"Ladies and gentlemen, we are live for the qualifying rounds of Strikeforce's Lethal Lockdown Mixed Martial Arts Tournament!" Came the shout of an excited young cheetah dressed in a loose white dress shirt. The desk hid his jeans and custom hi-tops from the camera as he let an excited smile cross his lips. "And this year, it's shaping up to be quite a field of competitors! As always, I'm Dean Ellta, joined by my faithful compatriot in the world of sports broadcasting all over the system, Scott Sheppard!" Dean exclaimed, looking to his right as the camera panned to include a tan and white fox wearing a gray suit and a red tie. He seemed a bit more subdued then his fellow announcer, but looked just as excited.
"That's right, Dean. Tonight, here at the sold out Fortune Center in Treasure City, Zoness, a plethora of fighters will compete for one of twenty-four slots in the Lethal Lockdown Tournament. The winner will win one-and-a-half million credits as well as a chance to fight current Strikeforce champion, Lecter Itami. Which one of these fighters will be able to make their Fortune right here? Time will tell." The fox announced.
A whole bunch of pyro erupted from around the ring, sending the crowd into an excited frenzy as signs were waved and cheers erupted, making the two announcers look around in shock.
"And if you couldn't tell, this crowd is electric! I can barely hear my beautiful voice think, let alone say a thing!" Dean exclaimed, checking around himself as fans were going rabid. "But they've got every right to! We've got quite a field vying for a shot at some sweet cash, and a toe-to-toe brawl with the champ!" The cheetah exclaimed, before a gaudy and explosive graphic of the tournament replaced them on the feed, showcasing highlights from past tournaments, as well as stats about fan-favorite fighters.
As the graphic persisted, the feed cut to a reporter who turned to his left while the camera inched over to include his interviewee: a short and slender yellow vulpine with the hood of her jacket pulled over her head and eyes. "But we must not forget our other competitors. First up, I'm standing next to Urena Miyoshi. Rena, your qualifying match is against Marc Kassian, a former CDF Husky Squadron pilot. If you win, you will advance into one of the twenty-four positions open for the Lethal Lockdown tournament. How are you going to approach this larger fighter?"
Rena barely reacted when the microphone was shoved into her bubble. Coldly, she merely responded, "You really should be asking him how he's going to approach me."
Unfazed, the reporter continued, "Is there a special strategy you have for your opponent?"
"I'll show you what my strategy is," the yellow fox growled.
The persistent house cat still didn't understand the subliminal hint and asked, "Are you confident that your bout will end in your favor?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here."
"Well, there you have it," the reporter smiled as if nothing was wrong with the world. "We'll throw it back up to the broadcast table so we can get our first Lockdown match started. Already set for action is Shira Amorae, and her opponent, Justin Larx."
Back at the table, Dean was excitedly spinning in his chair before he slammed his paws down on the desk and stared deep into the camera. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! I've been hyped for this one! Let's cut to the action, cause the first fight of Lethal Lockdown's about to go down!"
Larx, a small feline dwarfed by the size of the hybrid Shira, swallowed his pride and approached the beast of a combatant. Cool and collected, Shira circled Larx as he tried to mirror her movements. He threw the first strike—a jumping high kick—which, surprisingly, caught Shira on the side of her head. She blinked as Justin settled down to his feet. He couldn't believe he actually got a nice strike on the hybrid, but his elation was short lived.
Shira's eyes suddenly held a blazing fire in them that melted Larx's brain and left him paralyzed. She returned the favor with a vicious right hook aimed directly where he hit her. There was an audible crunch that broke the temporary silence. Just like that, Larx fell backwards like a mishandled bag of bricks. As soon as his limp body collapsed, the crowd erupted into howling cheers as the referee immediately called the match in favor of Shira. The hybrid started rubbing her forehead as she exited the cage, not wanting to wait for Justin to wake up to give the official decision. Nobody stopped her from doing so.
Quietly, Scott broke the awkward silence on-air by saying, "Well, I bet the betting odds on the entire tournament just shifted in favor of our first entrant… Have mercy on whoever has to fight her in the first round."
The cool, damp towel draped over Miyu's neck did wonders in relieving the ongoing tension she still had, mentally and physically. Part of her wanted to be confident and let her natural instincts take over her fight, but doubt was nagging at her. Most fighters she fought in the field were complete novices, with her able to drop a few unlucky opponents in a few seconds flat. But the people here were no greenhorns. If she made one mistake, and her opponent knew the right way to capitalize, it would end in a heartbeat.
Gods was she nervous. After spending almost all of her life training in martial arts, she couldn't let her parent's tutelage down, much less herself. The shame would be unbearable. The lynx looked down over her body as she made sure her attire was properly fit. A red crop-top rash guard with the Star Fox logo embroidered on the back and red trunks replaced her gi, while the sports tape stayed attached to her fingers and toes. She looked ready for a fight, but her mind was being slightly fogged by nagging doubt.
The empty and dim locker room at least provided a calming environment for the lynx to get some last-minute rest and meditation. She always remembered her parents telling her that meditation leads to a clear mind, and a clear mind leads to absolute victory. Taking a deep breath, Miyu pulled her legs up and folded them beneath her. She took another deep breath, and kept her mind off the tournament.
"What's good, champ?" Came an intrusive voice, knocking the lynx out of her meditation. Of course, it was TJ, loudly eating a bag of chips and checking his phone. The cocky loudmouth had a bit of a wardrobe change, now wearing a tank-top with his quilted bomber jacket covering his top. It seemed that he had a bunch of custom badges all over the jacket, ranging from simple icons to street racing phrases.
