Chapter 116 (XAW Singles)

*Scarlette vs Liza Gorgon*

The crowd gave one of their loudest cheers when Scarlette appeared onstage. The red-masked wrestler marched proudly into the ring and posed for the crowd. In the front row, she saw her ex-husband and her son watching her, and she gave them both a thumb's up. She still had no idea that her son, Jason, had already known that she was his mom.

After Scarlette settled, she waited for her opponent to make her entrance. A woman with long, black hair strutted in keeping her killer gaze on Scarlette. She wore a blue two-piece, and her top had straps to her collar. She also wore blue armbands and boots. When she entered the ring and prepared herself, Scarlette felt a little uneasy with her opponent's eyes locked onto her.

"This next match is a thrilling clash between two women in a battle of willpower. Scarlette, the Xtrema representative, is facing off against the free agent, Liza Gorgon. Any insight on this bout, Ms. Rogue?"

"Not much. Not a lot is known about Liza Gorgon, only that she wanted to prove her mettle in the ring any way she can and Scarlette was the first available. When I told her of her opponent, Liza gave a wicked kind of grin and promised that she would 'put that redhead in her place'."

"Sounds ominous. Let's see how this plays out."

DING-DING!

Scarlette was cautious about this opponent since she knew nothing about her, so she stood at the center of the ring with her arms up. Although, she glared curiously at Liza who just lounged in her corner with a confident smirk on her face. Scarlette had finally decided to move, but before she could, Liza widened her eyes and gave a highlighted stare at her direction.

Suddenly, Scarlette gasped feeling a sensation flowing through her body. Once it passed, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move a muscle. It was as if her nervous system had been completely petrified. Liza then removed herself from her corner and strutted over to meet Scarlette at the center of the ring again. She cupped Scarlette's chin with her right hand much to everyone's confusion, including Scarlette's.

"What… What's going on?" Scarlette asked in her head. "Why can't I move?"

"Ms. Rogue, what exactly is happening? Right now, I'm more confused than a homeless person under house arrest."

Sayuri didn't give an answer. She just looked curiously at the fight.

Back in the ring, Liza Gorgon gave a wicked smile. "Come on, Scarlette. Aren't you going to fight? No? Here. Let me give you a little wake-up call."

SMACK!

Gorgon swung her backhand across Scarlette's face making her fall to her side. Scarlette was able to move again, but she could still feel the strike on her cheek. "No. This can't be right. This must be a trick. It must be." Scarlette turned to face Gorgon again, but her opponent gave another sharp glare right into her eyes. And once again, Scarlette couldn't move. She just stayed there in a kneeling position petrified to her core.

Gorgon took advantage of her opportunity and ran to the furthest ropes. She bounced back and landed a perfect shining wizard on Scarlette. She covered her for the pin.

1… 2…

Scarlette kicked out, but Gorgon kicked her in the head to stun her. She then went to the nearest corner and climbed up to the top. She posed vainly before facing Scarlette. She knew Scarlette was about to get back up, so she gave another stare which made her freeze up again. Gorgon stood up straight at the top turnbuckle and leaped up landing a solid moonsault on Scarlette's prone body. After the landing, Gorgon hooked Scarlette's leg again.

1… 2…

Once again, Scarlette kicked out. So far, there was a great wave of confusion among the crowd. At the front row, Isaac and Jason were worried and puzzled, mostly Jason though since he already knew who was wearing his idol's mask. Up on the stands, Yami watched from above with great interest.

"Ah. I see. Now, I get it."

"Huh? Get what, Ms. Rogue?"

"Ms. Gorgon's trick. You know the saying 'looks can kill'? Well, I think Liza Gorgon might be taking a close-enough step. It seems to me that when she glares at her opponent, they experience a sudden petrification effect, just like how the Gorgon of myth, Medusa, is able to petrify her prey with just one look."

"So you're saying that Liza Gorgon has the ability to stun her opponent just by looking at them?"

