"Where in the hell are you?!"
Krauser's voice shared characteristics impatient and furious, as he spoke into his cell phone to the poor, unfortunate soul on the other end:
"The co-main is about to start, and you brats are nowhere to be found! At this rate, we won't have a main event!"
"Milord, please! Quell your wrath!" a female voice belonging to Rose Bernstein begged on the other end.
"Then tell me what you plan on doing about this!" Krauser demanded.
"Lord Krauser, you must trust me. Please. I'm doing... I'm doing what must be done."
"What must be done?" Krauser echoed. "What is it you're not telling me? Does this have to do with Freeman?!"
"Lord Krauser... please don't burden yourself with such things. Announce the final battle as Adelheid vs Mary Ryan. I'll take care of the rest."
Krauser strained with all his facial muscles, to avoid digging further into this debacle. For a man of his status to be left in the dark... there was no greater insult. Nonetheless, he didn't want these burdens; he wanted his mind to focus only on Terry Bogard.
"...You better have this tournament under control, Bernstein. I want my main event against Bogard next round, like you promised."
"You'll get it."
"I'd better."
"You will."
Krauser hung up the phone, luckily in time before his huge sigh could be heard. His hand reached up to angrily massage his upper left eyebrow... before he got back on the phone, this time with the officials in the broadcast booth.
"Proceed with the next match. If Rose doesn't want to host, that's her problem."
He hung up the phone again; his eyes scanned the entirety of the Stadium, before he growled:
"And WHERE THE HELL IS BOGARD?!"
ROUND 2 FIGHT #11: MAI SHIRANUI VS SHERMIE
Just like last fight, it was clear which direction the audience was singing with this fight. One would be hard-pressed to find a soul out there NOT putting their heart and soul behind who could only be described as... THE most iconic female in the universe.
When speaking of Mai Shiranui, there was no threshold for when praise became exaggeration. Perfect strength. Perfect beauty. OOZING desire with every step, every twirl, every shift of her auburn strands... Mai Shiranui of the Women's Team was the shining beacon of what every woman strove to be.
Shermie simply couldn't compete. Not even on her best day. The Frenchwoman was plenty attractive in her own right, the only problem was... her lack of exposure. She loved the limelight and she was known to be quite a charmer herself, but in a world where Mai Shiranui existed, she was ever in the shadows.
Of course, being a member of a cult that sought destruction of the human race didn't help matters much. Nor did being legally dead.
Just like King, Mai had to go through a myriad of supporters on her way to the combat zone. The price of being popular, even some people she swore hated her guts were cheering her on to win this decisive showdown, one which would mark the defeat of the Heavenly Kings once and for all.
"Kingy... are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" Mai was more holding King up than actually receiving a hug from her teammate.
"Ugh... I'm fine!" King defensively blurted. "Just go out there and handle business!"
A kiss on her forehead, before she released King back into Ryo's arms. "I got this Kingy. Afterwards, we'll go out and celebrate!"
Yuri was appropriately her next stop, as the smaller girl had to leap up to really glomp the voluptuous lady.
"Please make it back okay, Mai-san!" Yuri begged. "Between me and King, we might need a new Women's Team soon!"
Mai chuckled slightly. "Cmon Yuri, don't be like that. We're all gonna be healthy and kicking ass before you know it."
After getting through her fellow teammates... she all but rammed into her next obstacle, nearly tackling him to the ground. Only by his physical constitution did Andy Bogard stay upright.
"ANDYYYYYYYYY~" Mai squealed his name as she buried her face in his neck. "Sucks to leave you in the dirt like this babe, but my hot ass is going to Round 3!"
"Eh, well at least I'll have a... n-nice rear view." Andy awkwardly chuckled.
Mai poked her head up, flashing a coy grin. "...Is that an attempt at dirty humor~?"
He blushed deeply. "M...maybe."
"...I like it~"
After assaulting her man's lips with an aggressive, prolonged kiss... she finally turned to the guy next to him. Her face immediately went sassy.
