she knew her fears came true.
The nightmare Konstance Paine strode to the ring, each step carrying the full power of dread wherever she walked. The red lights did nothing to lessen the incredibly twisted visage of Konstance and her doll-face mask. Strands of long, greasy black hair covered her face somewhat, but the empty voids that were her eyes gave Aria no small amount of horror. She felt paralyzed by her own fear. This was the creature that so easily tossed her around at the open challenge.
Now it seemed she came to finish the job.
Konstance reached up for the top rope and after taking hold, she lifted herself onto the apron. She then stepped over the top rope and into the ring proper.
Before Konstance could even do anything, Octane already went on the offensive and tried to deliver forearm smashed to Konstance’s face. Yet the moment Octane came into range, Konstance struck out with her gloved hand and wrapped her fingers around Octane’s neck. With a great heave, Konstance lifted Octane in the air just to promptly drive her into the canvas with a s thunderous chokeslam.
Seeing someone else get chokeslammed did not help Aria’s state of mind. Aria fell backwards and felt trapped in the corner. It was just like her nightmares. Now they are all too real.
Konstance cocked her head at Aria and took her time to approach. Aria hyperventilated as the nightmare lumbered towards her. The crowd’s noise turned to a humming din as Konstance now hovered over her. Placing her hands on the top ropes at the corners, Konstance leaned forward, trapping Aria in the corner.
Aria’s breathing stopped as she gazed into the abyss that was Konstance’s eyes. The doll mask leered at Aria, close enough that Aria could smell Konstance’s sweat.
Her voice just above a whisper, loud enough so that Aria could hear, Konstance said but two words:
“You. Failed.”
Konstance rose up and then walked away from Aria, heading to the ropes while her theme played on the loud speakers. Turning to face Aria, she extended her arms on the ropes and flipped over them backwards, an impressive feat for one of her size. Her boots touched on the ground and she resumed her slow walk to the back.
When Konstance was finally out of sight, Aria felt like she could breathe again. She quickly left the ring by rolling under the bottom rope, only to see Octane still down for the count, having rolled away herself. Looking to the curtain with a worried gaze, then back to the downed Octane, Aria made the decision to help her former opponent. She lifted Octane to her feet and draped the right arm over her shoulder. Octane paid for Konstance’s sudden arrival. The least Aria could do was to bring her to the back.
They made their way up the ramp, to the back, and through the curtain past the Gorilla Position. There an interviewer waited for them, obnoxiously sticking his microphone in Aria’s face.
“Aria Blaze, I’m Digging Dirt, correspondent for ACW.com,” the interviewer said, “I’m here to find out for the ACW fans what exactly happened out there. Why did Konstance Paine interfere with your match? What did she tell you in the corner of the ring, if she said anything at all?”
Aria looked at the interviewer and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
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what the heck happened.
7033011
It's called the start of a feud.
Didn't see that coming...
7033011
7033585
7034510
Was it a shocking swerve?
7034580
Yes... Even more of a swerve if Octane went full heel turn.
7000516
Yeah I know... Thinking back it was the first time I even heard of the anime's existence. I must've forgot it was referenced in chapter one.
It's 3:16, it's Steve Austin Day, so in honour of the Texas Rattlesnake, the Toughest S.O.B. open a couple cans of Stevewiesers and raise a little hell!
GIMME A HELL YEAH!
Aaaaaaaaaaaalright then?
7038683
7034510
7033011
7033585
Ok, I normally don't do this, but now I need to know. What exactly happened in this chapter to garner such response? Like... full detail.
7040235
Konstance Pain interfering with Aria and Octane's match. I didn't expect it to happen.
7040235 I was just in shock, I feel like somehow constance saying you failed, is more than personal. I suspect constance is arias' trainer rosa
7040235 well you know nothing big.... Except freaking Constance came right the buck out of nowhere AND interrupted their match(didn't even know you could do that) AND told aria she failed? Well Im confused.
7040374
7040428
7040394
Oh well, if that's it. Yeah, it's not a terribly unusual occurrence, just can't do it too often.
7040596 Will Konstance ever remove the mask to Aria?
*Konstance removes her mask and Aria screams blood murder at the sight of Konstance's face.*
Konstance: Okay! Okay! I'll put it back on!
7040394
7040428
I took the whole "You Failed" line to be in reference to the fact that Konstance was the first one Aria faced, way back in chapter one and lost terribly. And Aria not being able to stand up to her at all could be a reason to the words. If that's what it is, it leads to a whole lot of character development for Aria as a wrestler to grow to the point where she can overcome her crippling fear of Konstance.