Caught Up In The Act

P-a-t-r-e-o-n reward for the-money-dog, who asked for some Valkos in a Pro-Wrestling AU. They gave me some pointers and things on how everything is acted out, so I hope it reads okay! Also, know that the characters are playing "roles" in the sport, so they are OOC for that reason!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 48. Caught Up In The Act

The crowded stadium was erupting with noise from thousands upon thousands of fans.

It wasn't very often that teenaged girls managed to fight their ways into the pro-wrestling matches, but it was becoming a much more common sight nowadays, slowly but surely.

Presently, the audience was shouting for one person in particular.

Pyrrha Nikos was a stunning, well-built girl who was undoubtedly made for the sport of pro-wrestling. She was tall, muscular, and of course, looked attractive in the tight-fit clothes necessary for the fights. Her long red ponytail swayed behind her as she entered the ring, and a mixed chorus of cheers and booing surged around the stadium.

Pyrrha was most people's favorite heel, or the villain they loved to hate. She was brutally honest in the worst of ways, especially to her defeated opponents. She'd fought her way up to the top without looking back.

But that didn't stop her from looking down on her adversaries once she'd flattened them into the mat of the arena.

Now, as she strutted about the ring, she glowered at the audience and gave a devilish smirk to the referee. The male voice over the loudspeaker was still in the middle of introducing her.

"Undefeated, Miss Nikos is the reigning champion for competitors in her age group. New challengers appear every day, but she's yet to encounter someone who can bring her to her knees. Will today's new face be able to accomplish the feat?"

As the crowd cheered, hopeful that someone would be able to best Pyrrha, the fighter herself grabbed the microphone from the ref and all but shouted into it.

"I'd like to see her try! Whoever this new face is won't stand a chance against me! They're all weak, every last one of them! And if you're rooting for one of them, you're just as weak! Pathetic! I'll always emerge victorious, and you'd all do well to remember that!"

Another wave of booing rose up, but amongst it were a few levels of encouraging cheers as well.

Most of the fans knew that all pro-wrestling was just an act, and it was well-known that behind the scenes, Pyrrha Nikos actually harbored the exact opposite personality of the role she played in the ring.

But she was so convincing during her fights that most people tended to forget that fact in the heat of the moment.

Besides, it was much more entertaining this way.

As Pyrrha played up her role, stomping and flexing and throwing a few mock punches into the air, the ref timidly took back the microphone and began announcing Pyrrha's opponent for today's match.

"Today's new face," he began. "Has worked her way up to these prestigious matches. Not only has she defeated men twice her age and size, but she's also developed a reputation for being quite the brute, no matter who her opponent is. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round off applause for Nora Valkyrie!"

Rather than the mix of negative and positive response Pyrrha's introduction elicited from the crowd, Nora's resulted in almost entirely encouraging, supportive cheers.

As a new face in the art of pro-wrestling, the fans couldn't help but feel inclined to cheer for her. She was bubbly and optimistic, but also very clearly enjoyed the sport. When pit against Pyrrha's more condescending role, the audience of course tended to want to root for the cheerful underdog rather than the brutal villain.

Even now, as Nora came bounding through the crowds to reach the ring, people were cheering her on and calling out to encourage her.

Pyrrha crossed her arms and glared down at the orange bob of her hair, trying to appear unimpressed by this new challenger, despite the fact that offstage, they were the best of friends. It would certainly be difficult to keep up the act today against Nora, but Pyrrha was determined to give the audience a good show.

With a leap and a bound, Nora hopped up into the ring and gave a tumble, then jumped up into a fighting stance with a grin on her face and a spark in her eye. Her gaze met Pyrrha's, and she began reciting the script they'd gone over together many times backstage.

"So!" she called out. "This is the infamous Miss Nikos, eh? Well, I've gotta say, I can see why you've made it this far. You're obviously very talented in the sport, Miss. But today, I'm gonna be givin' you a run for your money! I've trained so hard all my life to get here! I'm gonna make my parents and my brother proud of me today when I take you down!"