"Joe. Gonna root for me?"
Joe Higashi rolled his eyes. "I'll root for you to get suplexed a few times!"
"That's the best I can ask for. Thanks Joe." Mai deadpanned.
After all was said and done, only one woman was remaining in her path... obviously the woman who had the most stake in these affairs.
Chizuru, while obviously behind Mai 100% of the way, maintained a solemn, coolheaded expression upon Mai's arrival. She placed a hand on the ninja girl's shoulder.
"Mai... you know what winning this fight means." Chizuru reminded. "Fight with everything you have. There will be plenty time to celebrate later. For now..."
"I got it, I got it." Mai laughed it off. "I won't lose sight of the mission. Cmon Chiz, your girl has your back."
Upon hearing that, Chizuru quit being a stick in the mud. Her expression lightened. "Then I'll see you in Round 3."
The two women and former teammates shared a tender hug, before Chizuru at last stood aside... and Mai was finally able to make a clear shot to the combat zone. As she reached the dirt center of the field, the kunoichi seized the opportunity to flash a flamboyant pose, spreading her legs, raising her fan arm to the sky with such gusto, her breasts bounced from the hasty motion.
"NIPPON ICHI!" she proclaimed, eliciting an explosion of cheers from the 75,000+ people witnessing this event live.
"Can Mai win this?" Yuri asked, as they all settled back down in the stands.
"Of course she can, you dumb cunt!" Malin butted in. "She got the best of me, didn't she?!"
King put a hand to Malin's forehead and shoved her off the seats. "Frankly speaking...Shermie's striking is pure, uncut shit. She can't win a slap fight against a toddler. BUT... she is an accomplished grappler, as poor Vanessa can tell you. If Mai's gonna win this, she's gonna have to take Shermie out on the feet... and don't let that bimbo get her arms around her."
Chizuru put a hand to her chin. "Yes. Mai's gonna have to knock her out. Especially before she..."
And then... it began: a sudden change in the tone of the crowd, a massive shift from positive to negative. A cacophony of boos started pouring out, as Mai Shiranui's fated opponent at last emerged from the "blue corner"...
Despite being the obvious heel, Shermie's face didn't wear any disdain: underneath that always-obscuring curtain of bangs, wore a smug smile on those full red lips. The last remaining Heavenly King seemed to be in good spirits: as she walked, she danced whimsically, to a tune that didn't exist. She swayed side to side, a swagger with each step forwards, occasionally stopping to twirl into a pirouette, before continuing her forward motion.
Yashiro escorted her as far as the grass met the dirt, before she twirled into his arms and collapsed against him, forcing him to dip her.
"Teeheeheeheeheee~" Shermie giggled in his arms. "Go take care of Chris, darling. Let me handle things here."
Yashiro found the strength to return the two of them back to posture, and he released her. "Shermie... you have to win. You're all that's left. Our ambition... our future... it all rests on you."
Shermie merely smiled. She raised a forefinger, slowly guided it towards her own lips... she slowly, seductively traced the perimeter, from the left corner of the top lip, to the bottom right of the lower. She then presented that finger...to Yashiro's own lips, an indirect kiss, but with all the same sensation...
No other words said, she merely wiggled her fingers at him, bidding him farewell. An extremely flustered Yashiro vacated the combat zone, nearly tripping over his own feet.
With no other obstacles between them, Shermie completed her strange dance into the combat zone. Her shoulders wiggled up and down as she snapped to her own beat, slowly shimmying forward... before she exuberantly kicked a leg out, planted it, and used it to twirl 360, finally resting in the combat zone. She finished her dance with a hand, slowly tracing up the length of her leg... up her thigh... before crawling its way up her body, to trace her curves... her tongue lashed for a split second, rolling across her upper lip, before a sultry smile sent unsettling chills in Mai's spine.
Mai, realizing she had to keep up appearances, shot back with fire. "You look like you're sweating a bit, Shermie! How's it feel to be all alone eh? We took out your boys! We took out those Bitch Twins, Mature and Vice! And now I'm coming for that ass, sweetums!"
