Atomic Bat and Blue Tango found themselves perched atop a towering building, their vigilant gazes scanning the city below.
The streets seemed unusually calm, devoid of the usual chaos and criminal activities that kept their adrenaline pumping. A sense of boredom began to settle in.
Atomic Bat sighed, her cape fluttering in the wind.
"You know, Tango, it's a good thing that crime is low tonight, but it sure does make the night drag on."
Blue Tango joined Atomic Bat and took a seat beside her, his masked face etched with frustration.
"I dunno, Batsy… I'm a little jelly over War Games. Tokyo, Yakuza, monsters, and giant robots, oh my! Last year was wild, and I bet this year was a real trip. I woulda loved to smash some mafia heads together given the chance!"
Tango clenched his right fist and smacked it into his left hand. Atomic Bat let out a chuckle, her gloved hand gently patting Tango on the back.
"I must say, Tango, your enthusiasm is contagious. The war against the Yakuza was no small feat, and while we managed to come out victorious, I couldn't help but feel that your presence would have been greatly appreciated."
Blue Tango's eyes gleamed with determination as he nodded.
"That's what I'm sayin'! Listen though, War Games is over, and we still have a big problem on our hands. We've gotta figure out Doomsayer's whereabouts and take his evil butt down."
Atomic Bat leaned closer, her voice filled with reassurance.
"His time will come, Tango. The city needs us. We'll be ready when the next threat arises. Until then, let's remain vigilant and stay true to our purpose. We may be bored now, but it's moments like these that allow us to recharge and be even stronger when the next Blood Moon rises"
Blue Tango’s brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to decipher the meaning of Atomic Bat’s cryptic words.
”The Blood-what-now, is that a vampire thing?”
]”Oh, um… Sorry. A friend turned me onto that new Zelda game and… I meant that when the baddies return…”
An awkward moment lingered between them until Tango finally spoke up. “...Oh…”
"...Anyway, I know what you're saying, but I can't help but feel like we're waiting around for something even more terrible to happen. He took down the villains first, then the heroes… There's a chance that if we keep wasting time, we're going to run out of it!"
"What is it you expect us to do? We can't look in every nook and cranny of the universe for him, that would be a waste. We know this isn't over and we know he'll resurface again."
"It makes me feel helpless. He's out there planning his next move, I wish we could do the same without him having to poke his head out.
"Don't let him live in your head. We have a lot to focus on right now, not just as heroes but as champions!"
"I get it and sorry for losin' my grip a little bit. You're right, we have titles to defend and we worked way too hard to get where we're at to let a jerk like Doomsayer distract us from it! The Guardians Protection Services, well actually, Jay Omega, earned a shot at our gold and it's our duty to defend!"
"Ah, Jay Omega, the infamous Space Captain, a man known for his cosmic escapades and the hazy cloud that seems to shroud his path to victory.
While you may live for the action in that ring, it’s evident that the substances that you partake in have become your constant companions, obscuring your true potential in the wrestling ring. It's clear to me that your commitment to honing your skills pales in comparison to your dedication to the bottom of a glass and a little “green” smoke.
I could waste my breath recounting your recent string of defeats. I could meticulously outline the many opportunities that you've squandered in the past. But let's be honest, Jay Omega, you're acutely aware of your own shortcomings.
One thing I can commend you on is your refusal to run and hide, even when facing insurmountable odds.
Bravery is a powerful quality to have. However, it's equally evident that you lack the drive to change your stars.
War Games, the site of Jay Omega’s most recent crash and burn.
Sure, I will concede that Jay Omega was dealt a raw hand when he was drafted onto the team of Sidney Grey. Another person that it would seem is perfectly content drinking her career away. Her leadership, or lack thereof, proved to be the ultimate stake in the heart of that team. Too bad there wasn’t a strong willed and experienced space captain ready and willing to step into that leadership role and do right by the other unfortunate souls who found themselves lost in her “Drunky” haze.
No, instead, Jay Omega, you reveled in the fact that your ship had been aimlessly drifting in the XWF Universe. At War Games, we should have seen a brave and noble captain rise to his position, take control, and take command of the situation that he found himself in.
The Atomic Bat shakes her head in disgust, unable to comprehend the lack of action from our space captain.
Instead, we watched as you released uninspired promotional material that was intended to sell your love of a good fight as some sort of an excuse for your lack of commitment to your craft.
A feeble attempt at justification. I must surmise that such flawed logic can only originate from a mind hopelessly clouded. Your logic is as transparent as the smoke that clouds your vision and the haze that dulls your senses.
The potential for you and Alex to win the Tag Team Championships is undeniably present, just as the potential for Drunky Kong to reach the main event of War Games existed. However, it is disheartening to witness how Jay Omega appears to be complacent and willing to squander opportunity after opportunity, and judging from what we’ve seen from Alex thus far, I’m not certain that his contributions to your efforts will bear fruit.
