~Current Champions~

MCW Champion: Sonic the Hedgehog

MCW Intercontinental Champion: Shadow the Hedgehog

MCW Television Champion: "Downtown" Ebony Hare

MCW Cruiserweight Champion: Silver the Hedgehog

MCW Hardcore Champion: Guntiver the Arctic Wolf

MCW Tag Team Champions: The Destructix (Drago Wolf and Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg)

MCW Women's Champion: Nic the Weasel

MCW Women's Tag Team Champions: The Pronghorn Sisters (Cassia the Pronghorn and Clove the Pronghorn)


~Ringside~

(DJ Khaled feat. T.I., Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil' Wayne - "We Takin' Over")

Fans inside Darasu Stadium were cheering loudly as the music played and pyro began to explode around the big screen and the sides of the stage. Chants of "MCW!" began to fill the arena as well as all the crowd pumping their fists in beat with the music, anticipating what was sure to be another memorable night of action presented by the MCW Competitors on the eve of their first pay-per-view event. Closer inspection revealed that not only were there a larger number of fans in attendance, quite possibly the largest thus far, but there were now instead of just Mobians and humans but multiple alien species as well, indicating that Mobius Championship Wrestling had extended its reach not just across Mobius but to other planets as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are live!" said Hiromi from her seat beside Tsubasa at the announcer's table. "Welcome back to 'Mobius Championship Wrestling' everyone! Hiromi Sato here alongside my broadcast partner Tsubasa Suzuki and man, oh man partner! We're red hot off the heels of our first pay-per-view 'Locked and Loaded' and what an amazing show it was!"

"Its not every day you'll hear me say this but there aren't any words that've been invented that can describe the experience that was last night," said Tsubasa. "'Locked and Loaded' proved to be a success in virtually every way you can think and history was made last night as we saw the crowning of all the inaugural champions here in our promotion. Not only that but hoo boy, did we see some intense grudge matches that I'm sure we haven't seen the conclusion of."

"I got to agree with you there!" said Hiromi. "I got the feeling that last night was just a catalyst for what we're going to see going forward and tonight promises to be another night that we all aren't going to forget any time soon!"

(Lil' Flip - "Battleground")

The cheers coming from the crowd got louder as the new music began to play throughout the stadium and everyway saw Setsuna walk out from behind the curtain, his hands in the pockets of the jacket he was wearing. As he made his way down the ring, despite his head being covered by the hood of the jacket, everyone could see glimpses of a smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the owner of Mobius Championship Wrestling, Setsuna Kurosagi!" said Aoi from her seat beside Hiromi and Tsubasa at ringside.

"Boss Man's in the building!" said Hiromi. "You know he's got to be feeling himself after the awesome night that was last night!"

Tsubasa chuckled in response. "All you got to do is look at that smile on his face. He's doing a good job of playing it off but for those of us that know him, you know that he's over the moon right now. But I do wonder what's on his mind."

"Same here!" Hiromi added. "Perhaps we'll find out!"

Setsuna reached the ring and leapt from the floor through the ropes into the ring, rolling along the mat to his feet in one fell swoop. His entrance music stopped playing and the crowd continued to cheer for him as he walked to the side of the ring and was handed a microphone by Aoi. Walking back to the center of the ring, the tiger removed his hood from his head, earning a louder pop from the crowd as they saw his face and he couldn't help but chuckle at the response before speaking into the microphone. "First and foremost everyone, welcome to Mobius Championship Wrestling!"

The crowd cheered louder and chants of "MCW!" filled the stadium once more.

Another laugh came from Setsuna. "That never gets old, I swear. But real talk, complete seriousness right now everyone." he began, getting everyone's attention. "Last night was a night that will live on forever in the hearts and minds of everyone who was able to witness it. 'Locked and Loaded' will go down in Mobian history as one of the most important and significant events ever on this planet. We the first ever champions in this promotion crowned, we were all witnesses to some of the most intense grudge matches conceived and it all culminated in practically an all out war at the night's end. Last night was nothing short of extraordinary and was every single thing we all expected it to be and guess what?" A smirk appeared on his face. "We're just getting started."

The crowd cheered in response.

"With that being said, we're gonna stay on the saddle and keep this train rolling baby," Setsuna continued. "Which brings me to tonight. For starters, last night we saw Tails and Speedy square off with one another in the first match of their Seven Levels of Hate series. It was quite possibly the most physical and brutal match of the night which saw Speedy come out on the winning side."

The crowd booed as they heard the bird's name.

"We saw the two of them brawl all around the ring and use the environment to their advantage," said Setsuna before tapping his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. "And seeing that made me wonder, what would these guys do to one another if the ante was upped a bit more?"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering what Setsuna was getting at.

"Well, we're going to find out the answer to that tonight," Setsuna continued, a smirk appearing on his face. "Because tonight, we're going to see Tails and Speedy go at each other in match two of the Seven Levels of Hate and believe me when I tell you, there's no telling what they'll do to one another...or for that matter, where they'll end up because their next match will be a Falls Count Anywhere match."

"Whoa!" said Hiromi as the crowd cheered. "Is Setsuna for real!? A Falls Count Anywhere match!? Between those two!?"

"We saw those two tear each other apart in a No Disqualification match just last night!" said Tsubasa. "We're pretty much guaranteed to see more of the same tonight, only this time they can pretty much get the victory wherever they end up! It could be outside the ring, on the ramp, on the stage, in the back, hell even in the crowd or outside the stadium!"

Setsuna grinned as he saw the reaction from the crowd. "I'm sure that'll be another match we all won't forget anytime soon. Now then, as we look towards the future, that brings me to our next pay-per-view event - 'Showdown,' which will take place four weeks from now. That event will mark another huge first for Mobius Championship Wrestling." Taking a moment to look out at the crowd, Setsuna's grin grew. "Ah, I can see that we have quite a few new faces in the crowd. It looks like our reach and our name has reached ones from other planets. What a beautiful sight this is and a perfect segue to what 'Showdown' means as it will kick off Mobius Championship Wrestling traveling outside Minamigawa, broadening our horizons and further extending our reach across the planet and the first stop of our global dominance will be the beautiful Mobotropolis."

"Well, alright!" said Hiromi as the crowd cheered once again. "Our promotion is going to be hitting the road!"

"And the main event for what promises to be a groundbreaking and historic event?" Setsuna asked. "We're going to find that out tonight as well. Now, as said earlier, last night we saw the crowning of the first ever champions in Mobius Championship Wrestling and that includes our promotions major championship - the MCW Championship, which was won by Sonic the Hedgehog in a hard fought match against Scourge the Hedgehog."

The crowd cheered and started to chant Sonic's name.

"I couldn't think of anyone better to be the first holder of this promotion's world championship," said Setsuna. "Truly well deserved. And in four weeks at 'Showdown,' Sonic will have his very first title defense. But who will it be against?"

A hush fell over the crowd as they waited for Setsuna to continue.

"For the past month, I've kept a close eye on all the competitors here and quite a few of them have stood out to me," said Setsuna. "Two of those few, are going to face off against one another in tonight's main event in a MCW Championship Number One Contender match, with the winner going on to challenge Sonic for the MCW Championship at 'Showdown.'"

"We've got a big time number one contender match taking place tonight!" said Hiromi. "Wonder who's gonna be in the match!"

"And as for the two competitors who will square off to determine Sonic's first challenger..." Setsuna continued. "It'll be the powerhouse Blackjack..."

The crowd booed as they heard the bulldog's name.

"...going one on one..." Setsuna said before grinning. "...with the powerhouse of the Chaotix, Mighty the Armadillo."

An explosion of cheers came from the crowd.

"Now that's what I call a match!" said Tsubasa. "Mighty and Blackjack, two of the strongest Mobians in the promotion, will go to war with the winner going on to face Sonic at 'Showdown' for the MCW Championship!"

Setsuna smirked as he looked out at the crowd once more before putting his hood back on over his head. "Tonight's sure to be another hot one. Let's get it."

(Lil' Flip - "Battlefield")

Setsuna tossed the microphone outside the ring to Aoi, who caught it and watched with everyone else as the tiger held one of his hands up in the peace sign before he disappeared into a vortex of darkness that appeared in front of him.

"We're barely into the show and we've already learned of two huge matches tonight - Tails VS. Speedy in a Falls Count Anywhere match and Mighty VS. Blackjack in a MCW Championship Number One Contender match!" said Hiromi. "Hell of a start, if I do say so myself!"

"Setsuna hit the nail on the head perfectly when he said tonight's going to be a hot and memorable night," said Tsubasa. "And as we look towardthe future as well as our next pay-per-view 'Showdown,' we're going to get into the action right now with our first match of the night!"


~Singles Match: Cream the Rabbit VS. Thorn the Lop~

(The Mouse Outfit feat. Sparkz - "Blaze It Up")

Cheers came from the crowd as the music played and moments later Thorn came from behind the curtain and stood on the stage, her spear in hand. Holding her spear out in front of her, she proceeded to perform some very impressive swings and maneuvers with the spear before holding it up high above her, green pyro exploding on the sides of the stage. Placing her spear over her shoulders, Thorn made her way down the ramp and after placing her spear outside her corner, she removed her ropes, leaving her in a purple one-piece before sliding under the ropes into the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the first match of the night is a Singles match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, representing the Mercian Freedom Fighters, from the Mercian Highlands, weighing in at 95 lbs., Thorn the Lop!"

"Looks like we're going to be seeing Thorn back in action tonight!" said Hiromi. "The last time we saw her was exactly a month ago during our very first episode when she and fellow Mercian Freedom Fighter member Mari-An took on Leeta and Lyco! Though they were on the losing end on that occasion, you can bet that Thorn's looking to get in the winner's column tonight as we're going to see her in one on one action for the first time!"

As the music stopped playing, Thorn went to her corner and waited for her opponent to arrive.

(Kay Hanley - "Follow Me")

The cheers continued from the crowd as the new music played and Cream came flying out from behind the curtain a few seconds later, using her ears to keep her afloat in the air. While on the stage, she looked out at the crowd cheering for her and waved out to them as she flew down the ramp and into the ring, landing in her corner.

"And the opponent, representing the Knothole Freedom Fighters, from the Southern Baronies, weighing in at 26 lbs., Cream the Rabbit!" said Aoi.

"It goes without saying that Cream's certainly had her hands full this past month with the whole ordeal between Amy and Nic," said Tsubasa. "And honestly, that whole thing may not even be over. But for now, Cream's looking to build momentum and if she can defeat Thorn she'll do just that."

As the music came to an end, Cream continued to stand in her corner until the referee made sure both she and Thorn were ready to go and called for the bell, beginning the match.

"Time for Cream and Thorn to get it on!" said Hiromi. "Let's get it ladies!"

Cream and Thorn met in the middle of the ring, both of them reaching out and shaking the others' hand, wishing each other luck. Taking their hands back, Cream and Thorn circled one another a few times before meeting in the middle of the ring in a lockup. The two spun around, trying to get the upper hand over the other until Thorn was able to do so, bending Cream over and one of he arms around her head. Thorn attempted a DDT on Cream, but the rabbit fought back by hoisting Thorn off her feet and holding her up on her shoulder before falling backwards to the mat, throwing her knees up and driving them into the lop's gut, knocking the air out of her.

"Very nice counter by Cream there as she gets out of what was looking like a DDT and turned it into a Gutbuster," said Tsubasa.

Cream quickly pushed Thorn off her knees and leapt onto her in a cover.

1

2

Thorn got her shoulder off the mat, holding her midsection and coughing.

"A near fall right from jump street for Cream!" said Hiromi. "This is off to a hot start!"

Standing to her feet, Cream bent over and grabbed one of Thorn's arms, pulling her up and throwing her across the ring into one of the corners chest first. A grimace appeared on Thorn's face as she stumbled backwards out of the corner and Cream took that chance to rush her from behind and roll her up into a School Boy pin.

"After a hard whip into the corner, Cream's got Thorn on the mat with a roll up," said Tsubasa.

1

Thorn quickly kicked out, still holding her front as she was feeling the effects of Cream's assault on her body.

"Quick kick out from Thorn and she's already lookin in a bad way and we're just at the start of this match! We'll see if she can turn this around someway, somehow!" said Hiromi.

Cream continued her offense, standing and pulling Thorn to her feet once again and swung her elbow at the lop, connecting with the side of her head. Stumbling from Cream's attack, Thorn tried to mount an offense, only to be struck by another elbow to the head from Cream. Seeing Thorn staggering from her attack, Cream followed up her strikes by spinning in a circle and using the momentum to attack Thorn with another elbow to her head with so much force it knocked her down to the mat and earned her a pop from the crowd.

"That was a big time combination from Cream and Thorn's laid out on the mat again," said Tsubasa.

Cream leapt onto Thorn once again and covered her.

1

2

Thorn managed to get her shoulder off the mat, wincing a bit from the pain not only from her body but now her head.

"Thorn's still in it and kicks out!" said Hiromi. "Got to wonder just how much more of this she can take! She hasn't been able to get anything going since the match began!"

The moment Cream separated herself from Thorn, the lop took that chance to roll across the ring and underneath the bottom ropes to the outside of the ring to catch her breath and regain her bearings. Seeing this, Cream stood to her feet and backed to the adjacent side of the ring, waiting until she saw Thorn starting to turn around to face her and ran for her, leaping through the ropes at her.

"Thorn's trying to take a breather but it looks like Cream is having none of it!" said Hiromi.

However, Thorn caught the oncoming Cream in her arms and proceeded to throw her into the nearby barricade with a Body Slam, causing the fans nearby to jump back in surprise.

"Holy cow!" Tsubasa exclaimed.

"Now that's one way to get back into this thing!" said Hiromi. "Thorn just threw Cream like a sack of potatoes into the barricade!"

Cream crashed down to the floor, her eyes shit tight from the pain going throughout her body. At the same time, Thorn rolled back into the ring and took more time to get her wits back while the referee began to count out Cream.

"This is just what Thorn needs, to get her wits back about her while at the same time the referee's beginning to count Cream out," said Tsubasa.

At around the count of five, Cream grit her teeth as she crawled to the apron of the ring, using it to pull herself her feet and get back into the ring before she was counted out.

"Cream's back in the ring and the match continues!" said Hiromi.

Thorn watched as Cream used the ropes to stand up and once she was to her feet, she ran for her and swung one of her arms for Cream's neck, hitting her with a Clothesline that sent her over the ropes and back to the outside of the ring on her side.

"Just as quick as she got back in the ring, Cream's taken right back to the outside by Thorn," said Tsubasa.

Taking a knee, Thorn took a few deep breaths, regaining her bearings further while the referee once again started to count Cream out. Using the apron once again, Cream was able to stand back up and gingerly roll back inside the ring, breaking the referee's count at six.

"Cream's back in the ring, though it did take slightly longer this time than it did the first time!" said Hiromi.

Struggling to her feet, Cream nearly stumbled as she stepped away from the ropes, looking and seeing Thorn running at her. Thorn leapt off the mat, turning her body and slamming the heel of her feet into Cream's face with a Spinning Heel Kick and knocking her on her back.

"And Cream gets brought down with one hell of a Spinning Heel Kick from Thorn," said Tsubasa.

Thorn got to her knees, pulled Cream away from the ropes and covered her.

1

Cream quickly kicked out.

"Cream kicks out but man I'm sure her jaw feels like its on fire after that Spinning Heel Kick!" said Hiromi.

Standing up, Thorn walked over to the nearest corner and climbed to the top turnbuckle, turning to the downed Cream and leaping off, extending her knee.

"Thorn's taking flight off the top turnbuckle," said Tsubasa.

Just before Thorn connected with her, Cream rolled out of the way and the lop landed hand on her extended knee, causing her to yell out and stay on the mat in a kneeled position in pain.

"Whew, close call! Cream just barely got out of the way on that one!" said Hiromi.

Getting to her feet and seeing her chance to go on the attack, Cream backed into the adjacent ropes, bounced off them, ran to Thorn and drove her knee into her head, knocking her on her back and quickly covering her.

"Cream's got Thorn covered after nailing a knee right to her face!" said Tsubasa.

1

2

Thorn shot her shoulder off the mat.

"A near fall for Cream! Thorn managed to break the pin!" said Hiromi.

Rolling off Thorn to the other side of the ring and holding her throbbing side, Cream took a few deep breaths as she watched Thorn starting to get to her feet. Once Thorn turned to her, Cream ran for and leapt at her, wrapping an arm around her neck. Just before Cream could fall back to the mat and execute a DDT on Thorn, the lop caught her in her arms, spun around and slammed her down to the mat on her back with a Powerslam, landing on top of her in an immediate pinning position.

"Whoa! Thorn nails Cream with a counter Powerslam and has her pinned!" said Tsubasa.

1

2

Cream broke the pin by getting her shoulder off the mat.

"Man, another close call for Cream!" said Hiromi. "Thorn's definitely back in this thing now!"

Keeping a hold of Cream's arm, Thorn stood up, pulling her up with her and backing her up against one side of the ring in the ropes before attempting to throw her to the other side. However, Cream countered and sent Thorn herself into the ropes. As she came back to her, Cream leapt up and wrapped her legs around Thorn's head. She then proceeded to fall backwards, using her legs to pull Thorn down head first to the mat with a Hurricarana and wrap her arms around her legs, holding her down on the back of her neck in a pin.