Shermie seemed completely unfazed by the intimidation... almost like she was detached from the reality around her, as her response to Mai's words was to put her hand to her mouth and give a cutesy snicker.
"Eeheeheeheeheehee~"
Mai was officially starting to get annoyed a bit. She wanted SOMETHING, some grain of a hostile response from the woman she was about to engage in pulse-pounding combat. "Are you gonna do something, or just giggle like a little girl with an oversized lollipop?"
Shermie's response was to slightly bend her forward knee... her body swayed and swerved with a succubus enchantment as she presented her hand and curled her fingers in a "come hither" motion.
Mai shook her head furiously and grunted. "Alright, I've had enough of this. Gonna fry you now."
FIGHT!
Mai inched herself forward slowly, just to test the waters a bit, and see what kind of reaction she would get. As expected... Shermie's fighting stance was utterly, ridiculously impractical. Her arms bobbing a jig up top, while her lead foot constantly switched, left foot...right foot... left foot... right foot... every once in a while, she did a stupid twirl. She looked cheesier than a 70s swing party.
Finally, ridicule overtook her careful approach, and Mai just rushed the Frenchwoman. She dipped into a cartwheel, gathering intense momentum... as her body rolled forward, she unleashed her lead foot with a massive kick. Shermie brought her arm up and absorbed it, as Mai stuck the landing back on her feet and immediately went low with the next kick. Shermie danced out of the way of it, and Mai came around with a huge backhanded swing, wielding her closed wooden fan.
Shermie patted the swing aside, and twirled with the momentum, coming around with a graceful spinning kick, her go-go boot soaring towards Mai's head, but somehow lacking the urgency and strength of a legitimate blow... Mai was able to easily bring her fan up and parry the kick, keeping Shermie's foot stuck where it landed.
The stalemate lasted a few seconds, Shermie's foot stuck on Mai's fan... before Mai rolled her wrist and flung the foot downwards, She tried to come up with a massive uppercut... but Shermie backflipped, adding extra flair by flamboyantly kicking her legs in succession, as opposed to a normal backflip with both feet firmly parallel.
Mai didn't quit. She came forward and dived into a frontflip, using her arms for leverage as she brought her legs whipping upwards... to come down on Shermie with an overhead kick. Shermie was wise to it, and raised her arms high in defense... but Mai's full body weight collapsing down on her caused the two of them to hit the ground, in a messy tumble.
"Get up, Mai." King urged. "Get up get up get up get up... distance...!"
Mai was the first to recover, since she had landed pseudo-atop Shermie. Before she could allow the Frenchwoman a moment of advantage... she gave her a hearty foot to the face and then sprang back up to safety.
The two of them returned up, and Shermie officially wore her first scowl of the fight. She brought her hand up to touch the afflicted area, rubbing it a few times...
...Her lips returned to a sly smile.
This time, Shermie led the dance. She lunged, throwing a stomp kick towards the shin; Mai brought her own foot up, and stifled the kick. Shermie used the setup to swing at Mai with slapping strikes... they looked harmless, and were even LESS effective. A right slap was easily parried by Mai... and the left was halted by Mai's fan.
Mai took the moment to capture Shermie's wrist, crossing her closed fan over it, and locking Shermie's hand in place. She used the wooden instrument to manipulate Shermie's hand, making it go where she wanted it to... she pressed down on it, forcing Shermie's hand downwards... and she unleashed a quick sting across Shermie's cheek.
Shermie yelped as she stumbled backwards, a hand on her cheek. Mai continued forward, and Shermie tried to throw a roundhouse to stop her... Mai continued to use the closed wooden fan to her advantage, as she ducked the kick and then slipped her fan underneath Shermie's ankle, keeping her leg trapped in that position, unable to return to her body.
Mai grinned, as she allowed Shermie a few vain hops... before she assaulted the stationary leg, clipping Shermie's foot out from under her, and pushing upwards with the wooden fan, causing Shermie's captured leg to go upwards and topple her, and the Frenchwoman did a complete somersault before landing on her face.
