Post by kronin on Apr 27, 2024 19:25:02 GMT -5
Prep and Training, pt 2
Forested area:
Somewhere outside of Seattle, Washington, United States
If one was a bird or random forest critter, one might be treated to an interesting sight. Focusing in first, we see Kara Reinhardt racing through the forests. She moves at fast, yet even pace. Her breathing is perfectly measured, military precision having drilled into her how to breathe, how to run, even now, under her breath, she mutters the cadence to keep everything moving.
In another area of the forest, Kronin is running, the bigger, stronger German man runs slower than his twin, his breathing heavier, sweat on his brow hinting at the exertion it’s taking to maintain the pace.
In yet another area, young Rayven is also running, she has made the mistake of youth and took off at a dead sprint and is now using willpower to push herself to keep going, her breathing more closer to panting than actual, normal breathing.
We do not see Lilly running. The reason for this will be revealed shortly.
Suddenly, Kara emerges from the forest into her camp and comes to a stop, looking around. Seeing she seems to be the first to have arrived at this point, she nods and lets out a satisfied breath. “Kronin will be next.” She says to no one as she begins gathering supplies. “Will have to send out a search party for Rayven, I believe.”
True to her prediction, Kronin emerges from the woods and comes to a stop, shaking his head. “I’m out of shape.” He says.
Some time later, Rayven walks out of the woods, breathing heavily.
Seeing her, Kara smiles. “Told you sprinting was a bad idea. Least you beat your mom.”
Rayven shakes her head and points. “No I didn’t.”
As the group looks, Lilly is standing by her motorcycle, eating an apple. “What took you all so long?”
Kara rolls her eyes. “We didn’t cheat.”
Lilly shrugged. “We agreed to meet here and to race. I do not recall anything said about limiting it to a foot race only.”
Kronin nods. “Speaking of.” Lilly nods. “The side trip to the consulate before we left paid off. After our initial visit, I was able to pop back in and pick them up while you all were packing.” She says, handing the others their cards.
As the others review the cards, Lilly continues. “Okay, so refresher. These are international Driver’s Permits, these plus your driver’s license from your home country, give you the ability to drive in the U.S. for one year. Though the Consulate was quick to point out that laws can vary state to state and in rural areas, you might have cops who, frankly, don’t know how these things work. So we should be careful.”
As she takes her license and tucks into her wallet, she looks at Kronin. “Will Greg be joining us at the gym?”
Kronin shakes his head. “I don’t know, given it is a gym he uses, it’s possible.
Rayven looks at Kara. “How are you not breathing hard?”
Kara shrugs and winks. “Police Training. Then GSG-9 Training. Then military training while undercover in the military. Then my assignment required me to train and attempt to pass KSK training. Also, unlike my twin, I don’t sneak extra sausages at breakfast.”
Kronin shrugs. “Hey, I manage to enjoy life and stay in fighting shape. Don’t make me sound like some lazy oaf.”
Rayven can’t help herself. “Like our opponents this week?”
Kronin laughs a bit and shrugs. “Now, they do have some talent. They earned the title shot and their main shortcoming is not a lack of talent, it’s that they are easily distracted and are more concerned with looking good than getting results. Likely why Armand assigned Gabriel Tuck to them, Tuck’s job is to get results.”
Kara nods “For now, let’s get back on the road and get to the gym.”
1 hour later,
Greg Salazar’s Gym
Seattle, Washington
Team Reinhardt found the place with little trouble and Rayven looked over at her father as they got out of the car. “Still don’t see why we didn’t bring the bikes out.”
Kara answered before her brother could. “Because, you and I especially are not as familiar with the American roads as we would need to be. Also, a 3 hour ride on a sport bike.. Well, you’d be quite.. Sore.”
Kronin points to her. “What she said. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get some time to go joyriding.”
As the group came into the gym, Rayven looked at Kara and cleared her throat. “So umm. Can you show me some of the cool karate kid stuff you do?”
Kara lets a small smile play across her face. “Firstly, not Karate. Karate is Japanese and a totally different mind set. Now, get set in your fighting stance.”
As she finished her comment, Kara watched as Rayven took up a fighting stance and nods, moving over and turning her niece to stand at an angle. “Always keep yourself at an angle to your opponent, make yourself a smaller target and also easier to defend. Standing this way, you can use one arm or leg for defense and the other ready to counter attack. This one tactic alone can help you win a lot more fights than you lose.”