"In theory, yes. Though, I did notice a few conditions. First of all, her eyes have to meet her opponent's in order for the stare to work. And secondly, it seems to wear off after a sudden attack hits them. Then, she'd have to reapply it."

"Yikes. Sounds like this one's going to be impossible to beat."

"You'd think. But I think it's worth noting it's not just her power to be wary of. It's her personality too."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"With her power, all she could do is petrify her opponent while they were on the ground and pin her. They would be unable to get back up after the three count. But she hasn't done that. She's allowing her opponent the chance to kick out and only using it whenever she's about to attack. Which means…"

"I see. She wants to hurt and humiliate her opponent as long as she can. She doesn't care if it's a quick win or not. She just wants to make a show of it. Looks like Scarlette's in for her biggest challenge yet."

Back in the ring, after a few stomps and drops, Liza Gorgon had Scarlette in a camel clutch. Gorgon smiled acknowledging her superiority while wretching Scarlette's head back as far as she could.

"Scarlette, give up?" the referee asked.

"NO!"

At the sound of that, Liza Gorgon released Scarlette. She then headed to the furthest corner and rested on it while Scarlette returned to her feet all tired. After a few short breaths, she looked back at Gorgon and charged right at her. Suddenly, Gorgon gave off another glare that petrified Scarlette while she was running. This made her able to fall down on her face right at Gorgon's feet.

Liza Gorgon gave a loud, mocking laugh while resting her foot down at Scarlette's head. "Wow. This is not a good look for you. Then again, I always thought you were overrated. Just look at you. So pathetic. You can't even run right." She removed her foot only to grab her by the top of her head and pull her up. "Tell you what. If you simply beg me for mercy, I'll spare you any further humiliation. Crying is optional."

Scarlette looked angrily at Liza Gorgon and struggled to speak. "Go… to… hell."

Liza Gorgon dropped her smile and looked disappointed. In an instant, she hit Scarlette hard with a knee strike sent deep into her stomach. Scarlette coughed out a bit of saliva as she was hit. She would have fallen flat on the mat, but Gorgon stopped her from doing so. She then dragged Scarlette to the center of the ring and set her up on her feet. With another glare, she petrified Scarlette again making her unable to fight back as Gorgon slithered behind her and whispered in her ear.

"You really should have begged like a dog, but now, you really pissed me off. So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to unlace your stupid mask and remove it exposing your ugly face to the entire world. And then, I'll put you in a sleeper hold so that you can watch everyone seeing you unmasked and humiliated before you pass out."

Hearing that plan made Scarlette horrified, and she became more so when she felt Gorgon's fingers begin working on her mask laces. She was still under the glare's spell, so she had no chance of fighting back. All she could do was speak.

"Please… stop."

"Begging finally?" Liza Gorgon asked. "Well, it took you long enough, but too little, too late. I'm unwrapping you like a Christmas present." She continued to unlace the mask.

Helpless and unable to move, Scarlette felt her mask get looser and looser. She closed her eyes beginning to tear up. She thought there was no chance of victory. Not even her cheering fans could snap her out of it. But then, a voice in the crowd got her attention.

"SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU CAN DO IT! COME ON, MOM!"

It was a voice that was drowned out by most of the crowd, but it was a voice that she recognized. Her eyes shifted toward its sound and picked out Jason at the front seat. He stood proudly next to his dad who was confused at him. Still, hearing assurance from her son who called her out by her more maternal title removed all the fear in her body. It gave her the strength needed to thrust her head backwards right at Liza Gorgon's vulnerable face.

"GAH!" Gorgon yelled out clutching her face. She wasn't done with the mask laces, so Scarlette had no trouble tightening them. She then turned back around and grabbed Liza Gorgon by her arm. She threw her to the rope and when she ran back, she sent her down with a clothesline. She then paced around the ring to reinvigorate her fighting spirit, which made her son really happy.

"YES! THAT'S MY MOM!"

"Mom?" Isaac asked. "Jason, what are you talking about?"

"Dad, look at her! That's Mom!"

