Tag-Team Tiebreaker
(Ippon, Mauler, Principal, Rosethorn, Smokin' Sexy)
-"Mister Vachon, please, have a seat."
With slumped shoulders and a defeated look on his face, Pierre sat on a small chair in front of Principal's desk. He returned to work today, after spending a week in hospital due to Mauler's actions. Getting access to a doctor with a quirk that would be able to fix his broken bones nearly instantly was reserved for VIP patients, and he simply couldn't afford that. Luckily, the health benefits from Shiketsu still got him a level of care that got him out of the hospital relatively quickly.
-"During the last time I tasked you with overseeing students in the field, you failed to ensure their safety. I'd dock your pay, but it's already so low I am legally unable to. So instead, you'll just have to work more for free. You'll go out there and capture that villain. Letting this stay like that, or publicizing it more by asking for help, would be a blemish on our image, and that damn rat is just waiting for that. Pardon my language, but back to the topic, so you don't fail again, I decided to assign another, more qualified, staff member to the task."
-"I understand. I have failed and need to make up for it. Who will I be working with?"
The doors opened, and a red-headed woman entered the office.
-"You called for me, Anzu? Good evening, Pierre."
-"Ah, good. You're here. Yes. You did read the memo I sent you, didn't you, Aiko?"
-"I did. It's about the incident last week, right?"
-"Yes. I'd like to entrust you with helping Mister Vachon in clearing it up. I believe you can handle it, and I have a meeting to be at, so I'll leave you to it. Our cafeteria run over the budget once again. I wish you effort, you two."
Principal took some files from her desk, put them in her briefcase, and left.
-"I apologize for my shortcomings that led to the students being hurt and you being dragged into this, Miss Aimi."
-"Don't worry about it, and I did tell you your speech style is too polite, Pierre. Anyway, would you accompany me to the faculty room? I believe I have a lead."
-"What did you find out, Miss Aimi?"
-"Some of my fans have this… tendency… to send me videos of any failures or mistakes men in my surroundings might make…"
-"I hope it's not anything too embarrassing."
-"Well, look at this. This is from when Mauler, as I heard he's called, beat you up."
Rosethorn sat at her desk, while Ippon was standing behind her. She played a file on her computer. It was a recording shot with a phone camera of the incident from last week, edited to make Ippon look as foolishly as possible.
-"And now look at this"
She switched the window. It was a secretly recorded video of Ippon in Dotonbori, swaying as he walked into a cabaret club, accompanied by another large man. Rosethorn paused the video, zoomed in so the stickers saying 'drunkard' and 'yarichin' didn't obstruct the man Ippon was with that day. She then pulled the second window back, and set them besides one another.
-"I believe this is the same man. His stance is a bit different, but I believe that's him."
-"What? That's Bruno! He's my friend."
-"Pierre… When did you first meet him?"
-"Give me a moment, when was it… It was… It was the day I first met Mauler..."
-"And you didn't notice it's the same man you fought that day?"
-"… A lot of foreigners frequent that bar…"
-"Putting that aside… for now... We need to come up with a plan. Can you tell me a bit more about him?"
-"His quirk is similar to mine, but somewhat more powerful. I need to perform proper techniques to redirect attacks, and have to release the energy right away as part of them. He just seems to absorb everything thrown at him, and enhances himself with it directly, so he can release it just by punching and stuff like that. Style-wise, his seems inspired by pro-wrestling. I can redirect him and keep him in place for some time, but I can't really damage him. All the energy I redirect back at him, just makes him stronger. Our fight would just keep escalating until I make a mistake, one of us runs out of stamina, or, and I think this is the important part, a threat of backup arrives. So, I don't think he's completely invulnerable, just to kinetic attacks."
-"That's good to know. I guess we could try to just tire him out with the two of us, but it would be risky. I think we should get some help. Someone that will be able to bypass that quirk of his."
-"Principal wanted this to be kept quiet. So, I don't think we can ask just anyone. Do you have someone in mind?"
-"I do."
-"Is he some other staff member? Hijack? He needs touch first, and with how quickly our battles escalate, I can't assure I will be able to create an opening for him to do that safely. Majestic? His quirk would work, but expecting him to keep it quiet would be…"
-"Futile. I know. No, it's an alumnus. We used to be classmates, actually. He's still active, but tends to keep it on the down low, and his quirk would probably be able to bypass Mauler's, so I think he's perfect for this. Let's go pay him a visit."