"Now Cream fights back and has Thorn rolled up after hitting a Hurricarana!" said Tsubasa.

1

2

Thorn managed to throw Cream off her.

"Cream nearly had Thorn beat there!" said Hiromi.

Cream got to her feet while Thorn did the same, holding the back of her head. Staying on Thorn, Cream made a move to hoist her up in her arms but Thorn stopped her by clasping her hands behind the rabbit's head and beginning to repeatedly slam her knees into her head and face.

"Uh oh, now Thorn's letting her knees loose and is all over Cream with them," said Tsubasa.

Cream buckled from each knee until Thorn landed one so hard it knocked the rabbit slightly off her feet and down to the mat on her back.

"The impact of that knee nearly sent Cream flying out of the ring!" said Hiromi.

Thorn went to Cream and covered her, hooking one of her legs as she did so.

1

2

Cream surprised Thorn, as well as everyone else, by managing to kick out right before the referee's hand came down for the third and final time.

"It's a two count!" said Tsubasa.

"Oh man, that was the closest near fall of the match!" said Hiromi. "I would've bet my house that Thorn had this won!"

"Good thin you didn't otherwise you'd be homeless right now," Tsubasa joked.

Sitting up off Cream with a look of surprise still on her face, Thorn eyes narrowed before she picked Cream up and led her over to one of the corners, hoisting her up onto the top turnbuckle in a seated position before following her, standing on the middle turnbuckle in front of her and wrapping an arm around her head.

"Thorn looks like she's going for a Superplex!" said Hiromi.

Seeing the trouble she was in, Cream started to fight back against Thorn by landing elbows and forearms to the lop's body before following up with a swift elbow to her chin that looked more like an uppercut.

"Ooo, what a shot to the chin that was!" said Tsubasa.

Thorn was knocked for a loop from the elbow and fell backwards off the turnbuckle to the mat on her back. Looking and seeing Thorn down before her, Cream stood tall on the turnbuckle, hearing the crowd cheer loud for her and even chant her name.

"Thorn's down on the mat and oh snap, what a dangerous spot she's in right now!" said Hiromi. "Cream's in prime position right now for the Cream Splash!"

Smiling at the love she was being shown, Cream extended her long ears and held her arms out to the side of her body, leaping a few times on the turnbuckle before leaping off, keeping her body in the same position as she descended down onto Thorn, landing stomach first on her with the Cream Splash.

"Ask and you shall receive!" said Tsubasa. "Cream hits the Cream Splash and hit all of it!"

The crowd exploded in cheers as Cream landed on Thorn in a pinning position, hooking her leg as the referee dropped to make the count.

"Creams got Thorn pinned!" said Hiromi.

1

2

3

"There's the three count!" said Tsubasa.

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"Cream gets the win over Thorn!" said Hiromi.

(Kay Hanley - "Follow Me")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, Cream the Rabbit!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

The crowd cheered loudly as the winner was announced and the music played. Cream gingerly stood up off Thorn and the referee held her arm up in victory.

"Really great match these two ladies put on and in the end Cream's the one to get the W!" said Hiromi.

Taking her arm back from the referee, Cream knelt down and helped Thorn to her feet, making sure she was okay.

"Definitely got to appreciate the sportsmanship here," said Tsubasa. "This was one hell of a great back and forth match and both of them really left it all out there."

Thankful for her help, Thorn thanked Cream before holding her hand out to her. Smiling, Cream took her hand and shook it, getting a louder pop from the crowd.

"Thorn definitely has nothing to be ashamed of here! She really brought it! I'm sure that the time will come when she gets her first victory here!" said Hiromi.

Thorn took her hand back and after exiting the ring, picked up her robe and spear before making her way up the ramp, leaving Cream to celebrate her victory as the crowd applauded both of them and filled the stadium with chants of Cream's name as the rabbit giggled to herself and waved out to the cheering fans.

"Tonight's definitely gotten off to one hell of a start as we see Cream pick up a huge win," said Tsubasa. "If this is what we're in store for, tonight's shaping up to be another wild one."


~Backstage Area~

Nic was standing in front of a monitor, seeing the conclusion of the match between Cream and Thorn. She had watched the entire opening contest and as she watched the rabbit celebrating her victory in the ring, she scoffed, rolled her eyes and began to take her leave from the area, the Women's Championship settled on her shoulder and glimmering in the light.


~Ringside~

"It appears that the Women's Champion Nic was keeping a real close eye on our opening match!" said Hiromi. "And judging from her response, it looks like she wasn't impressed by what she saw!"

"That's Nic for you," said Tsubasa. "She's had quite a few run-ins with Cream the past month and if you want my opinion, she should take what she saw to heart instead of brushing it off. Hell for all we know, Cream could be the first challenger to her Women's Championship!"

"She definitely could be, especially after that huge win!" said Hiromi. "Time will tell!"


~Locker Room Area~

Julie-Su was walking down the hallway towards the Chaotix locker room, an angry and dejected look on her face. Her loss to Lien-Da last night at Locked and Loaded was still fresh in her mind and she had spent the past twenty-four hours trying to push the loss out of her head, going so far as to avoid contact with everyone, including Knuckles and the rest of the Chaotix.

"Well, look what we have here."

Stopping dead in her tracks as she heard to all-too familiar voice, Julie-Su's eyes narrowed angrily as she turned around, coming face to face with Kragok. "What do you want?" she asked, venom in each of her words.

Kragok couldn't help but chuckle under his hood as he looked down at his younger sister. "So hostile. Though if I'm being honest, I can't blame you. Especially considering what happened last night."

Julie-Su grit her teeth in fury and clenched he fists as she heard his words. Seeing her sister's angry reaction, Kragok grinned evilly and continued to speak.

"It must be a horrible feeling, knowing that you were on the receiving end of such a brutal loss. Knowing that you aren't in the league of Lien-Da. Knowing that despite all you've done and all you've tried, it was all for nothing because you failed yourself, you failed the rest of your friends and...you failed your parents."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Julie-Su couldn't hold herself back and she responded by punching Kragok as hard as she could across his jaw, her body heaving angrily as his words repeated themselves in her head over and over. She wanted to lash out at him again but managed to refrain from doing so and instead left down the hallway, letting out a scream of anger and frustration as she did so.

Reeling back from the punch, Kragok watched Julie-Su storm down the hallway while merely licking his lips and smirking.


~Ringside~

"Can you believe that Kragok!?" Hiromi exclaimed. "Julie-Su's clearly still reeling from that devastating loss to Lien-Da last night and leave it to him to rub salt in the wound and kick the girl when she's down! I would've socked him in the jaw too!"

"We all know how tough that loss to Lien-Da was for Julie-Su," said Tsubasa. "It's got to be eating her alive right now and Kragok's words did her no favors in trying to get past it. Really got to feel for Julie-Su right now."


~Locker Room Area~

Cream was making her way back to the locker room of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, still happy and proud of herself on her win. As she made it to the locker room, the door opened and she saw Tails walk out, nearly bumping into him before the two of them noticed one another.

"Oh, Tails!" Cream exclaimed, stopping herself from making contact with the fox. "I'm sorry!"

"It's alright Cream, no problem at all," said Tails. "It was my fault, really. I should've been paying more attention." A smile appeared o his face. "Congrats on your win, by the way. You were great."

"Thank you," Cream responded, returning the smile. "That means a lot. How're you? Everything okay?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah, just heading out to the ring. My next match against Speedy is up next."

That got Cream's full attention. She didn't expect Tails' next match against Speedy to be so soon. "Oh, I see. You sure you're alright? You know, after last night?"

"I'm good," Tails answered. "I can't worry about last night. I got to focus on the here and now and try to even the odds against him."

Cream nodded, taking Tails' hands into her own. "Good luck Tails. You can do this. I believe in you, just like the rest of our friends."

Tails' smile grew as he clasped the rabbit's hands with his own. "Thanks Cream. I'll do my best. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yes, of course."

Giving Cream another smile, Tails took his hands back and began to make his way towards the ringside area. Cream watched him leave until he was out of sight and walked into the locker room to join her friends, silently wishing Tails luck once again.


~Ringside~

"Oh man, I didn't expect this to be coming our way so soon!" said Hiromi. "It looks like we're about to see the second match in the Seven Levels of Hate between Tails and Speedy next!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're ready for what's sure to be one of the most unpredictable matches you'll ever see," said Tsubasa. "We saw what these two were capable of last night in a No Disqualification match and now we're going to see what happens when there are no limits and they're allowed to go at it pretty much anywhere they want in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Lets not waste any more time and get right into the next chapter of the Seven Levels of Hate."


~Seven Levels of Hate, Match #2 (Falls Count Anywhere): Miles "Tails" Prower VS. Speedy~

(Nas feat. Puff Daddy - "Hate Me Now")

Loud boos came from the crowd as the music began to play and moments later, Speedy came from behind the curtain, making his way down the ramp with a determined look on his face before reaching the ring and sliding into it. As he stood up and went to his corner, everyone could see many of the bruises on his body that he got from his match against Tails the previous night.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is match number two in the Seven Levels of Hate and its a Falls Count Anywhere match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, representing the Battle Bird Armada, from Cocoa Island, weighing in at 70 lbs., Speedy!"

"Speedy's definitely wearing the wounds of war!" said Hiromi. "After what he and Tails went through last night, I'm not surprised at all!"

"Saying that was a war would be an understatement," said Tsubasa. "Those two tore each other apart in a truly savage match, a match that saw Speedy get the win. He's looking to do more of the same to Tails in this second match, possibly even more."

As the music came to an end, the crowd was still booing Speedy loudly as he went to his corner and leaned into it, waiting for his opponent to arrive, the look on his face never changing.

(Kaz Silver - "Believe In Myself")

The boos were replaced by loud cheers as the new music played and seconds later, Tails came through the curtain, using his tails to fly down the ramp and into the ring. Just like Speedy, he was just as bruised up as he was.

"And the opponent, representing the Knothole Freedom Fighters, from Mobotropolis, weighing in at 77 lbs., Miles 'Tails' Prower!" said Aoi.

"And look at Tails! He's just as wrecked as Speedy!" said Hiromi. "Seeing these two is just making everything come back to me from their match last night!"

"Same here, and let's not forget at the end of last night when Tails took flight and brought down not only Speedy but a score of the Destructix," said Tsubasa. "And with the kind of match their in tonight, I think its safe to assume we're going to be seeing that and much more as these two take their rivalry to the next level."

As the music came to an end, Tails backed up to his corner and locked eyes with Speedy, both of them just itching to get at each other as the crowd began to clap their hands and stomp their feet in anticipation. Seconds later, the referee called for the bell and the match began.

"Tails and Speedy ready to throw down in a Falls Count Anywhere match!" said Hiromi.

Remembering what Tails did to him the previous night, Speedy rushed the fox right from the get-go, trapping him in the corner and delivering hard punches to his body.

"Speedy's all over Tails right from the starting bell," said Tsubasa.

Gritting his teeth as he felt the bird's clubbing blows, Tails grabbed him by his head and roughly through him through the ropes out of the ring to the floor. Speedy hit the floor on his back and let out a curse as he got back to his feet, only to be grabbed by Tails after he followed him and slugged across the face with a punch of his own, sending him back towards the steel steps.

"Tails gets back into this and the fight spills to the outside! That sure didn't take long!" said Hiromi.

As Speedy reached out and placed a hand on the steps to keep himself from falling, Tails ran at him and locked his arms around his head, looking for a Hurricane Neckbreaker. However, Speedy grabbed a hold of the fox around his waist and threw him ribs first into the steel steps.

"Speedy counters Tails and just sent him into the steps! said Tsubasa.

"He was already in a bad way coming into this match and those steps I'm sure didn't make things any better for him!" said Hiromi.

Tails yelled out as he clutched his side and fell against the steps while Speedy glared at him and started to land hard kicks to Tails' body, further buckling him as the crowd started to boo him.

"Now Speedy's unleashing hell on Tails in the form of vicious kicks to pretty much every part of his body he can reach!" said Tsubasa.

After landing a few more kicks, Speedy pulled Tails to the floor and covered him, the referee following to the outside to make the count.

1

2

Tails got his shoulder off the floor.

"Tails was able to break the pin but man, he's already in a real bad way and this match just started!" said Hiromi.

Speedy frowned at Tails before standing, grabbing the fox by his hair and pulling him to his feet, kneeing him in his stomach. After Tails doubled over, Speedy wrapped an arm around his head and lifted him upside down in the Suplex position and moving towards the barricade.

"What the...Speedy looks like he's about to drop Tails on the barricade with a Suplex!" said Tsubasa.

Just as Speedy was going to execute the maneuver, Tails fought back by slamming his knee downward right into Speedy's head multiple times, staggering him. Tails then maneuvered his body to the side of Speedy's, locking his own arm around his head and slamming it down onto the edge of the barricade with a DDT, getting a pop from the crowd as Speedy fell backwards to the floor.

"Oh man, what a counter from Tails!" said Hiromi. "He nailed Speedy with a DDT on the barricade!"

Tails, holding his midsection, rolled over onto Speedy and covered him.

1

2

Speedy got his shoulder off the floor.

"Just like Tails did, Speedy broke out of the pin!" said Tsubasa.

Slowly getting back to his feet, Tails pulled Speedy up to his feet by his arm, locked an arm around his head and began to lead him from the ring and up the ramp towards the stage.

"Uh oh, Tails is taking Speedy up the ramp!" said Hiromi. "Just where is he leading him to!?"

As they reached the stage, Speedy tried to fight back against Tails by punching him in his hurt ribs. Gritting his teeth as he felt the blows, Tails managed to keep his hold on Speedy, delivering punches directly to his head and face as he went behind the curtain to the backstage area, the referee following behind them.

"They're heading to the backstage area!" said Tsubasa.

Everyone watched on the big screen as Tails and Speedy arrived backstage and the fox led his opponent over to the side of the large area, throwing him back first into what looked to be a dumpster.

"Speedy gets sent right into that dumpster!" said Hiromi. "I know that didn't feel good at all!"

Speedy grimaced as he slumped against the dumpster and Tails made a move to pull him off it, only for Speedy to counter and pull the fox to him with his back to him. Before Tails could escape, Speedy locked his arm around his head from behind, lifted him upside down in the Suplex position and fell backwards, slamming Tails' waist down on the edge of the dumpster, causing the fox to yell out in pain as he dangled on the dumpster.

"Oh damn!" Tsubasa exclaimed. "Speedy hit the Suplex he was looking for earlier but instead of the barricade it was on that dumpster! Tails looks like a lifeless puppet right now on that thing!"

Speedy grabbed Tails by his head, roughly pulling him down to the floor and covering him.

1

2

Tails got his shoulder off the floor, immediately holding his body afterwards.

"And Tails actually managed to kick out of that!" said Hiromi.

Standing up, Speedy went to the dumpster and looked beside it, a smirk appearing on his face as he saw a trash can. Grabbing it, he dragged it over next to Tails, taking off the lid and placing it on one of the fox's arms before kneeling down and lifting his lower body up above Tails.

"Speedy's got a hold of a trash can and I don't like the looks of things right now!" said Tsubasa. "Tails is in real big trouble here!"

At the last second, Tails managed to roll out of the way just as Speedy brought his knee down, slamming it down on the trash can lid without Tails' arm under it.

"Speedy's knee hit nothing but that trash can lid!" said Hiromi.

Yelling out and grabbing his knee, Speedy cursed out loud as Tails quickly stood up, picked up the lid and swung it right into Speedy's face, the smack of steel meeting flesh sounding throughout the entire area and the crowd popping loud back at ringside.

"Tails just hit a freaking home run with that lid!" said Tsubasa. "How is Speedy's head still on his body right now!?"

Speedy fell to the floor with a glazed look on his face as Tails dropped down to cover him.

1

2

Speedy got his shoulder off the floor, his face still in a daze as a bruise started to form from the shot with the lid.

"Speedy show's his durability by kicking out after that and he's showing even more wounds of war!" said Hiromi.

Tails grimaced as he felt his midsection burning with pain but fought against it, standing and grabbing Speedy by his head, pulling him up and beginning to head away from the backstage area towards the locker room area.

"They're heading away from the backstage area!" said Tsubasa. "Where is this battle heading to now!?"

Grabbing Speedy tighter, Tails through Speedy so hard into one of the doors that the bird went flying into the room. As Tails and the referee followed, the locker room was shown to be vacant and the fox grabbed Speedy by his head, leading him over to one of the lockers, opening the door and placing Speedy's head against it.

"These guys are in an empty locker room now and...oh no! Look at where Tails has Speedy's head!" said Hiromi.

"This isn't gonna be pretty!" Tsubasa added.

Backing up and eyeing Speedy with a frown, remembering all the words he said about him, Tails kicked the locker door as hard as he could into Speedy's head, crushing it.

"Oh my God!" Tsubasa and Hiromi exclaimed in unison.

Speedy slumped almost lifelessly to the floor and Tails covered him.

"Tails has Speedy covered after crushing his head with the locker door! That's gotta be it!" said Tsubasa.

1

2

Speedy got his shoulder up, still looking worse for wear after the brutal shot to his head.

"Are you serious right now!? Speedy kicked out!?" Hiromi half screamed in shock. "Just what exactly is that bird made of - adamantium or something!?"

Getting to his knees, Tails looked and saw one of many chairs folded up against the wall. Standing, he went to grab the chair and brought it over to Speedy, slamming it down hard on the bird's head and making sure it stayed there.