"What? No. It couldn't… Isaac looked back at Scarlette taking extra care to note her. He realized that her height and figure were similar, but what helped him see the truth most of all was her winning smile showing off her pearly whites. He laid back in his chair unable to stand up. "Emily?"

Liza Gorgon managed to return to her feet and growl angrily at Scarlette, who then charged right at her. Gorgon didn't miss this opportunity to hit her with her signature glare, and while it did stun Scarlette, she somehow managed to power through it catching her opponent by surprise.

"What? No! It can't be! Where'd she find this much willpower?"

In Gorgon's state of confusion, Scarlette kicked her in the stomach and land a stunner on her, but she didn't let go. She then got on Gorgon's back and applied her signature hold, the Scarlette Lock. The hold was perfectly locked in making Liza Gorgon cry out in pain. Within a matter of moments, she tapped out wildly on Scarlette's arm.

DING-DING!

"SHE DID IT! AGAINST ALL ODDS, SCARLETTE OVERCAME HER OPPONENT'S SUPERPOWER AND PULLED OFF A WIN! GO SCARLETTE!"

"You got that right." Sayuri said looking over at Jason and Isaac, Scarlette's son and ex-husband. "It's almost as if she got newfound strength from somewhere."

Scarlette celebrated all around the ring before looking over at her family. She knew she had a lot to talk to them about later on.

*Clover vs Aoife Leavy*

The next woman to come on up to the ring after it was cleared was Clover. This wasteland giant entered the ring while holding up her newly-won Xtrema TV Championship belt. She held it over her shoulder as she entered the ring. After passing the belt over to the referee, she eagerly awaited her opponent.

The last time Aoife Leavy showed up at an Xtrema event, it was an illegal interference in the feud between Queen Bee and Thunder Mana. Now, Aoife came to Xtrema Against the World as a legitimate opponent. She arrived with a green sports bra, a brown Viking shirt, brown boots with grey fur, a wolf-skin cover, and axes in her hands. Once she entered the ring, she removed the wolf skin and the axes turning eagerly at Clover.

"Well, here's another brutal match: a no disqualification match between Xtrema TV Champion, Clover, and the Celtic Warrior of GWM, Aoife Leavy! Now, Ms. Rogue, the last time Aoife Leavy was in Xtrema, she created quite a stir trying to interfere with the ladder match for the Xtrema World Championship. Is there any bad blood there?"

"None at all. Ms. X repaid for the inconvenience she made, and now, it's all strictly business from now on. In fact, it was Clover herself who requested to face her personally, and in a No-DQ match where anything goes."

"I see. Well, let's see if Clover's judgement was spot on."

DING-DING!

Clover and Aoife Leavy met at the center of the ring immediately competing in a classic test of strength. Both women fought without ever giving an inch. The stalemate lasted only a minute before both women decided to separate.

Clover balled up her fist and fired a punch across Aoife's face. However, the Celtic smirked and fired a punch of her own. It connected, and soon, it became an exchange of punches. In the end, Clover won and Aoife ended up falling on her back. Clover then gripped onto her and lifted her up high above her head. She proceeded with heading to the end of the ring and toss Aoife over the ropes. Aoife crashed right at ringside.

Once Aoife had returned to her feet, Clover attempted a baseball slide to kick her, but she surprised her by lifting the apron up and trapping her inside of it. Aoife repeatedly bashed her arm onto the trapped Clover and pulled the bottom rope to wrap it around her neck. To add more pressure, Aoife grabbed Clover's hair and pulled hard further choking her. Aoife soon let Clover go and let her fall underneath the apron.

Aoife picked Clover up from under the ring only to then throw her to the barricade. While she was stunned, Aoife headed to the ring steps and lifted it up. She headed to Clover who was just getting up and swung it down at her. However, Clover caught the steel steps and kicked Aoife away. She then used the steps to attack her back. As soon as Aoife fell on her back, Clover attacked her again with the steel steps. She then discarded the steps and picked Aoife up only to throw her to the corner post.