Another explosive wave of cheers erupted from the surrounding stadium as people waved hand-made signs and shouted out in support of Nora.

Pyrrha didn't break character at all during all of this. She continued to hold her disgusted expression and snarled across the ring at Nora.

"In your dreams! Like you'd ever win against me, you pathetic little girl! Don't you know who I am? I am the Pyrrha Nikos! Undefeated champion! If you think you can beat me, you've got another thing coming!"

"That doesn't scare me!" Nora replied, puffing out her chest proudly. "I'm going to do my best, and if I just believe in myself, I know I can win! I've become so much stronger over the years, and I know everyone's support of me today will help me come out on top!"

Another chorus of cheers, but Pyrrha shouted over them.

"You're only fooling yourself, little girl! If you want to be proven wrong so badly, then let's get this started so I can put you into your place!"

With the introduction dialogue now completed, both Nora and Pyrrha took up their respective stances and faced one another.

This was the first time they would be fighting one another in front of an audience. Both of them were equally as excited and nervous as the other.

It was exciting to be able to finally show off the act and routine they'd been practicing backstage together in front of thousands of people. But it was also a little nerve-wracking, because there was always the possibility one of them might slip up and break character.

Nora got her friend's attention by making a small fist at her side, then shook it twice. Pyrrha smiled and reflected the motion back to her. It was their secret way of saying "let's do this!"

The ref spoke for a few more minutes about today's fighters and made sure to get the crowd even more pumped up than they already were. At last, he addressed the fighters themselves.

"Are you two ready?"

Nora gave a little bounce in place.

"Yessir!"

Pyrrha grunted and cracked her knuckles against her palm.

"Let's get this over with. Shouldn't take long."

And with that, their match began.

Both girls charged at one another, mimicking the steps and motions they'd practiced together so many times behind the scenes. It was thrilling to finally be doing this in front of an audience now, because every minuscule move they made seemed to earn some kind of reaction.

Nora threw the first punch, one that Pyrrha easily dodged before countering with an attempted grapple. But Nora's size worked to her advantage as she ducked and evaded.

Next, she'd have to take a punch, fake as it was, but she still made it look incredibly convincing. As soon as she felt the rush of air from Pyrrha's knuckles right beside her cheek, Nora gave an almost dramatic twirl as she spiraled to her knees. The audience gasped and booed, then encouraged her to get back on her feet. Nora wiped her mouth clean of spit and pushed herself up.

"There's no way I can lose with so many people counting on me!"

With this dramatic declaration, she charged back at Pyrrha. The next landed blow would come from her, a hit on Pyrrha's side that would surprise the crowds and ref alike.

Even though Pyrrha knew it was coming, she made sure to play it up. As she stumbled sideways against the ropes of the ring, she painted a furious expression onto her face.

"What?!" she bellowed. "How could such a weakling land a hit on me?"

Nora squared her shoulders and faced her.

"It's because everyone believes in me!"

Pyrrha snorted.

"Beginner's dumb luck!"

She charged at Nora, grabbing her around the stomach so quickly that the motion appeared to be much more vicious than it truly was. Pyrrha took care to make Nora's landing as painless as possible when she threw her down flat on her back.

But an expertly-timed slam of her own fist onto the mat produced a dull thudding sound that made the crowd wince. This was a simple act that made it both appear and sound like the sickening sound had come from Nora's back hitting the mat, when in reality it was just Pyrrha's hand that had purposefully made the sound to keep up the guise of her character's brutal nature.

Appalled, the crowd screamed and booed her, while Nora made the act all the more convincing by coughing and rolling over onto her side, cringing.

"I... I can't lose... not when I've come this far..."

Pyrrha hovered over her, straddling her thighs to pin her down.

"Sorry to say this, but losing is all you can do."

Without even giving Nora a chance to counter, Pyrrha held her down as the ref began to count.

Nora struggled valiantly against her opponent, trying to wriggle her way free so she could put up a bit more of a fight. But the ref's voice soon bellowed out around the ring.