"Ouch! Tails nearly caved Speedy's head in with that chair shot!" said Tsubasa.

Looking to the top of the lockers, Tails saw that there was space above them and he got an idea.

"What's that fox about to do!?" Hiromi asked out loud.

Going to the lockers, Tails climbed to the top of them and stood tall on it, looking down at the still motionless Speedy.

"He's actually on top of the lockers!" said Tsubasa.

Extended his arm, Tails leapt off the lockers and slammed his elbow down on the chair, smashing it into Speedy's head with a Flying Elbow Drop.

"Dear God!" Hiromi exclaimed. "Tails just smashed Speedy's head in with that Elbow Drop onto that chair!"

Speedy's body jerked from the impact and Tails threw the chair to the side, covering the bird afterwards.

1

2

Speedy mustered up what he could and shot his shoulder off the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me right now!" said Tsubasa. "Even that wasn't enough to put Speedy away!? This is crazy!"

Tails sat up, rubbing his elbow as it was throbbing from the Elbow Drop before standing, grabbing Speedy by his head and dragging him out of the locker room and back towards the backstage area.

"Looks like they're heading back towards the backstage area now!" said Hiromi. "Just what else can these guys do to each other!?"

Turning his head and seeing a glass window, Tails stopped and placed Speedy's head between his legs before hoisting him up onto his shoulders in a seated position, running for the window.

"Is Tails about to Powerbomb Speedy right through that glass window!?" Tsubasa yelled out.

As Tails reached the window, Speedy locked his legs around his head and fell backwards, using the momentum and his legs to send Tails head first through the window with a Hurricarana.

"Oh crap!" Hiromi gasped out.

Glass shattered all over the floor as Tails landed in the small room on the other side of the room, grimacing as he clutched his throbbing head as he lay amongst the glass.

"Speedy turned that Powerbomb into a Hurricarana and he sent Tails right through that glass window!" said Tsubasa. "Did you see the way that glass shot all over the place!? Man, this is on a whole other level right now!"

Taking a moment to get his wits back about him, Speedy went to the broken window and glared almost insanely at the downed fox before climbing into the room through the window and seeing a chair, grabbed it and unfolded it.

"Now Speedy has a chair!" said Hiromi. "We saw what Tails could do with a chair earlier now what's Speedy got planned!?"

Setting it up in front of Tails, Speedy went to the fox, picked him up and drove him face first into the chair as hard as he could.

"Jeez! There was nothing pretty about that at all! That was just pure rage, that's all that was!" said Tsubasa.

As Tails fell off the chair to the floor, a huge dent was in the chair and Speedy laughed before he dropped down to cover his opponent.

1

2

Tails got his shoulder off the floor, earning a pop from the crowd at ringside.

"Now Tails shows his guts and heart by kicking out, after getting put through a glass window and thrown head first into a chair!" said Hiromi.

Speedy slammed a hand down on the glass covered floor in frustration before standing, grabbing Tails and pulling him up, throwing him back into the backstage area through the broken window before following him. Tails got to his knees, holding his still hurt midsection, only to be kicked in the face by Speedy before the bird grabbed his hair and led him back to the ringside area, throwing him through the curtain and back onto the stage.

"They've made their way back out here where we are people!" said Tsubasa.

Walking through the curtain with the referee behind him, Speedy grabbed Tails and led him over to the side of the curtain on the stage, throwing him against the board there and backing a few steps away from him before running back and leaping at him with his legs outstretched.

"Speedy's about to put Tails through the backboard on the stage!" said Hiromi.

Tails managed to dive out of the way, causing Speedy to miss hitting him with a Dropkick and slamming his feet into the board and falling to the hard stage floor.

"Tails got out of the way and Speedy misses!" said Tsubasa.

Not giving Speedy any time to recover, Tails immediately went on the offensive, going to Speedy, wrapping an arm around his head and falling backwards, slamming Speedy's head into the stage with a DDT that flipped the bird over onto his back and sent him rolling down the ramp beside the ring.

"Tails hits a big time DDT on Speedy that caused speedy to roll all the way down back to the ring!" said Hiromi.

Tails stood up, following Speedy down the ramp and covered him, the referee following suit and dropping down to make the count.

1

2

Speedy just barely managed to get his shoulder off the floor, getting a shocked response from the crowd.

"I'm with the crowd right now! Speedy kicked out of even that!" said Tsubasa.

"What the hell are either of these guys gonna have to do to keep the other down at this point!? They've done almost everything that they can think of to one another!" said Hiromi.

Tails had a shocked look on his face as well and he decided that it was time for extreme measures. Going to the apron of the ring, Tails lifted it up and searched underneath it for a few seconds before his eyes fell on something.

"Tails has gone to looking under the ring and it looks like he's found something!" said Tsubasa.

Everyone watched as Tails began to pull something out from under the ring and the crowd popped loudly as they saw the fox pull out a table as well as a chair.

"It's a table and another chair!" said Hiromi. "Just when you think we've seen enough chairs for the night!"

Tails set the table up on the outside of the ring and turned back to Speedy, lifting him up by his head. Suddenly, Speedy delivered a swift kick to Tails between his legs, nailing a savage Low Blow.

"Oh come on!" said Tsubasa.

"A Low Blow!? Seriously!?" Hiromi yelled. "I know anything goes in this match but give me a break!"

Tails' eyes widened in an intense pain and he instinctively released Speedy and grabbed his lower region as the crowd booed Speedy heavily. Speedy followed up his attack by grabbing Tails by his head and dropping to a kneeled position, slamming the fox's face into his exposed knee and sending him backwards onto the table.

"A Facecrusher by Speedy and oh no! That knocked Tails right onto the table that he himself set up!" said Tsubasa.

Speedy saw the chair that Tails pulled out and picked it up, raising it up high and bringing it down hard on Tails' face and head as he lay on the table, leaving him practically motionless afterwards.

"Hiromi gasped as she saw Speedy bring the chair down on Tails. "Oh my God..."

"I think Tails is completely out cold from that vicious shot...He's not moving at all..." Tsubasa breathed out.

Glaring at Tails, Speedy threw the chair to the floor before slowly getting up onto the apron of the ring and climbing to the top of the nearest turnbuckle, with his back to Tails.

"Speedy's on the top turnbuckle now...Oh man, he's not gonna do what I think he is!" said Hiromi.

"I think he is!" Tsubasa added.

Standing on the turnbuckle, Speedy saw the sea of booing fans and gave them all a dirty look before leaping off the turnbuckle, performing a backflip and slamming down onto Tails stomach first with the Kukku Splash, the impact of the maneuver sending Tails through the table and down to the floor. Speedy, landing on top of Tails after bringing him through the table, hooked his leg and covered him.

"Speedy puts Tails through the table with the Kukku Splash and has him pinned down!" said Hiromi.

1

2

3

"It's a three count!" said Tsubasa.

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"Speedy just beat Tails in this Falls Count Anywhere match!" said Hiromi.

(Nas feat. Puff Daddy - "Hate Me Now")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, Speedy!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

The crowd booed heavily as the winner was announced and the winner was announced. Speedy rolled off Tails, pain etched on his face before crawling to the apron of the ring, using it to stand to his feet. Afterwards, the referee held one of his arms up in victory.

"Speedy has come out on top over Tails for a second time in this brutal Falls Count Anywhere match!" said Hiromi.

"Just as advertised and as we all thought, this match was another savage one between these two, right on par with what we saw them do to each other just last night," said Tsubasa. "Once again, no punches were pulled and these two went all out against each other but Speedy is once again the victor."

Slowly taking his arm back from the referee, Speedy clutched his midsection as he glared at Tails' motionless body amongst the broken table before starting to make his way up the ramp backwards, keeping his eyes on Tails for as long as he could before reaching the stage and going back behind the curtain.

"Speedy takes his leave but man, its crazy to think that in the condition he's in, he's the one that won this thing!" said Hiromi. "He looks messed up beyond believe!"

"In his mind, I'm sure the only thing that matters to him is that he won," said Tsubasa. "And now he's beaten Tails two times in a row."

The referee began to check on the motionless Tails, moving the shattered table out of the way before being joined by other officials.

"This is the real story right now though..." said Hiromi. "Tails was sent crashing through that table after one of the most hellish chair shots to the face I've ever seen..."

A few seconds later, Cream came running down to ringside from behind the curtain, joining the officials in checking on Tails.

"And now Cream has come down to ringside as well, no doubt worried about Tails," said Tsubasa.

A grimace appearing on his face, Tails eventually began to stir and Cream carefully helped him to his feet.

"Tails is conscious now and is back up on his feet," said Hiromi. "That's a good sign."

Coming back to his senses, Tails saw Cream in front of him with a look of worry and concern on her face, realized what had happened and ran a hand over his head, disappointment and frustration on his face.

"I think its just now dawning on Tails that Speedy's beaten him again," said Tsubasa. "And to say he's disappointed wouldn't do it justice."

Beginning to gingerly walk up the ramp, Tails was joined by Cream who placed one of her arms carefully around his waist to support him and he heard the crowd applauding him. Despite that, he let out an exasperated sigh as he made his way backstage with Cream.

"This has got to be beyond frustrating to Tails," said Hiromi. "He's come out on the losing end two times in a row to Speedy and you can only imagine how this feels to him. After all that's Speedy said, it's almost as if all he's said against Tails is being validated with these victories over him."

"I'm sure that's what's got to be going through Tails' head right now," said Tsubasa. "But we have to remember this was only match number two between them. They still have five more matches to go and Tails still has a chance to get revenge against Speedy."

"That's crazy to think of, that this was only the second match," said Hiromi. "With five more matches left in the Seven Levels of Hate, just what else are we going to see these guys go through?"

"I'm sure we'll find out a lot sooner rather than later," said Tsubasa.


~Locker Room of the Chaotix~

Julie-Su was sitting in a chair away from the rest of her Chaotix teammates. Kragok's words to her from earlier were still on her mind and she could get them out no matter what she tried. Her isolating herself and being quiet didn't go unnoticed. Knuckles turned his attention from the rest of the Chaotix to his soulmate and saw that she was troubled. Standing he walked over and had a seat beside her.

"Julie?" He called out.

Hearing her name, Julie-Su turned her head and looked at the red echidna next to her.

"You alright?" he asked, placing a hand on hers. "You haven't really said much since...since last night."

"I know," she replied, sighing while she clasped his hand with her own. "I'm sorry Knuckles. I don't mean to be so distant. It's just...I wanted that win last night so much, more than anything you can imagine. I wanted to beat Lien-Da and make her pay for everything she's said and done to me."

Knuckles nodded. "Believe me, I know. Last night may not have gone the way you wanted it to but trust me, she'll get what she has coming to her."

Julie-Su sighed and ran a hand through her dreadlocks. "And then Kragok didn't make things better, especially after what he said to me earlier."

That caught Knuckles' attention. "What do you mean?"

Julie-Su proceeded to tell Knuckles about her encounter with Kragok earlier in the night and an angry frown appeared on the red echidna's face.

"It seems like Kragok's decided he wants to run off at the mouth," he said before looking at her. "You don't seriously believe what he said, do you?"

"Of course not!" Julie-Su spat. "But...I'd be lying if I said he didn't get under my skin. He and Lien-Da both have always been good at doing that."

Knuckles stood up and kneeled in front of Julie-Su, holding both of her hands. "Listen Julie, don't let what he said get to you. Not even a little bit. I assure you, we'll get them back for everything. Trust me when I tell you that. You didn't let any of us down at all and Lien-Da and Kragok both are going to pay for all they've done."

Thankful to Knuckles for his love and support, Julie-Su held his hands up to her lips, kissed them and nodded to him.


~Ringside~

"Knuckles now knows about the encounter Julie-Su had with Kragok and man, as if this couldn't possibly get any more personal!" said Hiromi.

"He let it be known to Julie-Su that Lien-Da and Kragok both are going to get what they have coming to them," said Tsubasa. "And when Knuckles says that, you can bet your bottom dollar that its going to come to pass, one way or another. Oh, it looks like we're getting word from Yuki in the back. Hey yo, Yuki! What's going on?"


~Backstage Area~

Yuki was shown on the big screen in the backstage area, dressed in a black off the shoulder dress and holding her microphone. "Hey everyone! Whew, what a night it's already been huh? We have a lot more in store tonight including our main even, a number one contender match to determine who the MCW Champion Sonic the Hedgehog will defend the championship against in four weeks at Showdown. Please welcome here with me now one half of the main event, alongside Foxy Reynard and the MCW Television Champion 'Downtown' Ebony Hare, Blackjack!"

Boos came from the crowd as Ebony and his crew were shown on the big screen, Foxy holding the TV Championship on her shoulder as she stood between the two males.

"Now Blackjack, this is a huge opportunity for you tonight," said Yuki. "You're squaring off against Mighty the Armadillo and if you beat him..."

"When he beats him, you mean," Foxy interjected.

Yuki narrowed her eyes at Foxy before clearing her throat and continuing. "Ahem, excuse me...When you beat him, you'll be the first challenger to Sonic's MCW Championship. Got anything you'd like to say regarding that?"

Blackjack stood completely still as he looked down at Yuki, responding by taking out a cigar and putting it in his mouth, lighting it up afterwards. At the same time, Ebony stepped forward, gently taking a hold of Yuki's wrist and moving her hand so that the microphone was at his mouth.

"I got this one," the TV Champion began. "Look here, I'll tell you exactly how things are gonna go down. If we're being real, this shouldn't even be contested under a match. Setsuna should've just saved everyone the trouble and just named Blackjack the number one contender right from jump. I mean, seriously? Mighty? Mighty, of all Mobians? Pssh, please. That punk is gonna go down faster than a five dollar whore if he thinks he can hang with Blackjack. And then afterwards..." The hare trailed off as he looked to the side and saw two figures approaching and he frowned. "Well, look what we have here."

Yuki, Foxy and Blackjack followed Ebony's gaze and they saw Renfield and Ripper walk up to them.

"What's poppin' good people?" Renfield asked, a cocky smirk on his face and holding his cane. "How's it going?"

"Renfield. And Ripper," Yuki greeted. "To what do we owe this visit?"

"Oh, not much. Just swung by to wish Blackjack good luck in his match tonight," Renfield responded, his smirk still on his face. "It's a real big one and we wanted to give him our good graces."

Foxy rolled her eyes. "Give me a break! What do you guys really want?"

"Man, you're as feisty as ever" Renfield said with a chuckle. "Its just like I said, just came to wish good luck to the big guy. We're sure he's gonna kill it tonight."

Ebony narrowed his eyes. "You really think you're slick don't you? You think I don't know when you're up to something?"

Renfield couldn't help but grin once more. "Heh, someone's sure paranoid." Turning to Ripper, he motioned with his head for him to follow him. "Come on, let's bounce Ripper."

Ripper, this whole time, had been silent as he stared down Blackjack, who didn't falter from him. At Renfield's behest, he began to back away and took his leave with Renfield, leaving the four Mobians in the backstage area.

"Those two are up to something for sure," said Ebony. "Best to keep an eye on them."

Blackjack and Foxy both nodded in response.

"That was pretty interesting to say the least!" said Yuki. "Tsubasa, Hiromi, back to you guys!"


~Ringside~

"Thanks Yuki!" said Hiromi. "Hmm, Renfield and Ripper wishing Blackjack luck, and after that encounter they had with Ebony's crew last night...Yeah, nothing suspicious about that at all...not!"

"It's clear that the Rodent Brothers have something up their sleeve," said Tsubasa. "It remains to be seen what that is and what their agenda is."


~Locker Room of the Battle Bird Armada~

Battle Lord Kukku went to stand beside Speedy, who was looking over all his wounds in a mirror inside the restroom. "Excellent job tonight, my son. Excellent job indeed. Another match down, another victory over that fox. But you can't rest and can't falter. You still have five more matches to go, five more matches to put that pathetic Mobian beneath your heel."

"And believe me when I tell you Father, it will be done," said Speedy, his expression still as hard and cold as stone. "I'm just getting started with that fox. I have a lot more in store for him before all's said and done." He eyes then narrowed slightly. "But..."

Kukku looked over to the young bird. "What is it son?"

"There's something that's come up," Speedy replied, frowning. "Something that will be dealt with."


~Ringside~

"Something's come up that will be dealt with?" Hiromi repeated. "What in the world is Speedy talking about?"

"You got me," Tsubasa replied. "I can only assume we'll find out in time. And from the tone of Speedy's voice, something tells me we'll find out real soon."


~Locker Room Area~

Sonic and Sally were walking down the hallway towards the locker room of the Chaotix, the MCW Championship on Sonic's shoulder. After reaching the door, Sonic knocked on the door in a rhythmic fashion, beginning to bob his head in tune with his knocks and Sally simply rolled her eyes and shook her head at the hedgehog, though she couldn't help but chuckle from his antics.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Charmy was on the other side. "Hey yo, Sonic! And Sally!"

Sonic grinned as he saw the young bee. "Hey Charmy! What's cracking?"

"Not much!" Charmy replied as he stood to the side. "Come on in, you guys!"

Sally smiled and nodded. "Thank you Charmy."

Sonic and Sally entered the Chaotix locker room together and they were greeted by the members.

"Yo, its the champ!" said Vector as he walked over and patted Sonic on the back.