"Mai's outclassing her in the striking. It's not even close." Yuri complimented.
"Shermie's trying to let her guard down... get her confident." Benimaru analyzed. "Mai better not slip up."
As they returned to distance... Mai gave her a projectile for her troubles. "KACHOSEN!"
Shermie, oddly, made no attempt to dodge the fan. She just stood there, as it soared towards her... and struck her in the face.
"Owww~" Shermie whined. "Why do you have to hurt me so bad? I don't like being hurt~"
Mai rolled her eyes. "I'll stop hurting you when you stop being a homicidal freak!"
Shermie tried to rush Mai, while the kunoichi was holding no weapon. She drew her hand back, and put some actual power into an openhanded strike...
...Unfortunately, Mai reached into her cleavage and had another fan ready, and Shermie's hand collided against the wood.
With a smug chuckle, Mai used the fan to redirect Shermie's hand aside, and she thrust the weapon forward. A sharp jab in Shermie's nose. A second jab... Shermie was wobbling, and Mai dipped low, swinging her closed fan wide and clipping Shermie in the back of the knee. Shermie's leg buckled, and Mai went back upwards... she unleashed a hellacious back elbow across Shermie's temple, and the Frenchwoman was officially on roller skates.
"YOU'RE LOOKING GOOD, BABY!" Andy cheered.
"YEEEAH SHE'S DOING IT!" Yuri pumped. "GO AFTER HER MAI!"
"BE CAREFUL!" Chizuru coached. "CAREFUL STEPS! CAREFUL!"
Mai heeded Chizuru's advice, at least initially: a softening kick to the hurt knee, and a side kick to Shermie's stomach. But the Frenchwoman looked so hurt... her head was wobbling, her arms down, no attempt to defend herself! Mai could knock her out... right here and now!
Her zeal got the best of her, as she lunged in elbow cocked back, and prepared to take Shermie's head off with the next strike...
...Shermie let out a shrill giggle, and her head was nowhere to be found.
"?!"
Mai felt the confusing series of motions all at once: a face against her chest, the feeling of Shermie's bosom smoosh against her... a pair of constricting arms around her waist.
Shermie had her in a bodylock, her fingers interlaced around Mai's torso, to firmly secure it.
"Sh..shit! Let me... damn it... let me... GO!"
They stumbled around on the feet, Mai attempting to carry herself every which way, to try and pry Shermie loose. But it was hopeless; the Frenchwoman had her in the most suffocating of hugs... one that allowed her to control Mai at will.
"Crap. Now she's done it." Benimaru sighed.
Eventually, dragging Shermie's weight around got too wearisome... Mai felt her legs start to tire, and Shermie knew the kunoichi couldn't hold her off any longer.
"La~" Shermie's takedown was swift, brutal, punishing... she tightened her grip around Mai and threw their combined body weight downwards in one fell swoop, her own feet leaving her, as she tackled Mai and flattened her out, pinning her underneath her imposing presence.
"Crap, Shermie got her down!" Joe yelled.
"DON'T REST THERE MAI!" King screamed. "START FIGHTING!"
Mai somewhat knew what to do, from grappling exchanges with Blue Mary in the past; she immediately put pressure on the head, to prevent Shermie from working her way up her body... at the same time, she started attempting to get distance with her legs... if she could just get... one free... THERE!
A single leg popped out, and Mai was able to get it underneath her. She kept pushing against Shermie, until finally... her second leg slipped free!
"YES!" Andy pumped.
"There we go!" Benimaru cheered. "If she can escape that, there's hope for her..."
Mai was back up to her feet, but Shermie was still firmly clung to her, this time from behind. Mai was essentially dragging Shermie's weight behind her, as the Frenchwoman kept her hands firmly clasped around Mai's stomach, and their bodies close together.
"She's not out of it yet!" King urged. "FIGHT THOSE HANDS, MAI! PRY EM LOOSE!"
