MD106: Aubrey Sloan & Kagura Ohzora vs. Cerberus

[Harthan]

Deadline is Thursday, June 19th at 11:59 PM CST. Extensions available on request.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Match deadline has been extended by 24 hours.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

¤
______________________________​

Ramparte: Like the larvae of the regal monarch butterfly, I found myself incased in a white cocoon. But now that shell is broken, and my wings shall play a song of hurricanes.


The Catalyst sat before the hairdresser and makeup artist as they frantically went to work on his appearance. From the confines of the dressing room, he could hear the audience get lively as the opening theme of the talk show began. Ramparte glanced at the other members of Cerberus from his mirror; Flex Mussél and Eve Taylor looking right back at him, curious at his new wardrobe. His usual white suit sat neatly folded across the room in a chair.


Mussél: I’m not sure this look is you, Rambo...


Taylor: Nonsense, Flex. It’s the right amount of posh. By this time next week the streets will be filled with copycats. Wait and see.


Flex shook his head and left the dressing room. Ramparte adjusted his chrome spider pin on the furry gray sleeveless hoodie and smirked at the Third Head of Cerberus. The fashion model grinned back; shooing the makeup artist and hairdresser away. The audience were laughing at a joke Jack Cohen made from center stage. Backstage, Ramparte stood up with cane in hand and looked down at his purple tasseled tights.


Taylor: So what do you think, Mr. Catalyst?


He turned away to look at himself from the mirror again. He raised an eyebrow and struck a pose.


Ramparte: It’s like I’m staring back at Adonis. This is what a god must feel like.




Eve giggled as he ran his hands over his new clothes. There was a knock at the door and a technician came in.


Tech: Five minutes, guys! Good luck.

¤
______________________________​

Cerberus met up in front of the red curtain that divided them from the people in attendance. The Monsieur of Muscle chuckled under his breath at Ramparte’s attire and extended an arm to Eve. Taking it, Eve extended hers in return. The Catalyst slipped in and tucked his cane under his vacant arm.


Taylor: Tonight marks the true debut of Cerberus. Let’s knock ‘em dead. Our public awaits.



Cohen: ...And hear to sing Cerberus onto the stage, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Florence + The Machine!!!

[YOUTUBE]0SLoOzTMjC8&hd=1[/YOUTUBE]​

Parting the curtains, the jock, the model, and the narcissist walked out arm in arm. Standing in place, they bowed their heads and waited for the chorus. Once it hit, they let each other go and raised their arms to the sky, where red graffiti erupted from the ceiling and fell onto them, the host of the show, and the fans. A big round of applause escaped the crowd. Grinning ear to ear, Flex glanced over at Taylor, who returned the smile. She turned to Ramparte who wickedly beamed right back at her.

They made their way to Cohen, shook his hand, and took a seat on the black leather couch.


Cohen: What an entrance! You all really know how to take a pretty picture, huh?


Mussél: That’s what we’re all about now, Jack. For too long Cerberus has been the antisocial duo of WZCW, but with the lovely gluten-free Eve Taylor now here, all cameras will be on us. Cerberus just got photogenic!


Taylor: My well-built friend here is right. I’m bringing glamour back- the glitz and glamour the fans deserve to see.


Wolf whistles and cheers came from the crowd as they ate up The Third Head’s words. Eve even dropped a wink at the ones who gave her approval. Ramparte couldn’t help but admire the way she had them in the palm of her hands.


Cohen: Oh no doubt, no doubt. Though some have found it hard to cope with your sudden change of heart, Ms. Taylor. Joining Cerberus the way you did by striking out against the WZCW Tag Team Champions, do you have anything to say to your naysayers?


Flex Mussél raised a vein-popping hand, cutting off the model politely before she could answer.


Mussél: Young Justice aren’t these goody-goods television makes them out to be, Mr. Cohen. Eve Taylor cares about her fans just as much as Ramparte and myself do. These bandits- because that’s what they really are, with those goofy masks and bulge-revealing spandex suits- are what’s wrong with the world today.

You can’t go around claiming to be a superhero when you’re not. Any other place of business would have sent them to the funny farm by now. Television has created false idols out of would-be vigilantes and drug addicts...but no more! It is high time that the media focuses on the real heroes: celebrities!


Taylor: I’m here to promote beauty. How can you care about the fans if they aren’t allowed to see your face? That’s not beauty. That’s hiding from your audience. Cerberus will never, ever hide from their fans, Jack.


Once again the talk show viewers clapped for her, and even laughed a little at the tag team champions’ expense. Ramparte sat there quietly; drumming his gloved hand on his wooden cane.


Cohen: What say you, Mr. Ramparte? You’ve been awfully quiet over there. Surely you have some insight on Ms. Taylor’s words.