"What're you doing?" Miyu asked, a twitch of her ears and dropping of her expression telling the kid that she was obviously annoyed.
"Eatin' chips, dummy. What's it look like?" TJ asked with a smirk. The street racer shut the door behind him and walked down to the annoyed lynx before plopping down on the bench. "What'd I interrupt?" He asked, still keeping his smile.
"I was trying to mediate, but with you around that's not happening." Miyu lamented, keeping her legs crossed as she dropped her chin into her palm. TJ chuckled as he spread his legs out and scarfed down a fistful of chips.
"Meditatin'? What, gonna pinch your fingers an' go all ohhmmm?" TJ mocked, before he received a punch on the arm from Miyu, who rolled her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, TJ scoffed audibly. "Y'know, that Lecter guy's here tonight." He dropped, quirking Miyu's brow. "And the champ himself is supposed to deliver a little speech right before your fight. I'm gonna interrupt him during his self-J.O session and drop some knowledge on him." TJ revealed, smirking as he wolfed down another fistful of chips.
Miyu kept a puzzled look on her face, before she scoffed herself. "T, you know Lecter's the champ for a reason. He won't take you insulting him lightly." She warned.
The street racer shrugged before rolling his eyes. "Well, Mr. Champ should know that beatin' down on non-fighters is against the rules, and could get him stripped of that precious belt of his." TJ informed, actually surprising Miyu.
"Wow, you actually read something? And understood the words?" She asked, hiding a wide grin.
"Yup, though it was a bit hard what with all of the squiggles and stuff, but I never liked script in the first place." TJ replied, before shaking the rest of the chips into his mouth, rolling the bag up, and tossing the bag into a nearby garbage can.
Not a second later, the door was pushed open to reveal a certain suave jungle cat, dressed in a white button-up shirt with tan khakis and studded dress shoes. Miyu broke her cross-legged pose and stood up, quickly walking over to the cat. "Panther! What're you doing here?" Miyu asked as she gave the cat a hug.
Panther chuckled before he pulled out his phone and faced the screen towards Miyu. "Tyler told me about you planning to fight tonight, so I though I'd come down and show my support. The rest of the team is watching back on the Great Fox." Panther explained as he hugged the lynx back, before planting a kiss on her cheek. Miyu was able to read the big cat like a book, and flicked his chin as the two released their hug.
"You worried someone's gonna pound my face to ground beef, huh?" Miyu asked with a smirk.
Panther sighed as he cast a glance over Miyu's phone, his eyes glazing over Rena and Marc's stats. "I'm just worried about you getting hurt in general, my rose." He answered, making Miyu scoff.
"Well, in case you forgot, this rose has some pretty sharp thorns. I'll be fine, just got a few butterflies is all. But now that I know that you guys are watching my back, I think it's all gonna go my way." Miyu replied, calming the worried Panther's nerves. With her worried feelings subsiding, the three crowed around Miyu's phone and began to watch the fight, as the low-res TVs in the locker room didn't really do the matches any justice.
On the small screen of her phone, Miyu watched as the next duo of competitors entered the caged octagon. On the left was a deep copper and white husky clothed in a pair of black compression shorts, and on the right was Rena with matching pink form-fitting shorts and sports bra. Both looked composed and ready for a fight. Though, Miyu couldn't help but wonder why the vixen insisted on wearing thigh-high pink and gray socks even though the bottom had to be cut out to expose her feet. At the same time, the lynx chuckled at her choice of footwear as she rolled her eyes.
Introductions and rules out of the way, the two fighters gently shook hands before retreating. Prelim/qualifying matches followed a different set of time restrictions, so this fight would be two rounds with three minutes each in order to compress multiple matches in prime-time television. The actual Lockdown tournament bouts would be almost double that given time. Miyu intently watched her screen as the camera loosely hovered over the two fighters.
Rena, the yellow vulpine, wasted no time in getting a feel for her opponent's movements. Kassian, the copper husky, stood his ground while Rena tossed a few limp jabs in his direction. As they circled and tested the waters with each other, Fox could see Rena's mouth constructing words. He kept his device's volume silent to keep his nerves cool, so he didn't really catch what all the vixen said. However, judging by Kassian's hardened expression, it couldn't have been kind.
The husky lashed out with a stiff right hand, but with how quickly Rena slipped away, it seemed as though she saw his attack before it even happened. She knifed her balled hand downwards, striking the husky's elbow right on the joint. As he recoiled, she added a quick kick to his retreating leg, hoping to inflict a little more damage. Kassian shot back with a kick of his own, and then followed up with a left jab that Rena effortlessly blocked away. It was only twenty seconds in and both fighters were already worked up.
The group flinched when the lights suddenly brightened as the door to the locker room burst open. The giant wolf hybrid the team recognized as Shira entered, followed by a reporter and cameraman from the first interview. Shira wasn't pleased in the slightest as she proceeded to stomp by into the hallway on the opposite side. The interviewer saw Miyu and immediately changed course, plopping down on the bench next to him even though there wasn't ample room for him to do so.
"Harvey Stepples, reporter for Strikeforce. Got a moment to talk about your upcoming match?"
Miyu shook her head. "Not now. I'm a bit busy trying to prepare, okay?"