Clover lifted Aoife up again and threw her back into the ring. She followed, but she continued to climb up the top turnbuckle. She flexed for the crowd before jumping off. She was successful in landing an elbow drop from above and proceeded with a leg hook.

1… 2…

Aoife kicked out, which didn't seem to bother Clover at all. In fact, she grinned sadistically as she grabbed Aoife's legs and pulled them into a Boston crab. She wrenched hard making Aoife grit her teeth in pain.

"Give up?" the referee asked.

"Never!" Aoife shouted.

She reached her hand up and successfully grabbed Clover by her hair. He held on tightly and pulled her off making her let go of the Boston crab. She then returned to her feet and proceeded to throw Clover to the corner. She managed to sent Clover's shoulder through the corner and crash right into the corner post. After the crash, Aoife rolled up Clover in a schoolboy pin.

1… 2…

Clover kicked out, but like her before, Aoife wasn't disappointed. She forced Clover up on her feet and gained some distance between the two of them. She ran forward and attempted to connect with her finishing move, the Gaebolg. However, Clover managed to catch Aoife in the middle and hold her up in a piledriver position. She jumped up and landed both of her knees on the mat crashing Aoife's head down. Clover proceeded with a pin of her own.

1… 2…

Aoife still kicked out. Clover then picked her up from the mat and apply a tight bearhug around her. Aoife gritted her teeth again trying to push Clover away. When she failed, she tried to claw Clover into letting her go, but she just held tighter. Eventually, Aoife had enough and clapped both of her hands onto Clover's ears. The stun was enough to make her release Aoife.

While Clover was stunned, Aoife proceeded to gain some distance before rushing again. This time, her Gaebolg connected and Clover was sent crashing hard onto the mat. Aoife hooked Clover's leg and waited for the referee.

1… 2… 3!

DING-DING!

"And that's the match! It was a brutal exchange, undoubtedly sadistic, but the wolf lady managed to pull off a great win!"

"That she did. It seems to me like Ms. Leavy hasn't lost her touch."

*Calypso vs Laura Matsuda*

Tropical music played in preparation for Calypso. The Brazilian dancer made her grand entrance and danced her way down the ramp and into the ring. Once inside, she gave one last performance before awaiting her opponent.

Laura Matsuda appeared to the sound of similar tropical music. This tan, black-ahired bombshell wore a green martial arts gi with yellow linings She also wore green pants, black bandages around her feet, and a set of bracelets around her wrists. She entered the ring letting sparks fly out of her fingers.

"Here we are in our next match, a tropical one-on-one between two beautiful Brazilians. Representing Xtrema, we have the capoeira master, Calypso. And her opponent is a rising star from Brazil, Laura Matsuda. Ms. Rogue, what can you tell us about this new girl?"

"Well, for starters, she comes from a jiu-jitsu family in Brazil and has adapted her own style into it which she calles Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu. I guess she's attempting to showcase it here on Xtrema Against the World."

"Sounds like quite a show. Will this Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu overcome Calypso, or will she dance her way around this new martial art? Only one way to find out."

DING-DING!

Laura and Calypso met at the center of the ring, but they didn't engage right away. Instead, they hopped their feet up and down pacing themselves. Each woman waited for their opponent to make the first move. Laura thought she saw an opening and went for a grab, but Calypso rolled out of her grasp and ended up behind her. She then countered with a kick to Laura's back pushing her forward. Laura didn't fall, however. She just turned around and faced Calypso again.

Calypso and Laura finally engaged in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, but Laura quickly got the advantage with a headlock. She held on tightly until Calypso used her flexibility to flip herself out of the hold and get behind Laura. She then grabbed her waist with her arms and tossed her with a German suplex. After the impact, Calypso proceeded with an early pin.

1…

Laura kicked out easily. She kicked herself back up to her feet and turned to Calypso, who she caught still getting up. Right when Calypso stood back up, Laura wasted no time jumping and landing a kick so hard, sparks flew from the impact. She then capitalized by grabbing Calypso's leg and pushing her on her back pulling her leg down even further.