-"Eh... izzat Rosie? Woah, what brings you to my, ha, humble abode? If you want kenjutsu lessons, you'll have to wait for me to clean up. You brought a friend too. That's... Ippon... right? Nice to meet ya."
-"Good evening, Ryusei."
-"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Sugiyama."
-"Likewise. So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
-"I guess you've heard about the recent incident?"
-"I assume you mean the one with Ippon and Mauler, right? I've also heard some rumours about the showers…"
-"Ippon one! Please disregard that other stuff..."
-"Yeah, sure. So, what about it?"
-"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but some students were hurt. We're going to catch the bastard responsible for that, and could use some help. I'm sure you wouldn't mind lending a hand to punish the one who hurt your precious kouhais."
-"The incident had a chance to happen due to my mistake. I apologize for having to ask you this, but I think with just the two of us, capturing him might be difficult. Miss Aimi thinks you can help us. Would you lend us your strength, and assist us in making up for that blunder of mine?"
-"Sure, I'll help. And ya need to relax, Ippon, you make it sound like you're about to cut your belly, and ya came here to ask me to be your second. So, Aiko, get me up to speed. What do we know about that son-of-a-gun, and how can I help? Do we have a plan ready?"
-"We wanted to decide on the plan once we've secured your help, but what we do know about the target is that…"
-"Good job on convincing them to help out, Aiko. And I've gotta say, you're rocking that dress."
-"Thanks, and thanks."
-"Ya sure the bastard won't recognise you, though? You are a top-ranker."
-"With this amount of makeup and in this light? I doubt it. Anyway, let's go through the plan one last time. Pierre, will you do the honours?"
Ippon nodded, and started to repeat what they decided on. The three were inside a cabaret club. It was around noon, but there were no windows that would let a daylight in, so with only the dim, sensuous shine of the chandeliers inside, the visibility was rather poor. Ippon and Smokin' Sexy were in outfits typical for clients of such places, while Rosethorn was looking like one of the hostesses, wearing a shimmery red dress accompanied by a fancy hairdo and heavy makeup.
-"Before the incident, I was supposed to visit some clubs with Bruno AKA Mauler, and introduce him to this one hostess, but for obvious reasons that was postponed. Today I set up a meeting with him to finally make up for it. Thanks to Miss Aimi's persuasiveness, the club here agreed to help us. Thank you again for arranging that."
-"No problem. The fact you're a regular here helped a lot, Pierre. In the end, it required just some convincing, and extra expenses. I'm sure Anzu will let you repay her at favourable terms."
-"Ah, yes… 'Favourable terms'… But back to the topic at hand. I will meet with the target in… Forty-five minutes, and it will probably take us around the same time to get back here from the Osaka Station. The meeting is set up this early to explain why the place is so empty, using the excuse that it's cheaper right now. Miss Aimi will play 'Miho' the hostess that we will request. The signs and posters are already replaced to feature her."
-"You look nice in them, Rosie. Have you considered doing this as a side-gig?"
-"When I'll need extra-cash, I'll consider it. Hopefully you'll put enough work into your hero career, that you'll be able to afford to visit me by then."
-"Ekhem… Once we request 'Miho', we will be sat at this table. Other than us and the target, there will be two members of the staff: the manager and one more hostess. They both are graduates of hero-courses who didn't end up going pro. They will not participate in the apprehension. As soon as we move, they are instructed to go to the back and hide there. Mister Sugiyama, you'll sit over there near the place where they will exit the room and will play the patron of the other hostess."
-"Sure thing, haven't had a chance to come to sucha place in a long time, so I might as well enjoy myself at your expense."
-"Just don't go overboard with the drinks, Ryusei."
-"The manager is instructed to serve us low-alcohol options. Once we're sat here, Miss Aimi, you'll play the part of the hostess while using your quirk to weaken Mauler and empower me. It should give us an early boost, but it probably won't take him long to realize that something is off. Once that happens, I'll try to get a hold of him and keep him down. That's where you come in, Mister Sugiyama, you're the only one of us who can incapacitate him quickly."