Just as the interviewer was about to walk away, TJ jumped into action. "Hold up there, bros. Lemme give y'all the 411 on my client Miyu. For this whole tournament, Miyu here's gonna win the whole thing with as much ease as takin' a breath!" TJ exclaimed. From his worked up state, he didn't notice Panther or Miyu roll their eyes at his bombastic theatrics.
"So you're saying that Miyu's going to win the whole thing? That's quite a prediction." Harvey said, making TJ chuckle.
"Harvey, that's not a prediction, that's a spoiler!"
"And what makes you so confident in Ms Lynx's abilities?"
"Well, let's take the fact that I've seen her straight up end people with her skills, and I'd watch out if I were the rest of the competition. We didn't come here to play no games! So if anyone thinks they're walking away from Miyu here as the victor, they've got a harsh reality check comin' right their way!" TJ exclaimed, before he began to stare deep into the camera. "And this message is for one Lecter Itami. Tick. Tock. Your time's almost up as champion." TJ deadpanned, popping the eyebrows of Harvey.
"Are you saying that Miyu will not only best out the competition, but Lecter as well?" The cat asked. TJ chuckled.
"'S like I told ya, I give out spoilers. And come the day where Miyu's gotta fight Lecter, he's gonna be seeing stars. So savor these last days, sucka." TJ taunted.
"Well there you have it folks, I wonder if Miyu can live up to the hype." Harvey pondered before walking off to pursue Shira. Now that Miyu's focus was completely obliterated, she stood up after the reporting team exited the locker room and poked her nose out of the doorway, with Panther and TJ following suit. There they saw Harvey standing near a stack of lighting equipment chests where Shira had retreated behind. She had sprawled out overtop a single chest that would have otherwise been concealed if there wasn't a plastic fern covering the little gap she used to get behind the equipment.
"This is Harvey Stepples from Strikeforce, here with an exclusive interview with the recently victorious Shira Amorae. With this victory, she is the first to advance to the Lockdown tournament. Shira, do you have a moment?"
A string of grumbles resounded from her supposed sanctuary.
"Shira, we were told—"
"You were told what?" Shira snapped, lazily sitting up as the displeasure grew on her face. Everything she said after that was an incoherent mess of angry words as Harvey attempted to shove the microphone around the fern.
"Don't you see the lengths I went to?" the angry hybrid questioned, kicking over the fern to expose her hideout. "I stole that from the props truck!" she said, pointing off to a different side of the hallway. "It's a fake plant!"
Harvey persisted and attempted to step around the obstacle while holding out the microphone to catch her words, only for Shira to swipe the microphone from his hands. She pointed at the fallen fern and growled, "That's a fake plant!" into the mic. She stared at Harvey with a look that would paralyze anyone in fear for an awkward couple of seconds before seething, "What do you want? You just hand me a microphone; there's no purpose to anything… Get— come over here now, you already bothered me."
As Harvey shuffled over the fake plant, Shira scoffed, "First of all, I just had a grueling fight; can't you hold this thing?" She shoved the microphone back into Harvey's chest, and as he fumbled with it, Shira assumed a false sense of patience and asked, "What do you want?"
"Do you have any comments about your one-sided fight with Justin Larx?" Shira merely stared at him. "You did set a new record for Strikeforce with that victory; the quickest knockout victory in history. Got anything to say about that?"
As Harvey pushed the microphone under Shira's muzzle, the hybrid just stared at him with suppressed anger. She eventually deadpanned, "My head hurts… and your face is making it worse. …Gimme a second here."
She trailed off and rubbed at her face, before eventually responding, "You know what? I do. I'd like to dedicate my victory tonight… to every single member of Justin's family that was in the audience tonight that came out to support me… because they know how absolutely disappointing he is as a person. …And, I also—"
She was cut off as a loud crash coursed through the hallways. She yelped in surprised anger, then in turn, vented by grabbing a metal folding chair that was laying atop the stacked chests and slamming it on the cement with grating clatter following. "I can make noise too!" Shira roared in the direction of whatever caused the disturbance.
She took a moment to settle down. "And my head still hurts," the hybrid grunted. "And I don't want to look at your face anymore. My vision is actually still a little blurry from the fight—"
Again, another coursing boom resounded. "How many times?!" Amorae barked out, the anger on her face all too visible. She stood up after that, snatched the pair of glasses right off of Harvey's muzzle, put them over her eyes, and started to exit her hideout. "My vision's blurry, I don't want to see your face… I don't want to bump into anything…"
She grabbed the fallen plant and stuffed it into Harvey, forcing him back into Shira's hideout. "We're trading," she demanded. "Take it!"
As she began to walk away, she ripped the glasses off of her face and stuffed them back onto Harvey's muzzle. "These hurt my head worse!" she barked in his face. Before trotting away, she forcibly stole Harvey's microphone again, leaving the reporter speechless, confused, and microphone-less.
"Man, she's one scary chick. Who pissed in her cereal this morning?" TJ pondered as the group faded back into the locker room.
"Who knows? But that was a bit scary to watch." Suddenly came Fay's voice, holding multiple first-aid kits in-between her hands. "Alright Miyu, so I've got all the necessary medication and tools to make you feel 100% should anything happen out there."
"Jesus, Fay! You look like a walkin' ambulance!" TJ exclaimed, his eyes casting a wide glance over Fay's equipment.
"Well, Miyu needs to recover as quickly as possible, so these kits are stuffed with almost every possible treatment for most martial arts injuries." Fay explained. TJ was about to make another comment, before cheers exploded from Miyu's phone, silencing the squabble.