Mai looked down; the hands were the key. She immediately got to work, snatching the wrists, trying her hardest to break the deadlock...
...A second giggle from Shermie, and Mai felt her feet leave the ground.
"WhoooaooOAHHHH!"
Shermie lifted her up, like a giant bass... and planted her on the ground. For the second time, Mai was on her back.
"Damn!" Malin's fist clenched. "Mai's getting cuddled to death!"
Shermie smoothly transitioned, turning her body around to try and mount Mai from the front; Mai was wise to it, and she immediately started pushing against Shermie's head again. She brought her knees up and pressed them against Shermie's torso, pushing with all her might... once again, she repelled the Frenchwoman, and escaped to freedom.
They got back up... Mai was starting to feel the fatigue of fighting off the relentless grappler. Shermie, meanwhile, didn't have to worry about human hindrances; she had no body to tire.
Shermie's strikes started coming out a bit easier; an openhanded slap rattled Mai's cheek. A leg kick was unchecked, and Mai's foot slightly wobbled... Shermie spun around with a massive spinning backhand, and Mai felt her lights flicker.
"Oh shit, that last one fazed Mai a bit...!" Malin yelped. "She's feeling em...!"
Luckily, much like Malin herself, Mai had several tools in her arsenal. Notably... the large, red, spherical ornament hanging off the white sash around her waist. As Shermie tried to close in with another strike... Mai put it to good use.
"Ngh!" Shermie's hand collided against the red sphere, and she recoiled, rubbing her hand in pain.
Mai pressed the action; she spun around, and the red ornament whipped forward, flying towards Shermie's head. Shermie dodged it... but Mai also came around with a tricky kick behind it, nailing Shermie in the stomach hard enough to nearly collapse the Frenchwoman on her knees.
"YES!" Yuri cheered. "GIVE HER ANOTHER!"
"KACHOSEN!"
Mai flung a fan at Shermie; this time, the Frenchwoman didn't allow it, as she dodged the soaring fan and leaped at Mai with a dropkick. Mai took it on the arms, but those painful go-go boots still dug into her chest hard enough to leave two red welts. Mai stumbled in recoil... and Shermie lunged at her.
Mai was unfortunately planted on her butt, courtesy of a "knee-tap": Shermie applied a hand to her chest, while the other hand sneakily traveled around to the back of Mai's knee, to collapse the joint and buckle Mai's leg. The end result was Shermie tipping Mai over like a domino.
Mai tried to mount a defense, as Shermie attempted a full mount; she bucked with her legs, and manage to fling Shermie over her. But as Mai attempted to scramble back to her feet... Shermie got behind her, and her arms found Mai's neck.
Mai felt like she was being dragged into the deep end of a pool, as the relentless Shermie put her back on the ground... and this time, she was threatening a submission. It started off as a rear naked choke, but Mai was able to slowly turn her body to the side... from there, Shermie switched to side control, brought her arms back around Mai's head, pulled backwards, interlacing her fingers... a scarf-hold headlock. The Frenchwoman was literally trying to rip Mai's head from her neck.
"Crap." Yuri was officially panicking. "Double crap. Triple crap!"
"Noooot a good position for her." Benimaru shook his head.
"She's gonna rip Mai's freaking head off!" Malin grunted.
"Cmon. Get up..." King urged. "Get... up..."
Mai was feeling the realest pain of the contest yet; clearly her head was not going the way God intended, as she felt the tendons in her neck straining, screaming as they stretched like rubber bands, threatening to snap under the intense pressure of Shermie's hold.
"Ngh...nghhhhh...!" she shut her eyes so tight, tears were squeezed from her ducts. She was fighting against Shermie's arms with all her might... but she was certain she was going to need a neck brace like Vanessa after this...
"MAAAAAAI!" Andy bellowed. "USE YOUR FIRE JUTSU!"
"If she uses all her chi, she'll be exhausted, remember?!" Joe argued.
"It's the only way she can survive right NOW!" Andy fired back.
Mai's eyes tightened... tightened... until suddenly, the tears completely dried up, almost as if they were... evaporated.