Ramparte: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and none know beauty as well as we do. I admit...I’ve been carried away with angels and devils on my shoulders...


The Catalyst mockingly closed his eyes and clutched at his heart.


Ramparte: ...but now I see how the world is. It is an ugly place, and along with Cerberus I will purge this dark and vile ugliness with a beautiful cleansing light.

The hypocrites Haven and Hyada will feel it soon enough. But for now a very formidable duo stands in the way of true beauty.


Cohen: Which brings us to our next topic: Aubrey Sloan and Kagura Ohzora. Kagura remains undefeated since her debut a few weeks ago, and Sloan has stood toe-to-toe with the Elite X Champion Constantine. How do you guys feel about going against this pairing? And with Sloan being a friend of yours Eve, how does this make you feel?


Taylor: I have no comment at this time about my friend. I’m sorry.


Eve lowered her head and bit her lip. Members of the audience even blurted out an “Awww” when she did so; feeling just as sad. Jack Cohen shook his head as if he understood, and asked the other two about their upcoming match.


Mussél: I feel sorry for Aubrey Sloan. I think she might be suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness. Nobody can be that determined to catch a bloody squirrel and be alright in the head.


Ramparte: Oh partner I think you’re being naive. I don’t believe she is insane, no. No one can be that out of it and still be such an amazing foe in the ring.

I think the monk is on drugs.


The listening crowd laughed absurdly at his statement. Viewers at home were treated to the phrase “#MonkOnDrugs” displayed in the bottom left-hand corner of their television screens. It was trending worldwide.

From The Catalyst’s ear he could hear the angel speak up; to try and dispel what’s gotten into him. But Ramparte was Cerberus, and Cerberus roamed the Earth; ready to feed lies to those that will listen and feast on the victims social media makes. Ramparte fondled the spider attached to his hoodie. His partner in crime thought it over, and replied.


Mussél: Eh...maybe. Maybe. The Wellness Policy definitely needs to be enforced better. Too many steroid abusin’ guys in the back if I do say so.


Flex flexed out of habit. Eve hid a smile behind her hand.


Mussél: And as for that geisha lady whatshername... we don’t really know that much about her. Does she have tag team experience? Does she have the ring presence to aid Sloan? Does she even lift? Who knows? But I do know one thing- if she’s in cahoots with Squirrely, then she’s on the List. Isn’t that right, Rambo?


Ramparte: I’m sure they are both very good people. But the truth is the truth. Sloan needs help. And if Kagura casts her lot with her, then Kagura needs it, too.

We are a remedy to the people. With the cameras on us, we can alleviate the suffering of the world with our flashy clothes and positive attitude. We will be every child’s role model. Our light will shine brighter than any rising sun Kagura is used to, and will resinate longer than any meditation Sloan practices. I just hope for their sake they are in the right frame of mind to hear us knocking.


And with that, The Catalyst gave the camera a heart-melting smile filled with hidden intentions.


Cohen: And there you have it, folks! Cerberus takes on the inexperienced but fiery hot team of Aubrey Sloan & Kagura Ohzora this week in WZCW. Don’t miss it!

That’s all the time we have. So long, fans!



Feed cuts to static, and the motto of the Cerberus™ organization appears as the scene flickers and then fades to white.

Hail Cerberus!​

¤
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[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Flex Mussel can be seen in a dark corner of a room, quivering at the sight of his face protector/childhood imaginary friend Masquer covered in the germs of calories of Matt Tastic’s Coca Cola.

Masquer: Avenge me Franklin…..

Flex: I’ll make him pay; someday I’ll make that bastard pay for what he did to you Masquer…

Eve: You still haven’t cleaned that thing off?

The mourning of his playmate is cut short as the monsieur of muscle’s new comrade Eve Taylor implores him to join the celebration on the other more well lit side of the room consisting of her, Ramparte, Draxel, and The Winter Soldier.

Flex: I’d like to use this wound as a reminder of the injustice the caped crusaders have allowed to happen with their interference.

Eve: Relax, on Ascension we showed them exactly what happens when you mess with Cerberus, and that’s nothing compared what we’re going to do to them in the future.

The fashion model takes Flex by the hand and leads him over to Ramparte who couldn’t be more thrilled to converse with someone besides the hacker and his silent bodyguard.

Ramparte: It’s about time; I was starting to think you two were purposely leaving me over here.

Draxel: You say that like we weren’t having a thrilling conversation Ramparte.

Ramparte: Talking to you is kind of like watching paint dry in painful fashion.

Soldier: Hostility detected! Reprehensible remarks noted in database!

Eve: Calm down boys, I invited you all here so we can celebrate the completion of the first phase of this new fabulous partnership.

Draxel: And what a mighty fine celebration this is Ms. Taylor, the destruction of Young Justice would never have been possible without you.