Laura wasn't done. She stood up and waited for Calypso to as well. However, the Brazilian dancer surprised her with a sweep kick that sent her straight down. She then stood on her hands and flipped around before landing a legdrop at Laura's chest. She kept the leg on so she could apply a triangle hold. She grabbed Laura's arm and wretched hard with it applying more pressure.

"Give up?" the referee asked, but Laura shook her head.

Laura shot her legs up to ease the pressure of the triangle hold. She successfully broke out of the hold and land her full body on Calypso pinning the shoulders with her body.

1… 2…

Calypso flipped the both of them over reversing their positions. Now, it was Calypso pinning Laura with her body.

1… 2…

Laura pushed Calypso off and rolled herself back to her feet. Calypso did the same. Laura went for an elbow strike, but Calypso flipped backwards to dodge the attack. She landed on her hands and spun around swinging her kicks at Laura's direction. Laura found her opening between the kicks and swept her leg at Calypso's hands making her fall over.

After Calypso fell, Laura went for a axe kick, but she managed to roll out of the way and return to her feet. Calypso rushed at Laura and the jiu jutsu master was ready to grab her. However, Calypso flipped over her and grab her from behind with a rear bearhug. Laura showed off her footwork by moving herself around the ring. Calypso focused and matched her pacing so she wouldn't lose her grip. However, Laura's plan was really to get to the ropes and press both their bodies onto them.

"Rope break." The referee ordered.

Reluctantly, Calypso released Laura, but the Matsuda girl surprised her by grabbing her arm and finally connecting with an elbow strike so hard, the impact made sparks fly. With her opponent stunned, Laura carried on by jumping up high into their without letting go of Calypso. When they both landed on the ground, Laura took full control and rolled herself and Calypso around the ring at lightning speed. The roll ended when Laura wretched hard at Calypso's head with a headlock.

When Laura let go, Calypso was too tired and dizzy to get back up. Laura capitalized on it and grabbed Calypso's arm. She dropped down and locked in a cross armbar. Calypso tried to kick out of it, but Laura's leg kept her down. She had the dancer right where he had her. With no other choice, Calypso tapped out.

DING-DING!

"What a performance! Both these ladies put on quite a show! But in the end, Laura Matsuda made her family proud with her unique technique!"

"Still, Calypso was no slouch. She had Laura matched move for move, so let's not forget the impressive fight she gave. It was a close match, and these girls certainly made the audience happy."

Laura jumped up and celebrated her victory for the adoring crowd. When Calypso returned to her feet, Laura grabbed her hand and held it up so they could both celebrate and be cheered on together.

Scarlette wasn't ready for this moment, but she knew it had finally come. As soon as her son and ex-husband entered the locker room with her, she removed her mask and finally looked at them both with her true face. Even though they both knew the truth, they still couldn't believe who it was standing before them.

"It is you." Isaac said grasping at Scarlette's hand. "All this time, you were Scarlette?"

Emily smiled trying to hold back her tears as she nodded. She turned to her son. "How did you know?"

"Well, I was first suspicious after you sent me by birthday gift." Jason said. "When you signed my name on that birthday card, it looked exactly like the autograph that Scarlette gave me during Olympia."

Emily chuckled. "Who'd have thought? My love for my son actually exposed me."

"That, and I overheard your conversation with Carly X." Jason said. "You accidently answered my call and I heard your whole talk."

Emily blushed chuckling nervously. "Oops. I'm normally more careful."

"You've been wrestling in Japan this whole time." Isaac said. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Emily sighed. "Because I didn't deserve your praise. At least, Emily Mancini didn't. After the… incident which split us up, I needed a new identity, one that my son would look up to, not the mom who almost betrayed her family."

"Mom, I've always looked up to you, just as much as I looked up to Scarlette." Jason assured.

"You didn't need to hide yourself." Isaac said. "I'll always love you, no matter what you do. We've already forgiven you. You just need to forgive yourself."

Emily gave a soft smile. "Not sure if I can do that instantly."