Rayven looked at how she was standing, committing it to memory and nodding as she listened. “Okay, so I know how I would look to do well in a fight, but I’m also sure some would consider it cheating. How do you prepare for fight? I mean our scouting reports and such, yeah but.. Does it actually help?”
Kara raises an eyebrow and nods. “It does. Kharnival of Shadows for example. They are arrogant. I would put money on the fact they have not even seen our promo yet. Now, part of this is to be expected. When the owner of the company is also your boss, you can be sure he will stack the deck in your favor. But I also expect that they wouldn’t scout their opponents even if Armand wasn’t on their side.”
Kronin walks up behind, picking up where his twin left off. “That’s arrogance for you. The thought that they could lose has not even entered their minds.”
Kara nods, continuing where her brother leaves off. “We know we could lose. They might be arrogant. They might be preoccupied with flamboyance and looking good and pawing each other like randy teenagers but we know there is still a chance for them to come out on top. Maybe it’s through cheating or stacking the deck. Maybe it’s through a mistake or miscalculation we make. Maybe it’s just their night. The moment you think you can’t lose, is the moment when your loss becomes all but a guarantee.”
The team spent most of the day working out. Including a full scouting match, with Lilly and Rayven playing the parts of the Kharnival of Shadows. At the end of the training and workout sessions, Lilly looked at Kronin. “You know, you and Kara could learn something from your opponents. Maybe add in a bit of showmanship. I spoke with Alyssa Lucchi. She’s on her way up. Give her something to work with. Not just on your opponent, but Rob Riot is right about one thing. You’re the fed champ. Be a leader and talk about what you think.. Don’t let Rob Riot and Valora dictate how the resistance moves.”
On Camera interview
Training facility
Somewhere in Seattle, Washington
Alyssa Lucchi stands next to Kronin and Kara. She glances back at the building and then looks over to the two fighters. “So, it would seem that your alliance with Greg Salazar is continuing since he has trained here a number of times.”
Kronin nods. “Greg was nice enough to offer the facility to us. Portland is not too far away and it’s always nice to be able to have a place to train away from the CWF facilities.”
Kara clears her throat and nods. “And it benefits the other wrestlers as well. While we’re training up here, we’re not booking time in the CWF facilities.”
Alyssa nods and looks to Kronin. “We heard rumors of a CWF meeting where Armand von Krauss let the talent air any grievances they had. Being that you are the Conquest Champion. Can you tell us anything about the meeting and your impression of things as it is?”
Kronin lets out a small laugh. “Well, most of the complaining I heard was Rob Riot confusing losing a match, with being screwed. He also was not observant enough to note that someone was interfering with the timer as well. That detail might have made his complaints sound more like actual concern over malfeasance and less like the rantings of a man who can’t come to grips with losing a title to a man he deemed unworthy of his attention.”
Kronin pauses here and turns to the camera. “Am I worth your time now, douchebag? I bet I have your full attention now that I have the belt.”
Kara grins and steps in here. “I will say I was impressed. Valora showed some leadership ability. Armand tried to start a brawl that could have endangered the health and safety of numerous wrestlers and I will credit Valora with putting a stop to that attempt. But while there are legitimate concerns to be raised about Armand von Krauss, I have to agree with my brother. Most complaints that were voiced were selfish in nature.”
Alyssa nods as she continues on. “It seems like you’re interested in a possible Rob Riot vs. Kronin Conquest title match. Is that a possibility?”
Kronin nods. “ Absolutely. Armand von Kraus told Rob Riot if he won the triple title or whatever it’s called, he would have earned a shot at me and I get to name the stipulations..”
Alyssa cuts in. “But Ikon..”
Kronin nods. “ Kaput, yes. That is not Rob Riot’s fault however, so I’m willing to honor Armand’s deal. I have a few ideas for stipulations, but first I am interested to see what Armand is going to come up with for a replacement match for Rob Riot. I will state that Riot absolutely should get a match of some sort to fulfill Armand’s request. If I ran the division, I think I would advocate for doing what Greg Salazar did. He started at the bottom and tore through everyone. Valora was the only opponent to stop him. And yes, he beat me along the way.”
Kara listens as the conquest title is spoken about but remains silent. Alyssa clears her throat a bit and nods. “So, your first tag team title defense comes against the Kharnival of Shadows. 2 of the three enforcers for Armand von Krauss. While they’ve been silent in terms of on camera activity, word is that they are confident of victory. What are your thoughts? Are you confident of a fair match? If you’re not given a fair match, could we see a weird world where you side with the likes of Valora and Rob Riot complaining about how things are run?”