"You're out! The winner of the match is Miss Pyrrha Nikos!"

The crowds shouted in dismay, their encouraging chants of Nora's name dwindling now as the reality sunk in.

Grinning triumphantly, Pyrrha leaned down over her defeated opponent one last time and delivered the final, verbal blow.

"You're a weakling and a fool to ever think you could defeat me, little girl."

With that, she released Nora and stood herself up.

Pyrrha almost instinctively offered her hand to help her up, but remembered she was still in-character and had to refrain.

She turned her back on the girl and faced the crowds, raising both fists high in a display of victory. There were some cheers for her, some of which were genuine and some of which were reluctant.

But it was another voice that got her attention.

From behind her, Pyrrha could hear sniffling. She turned back to face Nora, who was pushing herself up into a sitting position, wiping her eyes.

"It... It can't be... not after I've come all this way... I l-lost? Even though I promised my family I'd win this... for them..."

She sobbed as the referee hoisted her up by the arm and hustled her away.

It was almost impossible for Pyrrha to keep up her act after seeing and hearing that display. When they'd rehearsed, Nora had never showed tears before. Pyrrha feared she'd actually hurt her somehow by accident.

Therefore, as soon as she was able to, Pyrrha hurried out of the ring and through the aisles between the audience stands, then rushed back to the private rooms where fighters could rest away from the public eye. Panting, she searched frantically for her friend, her voice taking on its natural softness.

"Nora?"

She spotted her hunched over in a chair against the wall. Seeing her so dejected almost made Pyrrha cry, too. She pelted over to her friend and skidded to a halt in front of her.

"Nora? Are... Are you all right? I-I didn't hurt you, did I? I'm so sorry!" She collapsed to her knees in front of her long-time friend, gripping Nora's knees pleadingly.

Her reaction told Nora that her acting might've been a little too good. The ginger-haired girl looked up instantly to find her friend's watery emerald eyes. Nora gasped and threw her hands up.

"Pyrrha? Oh gosh, no no no no! I was only acting, silly! Trying to make it more convincing so the audience would feel for me, y'know? I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm totally fine! You didn't do anything to actually hurt me, you silly goose!" She placed her hands over Pyrrha's shaking ones and gave them a squeeze.

It was Pyrrha's turn to sniffle now, real tears already falling down her cheeks.

"Really...? Are... Are you sure...?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

Nora didn't waste another second. She threw her arms around her best friend and pulled her into a tight hug. Nora slid down off her chair to sit on the floor in front of her, making the embrace easier for them both.

Pyrrha sobbed again and returned the embrace, still shaking.

"Oh, gosh... I was s-so worried... I thought I'd hurt you, Nora... I'm sorry..."

"No, no, gosh! Don't be sorry, Pyrrha! I'm the one who's sorry! Guess my acting was a little too good. I didn't tell you about that part. I'm sorry!"

Knowing that she'd made Pyrrha upset was making Nora genuinely upset as well. She started to sniffle and buried her face into her friend's shoulder. Pyrrha took note and squeezed her tighter.

"Nora... it's all right. Don't cry."

"You first!" she wailed.

Together, they cried for a moment, softly apologizing for unintentionally hurting one another.

But before long, the sniffles turned to giggles. When they finally pulled back, both of them were smiling.

"Look at us," Pyrrha sighed. "We're a mess."

"But we're a mess together!" Nora leaned herself forward and brushed her nose against Pyrrha's. "Boop!"

Pyrrha giggled louder.

"Well then, what do you say to joining me for supper? After we've both washed up a bit, of course."

"Sounds fantabulous!"

With that, the two friends helped one another up and shared one last hug.

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A/N: This was a fun little challenge. It was strange to write them so OOC in their roles, especially Pyrrha. But showing the contrast as soon as they were done acting made for a cute comparison.

And the chapter title is sort of a pun, a mix between "caught in the act" and getting "caught up" in the act (aka 'getting carried away with their roles').