Deadlocked

Ch. 2: Sparring

Despite walking into the gym with her hands up in the air like a prize fighter entering their match, there were only a handful of "spectators". It didn't matter much to Lena, though, who had taken the time to find a Union Jack to tie around her neck like a cape, spinning around as the cheers from Mei echoed in the small gymnasium.

Angela simply stood on the opposite end of the passed floor, trying to readjust her chin strap so that her headgear wasn't so uncomfortable. Somewhat content with that, she leaned down, yanking at her knee pads to accomplish the same goal as her chin strap, though as she straightened up again, her headgear had messed up again, so she returned to pulling it around her head.

It was truly a sight to behold between the two of them.

Fareeha finally walked up to her, undoing the strap and removing the helmet, "Okay, you know what, I think you've got this. Just..."

She didn't finish her sentence, leaving Angela with the slightest sense of dread, though it quickly vanished as she watched Lena kissing her flag before tossing it into the stands, right at Reinhardt, who simply examined the clothen banner curiously. Lena then began running in place to warm up, periodically falling into stretches while Angela simply stood there.

"Go Tracer!" Mei shouted happily, before turning to Angela, red-faced, "I still love you, Doctor!"

Angela eyed her sarcastically before beginning to run in place herself to warm up as Fareeha massaged her shoulders, leaning in to whisper into her ear, "Okay, just remember what we practiced. She's not afraid to fight dirty, so if it comes to that, you know what to do."

Angela nodded, but slowly turned her head back toward her, "Wait, the thing with the arms or the legs?"

"The thing with the deltoids," Fareeha clarified, "Works every time."

Angela nodded, turning back toward Lena, who was now doing "warping jacks", and jumped into a fighting stance, keeping her fists above her as she made her way toward her starting position. Lena followed suit, warping into her place as Reinhardt grabbed at the whistle around his neck.

"Alright ladies, I want a GOOD, CLEAN fight, alright?" the old man clarified simply, "If you both do that, we'll go get some dessert or something- everybody's a winner, alright? We'll crank up some Hoff, have a good time!"

He chopped the air in front of him, starting the match, leaving the two fighters to circle around, watching their opponant seriously, their eyes both narrowed. Suddenly, Lena stood up straight, holding her fists on her hips as she stared angrily behind Angela.

"Mei!" she shouted, pleadingly, "Come on, that's not a nice sign to put up!"

Angela quickly whipped around, but only found Mei sitting there, shocked at being called out in such a manner. Realizing her mistake, Angela's eyes grew wide, but in that second, Lena had made up ground, throwing a dastardly punch at the passed armor wrapped around Angela's chest, knocking her to the ground.

Mei stood and cheered as Fareeha dropped her head, rubbing her face in disdain. Lena began throwing her hands into the air in triumph, pumping up the crowd, which only really affected Mei, who began hopping up and down in excitement. She reached over and pulled Jamison to his feet as well, though he was more uncomfortable, being more new than the others.

Angela got back up to her feet, her face comforting in a serious manner as Lena continued rousing the crowd. In Lena's theatrics, Angela dashed up to her, throwing a punch at her passed chest, knocking her to the ground and sending her sliding, leaving Fareeha dismayed at the lack of skill parties.

Angela pounded her passed hands together, goading Lena as her eyes stared up at her, "Come on, Oxton; you wanna go?!"

Lena jumped up to her feet in an instant, the two finally resorting to a more traditional sort of match, though it was definitely slower than anything Fareeha would have expected for her own matches. Mei was still intensely into the who battle, however, wrapping her arms around Jamison and furiously shaking him as she watched, unable to contain her excitement.