Kronin shrugs. “Well there is no doubt that there are things that need improving. Backstage assaults happen without punishment. To his credit, Armand von Krauss has claimed that will not be tolerated. We will see if he can enforce that. Wrestlers are cleared and forced to compete without being healthy. Abbigail was cleared to compete and booked mere days after nearly being killed in the ring. While Apathy and I have never been friends, the fact that she was forced to compete when she could barely stand is abhorrent.”
Kara picks up. “Are we confident of a fair match? No. Rob Riot and Valora do have some points about stacked decks. We will be preparing as much as we can. The Bastards attacked us from behind once. We’ve only begun to even the score. We will have measures ready to guard against backstage assaults.”
Kronin comes in, seamlessly carrying on from his twin. “People like to say we’re predictable. That they can plan for us and counter us because they know what they’re going to do. But they still lose. You can see the storm coming. But that does not mean you can stop it.”
Kara winks at the camera. “Auf widersehen Kharnival of Shadows. Learn that phrase well because you can say it to any chance you have at taking our belts. Hopefully, it’s just a match you will lose. We know Armand does not have a high threshold for failure.”
Kronin nods. “They can call us predictable. I say they, as English speakers would say all shine and no substance. They look… nice in their little outfits and they dance and have flair and flamboyance. What they lack, is skill. And my sister and I are going to be nice and give them a free lesson in wrestling.”
Kara smirks and punches her palm with her fist. “But I can’t promise they will enjoy the lesson. Auf Gehts. (Let’s Go.)
The pair head off and the interview comes to an end.
Alyssa looks to the pair as she prepares to head back. “Seems like you two don’t like your opponents.”
Kronin lets out a breath. “Armand has done them a huge disservice. He threw them against easier opponents to build up their confidence and record so it does not appear overtly favoritism when he throws them at the titles. But by not having to fight quality opponents, the Marquis and Katya have never seen the flaws in their style, never had to work to improve. Never had to improve their skill.”
Kara walks over. “Perhaps this loss will help them and they can get better. We meant what we said. This is meant to be a learning experience.”
Forested area:
Somewhere outside of Seattle, Washington, United States
If one was a bird or random forest critter, one might be treated to an interesting sight. Focusing in first, we see Kara Reinhardt racing through the forests. She moves at fast, yet even pace. Her breathing is perfectly measured, military precision having drilled into her how to breathe, how to run, even now, under her breath, she mutters the cadence to keep everything moving.
In another area of the forest, Kronin is running, the bigger, stronger German man runs slower than his twin, his breathing heavier, sweat on his brow hinting at the exertion it’s taking to maintain the pace.
In yet another area, young Rayven is also running, she has made the mistake of youth and took off at a dead sprint and is now using willpower to push herself to keep going, her breathing more closer to panting than actual, normal breathing.
We do not see Lilly running. The reason for this will be revealed shortly.
Suddenly, Kara emerges from the forest into her camp and comes to a stop, looking around. Seeing she seems to be the first to have arrived at this point, she nods and lets out a satisfied breath. “Kronin will be next.” She says to no one as she begins gathering supplies. “Will have to send out a search party for Rayven, I believe.”
True to her prediction, Kronin emerges from the woods and comes to a stop, shaking his head. “I’m out of shape.” He says.
Some time later, Rayven walks out of the woods, breathing heavily.
Seeing her, Kara smiles. “Told you sprinting was a bad idea. Least you beat your mom.”
Rayven shakes her head and points. “No I didn’t.”
As the group looks, Lilly is standing by her motorcycle, eating an apple. “What took you all so long?”
Kara rolls her eyes. “We didn’t cheat.”
Lilly shrugged. “We agreed to meet here and to race. I do not recall anything said about limiting it to a foot race only.”
Kronin nods. “Speaking of.” Lilly nods. “The side trip to the consulate before we left paid off. After our initial visit, I was able to pop back in and pick them up while you all were packing.” She says, handing the others their cards.
As the others review the cards, Lilly continues. “Okay, so refresher. These are international Driver’s Permits, these plus your driver’s license from your home country, give you the ability to drive in the U.S. for one year. Though the Consulate was quick to point out that laws can vary state to state and in rural areas, you might have cops who, frankly, don’t know how these things work. So we should be careful.”