"Take all the time you need." Isaac said. "But don't forget what you're doing. I can tell by the way you fight. You love wrestling as much as Jason loves watching you wrestle. You keep fighting until you reach the end of your career."

"That's my one wish, Mom." Jason said.

Emily let out tears from her eyes as she pulled Isaac and Jason in for a beautiful family hug. The two boys hugged back making this memory last forever in Scarlette's head.

*Xtrema Shorts*

This segment was more festive themed than before. Christmas lights hung from above, snow fell on the stage, Jingle Bell Rock played on the stage, and every Chibi character wore a Santa hat, even Monica Everly and her guest, Maria Crawford.

"Merry Christmas, everybody! Apologies for making you wait this long. We just thought we'd wait until this very morning to upload this. I mean, let's face it. It's a lot more likely that you'd want to read this on Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day. But consider this the holiday chapter to make up for skipping this year's Christmas Special. Anyway, I'm Monica Everly, and joining me tonight is none other than the wrestling dominatrix, Maria Crawford! Thanks for coming to the show, Maria, and Merry Christmas to you."

"Merry Christmas indeed." Chibi Maria said. "Let's get on with this. I've got a naughty elf waiting for me at my hotel room."

"Well, that's certainly a… unique way to spend the holidays." Chibi Monica said. "Now, as per usual, I'll be asking standard questions followed by personal questions asked by our readers. You ready?"

"Hit me."

"All right then. First question… Who was your debut opponent?"

"For every last pig who didn't read chapter 52, I was up against Zelda Logan. All it took was one scorpion lock, and I had that little cow tapping like she thought Morse code was going to save her life."

"What's it like facing Kaito?"

"Oh, he's a real treat, literally. You should have seen how I gave him playful bites when I used him to lure in his girlfriend. I practically made him my bitch easily. And if you think that's bad, just wait until you see me in the ring against him."

"What do you think of Sayuri Rogue?"

"Ugh! She was a lot more fun in her heel days. She was certainly someone I could relate to, someone who I could see as a BFF. Now, if I misbehave, I'm the one who gets punished."

"Who's the easiest opponent you've ever faced other than Kaito?"

"You mean in Xtrema or overall? For Xtrema, it would have to be Zelda Logan. And as for my easiest match ever, it would have to be this creep named Devon. As you recall, I was once a session wrestler, and Devon hired me to beat his ass without him putting up that much of a fight. It was so boring, I swore I slept halfway through the match. That pig wasn't even worth my time, so I charged him double and left his ass in that house."

"Okay, now for the personal questions asked by Awesome ax10. First, what did you cover during your reporting career?"

"Ugh! What's with you bringing up unpleasant memories? Look, I became a reporter for fame and notoriety. But instead, I got stuck covering fluff pieces, mostly about small businesses that no one's heard of or even cares about. Hot dog stands. Gag stores. Timepiece repairs. That kind of thing."

"What story brought you to Queen Bee's gym?"

"Remember what I just said about small businesses I had to cover? That little, struggling wrestling gym was one of them. But to be fair, handing that jobber, Dawn, her ass was the highlight of my whole career. It wasn't long before I decided to quit my dead-end reporting nightmare and become a dominant wrestler."

"Aside from Bee, what wrestlers did you enjoy dominating the most?"

"Well, like I said, before Xtrema, I mostly wrestled men. Most of them just wanted me to kick their asses, but there were a couple who actually did put up a good fight. Like this one guy named Frank Polo. That guy had a tight bearhug. Too bad it left him vulnerable to a breast smother. Then there was Maurice. He would have won with a piledriver if I didn't wrap my legs around his head and turned the tables. You see, I don't mind men who submit, but the best slaves of mine come from those who actually try to fight. It makes breaking their spirits all the more rewarding."

"'Tis the season, I see. Well, that's all we have for right now. If anyone has any more questions to ask our wrestlers, don't be afraid to ask. Have a merry Christmas, a happy new year, and a joyful holiday season! Any and all comments are welcome."