Eve: I didn't even lift a finger, it was literally all the hands of Ramparte and Flex.

Draxel: Oh how modest.

The computer hacker finishes his compliments and proceeds to take the hand of Eve and gently kiss it in appreciation. While extremely uncomfortable with the gesture she plays off her annoyance in fabulous fashion.

Ramparte: Smooth….

Flex: Regardless of the message we sent there is still the problem of acquiring an actual shot at the tag team titles. Groups like the Pale Riders and The Elite are still dealing with their own internal problems but eventually they will look to acquire those belts. They must be ours before that happens.

Eve: I have a feeling that problem will be rectified soon; all you and Ramparte must do is overcome Aubrey Sloan and Kagura Ohzora.

Draxel: If I remember correctly being the last time you two were in the ring with Aubrey Sloan it didn’t end too well…

Eve: The success she achieved in that match was only possible due to the underhanded tactics I used and for that I’m sorry. However the past is the past, and now we’re in a bright fabulous future in which the likes of a more improved Cerberus will reign supreme.

Draxel: So is Aubrey no longer your best friend?

Eve: Don't be silly! Of course she is, I wish her the best but Flex and Ramparte are just a more experienced team.

Ramparte: There’s still the problem of Kagura…

Draxel: That’s where my handiness comes in, my database has acquired the little information that is known of her about her time in Japan and to say the least her martial arts skills combined with that of Sloan’s could be troublesome.

Ramparte: I’m confident that Flex’s pure brute strength and my cunning technique will be more than enough to get the job done.

Flex: While I agree my friend a different approach might be more helpful to us.

Ramparte: What better approach is there than to crush all that opposes us?

Flex: Let’s just say it’s a bit more elegant, more so your sophisticated style. We need to show the world Cerberus has turned a new leaf. Eve you’ve got friends in high places, schedule something with one of the leading men of late night. Draxel, find your way into the WZCW database and put us into Chuck Myles’ schedule. It’s about time we pay the new general manager a visit.

Ramparte: What’s your endgame Flex?

Flex: I’ll explain on the car ride over to WZCW headquarters.

The pair of hounds hi five each other with devious smiles while Eve giggles beside them.

Eve: You boys are so cute when you’re devious.


About an hour later…


The new general manager of Meltdown Chuck Myles can be seen sitting at his desk awaiting the arrival of Cerberus. The three hounds enter in formal business attire of Eve’s choice and they all sit in three equally spaced chairs opposite of Chuck.

Myles: What can I do for the three of you?

Flex: Well first and foremost I’d like to congratulate you on becoming the general manager of Meltdown again; all those weeks without Aftershock and I was beginning to think you no longer had a job.

Myles: Backhanded compliments aren’t the way to go about conversing with your boss Mr. Mussel….

Flex: My apologies sir, I just thought you’d have a sense of humor considering all we’d been through. After all if it wasn’t for you Cerberus wouldn’t exist, and now it’s only grown stronger.

Myles: I’ll ask once again, what do you want?

Ramparte: Since you want to skip the formalities we thought we would inform of a great injustice that occurred on your show last week and hopefully you can prevent that from happening in our match this week.

Myles: If you’re referencing the media debacle Mr. Mussel caused us in light of his match against Matt Tastic I can assure you a “formal investigation” is being launched.

Flex: You joke but the evidence is clear in front of the world to see. Doesn’t it concern you in the slightest that the moment I begging to question the legitimacy of our tag team champions they come to save their ring leader and cost me the victory in dubious fashion? Those superheroes aren’t what you think they are Myles.

Myles: Well let’s say you are telling me the truth, how does this affect your upcoming match and what can I do about it?

Eve: That’s why I’m here Mr. Myles. The last time Flex and Ramparte stepped in the ring with Aubrey they were robbed of a victory due to the underhanded skills I taught her during our partnership. I fully admit it was my fault and I throw myself at your mercy. I was desperate for success at the time and I wanted to win by any means necessary. However due to the brilliant guidance of my new allies I now realize what I did was wrong, however I fear that Aubrey’s impressionable mind is past the point of saving and she will once again do the wrong thing.

Ramparte: Not to mention her new partner is also involved in Tastic’s drug ring.

Myles: Now you want to implicate one of my newest signings into this fiasco?

Ramparte: Think about it Chuck, Kagura’s debut in the company was at Ascension Anarchy where she just happened to be involved in the same match with her cohorts Mikey Stormrage and Matt Tastic. A match where Tastic just happened to screw over his partner and Mikey allowed her to get the victory cementing her place in his drug empire. As sweet and innocent as she may be she’s just one of Tastic’s cronies sent to throw us off the trail of Young Justice and now she looks to corrupt Aubrey’s young mind.

