Chapter 41 (Xtrema vs Berserk)
Since this was a battle between the two organizations, this joint crossover event had to take place in a neutral ground, which meant no Berserk rings or Xtrema Arena. Sayuri took the liberty of renting a stadium just for this event.
The night came and it looked like almost every seat was filled with a person. Men, women, children, and others waited in anticipation. When the lights began to dim, the entire crowd burst in excitement.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Xtrema vs Berserk! Tonight, we see the high-spirited ladies of Berserk against the exciting women of Xtrema! I know everyone's looking forward to this, so we won't keep you waiting! Our first match is about to begin!"
*Scarlette vs Chocho*
Scarlette was nervous. The last time she went to the ring, she was distracted at the end and it cost her the win. She did her best to clear her mind and mentally prepare before she put on her red jacket and marched out into the main stadium. She walked across the ramp and climbed up into the ring. She removed her jacket, climbed up the nearest corner, and tossed it to the cheering crowd.
As soon as Scarlette was done, her challenger from Berserk made her entrance. Chocho was wearing a black jacket with red outlines that matched the hood that covered her head. When she entered the ring, she raised her fists, removed her jacket, and dropped it just at ringside. She stood across the ring from Scarlette.
"Our first match is against Xtrema's red warrior, Scarlette, and Berserk's powerful bruiser, Chocho! As a former TV Champion, Scarlette has one edge in her favor! However, Chocho's been in Berserk for two years and only ever lost five matches, two of which were by Misaki Toyota! As such, this is going to be a close match, but we won't know until we begin! So let's get this night started!"
DING-DING!
The match began when Scarlette and Chocho locked up in a collar-and-elbow tie-up in the center of the ring. Chocho quickly gained the advantage with a side headlock followed by a bulldog. Chocho lifted Scarlette's head up to knee her, but Scarlette managed to catch it and trip her backwards. Scarlette then slammed her elbow into Chocho's knee three times.
When Scarlette let go, she lifted her opponent up to her feet and threw her to the ropes. As she rebounded, Scarlette quickly jumped off the ropes behind her and struck her with a springboard dropkick. Scarlette turned to climb up the top ropes, but Chocho recovered and stopped her. She lifted her up on her shoulder and dropped her in a powerbomb. That's when the referee made her count.
1… 2…
Scarlette broke out of the pin. Chocho got back up and flexed her muscles to give the crowd a show. Scarlette on the other hand crawled to the corner and rested on the bottom turnbuckle. Chocho saw her and charged in to slam her knee into her. Instead, Scarlette rolled out of the way in the last second. When Chocho slammed her knee at the bottom turnbuckle, she instantly remembered that's the one that Scarlette elbowed earlier. She winced as she rested at the corner to rub her shin.
Scarlette rolled herself back to her feet before turning back to her opponent. She ran to the ropes, and springboarded off of them to kick Chocho in the head. The woman in the red bandana felt the impact as she stumbled away from the corner. Scarlette went to the top of the corner before leaping toward her opponent. She caught Chocho's head with her legs and flipped her with a Frankensteiner. She proceeded to stay there to pin her.
1… 2…
Chocho powered out and reversed the pin.
1… 2…
Scarlette kicked out and rolled backwards away from her opponent. The two smiled at each other before charging at each other. Chocho tried to grab her, but Scarlette slid herself down between her legs. She then grabbed Chocho's head from behind and slammed it down onto the mat. Scarlette ran to the ropes and bounced off of them again. She flipped herself backwards to drop a splash, but Chocho rolled out of the way. Scarlette was stunned by the impact she felt when she hit the ground.
Chocho picked Scarlette up, lifted her by her thigh, and suplexed her behind her. She held her down with the pin.
1… 2…
Scarlette kicked out at the very last second. Chocho was starting to get annoyed, so she lifted Scarlette again and carried her over her shoulders. She marched around the ring to show off before dropping her red-masked opponent in a senton bomb. She hooked the leg again.
1… 2…
Once again, at the last nanosecond, Scarlette kicked out. At first, Chocho was really annoyed, but then she snickered.
"Man, you do not go down easily, do you?" she asked. "Well, I'll be sure to add more power into this one.
Chocho lifted Scarlette for one last suplex, but Scarlette managed to lsip out of it and hit Chocho in a stunner. She then got behind Chocho, dropped her onto the mat, and locking in her signature move, the varied dragon slayer, the Scarlette Lock. After a minute, the muscular wrestler gave in and tapped onto Scarlette's arm.
DING-DING!
Scarlette let go and rest up at the corner in total exhaustion. She looked up at the screen and saw the names of the two competing wrestling companies with numbers. She realized they were scores.