While the Tag Team Championships offer a chance for glory and success, it requires more than mere potential to claim the gold. It demands unwavering dedication, relentless effort, and a burning desire to be the best. Unfortunately, it appears that Jay Omega may have lost sight of these crucial qualities. Instead of seizing the moment and striving for greatness, he seems content with wallowing in mediocrity once he steps off ship and in ring.
A true champion embodies pride, displaying unwavering belief in their abilities and a refusal to settle for anything less than victory. They possess an unyielding grit, pushing through adversity and setbacks, always rising to the challenge. And above all, they are driven by an indomitable determination that fuels their pursuit of excellence.
Yet, it seems that these essential traits have eluded Jay Omega. Perhaps he has become complacent, content with the status quo and unwilling to push himself to new heights. Maybe he has lost his hunger for success, allowing opportunity after opportunity to slip through his fingers. Maybe he never had it? Whatever the reason, it is clear that his lack of focus will prove to be his downfall.
The Atomic Bat gazes at her partner with a proud smile.
In contrast, I see these qualities radiating from within me and my partner. We possess an unwavering pride in our abilities, a relentless grit that propels us forward in the face of adversity, and an unbreakable determination that carried up to the Tag Team Championships and will continue to carry us to many more successes in the future. We understand that potential alone is not enough: it must be accompanied by unwavering dedication and an unrelenting drive to succeed.
It's a pity to witness such raw potential wasted on someone so willing to throw it away.
Which brings me to Alex Richards, the self-proclaimed life of the party. It's no surprise to see you stumbling into this match, probably still hungover from last night's escapades. Tell me, Alex, when was the last time you actually took your wrestling career seriously? Or is it all just a sideshow to you?
While Jay Omega may possess some semblance of skill and dedication, you, Alex, seem to be nothing more than a liability. Do you even understand the weight of this opportunity? The chance to dethrone champions and etch your names in the history books?
Well, let me remind you, Alex, that in this ring, it's not about flashy entrances or gimmicks. It’s not about fun times or indulging in excess. It's about skill and focus. Plain and simple.
Things that we’ve established your partner as lacking in up to this point, and as I said, I can’t imagine you being any different.
So enjoy your fleeting moments of fame, Alex Richards. Bask in the adulation of those who may find your antics amusing. But remember this: when the dust settles, and the final bell tolls, it will be The Blue Tango and I standing victorious, while you wallow in the ashes of yet another wasted opportunity.
Brace yourselves for a harsh reality check, my friends, because come June 17th, we’re about to show the world what champions are made of! Prepare to witness the embodiment of excellence, as we rise above and leave no doubt as to who the true champions are!
In our upcoming battle, my partner, Blue Tango, and I will showcase the epitome of tag team excellence. We will demonstrate the power of unity, precision, and a clear mind. As we soar through the sky and deliver devastating blows, we will expose the flaws in your game, leaving you to ponder whether your interstellar adventures are merely a cover for your lackluster wrestling abilities.
The Guardians' delusions of grandeur will be shattered and their weaknesses laid bare as we take to the ring and expose our first challengers as no challenge at all.
So, Space Captain, prepare yourself, for while you may find solace in your bottle, you will not find victory. As we stand triumphant, raising our Tag Team Championships high, you will be left to ponder the build of your own character.
The Atomic Bat and Blue Tango shall prevail, proving that true champions are forged in discipline and determination, not drowned in the shallow depths of intoxication."
*BEEP* *BEEP*
Just then, almost interrupting her, the Atomic Bat's watch beeped which took her attention.
"Whatcha got?"
"It's Harlot…"
Tango leaned in curiously.
"And? What's up? What'd she find?"
"Didn't say. She just sent an address."
"To what?"
"Let me check."
She dialed on the buttons of her watch and read back what it said.
"Looks like a place down by the industrial park. A warehouse, maybe?"
"Why would Harlot want us to come to a warehouse?"
"Not sure, but it was flagged as 'Urgent', so we should go. It's about eight blocks away, my Atomic Bike is parked close-by. How about you?"
"Took a cab."
"In uniform?"
"No, no, 'course not. I changed in the hallway leading up here."
The Atomic Bat sighs.
"Alright, you can ride with me on the back. Let's go."
The two of them left the rooftop and scaled down the fire escape to the ground. A block or so away hidden in an alleyway was the Atomic Bat's motorcycle. She recovered it and the two of them hopped on and drove away.
On the back, Tango leaned up and yelled in the Atomic Bat's ear.
"You know? I've got a really good feeling going into this, Batsy!"
"Going into what?"
"Our match! I'm feeling pretty confident!"
Bat took a shy, short look back.