-"Ya got it. We got any plan B?"
-"Sadly, we don't have many options besides that. If we fail to apprehend him with the initial attack, we'll have to try to find a way to create another opening for you or tire him out. As per Principal's instructions, calling backup is a last resort."
-"Plan B: improvise. I guess we should try not to screw it up then."
-"I once again apologize for the mistake I've committed that led to this situation. I'll do my utmost to not repeat it."
-"Pierre, once again, relax. It will be fine. It could have happened to anyone, and someone would have had to catch him at some point anyway."
-"Thank you for the encouraging words, Miss Aimi. Once we incapacitate Mauler, we'll contact the police, who are on standby with enough dosage of quirk suppressing drugs to transport him to a proper facility. That's it. Is everything clear?"
-"Yup."
-"Yes."
-"Then let's get to work."
-"This the place, Pierre?"
-"It is, Bruno."
-"Eh, it's aight, but rather empty. Ya sure that 'Miho' is really that cute?"
-"She is! You'll see. Most people are at work right now, so it's cheaper around this time, and cash is kinda tight at the moment. She usually wouldn't be here this early, I've had to beg her to come."
-"Fine, fine. If ya say she's this cute, I'll believe ya. Her body in those pics did look rather hot, and I do like me some redhead. I wonder if her face matches the rest. Could barely see it from under all that hair."
-"She looks even better in person. She just exudes this aura-"
-"Ya really need to lay off that Japanese bullshit. I've been watching TV last night, and they kept going 'aura' this, 'aura' that, 'aura from the pores' or some other bullshit. If a girl is hot, she's hot, simple as."
-"I guess…"
They took their seats at a booth they were assigned to. Mauler sat on the couch in a way that he was facing the entrance. Ippon took the seat on his right, having his target on one side, and the place where the hostess would sit on the other.
-"So, when will she be here?"
-"There she comes."
-"Good evening, gentlemen. I take it this is the friend you wanted to introduce to me, Piere."
-"Ah, yes. This is Bruno Garcia. And this is Miho. Ain't she cute? Even better in person. Just like I told you."
-"That is one hot piece of ass, I've gotta give ya that."
-"I believe you must be new to such establishments, Mister Garcia. Luckily, you have Pierre here, that can teach you how to behave more appropriately. He's the best client we could have asked for."
Mauler turned red, and seemed like he was about to start shouting. Ippon tensed up for a moment, but then the big man took a couple of deep breaths, and with a relatively calm, yet filled with accusations voice said:
-"What the fuck is this, Pierre? Is this some femdom club? Am I supposed to get off to getting humiliated?"
-"No, it's a normal cabaret club, you just have to behave in those. You don't open conversations here like you did. Just try to fit in."
-"Ya and your 'fitting in' mentality. Ya trying to be even more conformist than the Japanese are. But fine! So, Miho, I apologize for earlier. Nice to meet ya, I'm Bruno, hope we can get along. Or however that line goes."
-"As long as you realize your mistakes, we'll get along. Just follow Pierre's lead. He knows what he's doing. But now that that's behind us, would you like anything to drink, gentlemen?"
-"A beer for me, please. I also haven't had lunch yet, so maybe let's get something to eat. What do you think, Bruno?"
-"A whiskey for me. Actually, make that two. And sure, why not, I could use something to bite. What do ya have here?"
-"We're proud of our fruit platters, but looking at you, Bruno, I doubt it's something someone like you can appreciate. I think you'll enjoy our karaage."
Mauler visibly started to tense up once again, but Ippon cut him off.
-"Yes, we'll take that. A big plate of karaage sounds nice right now. I'll also have that fruit platter for dessert. And what would you like to drink, Miho? Pick a cocktail for yourself, just please be merciful on my wallet."
-"How sweet of you to remember about me."
Rosethorn gestured to the manager, and soon enough their orders came. She played her role masterfully, using every occasion to praise Ippon and berate Mauler to give her quirk a chance to work, while keeping Mauler interested enough to cover her actions as long as possible. But they knew it couldn't last forever.
Being insulted by a hostess like that was unusual, and even with the tempo of his drinking, Mauler seemed to notice something affecting him. When he finished his fifth drink in one gulp, he loudly set his glass back on the table, and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Rosethorn. With a low voice, he said:
-"I think it's about time for this foreplay to be over, don't ya think so, Ippon?"