"And that's it, folks! Urena Miyoshi has advanced to Lethal Lockdown!" Came Dean's voice from Miyu's phone, prompting her to glance down at her phone to catch the broadcast playing a slow-motion replay of the fight in question. Kassian had gone for a running takedown, but Rena resiliently stayed on her feet, forcing him to back her up towards the cage wall. When she was within range, she lifted her legs up, caught her toes in the cage links, and used her agility to vault herself over the husky. She landed on her feet, and as Kassian turned towards her, she lashed out with a spinning roundhouse kick that caught him square on the jaw. He immediately fell limp and collapsed against the cage wall. The replay cut off before they showed her climbing overtop the stunned husky and landing a few more solid strikes before the referee called the match off.
"Damn Rena, look at you move." Miyu muttered. "You're gonna be fun to go up against." Miyu was deafened by the silence around her, as Panther, TJ, and Fay all glared at her with confusion. "What?" She asked, still wearing her smirk.
"Alright, masochist. Don't be getting all excited in a choke-hold now." TJ joked, even when Miyu gave him one of her now infamous stiff shots to his arm.
As Rena basked in the glow of the crowd through the tiny screen, Miyu let out a deep sigh as she stretched her body out and slipped her slides on. "Alright guys, I think I'm ready to go." She said, handing her phone off to Panther before the big cat suddenly pulled her in by her waist and held her tight.
"Remember, el fuego dentro de ti iluminará tu camino hacia adelante, mi amor." Panther cooed in a low octave, sending shivers down the lynx's spine as she got on her tip-toes to match the panther's height.
"Mind translating that for me?" Miyu asked with a coy grin as she wrapped her arms around the big cat's waist and nuzzled into his neckfur. Panther chuckled as he slowly pulled back from the lynx before staring deep into her eyes, his yellow and black irises lapping over his rose.
"The fire inside you will light your path forward, my love." Panther translated, before sealing a long kiss over her lips. "Buena suerte." The big cat added as the two pulled away before beginning the long walk to the technical tent.
(Song: Shadows of a Setting Sun V2 - Shadows of the Sun)
"Well well well, the champ is here!" Dean announced. As Rena was walking back to the gorilla position, she suddenly came face to face with Lecter, as an explosion of electric guitar and heavy Eladardian rapping overwhelmed her ears. Lecter looked down on the victorious vulpine before uttering words that had been deafened by the crowd's roar. It seemed that Rena got a taste of her own medicine, as her face, much like Kassain's, was now contorted in an angered scowl. It seemed to form half from Lecter's words and half from her heavy metal-supremacist views. As the vixen tried to fight back with seemingly venomous words of her own, Lecter disregarded her tirade entirely, shooing her off as he walked away, leaving Rena a red mess at the top of the ramp as she stomped away in a rage.
The champion proceeded to walk down the ramp in a cocky strut, keeping the belt over his shoulder and microphone in hand. His sweeping white mullet with a red stripe elegantly trailed behind him, as his yellow pupils passed over each member of the audience like a hungry predator. He seemed ready for a fight even though he wasn't competing, given his MMA style gloves, off-white tank top, maroon trunks with a white tribal design on them, and slides to expose his taped-up feet. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you are just tuning in, this is Lecter Itami." Scott announced over the blaring wails of the guitar and foreign rapping. "And in my years of commentating for Strikeforce, I have never seen a champion so cocky and capable as the fox on his way to the ring right now. Don't let his way of talking or laid back attitude fool you, he is an absolute killer when it's time to fight." The fox behind the booth informed, giving his cheetah compatriot an easy jump in.
"Yeah, this guy's been insanely dominant for almost two years now, and he's been a defending champion for at least seventy-five percent of his reign. Now, he only fights when people prove their worth in the ring, which has gained him quite a few detractors." Dean added as Lecter made his way to the base of the cage, before he kicked off his slides and stepped into the octagon with a microphone in his paw and a smirk across his muzzle.
The champ waited for the cheers to die down and his music to cut out before he began his bragging. "So, Lethal Lockdown have begin again. And another line of sad fighters parade in front of me. I no understand why all keep try. Miss Rena, Miss Shira, Mister Wes, and even Miss Miyu. I have been undefeated three years, champion two years, and I no see myself lose soon. If anyone wish fight me, you may try. But advice? Take money. I no worth losing losing pride, and you no worth my time."
As the fox basked in a few jeers from the crowd, Scott broke the commentary silence. "Well now, apparently Lecter is advising all challengers that should they win, they should just take the prize money, as they have no chance. Quite a prediction from our champion."
The smack talk from Lecter's mic went back stage and entered the ear of a certain kid, who scoffed as he shoved his hands into his jacket pocket. "Ey, y'hear this guy? I'm gonna serve this guy his words right back at 'im." TJ chuckled as he cracked his knuckles and let a smile seep across his face.
Miyu rolled her eyes before flicking the street racer on the ear as the group continued to walk towards the technical booth right by the right side entrance ramp. "Whatever you say, just make sure you don't embarrass any of us." The lynx warned, passing her eye-rolling to TJ.
"Eh, relax. Assholes like that Lecter dude are more common than green grass. Won't take too much from me to work him up." TJ gloated as the group continued their walk, passing by Harvey Stepples once more as he was interviewing the Ronfauni twins.
Finally arriving at the technical tent behind the titantron, the group caught sight of an angered Rena trying to calm herself down. As Miyu got closer, she heard angered mumbling come from the mouth of the vixen, before she quickly turned to face her lynx rival. "Did you hear that kono kokokyu?! I swear, I'll rip his farking arms and shove them straight up his...ggggragh!" Rena grumbled before she vented her rage by kicking the wall behind her.