As she takes her license and tucks into her wallet, she looks at Kronin. “Will Greg be joining us at the gym?”
Kronin shakes his head. “I don’t know, given it is a gym he uses, it’s possible.
Rayven looks at Kara. “How are you not breathing hard?”
Kara shrugs and winks. “Police Training. Then GSG-9 Training. Then military training while undercover in the military. Then my assignment required me to train and attempt to pass KSK training. Also, unlike my twin, I don’t sneak extra sausages at breakfast.”
Kronin shrugs. “Hey, I manage to enjoy life and stay in fighting shape. Don’t make me sound like some lazy oaf.”
Rayven can’t help herself. “Like our opponents this week?”
Kronin laughs a bit and shrugs. “Now, they do have some talent. They earned the title shot and their main shortcoming is not a lack of talent, it’s that they are easily distracted and are more concerned with looking good than getting results. Likely why Armand assigned Gabriel Tuck to them, Tuck’s job is to get results.”
Kara nods “For now, let’s get back on the road and get to the gym.”
1 hour later,
Greg Salazar’s Gym
Seattle, Washington
Team Reinhardt found the place with little trouble and Rayven looked over at her father as they got out of the car. “Still don’t see why we didn’t bring the bikes out.”
Kara answered before her brother could. “Because, you and I especially are not as familiar with the American roads as we would need to be. Also, a 3 hour ride on a sport bike.. Well, you’d be quite.. Sore.”
Kronin points to her. “What she said. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get some time to go joyriding.”
As the group came into the gym, Rayven looked at Kara and cleared her throat. “So umm. Can you show me some of the cool karate kid stuff you do?”
Kara lets a small smile play across her face. “Firstly, not Karate. Karate is Japanese and a totally different mind set. Now, get set in your fighting stance.”
As she finished her comment, Kara watched as Rayven took up a fighting stance and nods, moving over and turning her niece to stand at an angle. “Always keep yourself at an angle to your opponent, make yourself a smaller target and also easier to defend. Standing this way, you can use one arm or leg for defense and the other ready to counter attack. This one tactic alone can help you win a lot more fights than you lose.”
Rayven looked at how she was standing, committing it to memory and nodding as she listened. “Okay, so I know how I would look to do well in a fight, but I’m also sure some would consider it cheating. How do you prepare for fight? I mean our scouting reports and such, yeah but.. Does it actually help?”
Kara raises an eyebrow and nods. “It does. Kharnival of Shadows for example. They are arrogant. I would put money on the fact they have not even seen our promo yet. Now, part of this is to be expected. When the owner of the company is also your boss, you can be sure he will stack the deck in your favor. But I also expect that they wouldn’t scout their opponents even if Armand wasn’t on their side.”
Kronin walks up behind, picking up where his twin left off. “That’s arrogance for you. The thought that they could lose has not even entered their minds.”
Kara nods, continuing where her brother leaves off. “We know we could lose. They might be arrogant. They might be preoccupied with flamboyance and looking good and pawing each other like randy teenagers but we know there is still a chance for them to come out on top. Maybe it’s through cheating or stacking the deck. Maybe it’s through a mistake or miscalculation we make. Maybe it’s just their night. The moment you think you can’t lose, is the moment when your loss becomes all but a guarantee.”
The team spent most of the day working out. Including a full scouting match, with Lilly and Rayven playing the parts of the Kharnival of Shadows. At the end of the training and workout sessions, Lilly looked at Kronin. “You know, you and Kara could learn something from your opponents. Maybe add in a bit of showmanship. I spoke with Alyssa Lucchi. She’s on her way up. Give her something to work with. Not just on your opponent, but Rob Riot is right about one thing. You’re the fed champ. Be a leader and talk about what you think.. Don’t let Rob Riot and Valora dictate how the resistance moves.”
On Camera interview
Training facility
Somewhere in Seattle, Washington
Alyssa Lucchi stands next to Kronin and Kara. She glances back at the building and then looks over to the two fighters. “So, it would seem that your alliance with Greg Salazar is continuing since he has trained here a number of times.”
Kronin nods. “Greg was nice enough to offer the facility to us. Portland is not too far away and it’s always nice to be able to have a place to train away from the CWF facilities.”
Kara clears her throat and nods. “And it benefits the other wrestlers as well. While we’re training up here, we’re not booking time in the CWF facilities.”