Chuckling, Sonic readjusted the MCW Championship on his shoulder and acknowledged the Chaotix. "How's it going y'all?"

"All's well Sonic," said Espio from a cross-legged position in the corner of the room and his eyes closed. "Or should I say, MCW Champion?"

Saffron walked up to Sonic and Sally, greeting them before turning to the hedgehog. "Congratulations Sonic! We're sure you're going to be an awesome champion!"

Sonic's signature smirk appeared on his face. "Heh, thanks!"

It was at that moment that Mighty began walking towards Sonic and a hush fell over everyone in the room. "An awesome champion, definitely," said the armadillo. "But how long is that reign going to last?"

Sonic's smirk remained on his face as Mighty stood in front of him and the two of them had a face-off with one another. A couple seconds went by before Mighty grinned back at the hedgehog and held his hand out for a high five. "Congrats Sonic."

"Thanks Mighty," said Sonic as he slapped hands with the armadillo. "And if you happen to beat Blackjack tonight, I'm looking forward to mixing it up with you at Showdown."

Mighty nodded. "Same here."

It was then that Knuckles walked up to greet the Knothole Freedom Fighters. "Good to see you Sonic. You too Sally. Always a pleasure."

"Thank you Knuckles," said Sally. "How're you all doing?"

Knuckles crossed his arms before glancing slightly over to Julie-Su, who was still isolating herself from the others. "As best as we can, all things considered." Sighing softly, he looked back at the hedgehog and ground squirrel before him. "So, what do we owe this visit?"

"Sal and I just wanted to swing by and thank you guys for your help last night when it came to dealing with the Destructix," said Sonic. "Things got pretty crazy out there and it was real cool of you guys to have our backs and back us up against them."

"Don't mention it," said Knuckles. "It was way past time that those guys got put in their place."

"We certainly appreciated the help," said Sally. "Thank you again everyone. We won't take up anymore of your time as we know that Mighty has to prepare for his match later tonight. Good luck, by the way."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, what she said. Who knows? I might come out and get a front row seat to the action."

"If you decide to do so, hope you enjoy the show," Mighty said, grinning a bit.

"Oh, I definitely will," said Sonic before he looked to Sally. "Come on Sal, let's go. We should go make sure Tails is alright after that match with Speedy."

"Yes, let's," Sally agreed before waving at the Chaotix. "Take care everyone."

The Chaotix bid Sonic and Sally farewell and as they began to leave, Sonic stopped just as the reached the door. "Oh, one last thing." He looked over at Julie-Su. Hey Julie, keep your head up. We know things haven't been going well for you but you'll turn this around and that brother and sister of yours will get theirs."

Julie-Su turned her head to Sonic, grateful for his words and nodded to him. Giving her a thumbs up, Sonic took his leave from the room alongside Sally.


~Ringside~

"Nice little bit of words of advice to Julie-Su from Sonic there!" said Hiromi. "And we got to see what could perhaps be a preview of the MCW Championship match at Showdown as Sonic and Mighty had a bit of a face-off there!"

"Very true," said Tsubasa. "But for that to come to pass, Mighty's going to have to get past Blackjack. We'll see how things turn out as those two square off in our main event later tonight."


~Office of Setsuna Kurosagi~

Setsuna was shown on the big screen sitting at his desk in his office.

"Quite the night its been so far," he said, leaning back in his seat. "We've still got a ways to go and much more in store. Not just for tonight but also next week. Last night at Locked and Loaded, we saw Silver the Hedgehog overcome Espio the Chameleon and Larry Lynx in a Triple Threat match to become the first ever MCW Cruiserweight Champion."

The crowd cheered in response.

"And just as Sonic will defend the MCW Championship at Showdown, Silver will be doing the same with the Cruiserweight Championship," Setsuna continued. "But who will he be facing?" He clasped his hands under his chin, tapping his fingers together. "I've thought of a way to answer that question. There will be two MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Qualifying matches taking place - one tonight and one next week. The winners of those two matches will face each other two weeks from tonight and the winner of that match will be the undisputed number one contender to the Cruiserweight Championship and face Silver at Showdown with the championship on the line."

Setsuna propped his legs up on the desk, crossing one over the other. "As for the first qualifying match tonight, the two competitors who will be taking part in that match will be...Espio the Chameleon and Flip Penguin." A smirk appeared on the tiger's face. "I'm real intrigued to see how this goes down."


~Ringside~

"That's some major news!" said Hiromi. "A series of matches that'll take place over the next three weeks to determine who Silver will defend the Cruiserweight Championship against at Showdown!"

"The first of two qualifying matches will be tonight as we'll see Espio go one on one with Flip," said Tsubasa. "That's definitely a match to look forward to with what's at stake in it. The second match will take place next week and I wonder who will be involved in that one."

"I'm sure the boss man will enlighten us all in due time!" said Hiromi. "Until then, let's get back into the action with our next match of the night!"

~Singles Match: Geoffrey St. John VS. Rat~

(Dust For Life - "Dragonfly")

A mixed reaction came from the crowd as the music began to play and seconds later, Rat made his way out from behind the curtain and down the ramp, sliding into the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a Singles match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, representing the Dingo Regime, from Angel Island, weighing in at 100 lbs., Rat!"

"It looks like the Dingo Regime is being represented tonight as Rat's going to be in action!" said Hiromi. "Last time we saw a member of their crew was last month when Gerbil took on Larry Lynx in a losing effort! We'll see if Rat can fare better in his in-ring debut!"

As the music came to an end, Rat went to his corner and waited for his opponent to arrive.

(Finger Eleven - "First Time")

Cheers came from the crowd as the new music played and Geoffrey walked out from behind the curtain afterwards, standing on the stage and doing a salute to the crowd before making his way down the ramp and into the ring.

"And the opponent, from Mobotropolis, weighing in at 85 lbs., Geoffrey St. John!" said Aoi.

"Looks like we've got another debut going down tonight in the form of Geoffrey," said Tsubasa. "This will certainly be an interesting match as we see which of these two will get their first victory in MCW."

Geoffrey went to his corner as the music ended and as he and Rat locked eyes, both of them removed their respective jackets and placed them on the outside of the ring in unison. Afterwards, the referee called for the bell and the match began.

"Alright! Time for Geoffrey and Rat to get it on!" said Hiromi.

Geoffrey and Rat met in the middle of the ring in a brief lockup until Geoffrey managed to get one of is arms around the dingo's head, brought him down to the mat over his hip with a throw and kept him grounded with a Headlock. Rat grit his teeth and let a growl escaped his mouth as he tried to pry Geoffrey's arms off his neck but the skunk tightened his hold.

"Geoffrey gets Rat grounded with a Headlock to get us started off," said Tsubasa. "Rat tries to escape but Geoffrey is having none of it."

The referee asked Rat if he wanted to give up but the dingo refused and slowly began to rise up to his feet, bringing Geoffrey up with him. Backing Geoffrey to one side of the ring, Rat bounced him off the ropes and threw him across the ring, freeing himself.

"Rat gets free and now he's on the offensive!" said Hiromi.

As Geoffrey came back to him, he met him halfway and threw his arm at him, going for a Clothesline. Geoffrey ducked underneath the attack and ran into the ropes behind Rat, bouncing off them and running back to the dingo from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist. Tightening his hold on Rat, Geoffrey lifted his opponent off his feet and sent him flying up and over him with a Release German Suplex, sending the dingo crashing down on the back of his head.

"Whoa! Rat missed hitting a Clothesline and Geoffrey came right back with a huge German Suplex that sent Rat on his head!" said Tsubasa.

Dingo held the back of his head and grimaced as he rolled back to Geoffrey, who dropped down and covered him.

1

Rat quickly kicked out, still holding the back of his head.

"A quick kick out from Rat but man let me tell you, his neck is going to be feeling the effects of that German Suplex for a while!" said Hiromi.

Standing up, Geoffrey pulled Rat up by his head with one hand, tightening his grip on his head before clenching his free hand into a fist and driving it into the dingo's head. Rat would've stumbled from the blow but Geoffrey kept a firm grip on him and followed up his punch with a second one to the exact same spot.

"Rat eats not one, but two hard shots to the head," said Tsubasa.

Geoffrey reeled his fist back, ready to strike Rat again but to his surprise, Rat swiftly threw one of his feet up at the skunk and connected flush with the side of his head with a Roundhouse Kick, almost instantly flooring him.

"A surprise Roundhouse Kick from Rat!" said Hiromi. "Where did that come from!?"

Rat shook his throbbing head a few times before he knelt down and covered Geoffrey.

1

2

Geoffrey got his shoulder off the mat, a slight glazed look on his face.

"Geoffrey breaks the pin but he looks like he has no idea where he is right now," said Tsubasa. "Not surprising after that Roundhouse Kick."

Rat got to his feet and saw Geoffrey was still dazed from his kick and made the decision to go to one of the corners of the ring and climb to the top turnbuckle. Looking and seeing Geoffrey roll over onto his front and make it to his hands and knees, Rat leapt off the turnbuckle, extended his elbow and slam it down directly in the middle of Geoffrey's back with a Flying Elbow Drop, knocking the skunk back down to the mat.

"Mmm, and it gets worse for Geoffrey as Rat nails a Elbow Drop off the top turnbuckle and smack dab in the middle of his back on top of it!" said Hiromi.

Geoffrey arched his body and a look of pain appeared on his face before Rat put him on his back and covered him once again.

1

2

Geoffrey managed to get his shoulder off the mat once again.

"Another near fall for Rat as Geoffrey breaks another pin after the count of two," said Tsubasa.

Standing and rubbing his head again, still feeling the effects of Geoffrey's punches, Rat pulled the skunk up by one of his arms and threw him across the ring. After Geoffrey bounced off the ropes and came back to him, Rat hoisted him off his feet by his thighs, ran to the opposite side of the ring and slammed him down on his back with a Spinebuster.

"A Spinebuster!" said Hiromi. "That's sure not gonna do Geoffrey's back any favors!"

Geoffrey let out a yell of pain as his back felt like it was on fire and Rat rolled onto him and covered him, hooking one of his legs.

1

Geoffrey reached out and grabbed the nearby ropes, breaking the pin.

"I have to believe that the ropes were Geoffrey's only saving grace on that one," said Tsubasa.

Rat rolled off Geoffrey to one of the corners of the ring, taking a bit to catch his breath. At the same time, Geoffrey used the ropes to pull himself up and grimaced as he held his lower back and stumbled backwards to the middle of the ring. Rat ran for Geoffrey and leapt at his head, wrapping an arm around it. However, Geoffrey wrapped his arms around Rat's body, bounced his oncoming body off the nearby ropes and slammed him down to the mat on his back with a Back Suplex, bridging his body into a pin.

"Geoffrey fights back with a Back Suplex and he has Rat pinned!" said Hiromi.

1

2

Rat barely managed to kick out.

"Now that was close," said Tsubasa. "Geoffrey almost got a win completely out of nowhere."

Geoffrey rolled off Rat and the two Mobians were laid out on the mat for a few seconds and the crowd took that moment to applaud them for the match they were putting on and the effort being shown.

"These two are definitely going at it!" said Hiromi. "We've seen a little bit of it all in this one and I think we're just getting started!"

Geoffrey was the first to stir, making it back to his feet before he picked Rat up to his feet, brought him to the middle of the ring and wrapped his arm around his head from behind after bending him backwards. Before Geoffrey could do anything, Rat reached behind him, grabbed Geoffrey's head and brought him over his shoulder with a Snapmare. Geoffrey landed on the mat on his backside and the second after he did, Rat slammed his feet into his back with a Dropkick, making the skunk yell out and fall over to his side.

"Rat connects with a nice Snapmare/Dropkick combination that puts Geoffrey down once again," said Tsubasa.

Rat pulled Geoffrey over onto his back and covered him.

1

2

Geoffrey's arm shot off the mat, getting his shoulder up and breaking the pin.

"And Rat gets another near fall!" said Hiromi.

Rat slowly got to his feet, falling backwards into the ropes and catching his breath, trying to figure out what he could do to put Geoffrey away. A thought came to him and his eyes narrowed as he went to Geoffrey, pulled him up and led him over to one of the corners of the ring. Standing between Geoffrey and the corner and grabbing one of the skunk's arms. Pulling Geoffrey towards him, Rat dropped to the mat and wrapped his legs around Geoffrey's, executing a Leg Trip on him that sent him face first into the bottom turnbuckle.

"Geoffrey just went face first into that turnbuckle from a Leg Trip from Rat!" said Tsubasa.

"The impact of that was borderline sickening! If he's still conscious right now, I'll be the most shocked chinchilla on Mobius!" said Hiromi.

Geoffrey's head snapped back in an awkward angle and the crowd gasped in shock at the skunk's body going nearly motionless.

"He's practically motionless! Rat has to capitalize on this right ow!" said Tsubasa.

Pulling Geoffrey out of the corner, Rat turned him over and covered him.

1

2

To the surprise of everyone, Geoffrey shot his shoulder off the mat and the crowd popped in response.

"No way! Geoffrey broke the pin! He actually broke it!" said Hiromi.

"That's insane! We all thought he was out like a light but the match continues!" said Tsubasa.

Rat was nearly in disbelief at the toughness of Geoffrey as he stood up and knelt down to pick him up. As he got to his knees, Geoffrey balled up his fists and started to fight back by landing hard shots to Rat's midsection.

"Geoffrey's fighting back with hard shots to the body!" said Hiromi.

The dingo staggered with each shot and the crowd cheered louder for Geoffrey as he eventually made it back to his feet and gave his back to Rat. Reaching behind and grabbing his head, Geoffrey brought Rat up and over his shoulder with a Snapmare. Rat landed on his backside and Geoffrey followed up his attack with a swift kick to the back of the dingo's head, knocking him to the mat on his side.

"Geoffrey hits a Snapmare of his own but unlike Rat, he smacks him up with a kick to the back of the head!" said Tsubasa.

Geoffrey turned Rat over and covered him.

1

2

Rat managed to get his shoulder off the mat.

"A near fall for Geoffrey!" said Hiromi.

Pulling Rat up to a seated position, Geoffrey locked his arm around his head before standing and bring him up with him. Mustering up strength, Geoffrey proceeded to lift Rat upside down above him in the Suplex position, demonstrating his strength by keeping him held up for an extended period of time, getting a pop from the crowd.

"This is some impressive strength being shown by Geoffrey!" said Tsubasa.

Geoffrey tightened his grip on Rat before finally falling backwards to the mat on his back, slamming Rat down with a huge Suplex and rolling backwards onto him in a cover.

1

2

Rat once again broke the pin by getting his shoulder off the mat.

"And again Rat breaks the pin and its a two count!" said Hiromi.

A shocked expression appeared on Geoffrey's face after Rat's second kick out before they narrowed, knowing what he'd have to do to put his opponent away for good. Standing up, Geoffrey pulled Rat up with him, the dingo just barely on his feet. Placing his head at the side of Rat's body and wrapping his arms around his waist, Geoffrey hoisted him up onto his shoulder and spun around a few times, getting louder cheers from the crowd before bending his body backwards and slamming Rat down on his back with the Secret Service.

"And boom! Geoffrey nails his patented Secret Service!" said Tsubasa.

"If there's something that'll keep Rat down, its that for sure!" Hiromi added.

Rat was completely laid out as Geoffrey bridged his body and pinned him.

1

2

3

"And its over!" said Tsubasa.

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"Geoffrey gets the win over Rat!" said Hiromi.

(Finger Eleven - "First Time")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, Geoffrey St. John!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

Cheers came from the crowd as the music played and the winner was announced. Geoffrey stood up off Rat and the referee held his hand up in victory.

"Geoffrey gets his first victory in his first match!" said Hiromi. "That was a great first outing for him! Rat didn't do too shabby either!"

After taking his hand away from the referee, Geoffrey stood in the middle of the ring and saluted to the crowd as the referee went to check on the downed Rat.

"Congrats to Geoffrey on his win and I'm sure that this is just the start of great things for him here in MCW," said Tsubasa.


~Backstage Area~

Hershey the Cat was standing next to a TV in the backstage area, watching the conclusion of the previous match with a smile on her face. As she watched Geoffrey celebrating his victory, she blew a kiss to him. "Great job Love."

"You were actually impressed by that?"

Hershey turned around as she heard the all-too familiar voice and a frown appeared on her face as she saw Drago Wolf walking towards her, his Tag Team Chamoionship on his shoulder.

"Your standards really have dropped," the wolf continued as he stood beside her, looking at the TV as well.

Hershey's frown remained on her face as she glared at the wolf, someone she had a storied past with. "What do you want Drago?"

"Oh, not much," he replied. "Was just passing through and happened to see you here, watching your man pretty much struggle to get a win." A dark chuckle came from him. "Had that been me, I would've had this wrapped up in a minute."

Hershey narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I see you talking a lot of smack hasn't gone anywhere."

"Not only can I talk the talk, I can walk the walk," said Drago as he motioned to his championship belt. "As you can clearly see."

Hershey rolled her eyed. "As conceited as ever."

"Conceited?" Drago repeated. "If you call being one of the first champions in this promotion, thus one of the best here conceited, then yeah that's definitely me." He looked back at the TV, seeing Geoffrey still celebrating his win over Rat. "Which is a lot more than I can say for ol' Geoff there."

That struck a cord with Hershey and she snapped her head back at the wolf, clearly angry at him and almost at her wit's end. "First of all, his name is Geoffrey. Get it right. I'm not going to sit here and let some wolf that's more bark than bite disrespect my husband."