"What'd he say to get you all worked up?" Miyu asked, seeming a bit concerned.
The yellow vixen snapped her head up to face the lynx, before she grumbled some more. "That cocky little ass called me nothing more than some piece of meat to oogle at! He wants to see a piece of meat, I'll show that farking bakana what this piece of meat can do when I'm face to face with him!" Rena shouted with enough ferocity to make Miyu's ears fold back.
The vixen let her anger simmer out a bit before looking back at Miyu, mustering enough positive energy for just a bit of a smirk to break through her angered snarl. "Knock whoever you got up out cold, girl. I'm gonna tape a picture of Lecter's stupid face to a punching bag at the gym." The yellow vixen growled, before she gave Miyu a quick hug for luck and stomped off.
As Miyu watched Rena stomp away backstage, she noticed that Rena suddenly locked eyes with a shiba inu wearing cheap pitch black sunglasses. The shiba inu stared back, before a gripping sense of terror overwhelmed him as he quickly grabbed his throat, as if to make sure it was still attached to his neck. Rena simply grumbled as she continued her enraged stomps, while the dog breathed a sigh of relief.
Miyu's attention was pulled away from the vixen as TJ chuckled before pointing past the techs backstage and towards the curtains leading to the entrance ramp.
"Alright, boys! Kill the lights!"
Just before Lecter could continue, the lights to the arena suddenly went dark, with shocked gasps and some cheers breaking through the arena. After a few seconds of darkness, a line of old-school radio-frequency waves appeared on the titantron, followed by police chatter.
"All units stand by for details on a possible code six." Came a voice from the arena speakers as a feint engine revving a police sirens wailing accompanied him. On the tron, the words "I AM UNCHAINED" appeared in bold font, before slowly fading away as radio chirps began to echo.
"Just had a vehicle blow past me at high speed." Came a different voice as the revving and sirens got louder, while more text popped up on screen with words like "YOU WILL NEVER CATCH ME", "I WILL NOT OBEY", and "I AM THE CATALYST."
"Uh, guy's bearin' down on your twenty hard and fast." Came a final call out as the words "I AM THE PHOENIX" covered the screen while the sirens and engine noises reached a maximum.
(Song: Drive It Like I Stole It- Apathy)
A hip-hop baseline followed up the darkness as the red and blue lights faded, while the titantron blinked to life, showcasing a large coastline that seemingly stretched on forever. As the music swelled up in intensity, the titantron showcased a a variety of quick-shots of a certain purple tuner, just as the music hit the first hook. Once the hook began to play, the Skyline raced past two cops that quickly began pursuing the speeding tuner, while more jump-cuts of the racing vehicles, sirens, and tires gave off a dizzying sense of speed. The Skyline raced towards the camera before the world paused, with a still shot bringing the car into focus while the words "SUSPECT: TYLER KOEN" appeared next to the car. Once that happened, TJ made his way onto the entrance ramp from underneath the titantron, causing an eruption of cheers.
As the screen above the street racer showcased himself in a variety of poses with information about his name, his cars, and where he hails from along with a custom video he made back during his Street Omen days, TJ basked in the roar of the crowd. The kid spread his arms wide as if to absorb all of the cheers from the crowd. Red and blue lights flashed on the ground as he walked down the aisle with a thug-like bounce in his steps. Every now and then, he'd rap along to his song with an undying amount of energy, feeding off of the crowd and their energy. TJ was in paradise. All eyes were on him at the moment, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Approaching the base of the octagon, TJ saw Lecter staring him down from the middle of the ring and scoffed. Ignoring the scowling champion, TJ ran along the side of the octagon before spreading his arms and pressing his back on the cage, unleashing an energetic excited shout. The crowd returned his shout, his energy exciting the entire arena to his level.
Rather than use the cage door, TJ jumped up and grabbed the top of the cage before pulling himself up. With both feet planted firmly on the top of the cage, TJ carefully turned around before shouting to the crowd once more. With a wide smile on his lips, TJ jumped backwards into the cage, landing on his feet, and turning on his heels before he realized that he was face to face with Lecter himself. TJ didn't flinch, and only kept a smirk on his lips before he tapped Lecter straight on the muzzle. Lecter's eyes went wide as he began to slightly snarl, while TJ climbed back up the side of the cage and motioned for one of the ring attendants to throw him a mic. One of them complied, and threw the energetic street racer a microphone, who graciously accepted the gift before kicking off of the wall and walking straight up to Lecter.
"What are you-"
"AWWWWW TREASURE CITAAAAAAYYYYYY!" TJ suddenly shouted, causing Lecter's ears to fold back from the volume as the crowd roared along with him. "What's up?!" Came another shout, prompting the crowd to cheer along. The street racer gave the crowd a few seconds to die down as he kept a wide grin plastered on his lips, somehow completely ignoring the champion right in the center of the ring. Once the crowd got quiet enough, TJ continued. "So, many of y'all know my name, who I am, and what I do best. But for those of you that don't, y'all are lookin' at the one, the only, the showstoppin'- street racin' - smack talkin' extraordinaire T! J! Koen!" The kid shouted again, prompting more cheers from the crowd.
TJ finally looked at Lecter, who was none to pleased at TJ's presence. The street racer chuckled as looked the fox up and down, unable to take him seriously. "An' I'm sorry, but what's your name again? Egotistical narcissists get lost on me." TJ asked, the smile still wide across his lips.
