Post by Neptune on May 22, 2015 22:03:49 GMT -6
The speed at which Neptune was kicking Dai and Taro was nothing short of amazing. He moved so fast, it was as though there were only blurs going through the air, hitting the bodyguards. Dai and Taro were wearing their usual padded suits to avoid getting hurt by the sting of Neptune’s kicks. It was late afternoon (Neptune woke up late and therefore started training at about 1pm or so) and already Dai and Taro were ready to fall to the mat and sleep right then and there.
Neptune: Come on guys! I hate this part too but we’ve got to go through it. It’ll be over soon!
Dai: Easy for you to say, Neptune. You’re the one hitting us.
Neptune: Oh? You can attack me if you want. Let’s do it. Come at me. Come at me with all you’ve got!
Taro looked at Dai and clearly wasn’t interested in being the attacker so he stepped back to allow Dai to do what he wanted.
Dai: Right… Okay… Here we go!
Dai let out a scream before rushing towards Neptune.
Now, you’ve got to understand a little something about Neptune. He was fast. Like fast enough to warrant the nickname ‘Lightning Monkey’. To Neptune, Dai was moving in slow motion and it was with great ease that the red haired boy was able to grab Dai’s shoulder, use it as leverage to launch himself in the air and above Dai to finally land behind him to kick him right on his lower back. This caused Dai to lose his footing and fall backwards, landing hard on the mat.
Dai: Owwwww!
Neptune grinned, happy with himself.
Neptune: See? Don’t you prefer just being a punching bag?
You could see on Dai’s face that he agreed wholeheartedly with Neptune. Taro snickered in the background. Neptune smiled as he helped Dai get back on his feet, patting him on his back.
Neptune: You ok?
Dai: Yes, Neptune-san. Just a little bit winded.
Mattaki: It’s not nice to prey on the weak.
Dai: HEY!
Neptune’s face lit up as soon as he heard Mattaki’s voice. The Lightning Monkey jumped out of the ring and right in Mattaki’s arms.
Neptune: Where have you been??
Mattaki grinned.
Mattaki: You act like you haven’t seen me in ages. It’s only been fifteen minutes.
Neptune poked his tongue out at Mattaki.
Neptune: Pfft. I can’t help but miss you when you’re not around. Even if it’s just for fifteen minutes.
Mattaki: You’re so clingy.
Neptune shook his head as he slugged Mattaki on his arm.
Neptune: And you’re a jerk.
The way Mattaki was looking at Neptune, you’d think he wanted to throw Neptune on the ground and have his way with him right then and there. But Mattaki had other plans.
Mattaki: Alright, boys, clear out the ring.
Neptune was beaming now.
Neptune: Oh yay, we’re done with training? That’s so---
Mattaki: No we’re not. I am going to train with you now.
Neptune’s tone dropped considerably.
Neptune: ---cool.
Mattaki raised an eyebrow.
Mattaki: What, are you not happy to train with me?
Neptune frowned.
Neptune: You’re just so mean when you’re in training mode. You really earned that name Dragon, you know.
Mattaki smiled as he messed up Neptune’s hair.
Mattaki: You ain’t seen nothing yet, monkey boy.
Mattaki climbed into the ring.
Neptune: Okay, that actually sounds scary.
Mattaki: I’m waiting.
Dai and Taro watched as Neptune joined Mattaki in the ring. At that moment, Nezumi Tanaka made his way into the gym and stood by the bodyguards. Tanaka was wearing an expensive looking suit, as per usual.
Tanaka: I thought you two trained with them?
Taro: Mattaki is about to do something.
Dai: Yeah, knowing him… it will not be all rainbows and sunshine.
Tanaka: Well, I hope they hurry because we have to talk about certain things concerning Fate of the Gods.
Suddenly, Neptune and Mattaki clashed against each other. Neptune’s kicks flew so fast and so much that it seemed his feet were barely touching the mat. Mattaki had his guard up and the smacks of the kicks hitting his forearm were brutal. They were not messing around, even though it was training. Mattaki never went easy on Neptune and vice versa. They gave it their all. Neptune’s hair was sticking to his forehead as he kept trying to take Mattaki down with his offensive moves. Mattaki was more methodical but you could see he was also using up a lot of energy.
