SRW Specials: Meet n Greetin' the Earthshaker!

In the blink of an eye, the sudden attack caused total pandemonium! Hathiya wasn’t expecting to be ambushed from behind, which made her a very vulnerable target. Brat had poor eyesight, and while she noticed a figure walking up from behind Hathiya, she didn’t know who it was until it was too late. The small bat creature tried to warn Hathiya, sending out a surprised screech just as Croo-El grabbed ahold of Hathiya’s head! With one brutal throw, the large titan lost her balance…and began to fall towards Brat!

The tiny creature’s ears twitched! The sound of the table being knocked over, the surprised yells of the crowd, and Croo-El’s cold voice were all captured by her massive ears. Brat tried to move, tried to get out of Hathiya’s way, but the small creature froze! Her wings flinched, frozen in terror as the chair she was perched on got knocked out from under her. Brat opened her mouth, letting out a scared screech as she felt gravity pull her down, her blurry vision a confusing mix of lights and Hathiya’s form. If the Ganeeshay landed on Brat…that would be it. All Brat’s body could think to do was hug her stuffed creature tightly, hiding her face in its soft embrace as she thought this would be the last few moments…

A loud crash erupted on both sides of Brat, the bat's ears going off with each impact. Brat couldn’t help but screech into her toy, scared something might happen. But when Brat didn’t feel any pain or compression, she slowly looked back up from her stuffed toy. Hathiya was hovering over her, the Ganeeshay taking up her entire vision as the two stared at each other. It was only then that Brat felt the moisture on her cheeks. Was she crying? Did she have the time to cry?

It startled with a sniffle at first…then Brat realized what happened. Or rather, what almost happened. She squeezed her toy to her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks as she slowly began to sob.

Her arms slowly pulled themselves out of the craters. She gently pushed herself up, and her trunk calmly stroked Brats head, her eyes watering a bit at seeing Brat so terrified. It wrapped around Brat, trying to comfort her, and then gently put her on her feet as Hathiya sat on her knees. She sat silently, her shivers stopped. Her eyes had stopped quivering. No, now she was motionless.

Without turning towards Croo-El, she said, in a calm voice,
You almost made me flatten that girl."

When Hathiya’s trunk began to move around Brat, the small creature flinched, screeching out a pitched cry before quickly getting back up to her feet and hopping back. She cradled her stuffed toy, going so far as to envelop it with her wings as she hunched over and tried to process what had just happened. She didn't mean to be scared of Hathiya, but panic and fear were running through her small body. The only comfort she could focus on was the stuffed toy, its happy, simple expression seemingly the only thing she wanted to focus on. Anytime anyone came near her or talked to her, she screeched a pitched wail that nearly cracked glass. And yet, Hathiya was the only one who never moved from her spot. She remained close to Brat, silently watching over her and staying in between Brat and the heelish Croc.

Hathiya would get back up to her knees, muttering something in a calm voice that Croo-El was too annoyed to care about. The Croc was walking over again, her voice as cold as a blade in the back as she dismissed the entire situation.

“Oh, did I?” She grumbled, rolling her eyes before swinging a chair down at Hathiya’s head, looking to shatter the furniture against Hathiya’s back!

“Having a cute little meetup, Hathiya?! Think you get one win and the world loves you? I guess I thought I’d spice things up a bit! Give the crowd a real show! But hey, figures you’d almost kill a kid on your third day here, huh?”

The chair smashed on her back, all right. Hathiya seemed rooted to her spot, looking at Brat and staying close to her, seemingly guarding her from the ambushing crocodile.

The chair sent a massive explosion of pain all across her body. She flinched hard, even letting out a pained whimper, and hunching Forward more. But then she straightened herself again, still sitting on her knees, not looking at Croo-El.

Brats screeches were painful to hear. Her terrified state was all Hathiya seemed to be focusing on.

"And you're fine with this."

