Bringing Back the Old Guard

With a boom of J-rock and a flash of colorful sparks, the current Tag Team Champions, known as the Frozen Flame Combo, emerges on stage, wearing their title belts proudly around their waists. Dressed in their usual brightly colored bikinis, the reigning champs made their way down to the ring, smiling and waving at the cheering crowds. Both leaping into the ring, their music quickly cut away and the spotlights moved right back to the ramp from which they had emerged.

A different, heavier J-rock song blared forth, and Maddie, notorious jobber and the underling of the two champs, stepped forth, dressed in a green bikini. The crowd reaction to her was decidedly more subdued, but most still supported her due to her connections with Akiko and Yukiko. Weary and beaten after her loss in the Tempest Tournament at the hands of Gwendolyn, this was going to be an important occasion for both her and her two senpai, so she forced herself to appear happy and energetic as she made her own entrance, coming down to meet Akiko and Yukiko inside the ring.

Picking up the microphones the techs slid over to them, the Tag Team Champs grinned widely. Akiko started things off first, striking a cute pose; "Hello to all our awesome fans! Thanks for coming out tonight to see us!" Next, striking a similar pose, Yukiko; "I'm sure you're all wondering what we're gonna talk about tonight, but if anyone watched our title defense at Avalanche and saw this girl here, then I'm sure you've figured it out!

The lights focused on Maddie, standing behind the two of them. Feeling a bit on the spot, she gave a trying smile, making her own pose.

"For those of you that don't know, we used to hang out with Maddie a lot back in our high school days!" A slight exaggeration, but they had to make it sound good.

"And we were pretty happy when we found out she came to the AFW as well!" Not really an exaggeration, but they didn't actually remember her name right away at the time...

"And in our tough battle against the Morrigan, despite her own problems, she selflessly came and helped us out!"

Maddie cringed as a few cat calls rang out, reminding her of her unwanted exposure during the match. "YOU SHUT UP!"

"She may be going through a rough time herself now, but..." A bit rude, but a necessary admission, "Yukiko and I have faith in her, and have officially decided to have her added to our team roster as a sub!"

There was a brief moment of silence, but politeness eventually kicked in and the crowd gave a cheer of... acceptance.

"Obviously, she can't fight in either of our places in a title match, but she's still now a valued member of our team! And she deserves respect!"

"However, we can't respect someone who watches our back if our team name doesn't even include her! Therefore, we now discard the mantle of the Frozen Flame and...!"

"DECLARE OUR NEW NAME, THE BLACK FEATHERS GANG!" the three of them shouted in unison, as a few guitar riffs played out over the speakers for dramatic effect.

Once the cheers died down, they continued, "Don't get hung up on the 'black' part, it's symbolic more than literal! It's a sign of respect to our old gang, which we intend to revive here at the AFW!"

"Our requirements are pretty lax, and we're not gonna ask anyone to change their color scheme for it, 'cuz we sure as hell aren't, but we'll talk about this another time!"

"For now, please welcome our newest member!"

Maddie teared up a bit as the audience went wild, cheering her name. Compared to just about every single other time she'd been out here like this, it was a drastic change. For once she actually felt like a real fighter. Putting down their mics, Akiko and Yukiko embraced Maddie tightly, before placing their arms over her shoulders. As the crowds continued to roar and chant, the three bikini-clad girls began to make their way off stage, waving and smiling brightly as ever.