"Keep in mind that you used to be with that wolf you're talking about," said Drago, his smirk growing.

"I didn't need a reminder," Hershey muttered. "Second of all, thank you. Thank you for reminding me just why I left you in the first place. If it weren't for the fact that we both are signed as part of this promotion, I wouldn't be anywhere near you."

A laugh escape Drago as he placed his hand mockingly over his heart, feigning pain. "Mmm, pretty harsh words. And I can't help but think that part of you doesn't mean them as much as you come across as. I mean, come on. How can you forget about me? We had so many wild and crazy times together."

"Times that I can promise you are a thing of the past," said Hershey as she gave her back to him. "I've moved on from you and am happier than I've ever been when I was with you. Nothing you say or do will ever change that."

Flipping her hair behind her back, Hershey began to leave the area. Drago watched her leave, his eyes dropping to her backside and he smirked an evil smile. "We'll just have to see about that."

As Drago watched Hershey leave the area, he was joined by Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg, his own Tag Team Championship around his neck and he looked over at his partner. "Heh, looks like you got a fire that needs to be put out bruh."

Drago chuckled and shook his head. "Naw. If anything, this fire's just getting started." He looked back at the TV monitor, seeing Geoffrey beginning to take his leave from the ring. Giving Sleuth a pat on the shoulder, the two of them took their leave as well.


~Ringside~

"That Drago will never change, I swear!" said Hiromi. "But what an interesting encounter that was between Drago and Hershey!"

"We all know of the history between those two and after how things went between then back in the day, I'm surprised Hershey even stayed there and had a conversation with him," said Tsubasa. "Definitely have to wonder about what he meant though. If it means what I think it does, I think its safe to say that Hershey hasn't seen the last of him."


~Locker Room of the Knothole Freedom Fighters~

The Knothole Freedom Fighters were sitting amongst each other when they heard a knock on the door to the locker room. Standing and going to answer it, Amy turned back to her friends. "Hey guys, look whose here."

Everyone looked and saw Setsuna entered the room, walking to them with Amy.

"Hey Setsuna," Sonic said, greeting the tiger. "How's it going?"

Setsuna nodded to him and waved to the others. "Hey everyone, hope all's well. I came to check in with Tails." He looked to the fox who was sitting next to Cream. 'Hey man, how're you holding up?"

Tails looked up at him, his bruises more evident than they were before. "I'm fine, all things considered."

"You and Speedy sure tore each other up in that match," said Setsuna as he walked to him. "Neither one of you held anything back. This is pretty much how I saw these matches between you guys going when I first brought up the idea of the Seven Levels of Hate."

Tails frowned, sighed and held his head down. "I can't believe I let him get one over on me again."

"You'll have your chance to get back at him sooner than you think," said Setsuna. "Match three between you guys will take place next week."

All of the Knothole Freedom Fighters looked at Setsuna in surprise.

"Next week?" Sally asked, clearly concerned. "After all that happened tonight?"

Setsuna nodded. "That's right. And the next match between you guys will be a Table match."

Tails held his head up, looking at Setsuna as he heard the match type.

"I've already ran this by Speedy and he's more than ready for the match," said Setsuna. "Question is, are you?"

Tails was silent for a few seconds before he looked at all of his friends, all of them waiting to hear his response. He also remembered the two times Speedy defeated him and he was determined more than ever to defeat him. Looking back to Setsuna, he gave him his answer. "More than ready."

Bunnie, sitting beside Antoine and holding his hand, looked to the fox. "Tails honey, are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Tails answered. "This, this is nothing compared to what I've been through in my life. I'm more than up for this and he's going to give him the fight of his life."

All of the Knothole Freedom Fighters exchanged looks with one another before looking to Sonic. The hedgehog smirked and gave Tails a thumbs up. Afterwards, the rest followed suit and gave the fox words of praise.

Cream gently rubbed Tails' back, smiling at him. "You got this Tails."

Tails nodded reassuringly to her while Setsuna also gave him a proud smile.

"I like that answer," said the tiger. "Good luck next week."

Tails nodded to Setsuna before the tiger bid him and the Knothole Freedom Fighters farewell before leaving.


~Ringside~

"Did I just hear that right!?" Hiromi exclaimed while the crowd cheered. "After what we saw them do to each other two nights in a row, especially tonight, Tails and Speedy are gonna lock up next week in their third match, which is gonna be a Table match of all things!?"

"After how their match tonight ended, with Speedy putting Tails through a table, I couldn't think of a more fitting match for them to be in next," said Tsubasa. "And if one of them does that to the other next week, they will walk away the winner of match three of the Seven Levels of Hate."

"Oh, and it sounds like we're once again getting word from Yuki in the back!" said Hiromi. "Hey Yuki, what's going on girl? Talk to us!"


~Backstage Area~

"Hey again everyone!" said Yuki as she was shown on the big screen. "Please welcome my guest at this time, the MCW Cruiserweight Champion, Silver the Hedgehog!"

The crowd cheered as Silver was shown, the Cruiserweight Championship around his waist.

Yuki smirked as he saw the championship around the hedgehog's waist. "Gotta say, that championship is looking real good on you Silver!"

Silver chuckled in response. "Thanks Yuki."

Yuki nodded before continuing to speak. "Now then, as I'm sure you're well aware of, you'll be having your first title defense at the upcoming Showdown and there are qualifying matches taking place to determine who will face each other for the right to challenge you. We have no clue who the four are that will be in these matches so you don't know what's coming at you. Any word on that as well as your upcoming title defense?"

"As far as the qualifying matches go," Silver began. "I feel that whoever comes out on top in those, goes onto the number one contender match and wins that, no doubt they will have earned to be called the number one contender to my championship. The fact that I don't know whose involved in the qualifying matches, that is for right now, makes it more exciting and more unpredictable. I'll find out when everyone else does. But when all's said and done and come Showdown, I plan on walking out of my match the same way I walked in - as the MCW Cruiserweight Champion."

"Very well said!" said Yuki. "We'll see how things turn out when we see the first qualifying match later tonight! Tsubasa, Hiromi, back to you guys!"


~Ringside~

"Thanks Yuki," said Tsubasa. "Silver sounds real confident going into his upcoming title defense."

"As any champion should!" said Hiromi. "He pretty much said he doesn't care who he faces! The Cruiserweight Championship is staying where its at right now - around his waist!"

"We shall see how things go as we'll see the first of the two qualifying matches later tonight," said Tsubasa. "As for now, its time to get into our next match of the night."


~Tag Team Match: The Shijin Warriors (Cinder the Pheasant and Bunker the Tortoise) VS. Fiona Fox and Abby~

(Trina - "Da Baddest Bitch")

Loud boos came from the crowd as the music began to play. Seconds later, Fiona sauntered out from behind the curtain, a cocky expression on her face and a hand on her hip. Abby walked out behind her, her huge muscles flexing as she began to walk down the ramp towards the ring. Fiona struck a pose on the stage before following Abby nd the two entered the ring, going to stand in the center of it. Smirking as she looked out at the booing crowd, Fiona held her hands up in the Destructix hand sign.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a Tag Team match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, at a combined weight of 285 lbs., Fiona Fox and Abby!"

"Talk about interesting!" said Hiromi. "We're going to see Fiona and Abby team up as a duo for the first time! These two could make quite the formidable team!"

As the music came to an end, Fiona and Abby went to their corner, where Abby crossed her arms over her chest and Fiona leaned back into the corner, both of them waiting for their opponents to arrive.

(Rhymester - "Plus Alpha")

Cheers replaced the boos from the crowd as the new music began to play. Seconds later, Cinder and Bunker walked out from behind the curtain, stood on the stage together and performed hand signs alongside one another that ended with flames shooting out on the sides of the stage, getting a louder pop from the crowd. Afterwards, the two of them made their way down the ramp and into the ring together, striking a pose alongside each other in the center of the ring.

"And the opponents, representing the Shijin Warriors, at a combined weight of 210 lbs., Cinder the Pheasant and Bunker the Tortoise!" said Aoi.

"Ah, the Shijin Warriors are in the house tonight," said Tsubasa. "Talk about a formidable team, Cinder and Bunker bring a great combination of speed and power. They definitely can match Fiona and Abby. We'll how both of these teams do against each other."

As the music came to an end, it was decided that Cinder and Fiona would start the match. After Bunker and Abby got out of the ring onto the apron, the referee called for the bell, beginning the match.

"Time for these two teams to get it on!" said Hiromi.

Cinder started the match off by running right for Fiona, leaping off the mat and aiming both of her feet for her chest. Fiona stood her ground and as Cinder reached her, quickly grabbed both of her legs, putting them on her shoulders and dropping down to the mat while slamming Cinder on her back with a Sit-Out Powerbomb, landing in an immediate pinning position.

"Fiona counters Cinder's attack into a Sit-Out Powerbomb and has her pinned right out the gate!" said Tsubasa.

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2

Cinder managed to kick out right before the third and final count, rolling away from Fiona with a grimace on her face.

"Fiona damn near won the match on her first maneuver of the match!" said Hiromi.

Smirking, Fiona rose to her feet and sauntered around the ring before going to one of the empty corners and climbing to the top turnbuckle, standing on it while looking out at the crowd. Giving the crowd a cocky look, Fiona leapt backwards off the turnbuckle, turning her body in midair and slamming down onto Cinder back first with a Whisper in the Wind, knocking the air out of her.

"Fiona keeps the offense going with a Whisper in the Wind off the top turnbuckle, but not before a bit of showboating and that all-too familiar cocky attitude of hers came tot he surface," said Tsubasa.

Fiona laughed as she lay across Cinder and went as far as to count along with the referee using her hand.

1

2

Cinder got her shoulder up off the mat, the force of her pin break knocking Fiona off her.

"Fiona gets a near fall, but did you see that!?" Hiromi exclaimed. "She was literally counting with the referee! Man, how much more full of herself can she get!?"

A slight look of shock on her face, Fiona got to her feet and stood on a side of the ring, waiting almost anxiously for the pheasant to rise. As Cinder slowly got back to a vertical base, Fiona ran at her from behind, leaping and wrapping an arm around her head. However, Cinder grabbed a hold of Fiona and threw her off right into the ropes, hanging the vixen up on them causing the top rope to slam into her throat.

"Cinder manages to counter Fiona and got her hung on the ropes," said Tsubasa. "Very nice counter from her."

Fiona bounced off the ropes and down to the mat on her back, coughing while holding her throat and Cinder got applause from Bunker as well as the crowd. Abby narrowed her eyes as she saw Cinder cover Fiona.

1

2

Fiona got her shoulder off the mat.

"Cinder turned the tables and got a near fall of her own on Fiona!" said Hiromi.

Cinder got to her feet and saw Fiona still coughing. Staying on her, Cinder picked Fiona up hurled her across the ring into one of the empty corners back first. Fiona grimaced as she fell back into the corner and as she looked up, Cinder was already in front of her and performed a Moonsault Kick, slamming both of her feet into the vixen's chin and getting a pop from the crowd.

"Oh man, what a maneuver by Cinder!" said Hiromi. "That Moonsault Kick was a thing of beauty!"

Fiona held her chin and fell out of the corner to the mat and Cinder covered her.

1

2

Fiona's shoulder shot off the mat again.

"For a second time Cinder almost got the win over Fiona," said Tsubasa. "I don't think Fiona expected this kind of fight out of her at all."

Pulling Fiona to the middle of the ring, Cinder pulled her up to a seated position before positioning herself behind her, back to back, and reaching backwards to grab her head. Almost instantly, Fiona fought back by nailing Cinder in the back of her head with an elbow, stunning the pheasant.

"Fiona hits an elbow on Cinder!" said Hiromi.

Afterwards, she locked her hands around her head from behind, stood up, bringing Cinder with her and falling backwards to the mat, taking Cinder down with a Neckbreaker.

"Fiona gets the momentum back on her and Abby's side with a Neckbreaker," said Tsubasa.

Cinder clutched the back of her head as Fiona covered her, hooking one of her legs.

1

2

Cinder was able to barely kick out.

"Cinder is able to kick out and the match continues!" said Hiromi.

Fiona was beginning to seethe a bit before she got up, roughly pulled Cinder up along with her and backed her to a side of the ring, grabbing one of her arms and making a move to whip her across the ring. However, Cinder countered the attempt, twisting Fiona's arm and making the vixen yell out.

"Cinder counters Fiona!" said Tsubasa.

Cinder continued her attack, pulling her opponent's head to her side, wrapping an arm around it and dropping to the mat on her back, taking Fiona with her and drilling her head down with an Arm Twist DDT, getting a pop from the crowd.

"Oh man, that was a hell of a variant of the DDT Cinder hit on Fiona," said Tsubasa. "That was really sick."

Fiona's head snapped off the mat and she fell onto her back, finding herself being covered by Cinder afterwards.

1

2

Fiona got her shoulder off the mat.

"Wow! Fiona broke the pin just a millisecond from three! That was close!" said Hiromi.

Rolling off Fiona, Cinder looked to her corner and saw Bunker holding her hand out for a tag.

"It looks like Bunker wants into the match," said Tsubasa.

Nodding to her partner, the pheasant with to Bunker and tagged her into the match.

"And here she comes!" said Hiromi.

The crowd cheered as Bunker entered the ring and Cinder exited. standing on the apron. Going right for Fiona, Bunker knelt to the vixen and displayed impressive strength by deadlifting her and placing her on her shoulders.

"Look at the power of Bunker," said Tsubasa. "She lifted Fiona up off the mat like she was nothing."

Tightening her grip on Fiona, Bunker swung her lower body off, clasped her hands around the back of her head and slammed her down to the mat on her front with a Fireman's Carry Front Neckbreaker and getting a loud pop from the crowd.

"Oh man, what a move from Bunker!" said Hiromi. "She drilled the hell out of Fiona with that!"

Fiona was laid out on the mat and was at Bunker's mercy as she turned her over and covered her.

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2

Just before the referee's hand came down for a three count, Fiona got her shoulder off the mat.

"Fiona broke the pin even after that," said Tsubasa. "I got to give it to her, she's a tough as nails chick."

Bunker quickly wrapped an arm around Fiona's head, keeping a tight grip on her as she stood up, pulled her opponent up with her and hoisted her upside down above her in the Suplex position before falling down to her back, hitting the aforementioned maneuver in the middle of the ring.

"Bunker keeps her offense going with a big Suplex on Fiona!" said Hiromi.

Fiona arched her body and let a few choice words come from her mouth before Bunker covered her.

1

2

Fiona shockingly broke the pin again by getting her shoulder off the mat.

"Wow, Fiona broke the pin again," said Tsubasa. "I don't think everyone can believe it, the fact that she's still going after all she's been on the receiving end of."

On the off chance that Fiona would break out of the pin, Bunker was ready as she maneuvered her body and once again got Fiona up on her shoulders, quickly throwing her off to the side with a Fireman's Carry and immediately covered her again.

"Bunker has Fiona down again, this time after further damaging her back with a Fireman's Carry!" said Hiromi.

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2

At this point, Abby got into the ring and broke the pin by delivering a kick so hard to Bunker's head that it knocked the tortoise senseless as she rolled off Fiona.

"Abby breaks the pin by nailing a kick on Bunker so hard I'm surprised its not out in the crowd somewhere right now!" said Tsubasa.

Narrowing her eyes, Abby reached down, grabbed one of Fiona's arms and dragged her over to their corner, exiting onto the apron before reaching in and tagging herself into the match.

"Abby just tagged herself into the match!" said Hiromi.

"And she had to drag Fiona over to the corner herself to do so," said Tsubasa. "I don't even think Fiona realizes what's going on right now. And now the monstrous Abby is coming into the ring."

Entering the ring, Abby rolled the dazed Fiona out of the ring under the ropes before turning her attention to Bunker. Cracking her muscles as she approached the tortoise, Abby grabbed her head and, with one arm, pulled her to her feet before savagely slamming her own head into her forehead with a massive Headbutt.

"Holy cow! Abby just picked Bunker up with one hand and smashed her own head into hers!" said Hiromi. "And Bunker ain't no small lady so that was crazy!"

Bunker dropped to the mat in a heap. Seeing her partner in trouble, Cinder entered the ring and ran at Abby, leaping into her arms and slamming her forearms repeatedly into her head and face.

"Cinder gets in there and she's all over Abby right now but I don't even think its fazing her," said Tsubasa.

Abby ate the shots and responded by wrapping her powerful arms around Cinder's waist and squeezing as hard as she could, trapping the pheasant in a Bearhug.

"Oh gosh, Cinder's trapped in a Bearhug from Abby!" said Hiromi. "With how large her arms are, she could literally break Cinder in half!"

Cinder tried to escape but it was to no avail as Abby tightened the hold even further before walking to a side of the ring and tossing the pheasant out of the ring and right into the barricade, getting a shocked expression from the crowd.

"Jeez, Abby just tossed Cinder out of the ring right into the barricade outside!" said Tsubasa. "Just how strong is this chick!?"

Turning back to the downed Bunker, Abby sauntered over to her and once again lifted her with one hand, positioning her head between her legs. Bending over, Abby wrapped her arms around Bunker's waist and hoisted her up onto her shoulders in a seated position. Walking to one of the corners of the ring, Abby fell backwards to the mat, bringing Bunker down flat on her face with an Alleyoop.