Myles: And you’re just telling me this out of the goodness of your hearts?

Flex: We’re doing this because we’ve changed Chuck. This is now a beneficial partnership we have with Eve, she has shown us the being in WZCW has more to offer than just being jerks. We want to put an end to the injustice that the caped crusaders are causing. Our solution may have seemed violent on Ascension but it was necessary considering the grasp they seemingly have on the fans and management.

Ramparte: All we’re asking is for one thing.

Myles: What is that?

Flex: A tag team title shot so we can once and for all prove that Young Justice are not what they seem and so WZCW can have a team they can truly be proud of. We just want to make the world a better place.

A puzzled look is plastered across Chuck’s face as he really seems to be perplexed by the new attitude of Cerberus.

Myles: A decision on the tag titles will be made soon enough, until then your best bet is to use that natural talent you’re always talking about and beat your opponents.

Flex: While that wasn’t the exact answer we were hoping for it’s a start, I’m sure our performance and skill will convince you soon enough. But if you do come to your senses before then here’s my number.

The prophet of health quickly writes something down on a post-it-note and slides across the general manager’s table.

Ramparte: Until then we must bid you adieu, always a pleasure Myles.

The members of Cerberus leave the room as Myles utters a sigh of relief at the end of the meeting. He goes to throw away the post-it-note but quickly notices what it says: “1-800-HAILCERBERUS!”

 

[Bernkastel]

Plaza del Toreo
Veracruz, Mexico
Kagura’s Point of View​

I am still getting used to traveling such long distances. While working in Japan we traveled, but we stayed local and never went far out of our territory. Compared to other countries Japan was small. I knew this now after visiting Mexico. As our plane landed I could only see miles and miles of endless scenery. Japan had scenery on the horizon; but just not as much.

I was currently sitting backstage with Sasuke Gozaburo, my mentor, and another young lady by the name of Aubrey Sloan. Aubrey was my tag team partner for my next match. I used to work tag matches all the time during my time in Japan, and I was a little nervous about tagging in WZCW because most of the competitors were men. I had never tagged with a man before and had no clue as to what to expect, so I was relieved to find my partner to be a woman.

She spoke no Japanese, but even so I felt a bit more comfortable around her. She was a bit of an oddball. Her animated gestures and odd speech patterns made me laugh. Gozaburo really didn’t seem to like her at all. But he put up with her and was respectful to her I’m assuming for my sake. Aubrey on the other hand immediately tried to break the ice between us, but was a little put off when she learned that I indeed spoke little English. Instead she used body language and hand gestures to try and get me to follow along.

Aubrey and Gozaburo were currently arguing over our plan of action…

“I’ve fought with these guys before and I can tell you that’s not going to work! A subtle approach is exactly what these guys want from us. As soon as we let our guards down they’ll take us down!”

Aubrey’s checks were red and she was flustered. From the way Gozaburo was talking to her he obviously was trying to take charge of the group. And she wasn’t going to let that happen.

“We have to be cautious or else we’ll be trampled! You said it yourself that Cerberus has regrouped since adding a new member and because of that we don’t know what they’re capable of now!” He roared back.

I sat on the sideline watching the scene play out before me. Nothing much I could do besides stopping them from fighting each other. Allow me to back up some. Gozaburo and I had been discussing my latest victory over Blade, an established veteran competitor the previous round…

“I’m really proud of you Kagura,” he said. “Blade has the reputation of being one of the best stars here in WZCW and you defeated him like a professional.”

I smiled and blushed.

“I wonder though if Blade really fought me with everything he had? I kept getting the feeling that he was holding back. I wonder if I still would have won if he had put his heart into beating me?”

Gozaburo laughed, “What nonsense is that Kagura? Of course you would have won. Blade’s just not that good. Period… You should be more worried about your next match.”

I really didn’t like Gozaburo’s outlook when it came to the other competitors in the company. I knew that he wasn’t always a good person. He used to be a brutal competitor with little regard for his opponents or allies. He didn’t seem to have many friends and only associated with others like him when it was beneficiary. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to make allies and compete not because I wanted some prize, but because I simply relished the challenge.

We were interrupted at that moment by a girl who walked up beside us. She was about my height and wore western clothes. She was very pretty and it was obvious that she carried herself without any sense of perceived caution. She wasn’t part of the production crew, and wasn’t holding a camera. And I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that I already had such a large international fanbase. She must have been a wrestler.

We turned to look at her as she introduced herself…

“Hello. I glad to meet you two. My name is… uhh…Aubrey Sloan.” She grabbed my hand and shook it before trusting her hand at Gozaburo.

He stared down at her before reluctantly giving her hand a solid pump. She turned towards my direction and quickly gave me a glance over.