The chair shattered into pieces against Hathiya’s broad back! Splinters flew everywhere like shrapnel from a grenade as the Elephant woman took the entire force of her enraged enemy. Thankfully, none of the pointed wooden splinters would get near Brat thanks to Hathiya’s sturdiness, the bat finally looking up to see that Hathiya was protecting her. Crop-El simply dropped the legs of the chair, allowing them to clatter to the floor before kicking them aside. Hathiya whimpered in pain for a moment, but went right back to how she was moments prior. Her back turned to Croo-El, talking to her without looking her in the eyes. It made Croo-El’s blood boil, baring her numerous pointed teeth.

“Does it look like I care?!? I came here to beat your sorry ass and prove last time was a fluke! I really don’t care if one of your four year old fans or whatever she is gets splattered because you can’t take the heat!”

Hathiya, seeing that Brat finally calmed down, gave her a gentle look from the eyes. There was a pain in her eyes (chairs smashed on your back tend to do that) but there was a gentle calm in her eyes she was giving Brat. She leaned forward, and with one hand, gently caressed Brats head with one of her fingers, and with the other, she helped the child to stand straight and as tall as she could.

Hathiya nodded her head as she whispered such that only Brat could hear her, "Sorry, young one. Maybe another day. But I'll remember you. We can have a talk later, okay?"

After saying that, Hathiya still sitting on her knees, again not looking at Croo-El, said, in a low tone that had a strange ring in it

"Are you sure about that?"

The small, bat-like girl was still terrified, but she understood what Hathiya was doing. The chair had exploded against the Earthshakers back, and Brat could hear every piece of wood and metal that fell as a result. None of it was around her thanks to the large body that kneeled in front of her. Croo-El was scary and mean…and was challenging Hathiya right in front of everyone. A fight seemed likely to break out, but the Earthshaker’s focus was still on Brat. The powerful fighter leaned down and gently rubbed Brat’s head with her finger, trying to sooth the young girl. The bat shied away at first, but ultimately accepted the pats. When she was back on her feet, Hathiya promised they would meet again. Brat seemed to look up to Hathiya, and after calming down, nodded. To the point she tried to speak.

“D….Don’t….Don’t get hurt, please.”

With that, the bat turned and ran away. She was still too scared to use her wings, and her small legs seemed even smaller when the girl tried to run. It took a moment, but Brat finally disappeared in the crowd. Leaving just the two fighters alone.

Croo-El didn’t like the whole “zen” act Hathiya was putting up. After the Earthshaker asked if she was sure, Croo-El’s response was the cracking of her knuckles.

“Get up Hathiya. I’m not gonna leave just ‘cause you’re on your knees.”

Hathiya, after hearing her response and seeing Brat safely disappear into the crowd, slowly stood up.

She stood there for a moment, and said, in that same odd ringing voice "I hope you know what you're doing."

Croo-El couldn't see her face, but some of the crowd facing Hathiya's face looked at her face...and Croo-El could notice them suddenly backing away from her further, with a few letting out gasps.

Hathiya spun around to face the gator, and Croo-El saw her face.

Everyone retreated from Hathiya’s gaze. The look was unlike anything anyone had seen before. The Earthshaker, despite the scary nickname, was a bubbly and sweet fighter. She had a gentleness and warmth that radiated off of her, capturing the hearts and minds of people that were watching her. It’s why she caught even the attention of little ones. But this thing in front of the crowd didn’t seem like the same person that everyone came to see. And when it turned on Croo-El, everyone couldn’t help but feel a little bit of relief that they were no longer under such an unnerving gaze.

Even Croo-El seemed a bit perturbed. The gator didn’t like the feeling she was getting from Hathiya’s gaze…like she was being watched by a bigger Croc. It made her uncomfortable. And when she got uncomfortable, she went in for the bite, usually. Instead, Croo-El picked up the fallen table beside her.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I beat somebody who told me that.”

Swinging the table around, Croo-El looked to do exactly what she did with the chair! Looking to hurt Hathiya further!

Hathiya didn't move at all even when Croo-El aimed to use the table at her. It came at her quickly, and it seemed Hathiya for a moment was going to let the brunt of it smack her...

That was, until with the same fast speed she had amazed crowds with back in her debut, she suddenly shot her arm up, and with the flick of one of her fingers, countered by breaking the table. It actually broke off the table leg Croo-El was holding, the rest of the table flying off and smashing into a wall, sending splinters flying everywhere. All Croo-El was left holding was a singular table leg.