Mattaki finally went for some offensive moves of his own, using his physical strength as an advantage. He cornered Neptune but the red head was quick enough to escape that corner. Mattaki kept on him however, thrusting his palm into Neptune’s chest. Neptune gasped, but was quick to attack again. And that was what Mattaki was waiting for, it seemed. Mattaki caught Neptune’s leg and took him down to the mat. Neptune tried to escape again but this time Mattaki had a firm grip on him and swiftly grabbed Neptune's ankle and locked it tight. Neptune screamed out in pain, gritting his teeth.
Neptune: JERK!
Mattaki was in a sitting position now and had Neptune in a form of ankle lock. It looked painful. Very painful. Neptune could feel pain all the way to his toes, which kept curling in and out. Mattaki looked focused and somewhat even a little bit cold.
Outside, Dai and Taro exchanged a glance.
Dai: Looks like it’s about to be over.
Taro: I can’t watch this.
Tanaka: Boy, these two sure take this very seriously.
In the ring, Neptune was breathing heavily and looked like he was about to submit to end the pain.
Mattaki: If you quit, I will not touch you for a month.
Neptune’s eyes went big.
Neptune: WHAT?!
Mattaki looked into Neptune’s eyes so he could see how serious he was.
Mattaki: This is a training for your endurance. I will not have you quit this easily. I need you to be motivated. Quit now and I will not hug you, kiss you, not even shake hands with you for a whole month. Your choice.
Neptune’s eyes burned with so much fury.
Neptune: You jerk! Jerk! JERK!
But the red head didn’t tap out. He couldn’t. No way. He couldn’t spend a minute without Mattaki’s touch. How was he supposed to last a month? That was impossible! That would be asking someone not to freaking breathe for a month. It couldn’t be done!
Neptune: No one is as good as you… No one would ever have me in this situation.
Neptune was of course struggling so he thought of talking his way out of it. You never know.
Mattaki: You use your feet all the time, it is not a secret. You don’t think we’re going to face opponents who might use that information to take you out? You have to be able to endure anything they throw at you.
Neptune’s face grimaced in pain.
Neptune: But… the Gang Stars won’t be those opponents. They’re not good enough.
Mattaki twisted the lock a degree more, causing Neptune a lot of discomfort.
Mattaki: Maybe. Maybe they’re desperate. We have humiliated them and beaten them. Desperate people do desperate things.
Mattaki was now using his fingernails to scratch the bottom of Neptune’s foot. Neptune’s body was now twitching as he tried to pull away.
Neptune: STOP THAT! STOP!
Mattaki frowned.
Mattaki: Are you quitting? Are you making that choice?
Neptune gritted his teeth, the pain was so much and he could feel his whole body sweating and stretching, as if that would ease the pain.
Neptune: …no. NO!
Outside of the ring, Dai shook his head.
Dai: Man, Mattaki sure can be tough.
Taro had turned around at this point, refusing to watch what was happening.
Taro: I really don’t like seeing Neptune in pain like this.
Tanaka, however, looked like he was observing the scene with great interest.
Tanaka: Neither does Mattaki.
The Thunder Dragon was stoic and kept his focus. Neptune had his hands on his face, screaming to let the pain out.
Mattaki: Are you reaching your limit?
Neptune let his hands fall to his sides as he stared at the ceiling. He felt dizzy and somewhat out of it.
Neptune: No.
Mattaki: You’re not quitting?
Neptune’s head felt light.
Neptune: No.
Mattaki was looking at Neptune’s face, his eyes not showing any emotion at this point.
Mattaki: Why not?
Neptune gritted his teeth as he felt Mattaki’s nails scrape the bottom of his foot.
Neptune: I am survivor, Mattaki…
Neptune gathered his strength to prop himself on his elbows to look at Mattaki.
Neptune: I was alone and I survived. I didn’t think I would but I did.
Mattaki: That’s why you won’t quit? That’s why you won’t lose to Gang Stars if they pull this kind of stunt on you?
Neptune’s eyes filled up with tears, making Mattaki’s gaze falter for a moment. Neptune cracked a little smile however.
Neptune: That’s not why. I am survivor yes… but you… YOU made me unbreakable.
It was so quick, nobody saw it coming. Neptune managed to slip his foot out of Mattaki’s grip and slap him in the face with his other foot. SMACK. It was a hard and definite sound.
Neptune pulled himself up, with some difficulty, and looked like he was ready to go for another round. Mattaki rubbed his cheek as he also got on his feet. He smiled at Neptune.
Mattaki: Not bad.
Neptune frowned at the Thunder Dragon.
Neptune: Not bad? NOT BAD?! You’re so freaking mean! That was better than ‘not bad’!