Xtrema: 1
Berserk: 0
"It's over, folks! After this back-and-forth match between the two, Scarlette has scored the first win for Xtrema! She must be feeling proud of herself right now!"
Scarlette helped Chocho back on her feet and shook her hand. "Good match."
"Thank you." Chocho said.
The two of them left the ring and made way for the next match.
*Cleopatra vs Chinatsu Suzumoto*
First, Cleopatra emerged when her national music played throughout the arena. She wore her traditional Egyptian attire until she entered the ring. She removed her headset and cape revealing her beautiful, tan skin and blue eyeshadow along with her raven-black hair. She still had on her gold-outlined two-piece.
Next, Chinatsu Suzumoto came out into the ring. She was in her standard two-piece in black-and-orange colors. She ran into the ring and faced her opponent in an excited smile.
"This is our second match, ladies and gentlemen! The young, but spunky, Chinatsu of Berserk faces against the Pharaoh of Submissions, Cleopatra! Both of them are quite adept at submission techniques, so this will be quite a struggle that we'll see!"
DING-DING!
The two wrestlers met in the center of the ring careful about each other's movements. Chinatsu attempted to make the first move by grabbing onto Cleopatra, but the Egyptian dodged backwards. She grabbed Chinatsu's hands, pulled her down, and wrapped both her legs around her arms. Chinatsu strained trying to escape, but Cleopatra is known for her holds for a reason. Chinatsu pressed forward planting both her shoulders to the mat.
1…
Cleopatra caught onto the trick. She let go in an instant and used her feet to kick Chinatsu backward. Cleo returned to her feet, but Chinatsu quickly tackled her back onto the mat. She turned Cleopatra over and applied the Boston crab. The Pharaoh of Submissions winced in pain.
After a long minute, Chinatsu was starting to get tired of the hold and let go. She then attempted to apply a sharpshooter, but Cleopatra stopped it by grabbing her ankle as soon as she was about to turn. Chinatsu was tripped forward and let go. Cleopatra held onto the ankle and caught her in a leg bar. Luckily, Chinatsu was close enough to the rope to grab it. The referee called for a break and Cleopatra let go.
The two wrestlers returned to their feet and faced each other. After that, the two quickly exchanged holds trying to get the edge over each other. First, Chinatsu went behind Cleopatra and attempted a waistlock. Cleopatra escaped and reversed the hold. Chinatsu managed to roll through the waistlock and bring Cleopatra down with an armlock. Cleopatra instantly wrapped her legs around Chinatsu's leg and squeezed once before Chinatsu escaped. The crowd cheered at the contest of holds they were seeing.
Chinatsu realized she needed a different tactic if she was going to get an advantage over Cleopatra. So she charged after her. Cleopatra reached out her arms to grab her, but Chinatsu ducked down and sent a strong punch to her stomach. Cleopatra gasped at the shock before Chinatsu dropped her down with a facebuster. She turned her over and hooked the pin.
1… 2…
Cleopatra lifted her shoulders just a mere moment before the final count. Chinatsu lifted her up to her feet and threw her to the corner. When Cleopatra's back hit the turnbuckles, Chinatsu ran to shoulder tackle her. Unfortunately, Cleopatra moved away before impact and escaped through the ropes for a breather. Chinatsu grabbed the ropes before she could hurt her shoulder and followed the Egyptian outside.
While the referee began her count, Chinatsu surprised Cleopatra with a devastating chop to her head. She (Cleopatra) went dizzy while her opponent grabbed her and threw her to the ring apron. While Cleopatra felt the sting, she managed to power through it and manage to kick Chinatsu in the chest pushing her back.
Cleopatra returned to her feet standing up and sent an uppercut to Chinatsu's face having her stumble onto the table. Cleo grabbed Chinatsu's arm and threw her to the ring managing to get her back in. Cleopatra followed back inside and posed for the crowd. Chinatsu got up on one knee, so Cleopatra sent a strong kick to her head.
Suddenly, Chinatsu got her second wind and grabbed her opponent's leg. She tripped her to her back, dragged her to the center, turned her over, and applied a single-leg Boston crab. She attempted to keep Cleopatra there eventually hearing her yells in pain.
"Cleopatra, do you give up?" the referee asked. "Cleopatra?"
"N… NO!" Cleopatra shouted. She used her free leg to help push her toward the ropes. After a long minute, Cleopatra's hand grasped at the bottom rope.
"Okay! Rope break!" the referee declared making Chinatsu let go.
That's when Cleopatra got her own second wind. She endured, so when Chinatsu let go, she shot her leg back kicking Chinatsu face down in the center of the ring. The young Berserk wrestler tried to get back up, but before she could, the Pharaoh of Submissions sat on her back and applied her finishing camel clutch, the Sphinx's Riddle. Chinatsu instantly screamed as soon as the hold was on.