"Lecter Itami, the one you and all else fall to." Lecter growled in response. TJ rolled his eyes at the champion's prediction, before he started speaking again.
"Yeah, look mister Itani-" he purposefully mispronounced, prompting Lecter to correct him. "Ok, Katami."
"No! Itami!"
"Ilatmi?"
"I! TA! MI!"
"Mommy? What kinda kinks are you into man? Y'know what, actually, let's just keep this PG-13. None of the kiddies in the audience or at home need to know that being stepped on makes you feel all fuzzy down south." TJ cracked, giving the audience a slight chuckle. Itami rolled his eyes as TJ bounced around him like a sugar-high child.
"You think you clever, but Itami-"
"What?"
"I say, Itami-"
"What?"
"ITAM-"
"What?"
With Itami's face boiling, TJ only kept a wide smirk as the crowd joined in on his "what"s. "Look bro, I've seen guys like you everywhere I've been. Y' talk a big game, hype yourself up to be all that, an' then come crashin' down when the chips are down. Yer a dime a dozen, bro. Ain't nothin' special 'bout ya. So why don't y' take that inflated ego, ball it up, and shove it straight up your ass?" TJ spat with a surprising amount of disrespect and venom, shocking the crowd as Itami only grew angrier and TJ's smirk wider.
"You seem to forget who you talk to. I Lecter Itami, Strikeforce champion. I have beat best fighters all over Lylat. I am martial arts master, and belt prove it. You can never come close to me in skill, osanago. Hai?" Lecter bragged, walking around TJ to the beat of his own drum.
Without warning, TJ stepped on his toes, sparking a fire deep in Lecter as he paused his march and began to stare daggers at the street racer. As if to mock him further, TJ copied Lecter's movement of walking around to his own beat, something that both the champ and the crowd picked up on. "Well lookie here, champ. I frankly don't give half a damn, nay, a quarter of a damn, with who you are. And nor does my client. 'S like I said earlier, enjoy your last few weeks with the title, cause I think that ol' period streaked hair here has had enough fun as champ, hi?" TJ mocked, with the crowd ooh-ing along. No one had ever shown the arctic vulpine this much disrespect.
Lecter lashed out with a taped up footpaw, his foot able to kick the microphone clean out of TJ's palm and send it rolling across the cage floor with static feedback cutting through the arena's speakers. TJ didn't seem phased in the slightest. "Enough! I am Strikeforce champion, and I have nothing more to say to circus clown in front of me! Silence, clown!" Lecter shouted in a rage.
"Honk-honk." TJ instantly replied into Lecter's mic as he squeezed the vulpine's nose twice. The arena fell completely silent. The jaws of both commentators had dropped. If it was a cartoon, steam would be pouring out of each of Lecter's orifices.
In the back, Miyu was watching on one of the many TVs set up and face palmed, before turning to Panther and Fay with a worried yet annoyed expression. "Oh, he's gonna get himself killed." The lynx mumbled as she got ready to make her entrance, shaking off the remaining buterflies as stage hands scrambled to prep the music and video TJ had set up for her.
Back in the ring, TJ kept working the crowd as Lecter grew increasingly angry. "You are nothing more than street punk. Your words no scare me. If puny Star Foxes have turn to clown like you, it even more sad." Lecter replied with a growl, his tone refusing to shift.
TJ however had a complete tonal shift, as he chuckled before pacing around the ring for a bit and grabbing his kicked away mic. He suddenly shifted to an angered visage as he got up in Lecter's face, causing a referee come between the two to keep space. "I'm just a punk?! And you're takin' shots at a team of dudes that'd have my back, or anyone's back for that matter?! You're startin' to piss off more people than prank calls!" He shouted into his mic, glaring deep into the champion's eyes. As if a switch was flipped in his head, a smile suddenly broke out across his lips as he brought the mic up once more. "Hope you got your three eyes, Lecter. 'Cause you got no balls." He growled with a smirk, causing the audience to roar in shock.
"But hey, I don't think that these people here paid to see me burn you at the stake, so why don't you step outta here, and let some real fighters take the stage?" TJ hit with a cocky grin as he backed out of the ring and pointed towards the titantron to reveal Miyu's entrance video and music.
(Song: Free the Flame - CFO$, Lesley Roy)
The sounds of chirping filled the air before the drums kicked in with a falling synth, while the video cast it's angle down from a blood red moon in accordance with similar colored lights bathing the arena. As the music hit the first hook, the screen showcased flames engulfing a forest beneath the moon while a gi-clad lynx stood in the center of the destruction and fire. Just as the hook ended, the lynx threw a back kick towards the crowd that caused a transition to Miyu's name in stylized font to appear on the tron, just as Miyu stepped out to wild cheers of the crowd.
The crowd's reaction for Miyu was even more intense than it was for TJ by about three fold, as the dark red lights changed to a softer red and white. Miyu quickly marched down to the ring with Panther and Fay at her side as the street racer played to the crowd with more bombastic theatrics. "Ladies and gentlemen, from Gorge Valley, Papetoon, but with familial ties back to Edo, Eladard. Weighing in at 145 pounds, MIYUUUUUUUUUU LYYYYYYYYNXXXXXXX!" He shouted into the mic, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Back at the announce table, Scott and Dean were overwhelmed by the cheers surrounding them. "Scott, this is insane! The cheers for her are through the roof! I'm sure people can hear this crowd halfway across the planet!" Dean exclaimed with wide eyes and a wider smile.