"I'm not saying our work won't be cut out for us or anything, but we've come a long way in a short time! Every match that we've had, we've grown stronger as a team each and every time! Jay Omega's tried this tag team game before and didn't get anywhere with it, but that's when he thought he could do it all with…. Himself! Weird, but yeah, fail! Now, he's coming at us now with a guy that he's known for a better part of his career, it seems, and the two of them have a history working together! Heck, they even succeeded together! What's his name again?!"
"Alex Richards!"
"Richards! Yeah! Man, he doesn't know what Jay Omega got him into! If he's been resting up for a year like he said, there's no way he's ready to go up against this dynamic duo, ya know?! He may have had years of success back in Action Wrestling and even a dozen other places, but he's going to find out the same thing that everyone finds out when they come to the XWF! The XWF is just different! Omega's witnessed it himself! He has a ton of potential and promise! You can see it, but, like many others, lacks what it takes to get the big one!"
The Atomic Bat revved the bike and gained speed down the street, causing Tango to grip a little tighter and, unfortunately, yell a little louder.
"I think you're right about this guy smoking way too much space weed! Did you see what he was going to do before Richards talked him into teaming up?! He was gonna to go after Flynn and the Xtreme Title! I suppose looking at it from his perspective, he was between a rock and a hard place! What dimension does this guy think he's in, though?! Flopping between them the way he does could probably get confusing, but I couldn't imagine a place where Jay Omega's top dawg and taking down multi-dimensional Mark Flynns! The same as there's no dimension, planet, realm, or any place in time that the Guardians Protection Services win our Tag Team Titles! Besides Flynn already beating him like he said and him standing no chance now like I said, there's the TV Title, right?! Wrong! Been there, failed that, too! Hey, how close are we?!"
"Not much further!"Atomic Bat yelled back,"A couple more blocks, across the bridge, then a couple more!"
"Gotcha! Anyway, he lost to Isiah King then King won the title, then King pinned him at War Games! So, same as Flynn, right?! His best option after winning that five-way against the nobodiest of nobodies was a losing one no matter how you looked at it! These types of things have to fill up this guy's journal log, man! Everytime he speaks he's explaining one failure after another before setting himself up for another one!"
Tango sat silent on the back of the bike for a bit as the Atomic Bat zoomed across the John Madison Bridge that crossed over the River of Mastermind.
"Is it bad that I feel bad for him?! Usually after a couple of months in the XWF you evolve and can at least keep up and pose some kind of threat sometimes, but I just don't see it! I dunno, I'm sure the guy will find his glory here at some point, but not today! Not with us! His partner's not going to be any help! What's his name again?!"
"Alex Richards!"
"Right, right!"
The bike zipped into a parking lot in front of a large, what seemed, abandoned building and came to a stop.
"Here!"
"Oh! Sweet!"
The two heroes hopped off the bike and walked towards the entrance.
"Let me just say before we go in, Battsy, these guys don't have what it takes to get the job done. We've proven ourselves and we'll continue to roll as the punches come rolling in. I'm glad we had the chance to chat tonight because this whole Doomsayer stuff was really starting to get to me…. It was good to clear my head. Jay Omega and…?"
Tango paused.
"Alex Richards."
"... Alex Richards! The Guardians Protection Services… Can I just say that name is kinda hard to say? It doesn't roll off the tongue, ya know? It's actually kind of annoying to say. Anyway, after the match is over and we're still the champs, I hope this doesn't deter Richards from sticking around. It seemed like these two had a lot of unfinished business to take care of. Did you know that after like two decades of running into each other they've never had a one on one? This could be their chance, right? It's cool they got to reunite and all, but it'd be pretty pointless to stick together after this week wouldn't it? Us beating them and all?"
"Shh!"
The Atomic Bat shushed the Blue Tango as they approached the entrance to the building.
"We'll talk more about this later… Let's put our game faces on!"
Tango nodded and followed as AB pulled open the steel door and went inside. The two heroes walked together through some darkness until they came to an opening where Harlot stood next to a lit burn barrel.
"Harlot?! What is this?!"
“Um, Miss J? Promise that you aren’t going to get mad…” Her voice quivered as she made an effort to avoid direct eye contact with the dynamic duo.
Atomic Bat raised an eyebrow with a mixture of curiosity and concern playing on her face.
“What’s going on, Harlot? You know that you can tell us anything.”
Blue Tango jumped in:“Yeah, spill the beans, Harlot! What’s up?”
As the tension built, suddenly, from the shadows emerged their arch nemesis….
*COUGH!* *HACK!*
"Smoker!"
His sinister smile sent shivers down their spines, but before they could react, he uttered words that caused the heroes hearts to skill a beat.
“Oh, calm *COUGH!* *HACK!* down and give a guy a light!”
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