"Suzumoto!" the referee called out. "Do you give up?"
Chinatsu did her best to endure, but the strain was too much. After a minute, Cleopatra didn't look like she was going to let up, so the Berserk wrestler had no choice.
"I… I give up."
DING-DING!
Xtrema: 2
Berserk: 0
"That's two points for Xtrema, everybody! Cleopatra and Suzumoto had each other hold for hold, but the Pharaoh of Submissions made her move at the end and showed everyone the true meaning of her namesake! With this early lead, Berserk's going to have to step up its game!"
Chinatsu used the ropes to stand herself up still feeling the pressure on her back and neck. Still, she looked at the victor and smiled. She reached out her hand and Cleopatra shook it.
"Good match." Chinatsu said.
"You too. You really had me on my toes."
While the two of them left the ring, Natsuki Okumura and Kanae Fujushita took their notes.
"Things aren't looking good for Berserk so far." Natsuki said.
"It's only been two matches. It's far from over." Kanae replied. She went back to an earlier page to see her written match card copy. She saw the next match and smirked. "I bet Berserk takes the next point."
"You're on." Natsuki accepted.
*Zelda Logan vs Rio Kazama*
First, Zelda Logan entered the stage. She raised her fist and gave a scowling look at Cleopatra when she passed by. She turned her attention back to the ring and marched down punching into her open hand. When she entered the ring, she raised her fists into the air for everyone to see.
When Zelda rested herself at her corner, Rio Kazama started her entrance. She wore a purple coat along with a purple mask. She ran to the ring and jumped over the ropes. After that, Rio removed her cape and mask revealing her purple two-piece and her short, white hair. She went to her corner and turned to her opponent with a cocky smirk.
"Time to open up a can of whoop-ass." She said.
"All right, everyone! Onto the third match of the night! Zelda Logan has a very deep respect to the sport of pro-wrestling and has a very low tolerance for showy girls who define their careers by their gimmicks! Her opponent should feel lucky! On the other hand, Rio Kazama is known for her brutal tactics and cocky attitude toward those she considers lower than her! With her rematch against Sakura Hagiwara coming up next week, Rio may need the practice to handle the growing Sweet Diva!"
Rio scoffed and thought to herself. "Growing? She's still the same thoughtless princess I humiliated on day one. When I'm done with her, she's never going to set foot in the ring again. But for now, I'll handle this rookie."
DING-DING!
Rio and Zelda met up at the center and grasped at each other's hands. They pressed against each other in a test of strength. Zelda attempted to gain control with a knee strike to Rio's stomach. Rio took it and countered with her own knee strike.
The two of them released each other and took a long look. They locked each other in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, and Rio pushed Zelda to the ropes before grabbing her arm and throwing her in an Irish whip. Zelda bounced off and ran back to Rio, who bent down preparing for a backdrop. Zelda threw herself over, but caught Rio by surprise by flipping over and dropping Rio in a sunset flip. She held her there for the pin.
1…
Rio managed to get her shoulder up. She got back up just as Zelda backed up. The no-nonsense brawler charged toward Rio for a clothesline, but Rio shot her foot up and kicked Zelda in the stomach. As she bent down, Rio grabbed Zelda's head and dropped her in a DDT. That's when she hooked her leg for the pin.
1… 2…
Zelda kicked out of it. Rio sat her up and applied a brutal sleeper hold. Zelda grunted in pain trying to escape. She struggled to breathe while Rio grinned behind her.
"Zelda, do you give up?" the referee asked.
"N-N-No!" Zelda coughed out. She tried reaching out to the ropes, but Rio kept her in place keeping her away from the ropes.
After a minute, Zelda found a way to escape. She used her legs to bring her and Rio up on their feet, but the latter still had the sleeper hold tight. Zelda reached back to grab Rio's head. She dropped herself down and hit Rio with a stunner. Rio let go feeling the impact while Zelda took a moment to cough her breath back.
Zelda turned back to Rio and speared her to the ground. She grabbed her leg and planted herself onto the mat applying a hard leglock, which she then transitioned into a figure-four leglock. Rio yelled out in pain trying to find a way to escape. She attempted to reach for the rope, but Zelda held the hold tighter making it harder for Rio to move. After a minute, the white-haired wrestler rolled herself and Zelda onto their stomachs reversing the hold. This time, it was Zelda who yelled until she released her hold and slipped out of the reverse figure-four leglock.
The two of them are exhausted at that point. They met up with each other and just exchanged blows to each other. Punches ther thrown, knees were launched, and they took all of them as best as they could. Eventually, Rio ended it by grabbing Zelda's ankles and tripping her backward. She then launched herself backwards flipping Zelda over and crashing her face right at the top turnbuckle. Amazingly, Zelda was still standing, but she had no idea if she was going to take anymore. She was just about ready to collapse.