Her eyes opened... they glowed amber.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Mai put her hands together in a jutsu hand symbol, and their bodies were engulfed in flame. Not as powerful as the fire that torched Malin... Mai was wise not to use up every last drop of her energy, and leave her in critical condition. This fire attack was more of a distraction, in touch with her ninjitsu roots: theatricality and deception, dangerous weapons of the ninja.
Shermie yelped, as she felt the still-real effects of the Shiranui fire; she immediately let go of the hold and rolled backwards, springing back up to her feet.
The smoke cleared... and Mai was back up, fire in her eyes.
"RYU EMBU!" Mai whipped her tail around, sending a tongue of flame lashing against Shermie's cheek. The Frenchwoman was officially in retreat.
"GO AT HER MAI!" Yuri was so excited, she was boxing the area. "GIVE IT TO HER! GIVE IT TO HER!"
Mai leaped at Shermie with a flying kick, nailing her in the face. Shermie wobbled... and she attempted a counter sobat. Mai was nowhere to be found.
Mai gave her a special surprise; undoing the white sash from her garb, she allowed the cloth to dangle freely in her hands. "Come and get me!"
Shermie lunged at her with a slap... Mai brought the sash up and crossed it, binding her wrist. Shermie tried to pull back... but Mai had her snagged.
Mai brought the arm down, and fired a knee into Shermie's stomach. The Frenchwoman hunched over, and Mai shoulder checked her in the face! She brought a stomping kick low, to Shermie's knee; the Frenchwoman could do nothing to dodge it, as she was being held in place by Mai's sash around her arm!
It wasn't until Mai smirked and let go of the sash, that Shermie finally stumbled backwards... and Mai ran at her, body awash in flame, as she transitioned into a cartwheel... and flew at her, elbow extended, with her most lethal technique: flaming Deadly Ninja Bees.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! She rammed into Shermie with her full force, the aura of fire and her elbow producing a painful combination.
When all was said and done, Mai was standing up, in triumph, while Shermie hit the ground... and she was struggling to pick herself back up.
"Urgh...unnnghhhhhhh..."
Understandably, the entire Stadium was going bonkers. Not a butt was in a seat, as they roared Mai's name with the same intensity as the fire she so eloquently produced.
"MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI!"
The fighters in the stands were leaping up, hugging, cheering. Yuri and King, despite their injuries, couldn't be contained.
"LOOK AT MAI GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yuri squealed.
"I KNEW SHE COULD DO IT!" King laughed. "I KNEW IT!"
Chizuru herself, was beside herself with joy... if not disbelief. "It's over... it's finally... over...!"
Mai was tempted to start playing it up to the crowd, having full confidence this fight was over... but she kept her eyes fastened on Shermie, awaiting the Frenchwoman to try and get up. Even now, Shermie was trying... and failing.
"Sorry, Hugs." Mai taunted. "Guess the world stays safe for now~!"
Shermie's bangs hung low, her weak arms wobbling as they tried to sustain her torso. Her legs were sprawled out beside her, slowly attempting to curve into knees, to relieve her hip. It wasn't until several seconds later, that she was finally able to turn herself, so she was resting on all fours.
Krauser, from his VIP booth, looked at the downed Shermie and prepared to call the fight.
...That's when he noticed it; a shadow looming overhead, suddenly blocking out the warm rays of the bright sun.
Mai noticed it too, being dead-center in the Stadium after all. She had taken but a step forward, when she suddenly noticed a MASSIVE shade start moving in.
"Huh?"
She looked down; the bright green grass around them, the dirt, her shadow... it was all being consumed by a sudden, creeping darkness.
"Whoa... did it just get dark, or is it just me?" Xiangfei questioned aloud.
The ninja girl finally looked up, at the skies above, to confirm the strange influx: dark clouds, forming in the big blue above, on an otherwise sunny day.
Crackle... crackle...
"Th-the sky!" Hotaru pointed upwards.