Neptune went to slug Mattaki on his arm but Mattaki grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss.
Dai: Sometimes I think that’s their version of foreplay.
Taro: DON’T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!
Tanaka was smiling silently.
Mattaki: Are you okay? I hope I didn’t hurt you.
Neptune: You’re worried about that NOW?
Mattaki kissed Neptune’s lips.
Mattaki: I’m sorry if I went too far. I just want you to be prepared for anything that could happen.
Neptune: Well, what do I have you for? Isn’t that your job to save me from those situations?
Mattaki held Neptune close.
Mattaki: Of course, you monkey. But sometimes I might be busy fighting off the partner of your opponent. I will always save you but you’ve got to be able to hold on until I can.
Neptune let out a little laugh.
Neptune: I’ll always hold on for you, Mattaki. You know that.
Mattaki looked at Neptune. Words couldn’t do justice to how Mattaki felt about Neptune. No matter how eloquent, articulate, rich the vocabulary was… nothing would be able to come close to describing how the Dragon felt about his Monkey. Neptune could feel it. He recognized the look. He knew that look. That’s how he looked at Mattaki.
Tanaka clapped his hand to get their attention.
Tanaka: Okay, boys. How about you climb out of that ring now? We still have things to do in preparation for your big match.
Mattaki: Don’t worry, Tanaka.
Neptune grinned and gave a thumbs up.
Neptune: We’re prepared.
~ Lightning Strikes! ~
As Michael Jackson once said… “This is it!”
Mattaki and I have been gearing up for this moment ever since we stepped foot inside of VOW. We have been claiming that we were THE team to talk about and the only ones worthy of being called champions. We’ve made promises and we’ve held those promises. Ziu Zhong and Patrick Jones found out the hard way that it is not a good thing to mess with Project Snakehead. For people who don’t know us, sure, we might come across as arrogant and full of crap. But we’ve proven that we’re not just talking out of our asses. We mean what we say. When we said we were going to be the next Twin City champions, we meant every word of it. There is only one step left towards attaining that goal and it is a step that is familiar to us. We have beaten the current champions before and we will do it again.
Mattaki told me that Gang Stars might be desperate at this point. I agree, and I can see why. McClure and Brown must know that their reign as champions is coming to an end. They haven’t done anything for the tag division of this fed. I mean, seriously, there are no real tag teams here except for Project Snakehead. Zhong and Jones were thrown together. Those Guys were beaten so badly they may never be heard from again. We even fought two freaks who have since gone silent. The tag division is non-existent here, but that’s about to change. Project Snakehead will make the Twin City championship worth something. The Gang Stars will not be the ones to hand us our first defeat here in VOW. I know it sounds like I’m completely underestimating them as a threat but when you’ve met that threat and squashed it, you can’t help but feel confident. McClure and Brown have been silent ever since we beat them. It’s only now that they are facing us at Fate of the Gods that they’ve decided to show the world they are still alive. Tell me, what kind of champions act like that? If I was a champion and I got beat, you can bet I would do all it takes to prove that I was still worthy of being called a champion. I wouldn’t bury my head in the sand for weeks until I was forced to speak again. I am not a coward. McClure and Brown, they are cowards.
Humour is great. I do like a good comedy. And I love stand up shows. Well, most of them anyway. But you know what? Being funny isn’t going to help when you’re in a fight. Especially when the fight is about GOLD. Shay likes to rhyme and he likes to be the funny man. Though I hear VOW just signed a stand up comedian to their roster, I guess Shay is going to have some competition there. Anyway, Shay can be funny and Brown can help him be funny too… but that didn’t make a difference against Project Snakehead. Mattaki and I beat them. We beat the champions. People can say what they want about us, about how we shamelessly display our love for each other, about how we are arrogant and confident, but what matters is that Project Snakehead is perfection. As a team, we are unbreakable. We don’t have issues that all the other teams have. We live for our team, we live for us. We don’t live for solo glory. We are not burdened by petty jealousy. We don’t hide behind humour. We are who we are and we are not ashamed of it. We live, breathe, and fight for each other. That’s why we will be crowned the new Twin City champions in New York. That’s why the Gang Stars will come undone. That’s why the tag division of VOW will suddenly have a surge of power and life. Project Snakehead is going to create an inferno at the Hammerstein Ballroom, an inferno in which champions will be forged.
We do not make empty promises.
We do not stop.
We are the best team you’ll ever see.
We are Project Snakehead.
And the Twin City championship will be ours.