“Wow, your outfit is so cool. They remind me of the ropes my teachers from Tibet used to wear. I may not look it but I was raised by celibate monks. But don’t get the wrong idea, I am definitely not celibate… er… that is to say that I enjoy living life.”

Her speech was so fast that even if I could understand English I doubt I could follow much of it. She stopped and corrected herself as if she had apparently blurted out something that she shouldn’t have. She was so animated that it promoted a natural positive response from me. I greeted her with a warm smile.

Gozaburo on the other hand wasn’t amused. He glared at her before speaking.

“Who are you?”

“I’m...uhh... Aubrey Sloan, didn’t you hear?” replied the girl.

“I know that. I asked who you are, not what your name is.” I saw his eyes narrow.

“I’m Kagura’s tag team partner this round,” she said while beaming.

“I’ve fought with Cerberus before so I know everything about them.”

He turned to me and began speaking in Japanese. Introducing Aubrey as my tag team partner for my next match, while she looked on obviously intrigued as to what we were saying. Gozaburo turned to look at her before switching back to English.

“Ah, yes. Cerberus. Kagura and I were just talking about them. I admit that we don’t know much about them other than the basics. Perhaps you could provide some of your knowledge?”

She nodded, “of course. I’ve fought with them before. One part is Flex Mussel, the dastardly Frenchman with an obsession for calisthenics. The other part is Ramparte, the devilishly handsome beast with a keen eye for the diabolical.”

And then her eyes seemed to narrow. Her tone changed. Even though I did not understand I knew that something was bothering her.

“The last part is the freshly added Eve Taylor. She was my friend once.”

She looked downtrodden. I almost pitied her. But gazing up at Gozaburo I saw that he hadn’t moved at all. The only thing he had done was light up a cigarette.

“That’s great and all but I was hoping you’d be able to provide more details on their fighting styles? Perhaps we could form some sort of stragety in order to combat them.”

“It’s simple strategy really. Kagura and I will pound on them until they give up.” Aubrey shrugged.

Gozaburo shook his head, “That’s not good enough. We have to use our heads here. From what I know through the information that I have gathered Cerberus has had some hard times lately but they’ll be looking to make a comeback. Hitting them hard will likely put us at a disadvantage because that’s exactly what they’ll be expecting for us to do.”

Aubrey put her hand on her hips and scoffed, “And you know this how? Cerberus has always been a hard hitting team and we need to be prepared for that. We need to hit them twice as hard.”

“I know because I’ve been wrestling longer than you’ve been alive girl,” he sneered. “Hitting other teams as hard as they could have has only brought Cerberus so far. Now that they have a new leader wouldn’t they try a different strategy?”

Aubrey did a double take, “New leader?”

He buried his face in his hand, “You just said Mussel and Ramparte added a new head to Cerberus recently… Eve Taylor… why do you think they did that if they weren’t looking to make her into their leader?”

And then the conversation suddenly took a turn downhill. I couldn’t follow any of it but I knew that Aubrey was naturally an alpha type that liked to take charge on situations when things got serious. Gozaburo was the same way. I stepped backwards and leaned myself up against the concrete wall. I was reduced to the position of moderator.

Aubrey was seething trying to process what Gozaburo had said; obvious he had hit some kind of soft spot.

“That doesn’t… change anything and I think Cerberus will come at us full force, and we need to be prepared to take them out with twice as much force in half the time,” she quickly replied.

Gozaburo flicked the ashes of his cigarette onto the ground, “I disagree. We need to come up with a strategy to separate the two of them and crush them individually. We need to tread around them cautiously. Having Eve Taylor in their corner has certainly boosted their momentum. We need to find a way to stop that. A forceful approach is not going to work here.”

“I’ve fought with these guys before and I can tell you that’s not going to work! A subtle approach is exactly what these guys want from us. As soon as we let our guards down they’ll take us down.”

Aubrey’s checks were red and she was flustered. From the way Gozaburo was talking to her he obviously was trying to take charge of the group. And she wasn’t going to let that happen.

“We have to be cautious or else we’ll be trampled! You said it yourself that Cerberus has regrouped since adding a new member and because of that we don’t know what they’re capable of now.” He roared back.

I sat on the sideline watching the scene play out before me. Nothing much I could do besides stopping them from fighting each other. I took a step forward and got between them. I turned to Gozaburo, placed a hand on his chest, and spoke to him in Japanese…

“Stop this Gozaburo, please! It’s obvious that she’s just trying to help us. I’ll go along with whatever she decides to do. So please… just trust her.”

“Fine. Do whatever you want,” he responded in Japanese. Then he turned and walked away.

I turned to Aubrey and smiled. And with all of my skill I responded to her in my best English…

“You, I trust. Go Aubrey-san. We beat Cerberus!”

I pumped my fist in the air. She looked at me and laughed hysterically before pumping her fist in the air next to mine.