Mauler smirked, while the heroes stared him down. The time seemed to slow down as the time for the action finally arrived.
Mauler's right arm shot forward towards the woman as he stood up from his seat. But Ippon jumped to intercept him nearly instantly.
The judoka ducked under his target's extended limb, grabbed it from the inside by the triceps with his left hand, while wrapping his right arm around Mauler's neck. Even with the footing broken by the table in front of them forcing him to be weirdly bent, this was the technique he has executed tens of thousands of times, one of his crown jewels: the koshi-guruma.
Ippon twisted his body, and Mauler was sent flying. Flipping over Ippon, his legs missed Rosethorn by mere centimetres. The two men crashed down on the table below them, that instantly gave way to their mass, exploding everywhere in shards of glass and splinters of wood.
It was time for the next step, and the preparations were complete. Ippon had to only slightly shift his position to finish the combo. He adjusted the grips, locking Mauler in kesa-gatame. The position held fast, and thanks to Rosethorn's quirk, he had the initial advantage that would give them some extra time before Mauler could accumulate enough strength to make maintaining the position risky.
-"Is that all ya got, Ippon! Ya gonna have to try harder than that!"
Mauler tried to taunt him even from the bottom, but Ippon didn't answer. Instead, he just leaned backwards a bit, to create space for the final blow. Smokin' Sexy was already standing beside them. He took one last puff of his cigarette and then blew out the smoke.
The heavy ash-filled cloud, driven by Smokin' Sexy's quirk, drifted towards Mauler's face, covering it in its entirety. 'The gas mask' muffled the screams of the villain as it slipped inside and burned his throat and eyes, making breathing impossible.
Mauler struggled, but his desperate attempts to break out were not enough to break out of Ippon's Rosethorn-enhanced grip. Even with his quirk absorbing the strength Ippon was redirecting at him, it was not fast enough to give him a chance to escape. He was fading quickly. A moment longer and Smokin' Sexy could safely pull back the cloud from his unconscious target, before the villain suffered permanent damage.
The three heroes were standing in front of the club, and watching the police vans drive away, carrying the unconscious Mauler to a processing facility. Ippon turned to his allies and with a deep bow said:
-"Good job, everyone. I thank you for helping me clean up my mess."
Smokin' Sexy was checking something on his phone, but seeing the occasion, quickly hid it in his pocket, and gestured to Ippon that there is now need to bow.
-"Don't mention it, man. Glad to be of help, but now I've gotta go. Anko is probably getting impatient. Call me if ya need anything else. See ya too, Rozie!"
-"Later, Ryusei. Say hi to Popsy from me."
-"Wait, how do you-"
-"I have my ways. Bye-bye!"
-"I hope we'll have a chance to work together in the future, Mister Sugiyama."
Smokin' Sexy stood there for a moment, looking suspiciously at Rosethorn, but then just nodded and walked away, waving. The woman waved back, and when he turned around the corner, she turned to face Ippon.
-"Anzu should be happy with the outcome. You see, Pierre, everything turned out fine in the end."
-"It's all thanks to your and Mister Sugiyama's assistance, Miss Aimi."
-"If you call me Miss Aimi once again, I'll get angry. I've seen how you spoke with Mauler. If you act chummy with villains, while keeping distance from other heroes, people will have no way but comment on it. Tsk, tsk. Think how that would affect the school's reputation! Anzu would surely be unhappy with it!"
-"Yes, Mis-"
Rosethorn raised her eyebrow.
-"Yes, Aiko…"
-"Good! Now, since we're already dressed for the occasion, let's go have a drink or two. Celebrate the newly found sense of camaraderie. And you can repay me for my help by footing the bill."
-"But-"
-"No 'buts'! Let's go!"
Rosethorn took Ippon's arm and dragged him off down the street for an evening of bar crawling that will deal his wallet the final blow that will force him to rely on the school canteen alone for weeks.
Koshi-guruma: https://youtu.be/SU7Id6uVJ44
Kesa-gatame: https://youtu.be/NDaQuJOFBYk
Some examples of the combo: https://youtu.be/EU-t3xU7znY