"IT'S TIME TO END THIS!" Rio shouted. She balled up a fist, swung backwards, and struck Zelda very hard in the face sending her flying down to the mat. "And for extra measure…"
Rio gave an evil smirk while she climbed up the top turnbuckle. She stood up straight and motioned her thumb across her neck. She jumped straight up and landed herself hip-first right at Zelda's prone body. If the spinning backfist wasn't enough, this would do the trick. Rio hooked the leg for the final pin.
1… 2… 3!
DING-DING!
Xtrema: 2
Berserk: 1
"A great match, folks! Berserk may have had an early disadvantage, but thanks to Rio Kazama, they are beginning to catch up! She and Zelda Logan fought like they gave it their all, but in the end, it was Rio who came out on top!"
"And it's going to stay that way." Rio called out. She looked down at Zelda and grinned. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You did good… for a rookie."
Rio and Zelda walked out of the ring and past Kurea and Natsuki, the former smirked smugly at the latter.
"I get it. I get it." Natsuki said. "You told me so."
"Pretty much." Kurea said. "I win the bet."
"About that…" Natsuki said, "What were we betting exactly?"
Kurea opened her eyes completely dumbfounded. She regained her composure after one cough. "I'm… sure it'll come to me." The two of them exchanged a laugh while they were waiting for the fourth match to begin.
*Xtrema Shorts*
Chibi versions of Natsuki Okumura and Kanae Fujishita stood in an office with a Chibi version of Cleopatra sitting beside them.
"Hello, everyone." Natsuki greeted the reader. "I'm Natsuki."
"And I'm Kanae. For this short, we decided to do an interview to an Xtrema wrestler. For today, we'll be talking to someone who competed in this chapter: Cleopatra. Thank you for coming, Cleo."
Chibi Cleopatra waved her hand at the reporters. "Thank you for having me. So how will this work?"
"Well, we've set up six standard questions we'll ask every future wrestler followed by one or two personal ones." Chibi Natsuki explained. "All you have to do is answer them. You okay with that?"
"Sure. Thank you."
"Good." Chibi Natsuki continued. "Now, first. How long have you been wrestling?"
"Hmm… I'd say about four to five years. I started off in the first two and a half as a small-time wrestler in Egypt until I got enough money to travel abroad. It wasn't easy, but it was manageable."
Chibi Natsuki wrote the response while Chibi Kanae asked the next question. "Do you have any dream opponents?"
"Well, Queen Bee is my first choice, but then again, she's basically everybody's. Aside from her, I suppose the opponent I'd like to fight the most would be that Arabian MMA fighter, Sarah. I'm sure we'd have a good match. But if you mean in my own roster, then I'd like to face Zelda Logan. The fact she hates gimmick wrestlers like me makes me want to mummify her myself."
The two Chibi reporters alternated between who asks and who writes. "How do you feel about your fans?"
"I love them. I used to be a fan and that's how I got here. Without my fans, I wouldn't be where I am right now."
"Which is the toughest match you've had so far?"
"Well, a couple of years ago, I debuted in Xtrema against Freya, and her height alone almost intimidated me. The most frustrating part is that I never even knocked her down. I gave some good throws at her, but she always shook it off. Everything was over for me when she caught me in her Polar Bearhug. But back then, I did last longer than most of the others on the roster."
"What do you do for fun?"
"Suntan, reading, and trying new restaurants. I know this popular restaurant for wrestlers, Matsuda and Juli's, and the waitress there is an excellent listener."
"What do you think makes a great wrestler?"
"To be perfectly honest, I think it all depends on your beginnings. I used to be a street vendor, so for me, I already knew struggling when I joined the world of pro wrestling."
"Onto the personal questions. Does it bother you that you've been barely in the ring lately?"
"It did at first. But at least I still get paid. And besides, we're still a growing league. Ms. Rogue told us she has big plans to expand our organization, so I'm sure I'll get more in-ring time in the future."
"All right. Last question. We know you're in-ring name is Cleopatra, but you appear to be called that even outside of Xtrema hours. Why is that?"
"To be perfectly honest, that's been my nickname since I was a teenager. Back in high school, all the kids said I was as beautiful as the pharaoh herself. It was embarrassing at first, but now, it really shows how proud I am of my nationality."
"Well, that appears to be all the questions we have." Chibi Natsuki said. "We'll see you next time, faithful readers."
"Remember," Chibi Kanae said, "If you have any questions you'd like to ask our characters, be sure to ask and we'll be sure to credit you for asking when we get to them. Until then, that's the first third of our matches down and only two more thirds to go. Tell us what you think of our matches so far. Any and all comments are welcome."