"A big Alleyoop from Abby absolutely levels Bunker and flattens her!" said Hiromi.

Bunker's body bounced onto her back as a look of pain was etched across her face. Abby, standing back to her feet approached the downed tortoise, leering at her before bending over and grabbing her by the throat. Squeezing tightly, Abby lifted Bunker off the mat and held her up high by her throat before throwing her down to the mat on her back, nailing the Bullpen and getting loud boos from the crowd.

"Abby nails the Bullpen on Bunker, once again lifting her clear off the mat with one hand! Holy sweet Chaos, that was insane!" said Tsubasa.

Bunker was completely motionless on the mat as Abby glared down at her. Looking to her corner, she saw Fiona was back up and holding her hand out for a tag.

"Fiona's finally back up and it looks like she wants Abby to tag her!" said Hiromi.

Rolling her eyes, Abby went to the vixen and tagged her. As Abby exited the ring and stood on the apron, the crowd booed Fiona as she entered the ring, placed her hand on her hips and sauntered cockily around the ring, strutting and flipping her hair.

"Should've seen this coming," said Tsubasa. "Fiona's once again flaunting and showing off, acting as if she did all the damage that's been done to Cinder and Bunker."

After more showboating, Fiona went to the downed Bunker and smugly placed a foot over her chest.

"Now she has a foot over Bunker in a pin!" said Hiromi.

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3

"Fiona gets the pinfall victory!" said Tsubasa.

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"Wow, Fiona gets the win for her and Abby!" said Hiromi.

(Trina - "Da Baddest Bitch")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of this match by way of pinfall, Fiona Fox and Abby!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

Boos came from the crowd as Fiona spun to her feet, cockily walking a circle around the ring as Abby reentered, going to stand in the center. Fiona finally stopped her victory laps around the ring before joining Abby and the referee held their hands up in victory.

"Fiona and Abby get a huge win here tonight against a very game Cinder and Bunker," said Tsubasa.

"You mean Abby got the win!" said Hiromi. "She's the one that did all the work! Fiona just came in to pick up the scraps, so to speak!"

Taking her hand back from the referee, Fiona smirked as she saw Bunker roll out of the ring and go over to check on Cinder. She waked over to the side of the ring, demanded a microphone and was handed one by Aoi.

"And it looks like we're about to hear from Fiona," said Tsubasa.

The music stopped as Fiona twirled the microphone in her hand and walked around the ring again. "Let that be a message to anyone and everyone who think that they can hang with me and Abby." She walked to the side of the ring where Bunker was helping Cinder to her feet. "Nice try girls. How about stepping your game up next time? Maybe then you may actually have a chance."

The crowd booed as Bunker and Cinder frowned at Fiona before taking their leave from ringside up the ramp and behind the curtain.

"Ugh, this vixen!" Hiromi spat. "She sure knows how to get under your skin!"

Cockily waving goodbye to the Shijin Warriors as they took their leave, Fiona continued speak, turning her attention to the crowd. "First and foremost, what happened last night when Sonic got that fluke win over my man Scourge was pure luck, plain and simple. Pure luck at its blatant best. Rest assured though, you haven't seen the last of Scourge. He will be back and the king will come back and take what's rightfully his - the MCW Championship."

The crowd booed once again in response.

"Now that I've gotten that off my chest," said the vixen as she crossed her arms and went to stand beside Abby. "Feast your eyes on the perfect pair of power, speed, and domination. What you all just witnessed was a little taste of what's in store for the women's tag team division. You girls have no idea what you're gonna be up against when you find yourselves on the opposite ends of us but try us and you'll personally find out when we leave you flat on your faces."

Fiona was about to keep speaking until Abby grabbed her wrist and made her hold the microphone up to her lips.

"Cassia, Clove, Leeta, Lyco. Don't think I forgot about last night. All in due time, your asses are mine."

Abby let go of Fiona's hand and began to take her leave from the ring. Fiona smirked before holding the microphone out and dramatically dropping it before following Abby out of the ring and up the ramp.

"Those were really strong words from Fiona as well as Abby," said Tsubasa. "That was a threat if I've ever heard one. Abby hasn't forgotten about the Pronghorn Sisters and the Wolf Pack attacking her during that full-scale brawl at the end of Locked and Loaded."

"Not just that but a callout to the entire women's tag team division!" said Hiromi. "Definitely have to wonder what the rest of the ladies, including the Women's Tag Team Champions the Pronghorn Sisters, think of this!"

"What I do know is that Fiona and Abby have staked their claim to wanting to be the best tag team in the women's division," said Tsubasa. "And if this match was any indication, they could very well be."


~Locker Room Area~

Ray and Matilda were talking amongst themselves when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking in the direction of the sound, frowns appeared on both of their faces as they saw Lightning Lynx approaching them.

"Lookie what we have here," said the lynx, grinning as he looked at the flying squirrel. "Last time I saw you, you were trying to egg me on to a fight."

Ray narrowed his eyes and stood protectively in front of Matilda. "Nothing's changed. The offer's still there."

Lightning narrowed his eyes as well before jerking suddenly at Ray, making him flinch a bit but stand his ground. Laughing as he made Ray flinch, Lightning brushed him off with his hand before starting to walk down the hallway. "You ain't even worth my time."

Ray and Matilda watched Lightning leave until he was out of sight and the armadillo turned to her brother. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Ray replied, nodding his head and looking to her. "Are you?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Don't even worry about him. He'll get his."

"For sure," said Ray. "I haven't forgotten about what he did to me. He'll pay."


~Ringside~

"Leave it to Lightning to try and start something!" said Hiromi.

"I'm surprised that Ray didn't let him have it right then and there," said Tsubasa. "We all remember that beatdown that the Destructix gave him, Sonic and Tails last month and Ray hasn't forgotten about Lightning's involvement in that. I think things are going to pop off between those two and I have a feeling its going to be sooner rather than later."

"With that being said, we're moving right along into our next match of the night!" said Hiromi. "Let's keep the train going baby!"


~MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Qualifying Match: Espio the Chameleon VS. Flip Penguin~

(Raekwon feat. Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna - "Ice Cream")

Cheers came from the crowd as the music played and Flip walked out onto the stage seconds later, along with Guntiver who had the Hardcore Championship on his shoulder. Flip turned to the wolf and bumped fists with him before making his way down the ramp and sliding into the ring as Guntiver acknowledged the crowd, holding up the Hardcore Championship to cheers from them before making his way backstage through the curtain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a Singles match and its a MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Qualifying match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, representing the Arctic Freedom Fighters, from the Northern Tundra, weighing in at 95 lbs., Flip Penguin!"

"Alright! Its time for the first of the two qualifying matches to determine who will go on to face Silver for the Cruiserweight Championship at Showdown!" said Hiromi. "Looks like Flip's up to bat and we also saw the Hardcore Champion Guntiver wish him luck in his upcoming match!"

"How nice would it be for the Arctic Freedom Fighters to be able to add another championship to their ranks?" said Tsubasa. "If Flip can pull off this victory, he'll be one step closer to doing just that."

A the music stopped, Flip went to his corner and took off his cap, tossing it to the outside as he waited for his opponent to arrive.

(Chiang - "Koto")

The cheers continued, possibly got louder as the new music played and the lights in the stadium dimmed and were replaced by ones resembling cheery blossoms. Suddenly, Espio appeared out of thin air on the stage, where he performed a few hand signs, disappeared again and reappeared in the middle of the ring.

"And the opponent, representing the Chaotix, from the Dragon Kingdom, weighing in at 79 lbs., Espio the Chameleon!" said Aoi.

"Oh, and Flip's opponent is Espio!" said Tsubasa. "We saw him and Larry Lynx go to war along with Silver last night in the Triple Threat Match for the Cruiserweight Championship that of course, Silver won. It looks like Espio has a second chance at the Cruiserweight Championship but he has to get past Flip first."

As the music ended, Espio backed to his corner and locked eyes with Flip. The referee made sure they were both ready to go before calling for the bell and starting the match.

"Espio and Flip, ready to get it on!" said Hiromi.

Espio and Flip met in the middle of the ring, shaking hands and wishing the other good luck before circling the ring with one another. Meeting back in the center, the two Mobians engaged in a lockup before Espio delivered a swift knee to Flip's midsection, buckling him. Grabbing one of the penguin's arms, Espio whipped him hard across the ring into one of the corners.

"Espio sends Flip into a corner," said Tsubasa.

Flip crashed into the turnbuckle so hard that he grimaced and began to stumble his way out of the corner, holding his lower back. Espio quickly went to the corner and climbed to the top of it, sizing Flip up and after seeing the Penguin turn to face him, leapt off at him with his legs at the ready to attack with a Missile Dropkick.

"Espio's wasting no time in going upstairs and he's going right for Flip!" said Hiromi.

Just before Espio could attack him, Flip sidestepped out of the way and Espio hit nothing but the air before landing hard on the mat on his back.

"Espio misses and man did he crash and burn or what!" said Tsubasa.

Arching his body and gritting his teeth, Espio had no time to react before Flip leapt up and drove his elbow down onto his chest and covering him.

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2

Espio got his shoulder off the mat.

"This match was nearly over already as Flip gets a near fall!" said Hiromi.

Catching Espio's arm as he broke the pin, Flip rose to his feet and pulled the chameleon up with him. Leaping up, Flip lifted his knees to his chest and placed Espio's arm against them, falling back to the mat and crushing his opponent's arm on his knees with a Jumping Armbreaker.

"Mmm, a Jumping Armbreaker from Flip," aid Tsubasa. "He's looking to wear Espio down, which is a smart move."

Espio yelled out and instinctively held his hurt arm, giving way to Flip covering him.

1

Espio used his good arm to break out of the pin as quickly as he could.

"I'm sure this isn't how Espio pictured this match starting off!" said Hiromi.

Keeping Espio grounded, Flip turned him over onto his front, laid down on his back and wrapped his arms around his head, locking on a Sleeper Hold. Espio's breath got caught in his throat and a grimace appeared on his face as Flip applied more pressure to him.

"It goes from bad to worse for Espio as now Flip's got a submission locked on him," said Tsubasa.

"He's trying to wear the quicker Espio down and take that speed out of the equation!" said Hiromi. "Pretty smart!"

The referee asked him if he wanted to give up and Espio, to the best of his ability, shook his head from side to side, refusing to do so.

"Espio showing all kinds of heart and refusing to give up," said Tsubasa.

Flip kept the submission hold on Espio for a few seconds longer before releasing him, standing up and picking the slightly groggy Espio up and throwing him across the ring. Watching as Espio bounced off the ropes and came back to him, Flip bent over and sent the oncoming Espio sailing up and over behind him. However, Espio performed a front flip and managed to land on his feet, quickly turning around, leaping in the air and nailing Flip in the back of his head with a Roundhouse Kick, knocking him to the mat and getting a pop from the crowd as he quickly covered him.

"Wow! Espio countered Flip with a Roundhouse Kick to his head and has him pinned!" said Hiromi.

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2

Flip got his shoulder off the mat.

"That's just how quickly Espio can turn a match around," said Tsubasa. "That one kick was so sudden and nearly enough to keep Flip down for a three count."

Espio took a couple seconds to get his wits back about him, still feeling the affects of Flip's Sleeper Hold as he got to his feet, pulled the penguin up and wrapped his arms around his waist, lifting him off his feet. Before Espio could finish his maneuver, Flip wrapped one of his arms around the chameleon's head and fell backwards to the mat on his back, bringing Espio down on his head with a DDT, getting a pop of his own from the crowd before rolling over and covering Espio as soon as his back hit the mat.

"Flip gets a counter of his own with that DDT and now he has Espio pinned!" said Hiromi.

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2

Espio managed to get his shoulder up, breaking the pin.

"Two big counters, one after the other from both competitors," said Tsubasa. "I'd say they both are evenly matched."

Rising to his knees, Flip looked down at Espio before standing and making his way over to the nearest corner, climbing to the top turnbuckle.

"Now Flip's up on the top turnbuckle!" said Hiromi.

Everyone stood onto their feet as they watched the penguin slowly stand up on the turnbuckle, hold his arms out to the side and leap off at Espio, extending his elbow and slamming it down as hard as he could into his chest with a Diving Elbow Drop.

"Nice Elbow Drop from the top by Flip," said Tsubasa.

Espio coughed almost violently as he clutched his chest and found himself being covered by Flip.

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2

Espio shot his shoulder off the mat, getting a louder pop from the crowd.

"Even that wasn't enough to keep Espio down!" said Hiromi.

Flip's eyes narrowed before standing to his feet and circling around Espio, coming to a conclusion on what to do when it came to him. Bending over and picking Espio up by his head, Flip positioned his head between his legs and bent over, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Flip's looking to put an end to this match with the Alpine Bomb!" said Tsubasa.

Flip then hoisted his opponent up onto his shoulders in a seated position. Before Flip could do anything, Espio front flipped off his shoulders, landing behind him, turning around and lifting his foot up, slamming it into the side of Flip's head with a Side Kick.

"Espio escapes from Flip's hold on him and nails a Side Kick to the dome!" said Hiromi.

Flip was knocked off balance from the kick but somehow managed to stand his ground and keep from going to the mat. Keeping on the attack, Espio quickly positioned himself to the side of Flip, through his leg up and connecting with Flip's head again, this time with a Shuffle Side Kick that sent Flip across the mat and into the ropes.

"Another huge kick from Espio that knocked Flip to the side of the ring!" said Tsubasa.

Following Flip to the ropes, Espio began to unleash a barrage of punches to the stomach and chest of Flip as well as kicks to his legs, buckling the penguin before finishing with yet another kick to the side of his head.

"Man, what a combination from Espio!" said Hiromi. "He unleashed hell on Flip there!"

The ropes continued to keep Flip on his feet but the penguin was knocked for a loop. Even then, Espio didn't relent - he nailed Flip in the head with a punch, connected with a Spinning Back Kick to his body and then threw another kick to his head.

"How in the hell is Flip still on his feet right now!?" Hiromi exclaimed.

"The ropes are the only thing keeping him up! It's almost like he's out on his feet!" said Tsubasa.

Flip stumbled off the ropes to the middle of the ring and Espio narrowed his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest, holding his hands in ninja hand signs as he stalked a circle around Flip, getting a pop from the crowd.

"We mentioned earlier how Flip was going to put the finishing touch on this match!" said Hiromi. "Shoes on the other foot now!"

Espio walked until he was behind Flip before, in the blink of an eye, swung his leg up at the penguin's head and slammed his ankle into his head, nailing the Espionage and getting loud cheers from the crowd.

"Espio hits his Espionage and almost knocks Flip's head clean off his shoulders!" said Tsubasa.

Flip was finally brought down to the mat in a head and Espio covered him.

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3

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"There it is! Espio defeats Flip!" said Hiromi.

(Chiang - "Koto")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, Espio the Chameleon!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

The crowd cheered as the music played and the winner was announced. Espio rose up off Flip and the referee held his hand up in victory.

"Espio gets the win in a very excellent match!" said Hiromi. "That ending sequence though, Espio was completely all over Flip and it soon got to be too much for him as Espio finally laid him out and get the pinfall victory!"

Taking his hand back from the referee, Espio proceeded to stand in the center of the ring and bow to he fans, facing all four sides of the ring one at a time as he did so while Flip rolled out of the ring, holding his head and walking up the ramp and disappearing behind the stage. As he did so, Espio bowed to him as well.

"Espio showing all kinds of respect, not only to the fans but also to Flip on a very great match," said Tsubasa.

(Lil' Flip - "Battlefield")

The crowd cheered as the music played and Setsuna appeared on the big screen, clapping his hands.

"There's the Boss Man!" said Hiromi.

"And he definitely liked what he saw,"Tsubas added.

As the music came to an end, Setsuna stopped clapping and began to speak. "What a match that was, Congratulations Espio. You've qualified for the MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender match in two weeks time. We now know one half of that match and next week, we'll know the other half because next week in the second qualifying match..."

Everyone waited for Setsuna to continue.

"...will be between Larry Lynx and Nack the Weasel."

The crowd cheered loudly in response while Espio smirked and nodded his head.

"That's going to be another one that I'm sure everyone will have their eyes on," said Setsuna. "Congrats again Espio. I'm sure you'll be keeping a close eye on that match."

(Lil' Flip - "Battlefield")

The crowd cheered as Setsuna disappeared off the big screen and Espio took his leave from the ring by performing some hand signs and disappearing out of the ring.

"We know half of the MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender match and we'll find out the other half next week when Larry goes one on one with Nack!" said Hiromi.

"The leader of the Substitute Freedom Fighters squares off with the Leader of Team Hooligan with major title implications involved," said Tsubasa. "That says all that needs to be said and all of us are no doubt looking forward to seeing how that match plays out."

"Oh, our girl Yuki is on it tonight!" said Hiromi. "She's standing by backstage! What's up Yuki?"


~Backstage Area~

"Hey everyone, your girl's back again!" said Yuki as she appeared on the big screen, holding her microphone. "Please welcome my guests at this time, the Wolf Pack's Leeta and Lyco!"

The crowd cheered as the sisters were shown beside Yuki.

"Now girls. I'm sure you, like we all did, heard what Fiona and Abby said after their match earlier," said Yuki. "You two were specifically called out by them, Abby in particular and I was wondering if you two had anything to say in response to them."