Mai squinted her eyes, as she peered into the dark gray fluff: there was quite a light show brewing, streams of purple streaking through, permeating the haze with bright veins of light...
"Oh... my... god." Chizuru gasped.
KACRACKLE!
That's when it struck: a single bolt, of dark violet lightning, precisely where Shermie's body lay.
All at once, a bright ball of light resided where the Frenchwoman once resided. It was so bright, Mai dared not stare directly into it; she shielded her eyes, as she saw the outline of a figure emerge...
...And Shermie stood before her once more, but not the Shermie she once knew. The pink of her dress, now replaced with a dark red... her skin, slightly darkened in pigment... the once natural auburn of her hair, now replaced by a dark purple.
But one thing did remain the same... that devious smirk on her lips, the only sign of emotion expressed on that hidden face.
"Shermie of Savagely Violent Lightning." she spoke in a demonic voice. "The clouds are my court, thunder and lightning my gavel. Face the judgement of God~!"
"NO!" Chizuru rammed her fist against the seat beneath her. "Forgot about her Orochi form again... stupid! STUPID!"
"M-Mai!" Yuri was officially fretting. "C-can she still...?!"
King put a consoling hand on Yuri's shoulder... and shook her head. "The chances just got a lot more slim."
"Mai...!" Andy was biting his thumb so hard, his teeth nearly severed the digit.
In the combat zone, reality had hit Mai Shiranui, and she knew what she was faced with: she knew her chances of winning just got extremely low. She was tired, neck hurting... she'd spent this entire fight struggling against someone who essentially hit the "reset" button. And there she was... those now-purple bangs hanging low, masking those eyes that hid all manner of sociopathic desires towards humanity... and the facade, of those pretty red lips. Her body sizzling, crackling with her newfound power; a power far above normal humans.
"We all gotta die sometime..." Mai spoke these foolhardy words as she reached into her cleavage, whipped out two fans, and spread them, preparing to march into the fray once more, against not only a revitalized Shermie... a Shermie who had tapped into her Orochi power.
Mai's eyes glimmered with an amber hue, as she rushed in, leaving flaming contrails behind her, as she went low, swiping across Shermie's legs with the first strike; Shermie kicked her leg up in a funk-like manner to dodge it, and Mai spun around to go high with the second strike... Shermie shimmied to the left and avoided it as well.
Mai didn't quit; she spun around with a third persistent strike. Shermie used Mai's own momentum against her, parrying the strike and forcing Mai's body to spin, and as Mai's back turned to her... Shermie seized her neck from behind.
"Ghhhhhhh!" Mai gargled as Shermie yanked her head backwards, once again putting the kunoichi at her will.
She leaned in... slowly... until Mai could feel Shermie's fake breath tickling her ear. She shuddered, as she felt Shermie's lips press against her neck...
"I damn you with a kiss~"
Shermie's lips connected... and she activated her electrical power.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT! Mai's body shook violently, as she was subjected to the electrical aura of Shermie's hellish true form. Her muscles acted against her, her body spasming so hard... she couldn't even control the drool leaking from her mouth.
"MAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Andy was on his feet, screaming her name as he watched the love of his life get sizzled.
And finally, with a low giggle... Shermie kicked Mai's leg out from under her, and threw her facefirst into the dirt, making the kunoichi's body skid several yards forward before stopping.
"Stop the damn fight!" King was up on her feet, eyeballing Krauser: the muscular man looked back at her, arms folded, and shook his head in refusal.
"Son of a bitch...!"
Mai rose to her feet, weakly... that attack had sapped a good bit of her strength. She felt her muscles twice as heavy as usual, like she was wearing a drenched diving suit... even the effort to stand was laboring.
"Ngh... not gonna... quit!"
Mai tried to set her up for a combo; she rushed in on shaky feet, tossing her left fan, spinning around, tossing the right fan... they both soared at Shermie in succession, one after the other.
...Shermie's lips maintained that coy smile, as she watched the fans fly at her. Her body glowed violet, as she lifted up a singular hand...she presented that hand forward, and two lightning bolts struck down from the skies above, torching Mai's fans in mid-air. The useless, smoldering remains fell on the ground, at Shermie's feet.