---

Plaza del Toreo
Veracruz, Mexico
Sauske’s Point of View​

I had worked Mexico numerous times in past. I enjoyed it. I was glad to be back after so many years. Kagura was wide eyed and awed at everything. I couldn’t blame her. She didn’t grow up experiencing new cultures like I did. The shrine was basically all she knew.

I was backstage discussing Kagura’s next match. A tag team match against a team called Cerberus. It did not matter to me who was chosen to be Kagura’s partner as long as they followed my lead. The information that I had gotten from Cohen suggested that Cerberus had gotten themselves a new leader. Whatever they had been doing as a team before wasn’t working, so obviously that meant they were going to try a new approach. I knew how the game worked. I had teamed before. In fact I had rarely lost in tag bouts. None of these snot nosed little brats in this company had any clue how to adapt and plan for tag team battles the way I did.

We were interrupted by a young girl who inserted herself between Kagura and I. She didn’t look like an announcer, and I knew Kagura didn’t have a strong international fan base yet. She must have been a wrestler. I didn’t have a problem with her until she opened her mouth. She would go on and on at warp speed through several topics, sticking her foot in her mouth. Internally I scoffed. She was a newbie to the company just like Kagura. I’d probably wind up having to coach them both and produce some kind of miracle that prevented Cerberus from squashing both of them.

Much to my chagrin I later found myself locked in a heated argument with the girl…

“I’ve fought with these guys before and I can tell you that’s not going to work! A subtle approach is exactly what these guys want from us. As soon as we let our guards down they’ll take us down!”

The girl’s checks were red and she was flustered. I was trying to take charge of this group because I knew how Cerberus was likely to act. I didn’t care to know who they were; I only cared to know how they fought so we could come up with a good strategy.

“We have to be cautious or else we’ll be trampled! You said it yourself that Cerberus has regrouped since adding a new member and because of that we don’t know what they’re capable of now!” I roared back.

The girl had a disrespectful mouth on her. I was trying to look out for Kagura’s best interest. But let me back up some. I had been discussing her latest victory over Blade. I was so proud of her.

“I’m really proud of you Kagura,” I said. “Blade has the reputation of being one of the best stars here in WZCW and you defeated him like a professional.”

She smiled and blushed.

“I wonder though if Blade really fought me with everything he had? I kept getting the feeling that he was holding back. I wonder if I still would have won if he had put his heart into beating me?”

I laughed, “What nonsense is that Kagura? Of course you would have won. Blade’s just not that good. Period… You should be more worried about your next match.”

Of course I was only fronting to motivate the girl. Truthfully I saw that Blade wasn’t putting his heart into the match. If he had who knows what would have happened. But I was glad she came out with a win. When I looked at the rest of the competition in the fed I saw that everyone was creating alliances. There teams and stables forming everywhere. And to be honest I was a little unsettled because I wasn’t used to seeing stuff like that in the old days. It was new territory for me. In order to keep Kagura safe I needed to act in her best interest. But I didn’t want to make any alliances yet.

We were interrupted at that moment by a girl who walked up beside us. She was shorter than I was and wore western clothes. She was attractive and it was obvious that she carried herself without any sense of perceived caution.

We turned to look at her as she introduced herself…

“Hello. I'm glad to meet you two. My name is… uhh… Aubrey Sloan.” She grabbed Kagura’s hand and shook it before trusting her hand towards my face.

I stared down at her before reluctantly giving her hand a solid pump. She turned towards Kagura’s direction and quickly gave her a glance over.

“Wow, your outfit is so cool. They remind me of the ropes my teachers from Tibet used to wear. I may not look it but I was raised by celibate monks. But don’t get the wrong idea, I am definitely not celibate… er… that is to say that I enjoy living life.”

I sighed and prayed that this girl had an off switch. She was giving me a headache with her excessive blabbering. Who was this girl? I hoped she wasn’t Kagura’s tag partner.

I glared at her before speaking. “Who are you?”

“I’m...uhh... Aubrey Sloan, didn’t you hear?” replied the girl.

“I know that. I asked who you are, not what your name is.” I narrowed my eyes.

I didn’t like when people insulted my intelligence. If I were to entrust this girl with Kagura’s safety then I had to know that she wasn’t incompetent.

“I’m Kagura’s tag team partner this round,” she said while beaming.

“I’ve fought with Cerberus before so I know everything about them.”

I lifted an eyebrow. She had fought them before? Good. Then maybe she could tell me how they fought so that we could come up with a counter strategy. We needed to play this match safely. Kagura and this girl needed to be able to isolate the members of Cerberus individually in order to beat them.

I turned to Kagura and began speaking Japanese, “This is Aubrey Sloan. She’ll be your tag team partner this round. As you can see she is pleased to meet you. But I do have some concerns on your opponents so I’ll need you to listen closely.”