Leeta's eyes turned into slits and a low growl emitted from her. "Yes, we did hear loud and clear. And we have a response. They must not know who we are but we'd be more than happy to show them personally."

"With that being said," Lyco began. "We're issuing a challenge to Fiona and Abby to take us on in the ring next week. The ball, as they say, is in their court now."

Yuki was about to say something when she heard footsteps on her other side and saw Leeta and Lyco looking past her with hard expressions on their faces. Following their gaze, she saw Fiona and Abby standing on her other side, looking at the two wolves. Fiona reached over, holding Yuki's wrist and holding the microphone to her lips and spoke two words.

"We accept."

Releasing Yuki, Fiona crossed her arms as she and Abby stared down the sisters. Leeta and Lyco, not faltering at all, stepped forward until they were almost nose to nose with the two Mobians and glared back at them intensely.


~Locker Room of the Pronghorn Sisters~

Cassia and Clove saw the encounter between Fiona, Abby, Leeta and Lyco in their locker room. Both of them turned their attention to one another, gave each other nods of understanding and bumped fists with one another. All the while, the Women's Tag Team Championship belts were sitting proudly on their shoulders and glimmered in the light.


~Ringside~

"We knew that Leeta and Lyco weren't going to take that call out and not do anything bout it!" said Hiromi. "After a brief but intense as hell confrontation, it looks like we're going to see them throw down with Fiona and Abby live next week!"

"Leeta and Lyco are coming off the heels of their loss to Cassia and Clove last night and if they win this it could definitely be the rebound they need," said Tsubasa. "Speaking of the Cassia and Clove, the Women's Tag Team Champions saw that encounter and for all they know, they could be looking at their first challengers for their championship. With the intensity and hostility going into that match, its definitely one that we all are looking forward to and can't wait to see."

"True that!" said Hiromi. "But for now, let's get back into the action with our next match!"


~Arlo Armadillo VS. Spike the Porcupine (W/ Trevor Burrow and Sonar the Fennec)~

(Limp Bizkit feat. DMX, Method Man and Redman - "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)")

Boos came from the crowd as the music began to play and seconds later all three of the Desert Raiders came from behind the curtain and stood alongside each other on the stage before Spike took the lead, making his way down the ramp and into the ring. Trevor and Sonar followed behind him and went to stand beside his corner on the outside of the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a Singles match!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, representing the Desert Raiders, from Shamar, weighing in at 80 lbs., Spike the Porcupine!"

"Spike's back in action!" said Hiromi. "It's been a whole month since we last saw him in that losing effort to Shadow the Hedgehog and in that time we've seen the other memebrs of the Desert Raiders fall as well! Spike looks like he's ready to turn that around and get the Desert Raiders in the winning column!"

As the music stopped, Spike removed his goggles, tossing them to Sonar on the outside of the ring as he went to his corner and waited for his opponent to arrive.

(Nonpoint - "Bullet With a Name")

Cheers replaced the boos as the music played and Arlo walked out from behind the curtain, adjusting his ammo belt on his chest as he made his way down the ramp and into the ring, holding his hand up above him in the shape of a gun and motioned snapping off a few shots.

"And the opponent, representing the Substitute Freedom Fighters, from Knothole, weighing in at 100 lbs., Arlo Armadillo!" said Aoi.

"The Substitute Freedom Fighter's Arlo is back in action again as well," said Tsubasa. "Just like his opponent Spike, we haven't seen Arlo in action since last month and he was also on the losing end in his only match against Espio. This is going to be very interesting as we're about to watch two competitors try to get a win to their names after loses."

As the music came to an end, Arlo went to his corner and removed his ammo belt before cracking his neck a few times. Afterwards, the referee made sure he and Spike were good to go before calling for the bell, beginning the match.

"Time to see which of these guys can rise up and possibly get their first win in MCW!" said Hiromi.

Spike put his speed to use from the get-go, rushing right for Arlo and throwing his arm at his head as they closed the distance and met in the center of the ring.

"Spike's not wasting any time at all in going at Arlo," said Tsubasa.

Arlo managed to duck the Clothesline from Spike, get behind the porcupine and roll him up with a School Boy, putting as much of his body weight on him as he could as he held him down.

"Arlo dodges Spike's attack and has him rolled up!" said Hiromi.

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2

Spike managed to kick out, quickly rolling across the ring and under the ropes to the outside of the ring.

"Spike broke out of the pin and has put distance between himself and Arlo by getting out of the ring," said Tsubasa.

Trevor and Sonar went over to Spike to check on him while Arlo rose to his feet in the ring. Looking to the outside of the ring and seeing the position Spike was in, Arlo backed to the opposite side of the ring, bounced off the ropes and ran for the side of the ring Spike was outside.

"What in the world is Arlo doing!?" Hiromi exclaimed.

Spike looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Arlo dive through the ropes at him. Just as Arlo's body connected with Spike's, instead of bringing him down with a Suicide Dive, Spike wrapped his arms around the armadillo's waist, turned around and threw him into the barricade back first.

"What a counter by Spike! He caught Arlo and sent him into the barricade!" said Tsubasa.

"That was a really sick move by Spike, I gotta admit!" said Hiromi.

Sonar cheered and clapped her hands as Arlo grit his teeth in pain as he slumped against the barricade but had no time to recover as Spike grabbed his arm and threw him back into the ring. As Arlo rolled to the center of the ring, Spike got up onto the apron and climbed to the top turnbuckle of the nearest corner.

"Now Spike's up on the top turnbuckle," said Tsubasa.

Once perched on top, Spike knelt down, watching as Arlo began to stand up and once he turned to him he leapt off the turnbuckle while extending his arm. Just as Spike was going to nail Arlo with a Diving Clothesline, Arlo hooked his arm with his and brought him down to the ring on his side with a hard Arm Drag, quickly covering him after he did so.

"Arlo gets a counter of his own as he drills Spike with an Arm Drag and has him covered!" said Hiromi.

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2

Spike got his shoulder off the mat.

"There's a near fall for Arlo," said Tsubasa.

Arlo rolled off Spike to one side of the ring, taking a moment to regain his bearings as he was still feeling the pain from when he was sent into the barricade just moments earlier.

"Not surprised that Arlo's taking a second here!" said Hiromi. "That slam he took into the barricade definitely left its mark on him, figuratively and literally!"

Spike held his side and as he looked to the outside of the ring, he saw Trevor and Sonar willing him on. Fighting through his own pain, Spike rose to his feet and that's when Arlo made his move. Rushing at Spike just as the porcupine turned around to face him, Arlo threw up his arm and slammed his forearm into the porcupine's face, knocking him back down to the mat.

"Nice forearm to the face from Arlo that brings Spike down again," said Tsubasa.

Sonar slammed her hand down on the apron in frustration as Trevor clenched his fists, both of them watching as Arlo covered Spike.

1

Spike quickly kicked out.

"Spike looks shook still after that shot to the face!" said Hiromi.

Spike tried to put distance between him and Arlo after the kick out but Arlo locked his arm around his opponent's head, trying to apply a Side Headlock on him.

"Now Arlo's going for a submission," said Tsubasa.

Seeing the spot he was in, Spike wrapped his arms around Arlo's waist and tried to escape the hold by pulling his head out from Arlo's grip but he was unable to. Just as Arlo was going to crank on more pressure to him, Spike hoisted Arlo off his feet and dropped backwards to the mat with a Back Suplex, bridging his body and holding Arlo down in a pin.

"Spike counters Arlo's submission attempt and has Arlo in a pin after nailing a Back Suplex!" said Hiromi.

1

2

Arlo was barely able to kick out, the momentum of the kick out sending Spike across the ring.

"Whoa! That kick out sent Spike clear to the other side of the ring!" said Tsubasa.

Rolling on the mat and hitting the ropes, Spike used them to get back to his feet while Arlo was standing at the same time. Once Arlo turned to him, Spike ran for him and leapt sideways at him, having all the intentions to bring him down with a Crossbody. However, Arlo simply caught Spike in his arms and held the porcupine sideways.

"Arlo just caught Spike in midair!" said Hiromi.

Spike's eyes widened and he tried to get free from Arlo, but the armadillo kept a tight hold on him, leapt up while turning his body and slammed Spike down to the mat on his back with a Powerslam, landing on top of him in an immediate pinning position.

"Big time Powerslam by Arlo and he has Spike down again!" said Tsubasa.

1

2

Spike was able to get his shoulder off the mat.

"Another near fall for Arlo!" said Hiromi.

After Spike got his shoulder up, Arlo caught his arm and kept a hold on it as he stood up, pulled Spike up along with him and threw him as hard as he could towards one of the corners, following him in. As Spike hit the turnbuckle back first, Arlo immediately slammed his arm into his head with a massive Clothesline that nearly knocked the porcupine out of the ring.

Arlo gave Spike no time to breathe as he damn near takes him out of the ring with that Clothesline!" said Tsubasa.

Spike dropped to the mat, a slightly glazed look on his face as Arlo covered him.

1

Spike reached out and grabbed the bottom ropes, breaking the pin.

"You got to think that Spike is thinking 'Thank you ropes!' for being in the right place at the right time!" said Hiromi.

The crowd began to chant for Arlo at this point as the armadillo picked up Arlo and was about to make a move to get Spike out of the corner but the porcupine fought back by surprising him with a swift knee to the gut, grabbing his head and starting to repeatedly slam his head into the top turnbuckle.

"Oh man, Spike gets a hit in on Arlo and is now slamming him over and over into the turnbuckle!" said Tsubasa.

"His brain is going to the equivalent of scrambled eggs is this keeps up!" Hiromi added.

The crowd began to boo while Sonar and Trevor clapped and cheered for their teammate. Spike continued to pound Arlo's head into the turnbuckle more times, eventually forcing the referee to start counting him out.

"Spike's still smashing Arlo's head into the turnbuckle and now is being counted out by the referee!" said Tsubasa.

Spike continued his assault until the referee reached four and he pulled Arlo to him, placed his arms around his arm and head while standing to the side of him and leapt up off the mat, bringing Arlo with him and slamming him down on the mat with a Side Effect, nailing the back of his head on the top turnbuckle as he did so.

"Oh my God!" Hiromi half-yelled in shock.

"Spike slammed the back of Arlo's head into the turnbuckle while hitting that Side Effect!" said Tsubasa. "That was beyond brutal!"

Arlo was completely knocked for a loop after the Side Effect but Spike wasn't done yet; he pulled the armadillo to the middle of the ring by his arm before picking him up, holding him sideways in his arms similar to how Arlo himself had done to him earlier in the match before dropping him down onto his exposed knee with a Backbreaker.

"Now Spike continues this offense with a Backbreaker!" said Hiromi. "Where the hell is this coming from!? Spike's showing a mean streak we've never seen out of him!"

Instead of pushing Arlo off his knee, Spike stood back up while keeping a hold of Arlo and locked his arm around his head, holding it to his side while holding his free arm out to the side, getting more boos from the crowd and more cheers from Trevor and Sonar.

"Now Spike's calling for the Desert Storm!" said Tsubasa.

Spike brought his free arm to Arlo's head, replacing his first arm with it while grabbing a hold of the armadillo's head and dropping to his back, slamming him face first into the mat with the Desert Storm.

"And there it is! Spike savagely drills Arlo with the Desert Storm!" said Hiromi.

Arlo was laid out on his front and Spike sat up, wiped his hands in a cocky fashion and then covered Arlo.

1

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3

"There's the three count!" said Tsubasa.

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"Spike gets the win over Arlo after one hell of a wild offense!" said Hiromi. "That was something else!"

(Limp Bizkit feat. DMX, Method Man and Redman - "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, Spike the Porcupine!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

Boos filled the stadium as the music played and the winner was announced. Spike rose up off Arlo while Trevor and Sonar entered the ring at the same time, going to the porcupine and holding his hands up in victory themselves.

"Spike gets the win over Arlo after showing a ferocity that we've never seen out of him!" said Hiromi.

"That closing moments of that match came as a surprise to us all not in the fact that he won, but how he won," said Tsubasa. "That was savage, no other way to say it."

As the referee checked on Arlo, Spike walked to the side of the ring and asked for a microphone, being handed one by Aoi.

"It appears we're about to hear from the leader of the Desert Raiders."

Spike walked back to Trevor and Sonar before beginning to speak after his music stopped. "I'm going to keep this short, simple and get right to the point. The shortcomings of not just me, but the rest of the Desert Raiders are a thing of the past. All that matters is the here and now and as far as I'm concerned, this was only the first step. My true goal is getting back at the one who defeated me on my first outing and that's Shadow the Hedgehog."

The crowd cheered as they heard Shadow's name and Spike narrowed his eyes in response.

"Shadow, wherever you are, I hope you're listening. Because its only a matter of time before you and I face each other again and I assure you, the outcome will be different."

Spike threw the microphone to the mat and took his leave from the ring, Trevor and Sonar following behind him and making their way up the ramp together to loud boos from the crowd.

"Oh-ho, Spike just pretty much called out Shadow!" said Hiromi. "That's pretty ballsy of him, ain't it!?"

"No kidding," said Tsubasa. "As he mentioned, Shadow was the first and only Mobian to defeat him way back on the debut night of MCW and it sounds like he wants payback."

"Which he may very well get because we know Shadow has never backed down from a challenge!" said Hiromi. "And let's not forget, Shadow is the Intercontinental Champion! Got to wonder if that will play a part in all of this as well!"


~Locker Room of Team Dark~

Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat had seen the conclusion of the previous match as well as Spike's words afterwards.

"Well now, that sure was interesting," said Rouge from her seated position, leaning back into it. "Not to mention impressive. Spike really took it to Arlo in that match and showed some brutality." Her toothy smirk appeared on her face as she looked over at the hedgehog beside her. "Kinda reminded me of someone."

Looking over at his companion, Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Surely you're not implying me."

Giggling, Rouge shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, just saying. He certainly remembers when you beat him though. Unless my ears are screwy, which I know they're not, he pretty much called you out." She crossed one of her legs over the other in a seductive manner. "Sounds to me like someone wants get-back for what you did to him last month."

Shadow smirked back at her as he readjusted the Intercontinental Championship on his shoulder. "He'd better be careful. Because he just might get what he wants."


~Ringside~

"Yep, I said it!" said Hiromi. "No way Shadow was going to back down from that callout!"

"Spike has certainly gotten Shadow's attention," said Tsubasa. "We'll see where this whole situation goes and how it'll play out. As it stands now, it looks like we have one more match left - our main event that's going to see the crowning of the number one contender to the MCW Championship."

(Tony Harnell - "It Doesn't Matter")

Loud thunderous cheers came from the crowd as the music played throughout the loudspeakers.

"Whoa!" said Hiromi as she reeled back from the explosion of cheers. "Speaking of the MCW Championship!"

Seconds later, Sonic walked out from behind the curtain and stood on the stage, smirking as he looked out at the crowd and held the MCW Championship up high above him as he revved up his legs and shot down the ramp, running circles around the outside of the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the MCW Champion, Sonic the Hedgehog!" said Aoi.

"Listen to that ovation for the MCW Champion!" said Hiromi. "This is amazing!"

"This is Sonic's first appearance in living color as the MCW Champion and this reception is off the charts!" said Tsubasa. "What a moment this is not only for him but MCW as a whole!"

Sonic ran a few more times before making his way over to the announcer's table to join Hiromi and Tsubasa on commentary.

"Oh, it looks like Sonic's going to grace us with his presence for this huge match!" said Hiromi as Sonic sat next to her and got himself set up with the headphones over his ears. "How's it going Champ!?"

"Hey hey, good people!" said Sonic. "Everything's going good! Its been a crazy night to say the least and its about to get even crazier and who would I be if I didn't come out to see this in person?"

"Very good point," said Tsubasa. "This upcoming match is to determine who you will have your first title defense against."

"Yep and I'm going to be right here up close in person to see how this goes down as well as hanging out with you two!" Sonic said with a chuckle.

"Always glad to have you dude!" said Hiromi. "With that being said, that time has come for our main event! Let's not waste any time and get into this thing!"

"I second that!" Sonic added.


~MCW Championship Number One Contender Match: Mighty the Armadillo VS. Blackjack~

(The LOX feat. DMX and Lil' Kim - "Money, Power & Respect")

Boos came from the crowd as the music played and Blackjack walked out from behind the curtain, a cigar in his mouth as he walked down the ramp towards one of the steel steps, walking up them and entering the ring, going to the center of it, taking a drag from his cigar and blowing out the smoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a Singles match to determine the number one contender to the MCW Championship!" said Aoi. "Introducing first, from Angel Island, weighing in at 250 lbs., Blackjack!"

"The hulking Blackjack has the biggest opportunity ahead of him in this match!" said Hiromi. "You just may be looking at your number one contender Sonic!"

"Hey if it ends up being me and big boy there, he's going to get the match of his life because i ain't about to just lay down and give my belt to him," said Sonic. "He's gonna have to beat me down and take it, if he can, heh!"

"If he defeats Mighty I'm sure he'll have no problem in obliging you there," said Tsubasa.

Blackjack went to his corner, removed his jacket and tossed it to the outside before taking out his cigar and putting it out by burning it on his palm, getting a gasp from the crowd. Through it all, Blackjack's face remained hard as stone before throwing the cigar to the outside and glaring at Sonic while waiting for his opponent to arrive.