"I couldn't agree more, Dean! It looks as though Miyu here is the fan favorite!" Scott observed as Miyu finally met up with TJ at the entrance to the ramp, where she kicked off her slides and stared at the cage containing the arctic fox.
"Welp, crowd's warmed up. Get in there and make your magic." TJ encouraged, smirking as Miyu gave his shoulder another jab.
"I'll admit, I thought you were going to give me some cringy rap like the one you game out to." The lynx chided, growing a wide grin as TJ fired off a middle finger her way.
"Yeah, your welcome. I know how to pick beats, karate cat." The driver replied as he motioned for the lynx to enter the cage.
After a quick kiss from Panther, Miyu made her way up the steps and into the cage, the confines of the cage making her feel like a prisoner. She jogged around the outskirts of the cage for a second before locking eyes with Lecter. The artic fox only smirked as he slowly walked out of the ring, uncaring that the lynx in the cage was burning a hole in the back of his head with just her eyes.
As Lecter slid his slides back on, he looked down on Miyu's team, each member giving him a neutral, disapproving, or confrontational glare. The fox scoffed before taking an empty seat by the cage, even after TJ puffed his chest up and told him to "step off".
Miyu's opponent came down the ramp at the opposite side of the octagon next, with a generic rock track signaling his entrance. According to the bracket listings and entrance video, this was Rex Cayman, a pitbull with a mean streak in bare knuckle brawling and wrestling. As he walked down his ramp with a confident strut, Miyu immediately began sizing up the best way to take advantage of this hot head.
Just as he reached the foot of the cage, Rex let out an aggressive shout to energize himself, before quickly getting in the ring and sizing up his opponent as well. To add to his personality, his vibrant red and yellow compression shorts complimented his jet black fur to give him an intimidation factor. It didn't faze Miyu in the slightest, especially when the bell rung and the match was underway. It almost startled Miyu with how fast it began, but she kept her cool.
Miyu bowed to her opponent and bumped gloves with him before taking up a defensive stance and sizing him up. He seemed like a similar opponent to who Rena had fought earlier in the night, being a heavyweight striker type. Keeping her distance, Miyu opted to wait and see how the fighter would approach her. After a few seconds of circling each other, Miyu received her answer in the form of an attempted front jab.
Miyu hopped back and blocked the jab, only for a left hook to come her way. The lynx managed to block that attack as well, before going on the offensive and delivering two sharp jabs of her own. The first punch was blocked, but the second punch hit it's mark right on the pitbull's solar plexus, sending him back with a snarl.
Miyu smirked as she kept her paws up to guard a front kick from her opponent, before shoving his leg back at him and following up with a reverse heel hook to the jaw. The resounding smack from the kick echoed throughout the arena as the pitbull stumbled back and the crowd roared with excitement.
The lynx kept her guard up, bracing herself for another assault as the pitbull growled before dropping his guard and rushed her. Miyu threw a back kick, and hit him exactly where her heel hook struck, but the canine shrugged of the powerful kick and locked his arms around the lynx. Wasting no time, Rex showed off his grappling skills with a textbook wrestling slam, sending a jolt of pain through Miyu's back.
It seemed as though Rex was taking control of this match. But the lynx was ready to play this game however, and quickly closed her guard as Rex hit her with a few stiff shots, giving her a nice bruise on her cheek. Refusing to take more damage, Miyu pulled her head up to his, giving her breathing room from the stiff punches.
"You're going down, Lynx." Rex spat in her ear as he began to club her back with his fist. Miyu grunted as she ignored the pain before a smile crossed her lips.
"Sorry big guy, I don't do requests." The lynx fired back, ready to go to work.
Before Rex could process the taunt, Miyu dropped her head back to the mat and quickly grabbed his clubbing arm before yanking it and attempting to lock in an armbar while pushing his head the other way with her legs. Rex realized what was about to happen and quickly got to his knee while pulling his arm away from the grasp of Miyu.
It was a trap however, as Miyu switched the position of her hips and grabbed his other arm before trapping his throat in between the calf of her right leg and the instep of her left foot. It was a painful hold, and Rex kept trying to break free before the pain of his arm being torqued and his throat being squeezed forced him back onto one knee.
The pitbull tried with fervor to escape the hold, but the writing was on the wall. He was at risk of having his arm snapped or being choked out. Miyu refused to let go, biting down just a little harder to make the pitbull gag from her choke. The lights began to fade as Rex's movements slowed down, giving him a grim taste of his reality.
Miyu suddenly felt a feverish tap on her right leg, with the ringing bell signaling her victory. She let go of the hold immediately as the crowd erupted in cheers while Rex shook off his injuries with an embarrassed scowl.
"The winner of this match, by way of submission, Miyu Lynx!" Came the shout of the ring announcer as the ref raised Miyu's paw. Miyu had a massive smirk cross her lips as she pumped her fist after the ref let go of her arm. After a few seconds of celebrating, Miyu noticed Rex slowly get to his feet as he shook his arm loose with a pained and humiliated expression.
"Rex!" Miyu yelled, catching the attention of the pitbull. The grimace of Rex turned into a scowl as he stared her down while she kept her smile, fully expecting her to gloat her victory. To his surprise, Miyu brought her legs together, punched her fist into her palm, and bowed to her opponent, receiving more cheers from the audience. Rex's scowl quickly faded, replaced with an appreciative smile as he limped out of the ring.