Kagura nodded as I engaged Aubrey in English.

“Ah, yes. Cerberus. Kagura and I were just talking about them. I admit that we don’t know much about them other than the basics. Perhaps you could provide some of your knowledge?”

She nodded, “of course. I’ve fought with them before. One part is Flex Mussel, the dastardly Frenchman with an obsession for calisthenics. The other part is Ramparte, the devilishly handsome beast with a keen eye for the diabolical.”

And then her eyes seemed to narrow. Her tone changed. Clearly she was masking some sort of pain but that wasn’t part of my concern. I lit up a cigarette and took a puff.

“The last part is the freshly added Eve Taylor. She was my friend once.”

“That’s great and all but I was hoping you’d be able to provide more details on their fighting styles? Perhaps we could form some sort of stragety in order to combat them.”

“It’s simple strategy really. Kagura and I will pound on them until they give up.” she shrugged.

I shook my head, “That’s not good enough. We have to use our heads here. From what I know through the information that I have gathered Cerberus has had some hard times lately but they’ll be looking to make a comeback. Hitting them hard will likely put us at a disadvantage because that’s exactly what they’ll be expecting for us to do.”

The girl put her hand on her hips and scoffed, “And you know this how? Cerberus has always been a hard hitting team and we need to be prepared for that. We need to hit them twice as hard.”

“I know because I’ve been wrestling longer than you’ve been alive girl,” I sneered at the brat. “Hitting other teams as hard as they could have has only brought Cerberus so far. Now that they have a new leader wouldn’t they try a different strategy?”

The girl did a double take, “New leader?”

I buried my face in my hand, “You just said Mussel and Ramparte added a new head to Cerberus recently… Eve Taylor… why do you think they did that if they weren’t looking to make her into their leader?”

And then the conversation suddenly took a turn downhill. Obviously this Eve Taylor must have meant something to the girl because her demeanor changed altogether. I could see that she was seething slightly.

“That doesn’t… change anything and I think Cerberus will come at us full force, and we need to be prepared to take them out with twice as much force in half the time,” she replied.

I flicked the ashes of my cigarette onto the ground, “I disagree. We need to come up with a strategy to separate the two of them and crush them individually. We need to tread around them cautiously. Having Eve Taylor in their corner has certainly boosted their momentum. We need to find a way to stop that. A forceful approach is not going to work here.”

“I’ve fought with these guys before and I can tell you that’s not going to work! A subtle approach is exactly what these guys want from us. As soon as we let our guards down they’ll take us down.”

The girl’s checks were red and she was flustered. This wasn’t going to work. Obviously the girl wanted to do things her way and damn anyone that would try and stop her. But I knew better. Cerberus was on a mission. They wouldn’t have brought in new blood only to fall back on old habits that got them nowhere in the past. If Kagura followed this directionless girl she’d get slaughtered. She was high on emotion and probably motivated by revenge and I wasn’t going to place Kagura’s safety in her hands.

“We have to be cautious or else we’ll be trampled! You said it yourself that Cerberus has regrouped since adding a new member and because of that we don’t know what they’re capable of now.” I roared back.

Kagura had been sitting back and watching the whole scene. Her face had gone from happiness to demureness to agitation. She couldn’t understand what the girl and I were saying, but she could read our body language just fine. Suddenly she stepped in front of me and placed her hand on my chest.

“Stop this Gozaburo, please! It’s obvious that she’s just trying to help us. I’ll go along with whatever she decides to do. So please… just trust her.”

“Fine. Do whatever you want,” I responded in Japanese. Then I turned and walked away.

I had to. I knew I was letting my anger get the better of me, but I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if Kagura got injured over my poor planning. I wasn’t a young man anymore. I could hold my own in a fight, but I doubted I could take down both members of Cerberus at once if I was forced into that situation. I didn’t trust this Aubrey Sloan girl. And more than likely she’d be a target of Cerberus due to her past afflation with the new member.

I stopped and punched the wall behind me and flipped over a table in fit of sudden rage. If any harm came to Kagura in this match I wouldn’t forgive Aubrey Sloan. And I wouldn’t forgive Cerberus either. This time I had to accompany them to the ring. I had to keep Kagura safe at all costs…even if my body was injured in the process.

 

[Harthan]

Plaza del Toreo
Veracruz, Mexico
Aubrey’s Point of View​

The girl still didn't really understand why she was here and why she was partnered with this "Kagura" instead of Eve. No one would tell her how to get in touch with Eve anymore - and Eve wasn't seeking her out. She knew that Eve had been hanging out with Cerberus, of course, but she doesn't she why just because Eve had new friends that they couldn't still be friends.