(Ludacris - "Roll Out")

Cheers came from the crowd then, ones that almost rivaled the ovation Sonic received. Seconds later, Mighty came rolling out from behind the curtain and down the ramp, uncurling as he reached the side of the ring, looking up into the ring at Blackjack with a determined look before getting up onto the apron and entering the ring.

"And the opponent, representing the Chaotix, from Mercia, weighing in at 105 lbs., Mighty the Armadillo!" said Aoi.

"Mighty's ready to rock and roll in what is also the biggest match thus far for him," said Tsubasa. "In fact Sonic, you went and personally wished him luck in this match."

"Sure did, that's what real friends do," said Sonic. "And it was also to thank him, Knux and the rest of the crew for having our backs last night when that brawl broke out. Nice to know you got folks looking out for you, you know what I mean? And if Mighty can pull this off, I look forward to having a match against him."

Mighty walked to his corner, eyeing the massive Blackjack cautiously as the referee made sure they were both ready and called for the bell, beginning the match.

"Here we go!" said Hiromi. "Mighty and Blackjack, number one contendership to the MCW Championship on the line!"

The crowd was at a fever pitch as the match began and Mighty and Blackjack slowly walked to one another, meeting in the middle of the ring where the towering Blackjack narrowed his eyes as he looked down at his opponent. Mighty stood his ground and didn't falter even in the presence of the massive bulldog.

"Look at this faceoff!" said Hiromi. "Two powerhouses staring each other down! Even though Blackjack is clearly the taller of the two, that doesn't matter at all to Mighty! He's not backing down one bit!"

"Trust me, it's going to take a lot more than just a big ape to make Mighty back off," said Sonic.

Growling slightly, Blackjack proceeded to shove Mighty so hard it sent him across the ring into the ropes. Bouncing off the ropes, Mighty ran back to Blackjack, wrapped his arms around him as best he could and, to the surprise of everyone, lifted Blackjack off his feet and slammed him down to the mat on his back with a Belly to Belly Suplex, getting one of the loudest pops of the night from the crowd.

"Holy cow! Mighty gets pushed by Blackjack and he responds by drilling him with a Belly to Belly Suplex!" said Hiromi. "He literally lifted Blackjack off his feet!"

"Heh, what'd I tell you?" Sonic said, smirking as he leaned back in his seat.

Blackjack was stunned from Mighty's maneuver and was about to stand before he was covered by Mighty.

1

Blackjack used his strength to forcefully push Mighty off him.

"Blackjack's strength comes into play as he quickly powers out of that pin," said Tsubasa.

Mighty rolled to his feet and used his speed to quickly run for the nearest turnbuckle, literally running up it from the mat while Blackjack got to his feet. Once turning in Mighty's direction, Blackjack had little to no time to react before Mighty leapt off the turnbuckle at the bulldog and yelled out in a primal fashion as he slammed his shoulder into him as hard as he could, actually managing to bring him down to the mat with a Diving Shoulder Block and covering him once again.

"Mighty takes Blackjack right back down with a Shoulder Block from the top and has him covered a second time!" said Hiromi.

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2

Blackjack pushed Mighty off him again but just barely.

"Ooo, that one was near fall!" said Tsubasa.

"Mighty almost had it right then and there," said Sonic. "This match was nearly over as fast as I am."

Rolling to his feet a second time, Mighty went back on Blackjack, laying into him with stomps and punches as the bulldog fought back to his feet. Once to a vertical base, Blackjack found himself in a Headlock from Mighty and the armadillo used his own strength to force Blackjack across the ring into one of the corners where he managed to set him up on the top turnbuckle, following him up and looking like he was going for a Superplex.

"The two powerhouses are up on the top turnbuckle and Mighty looks like he's going for a Superplex on Blackjack!" said Hiromi.

Just as Mighty was going for the maneuver, Blackjack balled his fist and slammed it into the armadillo's side with so much force it literally froze Mighty in pain as he doubled over.

"Ouch, I felt that one!" said Tsubasa.

"You and me both," Sonic added.

Blackjack locked his own arm around Mighty's head and stood on the top turnbuckle, hoisting Mighty upside down in the air above him before leaping off the turnbuckle and drilling Mighty down onto his back in the ring with a Superplex of his own, the sound of the impact echoing throughout the stadium.

"Geez!" said Sonic. "Was that an earthquake or was that just me?"

"Neither! That was all from Blackjack nailing Mighty with one hell of a Superplex from the top turnbuckle!" said Hiromi.

Mighty arched his back and rolled to the center of the mat as he felt like his back was on fire, Blackjack following him and covering him.

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Mighty got his shoulder off the mat right before the third and final count from the referee.

"Now Blackjack gets a near fall!" said Tsubasa. "Both of them have shown they can keep the other down for a two count! The question is, who's going to be the one to be able to do that for three counts?"

Standing up, Blackjack growled as he snatched Mighty up to his feet and hurled him across the ring into one of the corners chest first. As he watched Mighty stagger in the corner, Blackjack rushed him from across the ring and crushed Mighty into the turnbuckle further with a Body Splash.

"Mighty gets crushed in the corner!" said Hiromi.

Mighty slumped to the mat and Blackjack leered down at him before placing a foot over his chest.

1

Mighty quickly reached out and grabbed the bottom ropes, breaking the pin.

"The ropes were in the right place for Mighty that time," said Tsubasa.

Slowly getting more frustrated that his few, but powerful maneuvers hadn't put Mighty away, Blackjack grabbed one of Mighty's arms and dragged him away from the corner to the middle of the ring. He then backed into the ropes, bounced off them, came back at Mighty and leapt up above him, bringing his body down on him in a Body Splash and landing in an immediate pinning position.

"Blackjack with another Body Splash and he has Mighty pinned!" said Hiromi.

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2

Mighty was barely able to get his shoulder up from under Blackjack, getting cheers from the crowd.

"A really close near fall for Blackjack as he was a hair length away from winning and becoming the number one contender to the MCW Championship," said Tsubasa.

"He's got more work to do," said Sonic. "Mighty ain't a cakewalk for anyone."

Chants of "Mighty!" began to come from the fans in attendance and Blackjack rose to his feet, his fists clenched in anger. Leaning down, he picked Mighty up and dragged him to the same corner he had him in just a few moments earlier and shoved him into it, backing up to the adjacent corner, getting a good running start and charging at him. Just as Blackjack was going to slam into Mighty, the armadillo rolled out of the way at the last second, causing the bulldog to run into the corner chest first.

"Whew, Mighty just barely got out of the way of that one!" said Hiromi.

Mighty went on the offensive quickly as he approached the stunned Blackjack from behind and rolled him up in a pin.

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2

Blackjack used his leg muscles to push Mighty off him.

"Another near fall for Mighty, that one possibly being the closest one of the whole match," said Tsubasa.

Mighty landed hard on his side from the kick out and grimaced a bit as he fought to his feet, Blackjack doing the same. Turning his attention back to Mighty, Blackjack rushed him back into one of the corners, starting to unloaded on him with thunderous shots to his body.

Mmm, and now Blackjack is letting loose on Mighty!" said Hiromi.

Despite getting pummeled by the bulldog, Mighty managed to hoist him sideways in his arms, turn so that he was facing the corner and slammed Blackjack back first into it before turning back to the center of the ring and slamming him down with a Powerslam, hooking one of his legs as he held him down in a pin.

"And look at that! Mighty hits a Powerslam and has Blackjack down!" said Tsubasa.

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2

Blackjack shot his shoulder off the mat.

"The big man breaks out yet again!" said Hiromi.

Keeping Blackjack on the mat, Mighty pulled the bulldog up to a seated position and wrapped his arms around his head, trying to apply a Headlock on him. However, Blackjack was a step ahead of the armadillo, using his upper body strength to pull Mighty across him shoulders and slam him down to the mat hard with a Fireman's Carry, quickly covering him after he did so.

"Blackjack counters Mighty's submission attempt and hits a big Fireman's Carry! He might have him here!" said Tsubasa.

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Mighty, like Blackjack did, was able to get his shoulder off the mat.

"No! Its a two count! The match continues!" said Hiromi.

"Man, I gotta say these boys are really going at it," said Sonic. "I think I made the right choice coming down to see this up close."

Blackjack slammed a hand down on the mat before standing up, pulling Mighty up and backing him against the ropes. At that moment, a hulking figure came from behind the curtain and made its way down the ramp to the ring.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what the hell is this!?" Hiromi exclaimed.

Blackjack, and everyone else, recognized the figure as Ripper.

"It's Ripper!" said Tsubasa. "What the heck is he doing out here!?"

The rat locked eyes with Blackjack, narrowing them as his face scowled and he slowly got up onto the apron.

"Looks like he has some business with Blackjack, from the looks of it," said Sonic.

Blackjack growled as he released Mighty and made his way over to Ripper, both of them large Mobians facing off with one another while the crowd anxiously watched them to see what would happen.

"Now look at this faceoff!" said Hiromi. "Ripper is just as tall and big as Blackjack! Talk about the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object!"

Remembering the words from Renfield and how Ripper tried to size him up, Blackjack clenched his fist and took a swing at the rat, missing as Ripper leapt backwards off the apron.

"Blackjack swings at Ripper but misses!" said Tsubasa.

The force of the punch caused Blackjack to bounce off the ropes backwards, turning around as he did so. At the same time, he had no time to recover as Mighty was rushing at him, slamming his shoulder into his midsection as hard as he could and tackled him down to the mat with the Rollout, getting a loud pop from the crowd.

"Mighty hit the Rollout on Blackjack! He didn't see it coming at all!" said Hiromi.

"He shouldn't have taken his eye off the ball!" Sonic added.

Blackjack's body folded up from the impact and Mighty put all his body weight down on him in a pin.

"Mighty's got him pinned!" said Tsubasa.

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3

The referee called for the bell, ending the match.

"He got him!" said Hiromi. "Might beat Blackjack! He's the number one contender!"

(Ludacris - "Roll Out")

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match by way of pinfall, and the number one contender to the MCW Championship, Mighty the Armadillo!" said Aoi.


~Ringside~

The crowd cheered loudly and continued the chants of Mighty's name as the music played and the winner was announced. Standing up off Blackjack, the referee held Mighty's hand up in victory.

"What a match!" said Hiromi. "These two brought it like we thought they would and it ends up being Mighty who gets the win!"

"Due in small part to that interference from Ripper!" said Tsubasa. "This sure as hell isn't going to sit well with Blackjack!"

As Blackjack rolled out of the ring holding his midsection, he growled almost insanely as he looked up, seeing no sign of Ripper. Clenching his fists he began to make his way up the ramp and to the back through the curtain.

"Blackjack looks as pissed off as anyone I've ever seen and we can guess where he's going!" said Hiromi. "Ripper had better watch his back, sides and front!"

Taking his hand back from the referee, Mighty turned to look at Sonic and walked to the side of the ring, smirking as he pointed to the MCW Championship on Sonic's shoulder. Returning the smirk, Sonic lifted the title belt up high above him from his seated position.

"And there he is Sonic, your first number one contender to your championship!" said Hiromi.

"It's official everyone," said Tsubasa. "At Showdown in four weeks time, it'll be Sonic the Hedgehog defending the MCW Championship against Mighty the Armadillo!"

At that point, three figures shot down the ramp and into the ring, immediately attacking Mighty.

"What the hell!?" Hiromi exclaimed.

Everyone recognized the figures as Predator Hawk, Flying Frog and Lightning Lynx and they were all over Mighty with kicks and stomps, grounding him.

"It's Predator, Flying and Lightning!" said Tsubasa. "They're all over Mighty right now!"

Sonic cursed under his breath as he stood up. "Thanks for having me guys, but duty calls!" Taking off the headset and placing his championship on the table, Sonic leapt from his spot onto the apron of the ring.

"Whoa! Sonic's on the apron!" said Hiromi.

At the same time, another figure - everyone recognizing as Ray - shot out from behind the curtain, flew down the ramp and landed on the adjacent apron from Sonic.

"And look, its Ray!" said Tsubasa. "He's come out to back up his brother Mighty!"

Sonic and Ray exchanged looks with each other, nodded and leapt up onto the top rope. Predator and Flying turned from their attack on Mighty to face Ray while Lightning turned to face Sonic. Then, at the same time, Sonic and Ray launched themselves into the ring with Springboard Crossbodies, Ray taking down Predator and Flying while Sonic brought down Lightning and the crowd popped loudly.

"Double Springboard Crossbodies from Sonic and Ray bring the Destructix members down!" said Hiromi.

As soon as they hit the mat, all three Destructix members rolled out of the ring to the outside and started to retreat up the ramp while Sonic and Ray went to check on Mighty, helping him to his feet. Afterwards, all three of them turned back to the Destructix and began to call out to them, wanting them to come back and fight.

"Now the odds are evened!" said Tsubasa.

"Leave it to the Destructix to come out here and gang up on Mighty!" said Hiromi. "No doubt trying to get payback for the Chaotix coming out to help the Knothole Freedom Fighters last night at Locked and Loaded!"

"Hey hey, people people!"

Hearing the voice, everyone turned their attention to the big screen and saw Setsuna sitting in his office.

"The Boss Man!" said Hiromi.

"Looks like things got really real really fast, as we like to say here in Minamigawa," the tiger began. "First things first, congrats Mighty. You're the number one contender to the MCW Championship and in four weeks time, it'll be you and Sonic one on one with the championship on the line."

The crowd cheered in response.

"But it looks like we have some unfinished business here as the Destructix were feeling pretty froggy and wanted to leap," Setsuna continued before looking in Flying's direction. "No offense Flying."

The frog narrowed his eyes at the joke.

"With that being said," said Setsuna. "Here's what we're going to do. Live next week, it'll be Predator and Flying taking on Mighty and Ray in a Tag Team match."

"The Chaotix taking on the Destructix?" Hiromi repeated as the crowd cheered. "Oh yeah, I'm so there!"

Setsuna then turned his attention to Lightning. "And Lightning? Don't think I forgot about you. Seeing as how you wanted to start stuff up earlier and how you're feeling so, feisty let's say, you're going to be in action next week as well against...the MCW Champion, Sonic the Hedgehog."

An even louder pop came from the crowd.

"What!?" Tsubasa exclaimed. "Sonic and Lightning will be going one on one next week too!?"

Setsuna smirked as he ran a hand through his long hair and flipped it behind him. "Good luck next week boys. See if you can work out any of those lingering feelings of hostility."

(Lil' Flip - "Battlefield")

The crowd cheered as the music played and Setsuna disappeared off the big screen. Back at ringside, the three members of the Destructix glared at the three Mobians in the ring. Sonic had his eyes locked on Lightning, smirking the entire time as Mighty and Ray glared back at Predator and Flying.

"Man, oh man is next week shaping up to be a big one!" said Hiromi. "On top of everything else that's going down we just learned of two more huge matches - Mighty and Ray taking on Predator and Flying as well as two speed demons in Lightning and the MCW Champion Sonic going head to head!"

"The road to Showdown has gotten started in a real big way and what a ride this one is gonna be," said Tsubasa.

"You got that right!" said Hiromi. "Next week can't come quick enough!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to thank you for joining us for another night of action presented by Mobius Championship Wrestling and we hope you join us next week as the road to Showdown officially begins," said Tsubasa. "For my partner Hiromi Sato, I'm Tsubasa Suzuki and we're signing off."

"Deuces everybody!" Hiromi added, holding her fingers up in the peace sign.

The show ended with the three members of the Destructix still eyeing their opponents for next week while Sonic, Mighty and Ray stood their ground in the ring, Sonic proceeding to hold up the MCW Championship high above him.


~Match Re-Cap~

Singles Match: Cream the Rabbit VS. Thorn the Lop - Cream defeated thorn by way of pinfall.

Seven Levels of Hate, Match #2 (Falls Count Anywhere): Miles "Tails" Prower VS. Speedy - Speedy defeated Tails by way of pinfall.

Singles Match: Geoffrey St. John VS. Rat - Geoffrey defeated Rat by way of pinfall.

Tag Team Match: The Shijin Warriors (Cinder the Pheasant and Bunker the Tortoise) VS. Fiona and Abby - Fiona won for her team by way of pinfall, pinning Bunker.

MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Qualifying Match: Espio the Chameleon VS. Flip Penguin - Espio defeated Flip by way of pinfall.

Singles Match: Arlo Armadillo VS. Spike the Porcupine (W/ Trevor Burrow and Sonar the Fennec) - Spike defeated Arlo by way of pinfall.

MCW Championship Number One Contender Match: Mighty the Armadillo VS. Blackjack - Mighty defeated Blackjack by way of pinfall.


~Week 6 Preview~

Seven Levels of Hate, Match #3 (Table): Miles "Tails" Prower VS. Speedy

MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Qualifying Match: Larry Lynx VS. Nack the Weasel

Tag Team Match: The Wolf Pack (Leeta Wolf and Lyco Wolf) VS. Fiona Fox and Abby

Tag Team Match: The Chaotix (Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel) VS. The Destructix (Predator Hawk and Flying Frog)

Non-Title Singles Match: Sonic the Hedgehog VS. Lightning Lynx


~Week 7 Preview~

MCW Cruiserweight Championship Number One Contender Match: Espio the Chameleon VS. ?


~"MCW: Showdown" Matches~

MCW Championship Match: Sonic the Hedgehog (c) VS. Mighty the Armadillo

MCW Cruiserweight Championship Match: Silver the Hedgehog (c) VS. ?