Miyu caught a glimpse of Lecter sneering as he walked off after Rex left the cage. Miyu's focus was broken when TJ let out an excited shout next to her, before raising her arm as high as it could go. Miyu shrugged and celebrated her win for a bit before walking out of the cage with a wide grin, her confidence in the stratosphere.
"And showing respect to the end, Miyu certainly knows how to cap off a fight!" Scott announced from behind the desk, with some of the energy of the fight clearly rubbing off on him.
"Yeah, I don't know if I could bow to someone after kicking their ass, but hey, props to her." Dean added, keeping his spirits high as a few fans leaned over the barricade behind him for a few seconds of TV fame.
As Miyu walked back up the ramp, her eyes narrowed as Nail suddenly appeared and briskly made his way down the ramp, with Giichi tagging close behind like he was on a leash. The group watched the canine with confusion as he kept walking down the ramp with a neutral expression, with very few members of the audience even noticing he was there. His outfit was as utilitarian as he was, with only blue trunks, MMA style gloves, and foot-wraps, it was clear that he didn't have a flare for the dramatic.
"Alright, next up is Moslet Len versus Augustine 'Nail' Strafer, who is... whoa, wait. It appears that Augustine's already at the ring?" Dean commented in a confused tone as he looked around before leaning over to Scott. "Hey man, when did he get down here? I didn't hear his music." The cheetah's attention was quickly focused to a crew hand, as he leaned to the side of the desk to hear the crew hand better. "When did he come out here? Can we get a replay?...Well doesn't he have any music?...Whattya mean he's got no music?! Or video?!...Really?...Huh..." Dean refocused his attention as Scott tapped him on the shoulder, reminding him that they were still live. "Oh, um, sorry about that, folks. It appears that Augustine has no entrance music or video, and made his way down to the ring during Miyu Lynx's post match celebration. Much like a specter, this guy's just appearing when there's work to be done."
"Yeah-hea! That's that prime-time shit, Miyu!" TJ exclaimed as he walked backstage next to the victorious fighter, giving her a sideways hug before letting go as Fay quickly sat Miyu down and began to treat her cheek bruise at a rapid fire pace.
"That was just the qualifier, TJ. It'll only get harder from here." Miyu replied, keeping her ego in check as she winced from an ice pack being applied to her cheek.
Following the white-furred arm that applied the ice pack, Miyu chuckled as she locked eyes with her grumbling medic, who seemed anything but happy as she treated her friend's injury. "You good there, Fay?" Miyu asked with a smirk, getting a grumble as a response.
"I told you this would happen." Fay grumbled, reducing the swelling as best as she could.
"I knew this would happen. It's a fight, Fay. Of course I'm going to take a lick or two." Miyu replied, failing to soothe her pacifist friend.
"You better not be crying about how much your back hurts tomorrow, because I don't wanna hear it." Fay mumbled, checking for injuries along Miyu's back.
"I do not think she will be crying about any injuries. Miyu is the toughest rose I know." Panther interjected, catching the ire of the medic as Miyu blew a kiss his way.
Fay finished up her inspection a few moments later, urging Miyu to keep an ice pack over her swollen cheek. Before the group could recommence conversation, the sounds of a cheering sand cat caught their attention.
"That was awesome, Nail! I've never seen you take someone down that fast!" Giichi exclaimed, still trailing behind Nail. Nail actually smiled a bit, and looked down at the ecstatic sand cat. "Thanks, Giichi." The canine simply responded, before the pair were unfortunate intercepted by a certain house cat with a mic and a camera.
"Harvey Stepples, reporter for Strikeforce here with Augustine Strafer after quite an intense performance in the ring. Augustine here came within a few seconds of beating the new record set for fastest in-ring knockout by Shira Amorae earlier tonight. Anything to add about your fight, Mr. Strafer?" The house cat bugged as Nail kept a brisk walking pace.
"No comment." Nail simply said, slightly increasing his speed and returning to his stone cold expression as Harvey attempted to keep up.
"Well, the fans all watching want to know just how you intend to reach the finals, as well as any thoughts you have going on. You walking out of the ring without so much as a smile in advancing to one of the most coveted martial arts tournaments has definitely raised some eyebrows." The reporter asked again, making Nail roll his eyes.
"Again, no comment." Nail simply replied once more, getting slightly annoyed by the constant bugging from the reporter.
Before Harvey could ask another question, Giichi jumped in to explain. "Sorry, it's just that Nail's an objective driven guy. He told me that he doesn't like to waste time when he's got a goal in mind, which is why he walked out once he knew he won. He just doesn't see the point in celebrating when there's still work to be done." The sand cat explained to the reporter, becoming the house cat's next target as Nail stopped his pace to keep an eye over Giichi.
"So could you give us an insight as to what's going on in Mr. Strafer's head right now?" Harvey asked, putting the mic right under Giichi's chin.
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say he's happy with the results. He's got his mind set, and it's going to take a semi truck to stop him in my opinion." Giichi answered with a wide smile, a stark contrast to the hawk-like eyes of Nail just off-camera. "But yeah, we're both kind of tired right now, so we'll be on our way if you don't mind." The sand cat polity explained, walking away with his bodyguard before Harvey could ask another question.
Harvey sighed before he put the mic down by his side and looked at his camera-man with tired eyes. "Alright, Mark. Let's see if Miyu's willing for some words now. I'm pretty sure she was..." Harvey trailed off as the bench where Miyu and company were sitting was now abandoned, making him sigh again.
"Ah, damn."