Alyssa nods and looks to Kronin. “We heard rumors of a CWF meeting where Armand von Krauss let the talent air any grievances they had. Being that you are the Conquest Champion. Can you tell us anything about the meeting and your impression of things as it is?”
Kronin lets out a small laugh. “Well, most of the complaining I heard was Rob Riot confusing losing a match, with being screwed. He also was not observant enough to note that someone was interfering with the timer as well. That detail might have made his complaints sound more like actual concern over malfeasance and less like the rantings of a man who can’t come to grips with losing a title to a man he deemed unworthy of his attention.”
Kronin pauses here and turns to the camera. “Am I worth your time now, douchebag? I bet I have your full attention now that I have the belt.”
Kara grins and steps in here. “I will say I was impressed. Valora showed some leadership ability. Armand tried to start a brawl that could have endangered the health and safety of numerous wrestlers and I will credit Valora with putting a stop to that attempt. But while there are legitimate concerns to be raised about Armand von Krauss, I have to agree with my brother. Most complaints that were voiced were selfish in nature.”
Alyssa nods as she continues on. “It seems like you’re interested in a possible Rob Riot vs. Kronin Conquest title match. Is that a possibility?”
Kronin nods. “ Absolutely. Armand von Kraus told Rob Riot if he won the triple title or whatever it’s called, he would have earned a shot at me and I get to name the stipulations..”
Alyssa cuts in. “But Ikon..”
Kronin nods. “ Kaput, yes. That is not Rob Riot’s fault however, so I’m willing to honor Armand’s deal. I have a few ideas for stipulations, but first I am interested to see what Armand is going to come up with for a replacement match for Rob Riot. I will state that Riot absolutely should get a match of some sort to fulfill Armand’s request. If I ran the division, I think I would advocate for doing what Greg Salazar did. He started at the bottom and tore through everyone. Valora was the only opponent to stop him. And yes, he beat me along the way.”
Kara listens as the conquest title is spoken about but remains silent. Alyssa clears her throat a bit and nods. “So, your first tag team title defense comes against the Kharnival of Shadows. 2 of the three enforcers for Armand von Krauss. While they’ve been silent in terms of on camera activity, word is that they are confident of victory. What are your thoughts? Are you confident of a fair match? If you’re not given a fair match, could we see a weird world where you side with the likes of Valora and Rob Riot complaining about how things are run?”
Kronin shrugs. “Well there is no doubt that there are things that need improving. Backstage assaults happen without punishment. To his credit, Armand von Krauss has claimed that will not be tolerated. We will see if he can enforce that. Wrestlers are cleared and forced to compete without being healthy. Abbigail was cleared to compete and booked mere days after nearly being killed in the ring. While Apathy and I have never been friends, the fact that she was forced to compete when she could barely stand is abhorrent.”
Kara picks up. “Are we confident of a fair match? No. Rob Riot and Valora do have some points about stacked decks. We will be preparing as much as we can. The Bastards attacked us from behind once. We’ve only begun to even the score. We will have measures ready to guard against backstage assaults.”
Kronin comes in, seamlessly carrying on from his twin. “People like to say we’re predictable. That they can plan for us and counter us because they know what they’re going to do. But they still lose. You can see the storm coming. But that does not mean you can stop it.”
Kara winks at the camera. “Auf widersehen Kharnival of Shadows. Learn that phrase well because you can say it to any chance you have at taking our belts. Hopefully, it’s just a match you will lose. We know Armand does not have a high threshold for failure.”
Kronin nods. “They can call us predictable. I say they, as English speakers would say all shine and no substance. They look… nice in their little outfits and they dance and have flair and flamboyance. What they lack, is skill. And my sister and I are going to be nice and give them a free lesson in wrestling.”
Kara smirks and punches her palm with her fist. “But I can’t promise they will enjoy the lesson. Auf Gehts. (Let’s Go.)
The pair head off and the interview comes to an end.
Alyssa looks to the pair as she prepares to head back. “Seems like you two don’t like your opponents.”
Kronin lets out a breath. “Armand has done them a huge disservice. He threw them against easier opponents to build up their confidence and record so it does not appear overtly favoritism when he throws them at the titles. But by not having to fight quality opponents, the Marquis and Katya have never seen the flaws in their style, never had to work to improve. Never had to improve their skill.”
Kara walks over. “Perhaps this loss will help them and they can get better. We meant what we said. This is meant to be a learning experience.”