Mai was still coming at her... Shermie had a remedy for that too. She put two fingers to her lips... with a small kiss, she extended those fingers out, sending a small, concentrated orb of electricity flying into Mai's stomach.
"OUUuuuuuf...!" Mai felt her wind leave her, as all her forward momentum was stopped, by the force of a softball ramming into her body, enough to knock her on her butt.
"MAI!" Yuri squealed.
"No..." Chizuru shook her head, her eyes closing, to spare her from another second...
Mai's second time getting up was much longer, much more wearisome, than the first; even as she stood there, arms barely up, body panting visibly hard... anyone who was watching knew this was her last stand. The next attack to fell her, she'd surely be unable to get up from...
Mai rushed in with her best strikes; a roundhouse kick, blocked by Shermie, spinning around into a back elbow... Shermie parried it, and the recoil took Mai off-balance.
"RAIKOUKEN~"
The final, punishing piece of the puzzle: Shermie extended her fist to Mai's chest, and unleashed a huge, sizzling ball of electricity, the same super move used by Benimaru Nikaido, modified for her own use. Her dark purple lightning was a macabre contrast to the original owner's bright blue.
Mai shook, sputtered... before her body finally fell to the ground, twitching, wriggling, still shaking out lingering watts coursing through her bloodstream. To be essentially shot with a super taser... it ended any chance of her getting back up.
WINNER: SHERMIE
"We were so close...!" Chizuru swung her fist in anger. "Damn the Hakkeshu!"
"I can't believe it..." Yuri sobbed. "I just can't believe it..."
"Ces salauds de tricherie!" King cursed. "There's gotta be a rule against being able to activate a second form...!"
"Au revoir~" Shermie parted ways, blowing one last mocking kiss to her defeated opponent, before swaying her hips out of the Stadium for good.
Mai thankfully had plenty of sympathizers, to run out there and tend to her. Andy was of course at the forefront, as his ninja speed carried him faster than the rest, to scoop up Mai in his arms.
"Mai!" he cupped her chin to level her face. "Speak to me Mai! MAI!"
Mai thankfully opened her eyes, to the relief of all surrounding her. Her lips strained for a moment... before she finally spoke:
"S...s...sssorryyChiz..." she slurred. "Sorry I couldn't... stopthe..baguyzz..."
"You fought extremely well Mai." Chizuru consoled her. "Please, don't feel apologetic! We'll get her in Round 3!"
"Yeah, I'm gonna make sure she pays." King vowed, taking Mai's hand. "I took out one of those bitches, I can take out another."
A chuckle from the ninja. "I dun really... care whodozzit... ugh my body nummmb... lezz go to the hospital Andy..."
Andy lifted the ninja girl up, carrying her bridal-style. "MEDIC! Over here please!"
"Can we go too?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah, I don't have any stake in the main event. We gotta go check on Khush anyway." King agreed. "Let's go."
"Ahh Mai... ya did good, girl. Ya did good." Joe gave the rare compliment to the object of his constant verbal conflict, just in time for the numb girl to get stuffed in an ambulance.
Krauser paced the VIP booth, officially unsure of his next step. He would occasionally reach over and grab his phone... but he set it down, before any attempts to dial.
Things were very close to falling out of hand. It was time for the main event, and Adelheid Bernstein was nowhere to be found. Nor was his rumored opponent, Blue Mary Ryan... at the very least, Krauser could attempt to organize an alternate bout, but that would mean reaping hundreds of names for a fair sweepstakes and having to choose two. That would easily cause calamity, anger over being passed over, confusion over the criteria for being chosen... Krauser really didn't feel like dealing with that mess.
Thus, he bided his time and waited... waited as long as he could, before the crowds got restless...
NEXT CHAPTER: The conclusion to Round 2 is here, as the Freeman Arc comes to a boil. How will the demented serial killer's precense coincide with the final battle of the round? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!