Still, no one would give her a chance to be friends with Eve anymore, and now it was time to fight once more, and they had partnered her with Kagura. She immediately sympathized with her - she too had come to a foreign country that she knew little about to wrestle in WZCW, and she too had little in the way of friendship here. For the first time, she was grateful she had never learned Chinese - she had the ability to speak fluent English as a result, but Kagura spoke only broken English.

“I’ve fought with these guys before and I can tell you that’s not going to work! A subtle approach is exactly what these guys want from us. As soon as we let our guards down they’ll take us down.”

The girl was starting to lose her calm - not that it was particularly hard for that to happen. She was immediately distrustful of this "Gozaburo" - why were all their names so odd? He was trying to direct her, but she at least had a little understanding of WZCW at this point - more than he did.

“We have to be cautious or else we’ll be trampled! You said it yourself that Cerberus has regrouped since adding a new member and because of that we don’t know what they’re capable of now.”

Kagura was silent throughout all of this, but the girl hardly noticed. She was too busy trying to argue with Gozaburo on the right course of action. Eve had at least taught the girl enough to know she was in the right here.

She recalled having met these two. She had been directed toward them and had found them in the middle of a conversation. She hardly saw any reason to wait for them to finish.

“Hello. I glad to meet you two. My name is...ahhh...Aubrey...” The grabbed girl grabbed Kagura's hand and shook it before trusting her hand at Gozaburo.

She wanted to compliment Kagura - she had heard that this was a good way to make friends quickly, so she tried her best.

“Wow, your outfit is so cool. They remind me of the ropes my teachers from Tibet used to wear. I may not look it but I was raised by celibate monks. But don’t get the wrong idea, I am definitely not celibate… er… that is to say that I enjoy living life.”

Kagura smiled at her, which the girl took as a good sign and she smiled broadly back. The man with her did not smile, however.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Aubrey, didn’t you hear?” replied the girl.

“I know that. I asked who you are not what your name was.”

The girl started to feel as though she was not doing very well at making friends.

“I’m Kagura’s tag team partner this round,” she said while beaming.

“I’ve fought with Cerberus before so I know everything about them.”

The two of them started speaking in what she thought was Japanese for some time. The girl started to feel as though she was being talked about.

“Ah, yes. Cerberus. Kagura and I were just talking about them. I admit that we don’t know much about them other than the basics. Perhaps you could provide some of your knowledge?”

She nodded, “Of course. I’ve fought with them before. One part is Flex Mussel, the dastardly Frenchman with an obsession for calisthenics. The other part is Ramparte, the devilishly handsome beast with a keen eye for the diabolical.”

She was eager to help, but when she thought of Eve, it was hard to go on.

“The last part is the freshly added Eve Taylor. She was my friend once.”

“That’s great and all but I was hoping you’d be able to provide more details on their fighting styles? Perhaps we could form some sort of strategy in order to combat them.”

“It’s simple strategy really. Kagura and I will pound on them until they give up.” She shrugged.

The man shook his head, “That’s not good enough. We have to use our heads here. From what I know through the information that I have gathered Cerberus has had some hard times lately but they’ll be looking to make a comeback. Hitting them hard will likely put us at a disadvantage because that’s exactly what they’ll be expecting for us to do.”

The girl put her hand on her hips and scoffed, “And you know this how? Cerberus has always been a hard hitting team and we need to be prepared for that. We need to hit them twice as hard.”

“I know because I’ve been wrestling longer than you’ve been alive girl,” he sneered. “Hitting other teams as hard as they could have has only brought Cerberus so far. Now that they have a new leader wouldn’t they try a different strategy?”

The girl was confused. “New leader?”

He buried his face in his hand, “You just said Mussel and Ramparte added a new head to Cerberus recently… Eve Taylor… why do you think they did that if they weren’t looking to make her into their leader?”

She realized she had always thought of herself as at least equal with Eve, and even somewhat the leader. She had thought Eve was helping her along, but in the ring, she thought...

“That doesn’t… change anything I think Cerberus will come at us full force, and we need to be prepared to take them out with twice as much force in half the time,” she replied.

The man flicked the ashes of his cigarette onto the ground, “I disagree. We need to come up with a strategy to separate the two of them and crush them individually. We need to tread around them cautiously. Having Eve Taylor in their corner has certainly boosted their momentum. We need to find a way to stop that. A forceful approach is not going to work here.”

The girl's recollections faded and she came back to the moment of the conversation. Suddenly, Kagura stepped in and began speaking Japanese. The girl was once again deeply confused about what was happening. The man responded back in similar language. Kagura looked at the girl and smiled, then said, “You, I trust. Go Aubrey-san. We beat Cerberus.”

The girl grinned widely. Maybe she had made a new friend. She was worried about facing Eve again, but with Kagura on her side, well, anything could happen.