Welcome to Gaia! ::

Salem's back was still throbbing, lungs struggling to fill until capacity as Hiro retreated for the ropes, looking to hit something high-impact to be sure. The self-proclaimed 'Rebel of Wrestling' took advantage of this moment to get in a quick breath and up to his feet as his esteemed opponent came charging in on the rebound. Instinctively, Salem jumped as Hiro went for his diving maneuver, hoping that Hiro would pass under the ropes and onto the floor that lay beyond. Were he to do so, Salem would grab hold of the top rope and springboard off it, looking to hit the recovering Hiro with a Slingshot DDT from off the ring ropes, a move he liked to call "Instant Karma".

Salem didn't have time to be amazed by Hiro's reaction speed, only having the time to realize his opponent was countering the ill-fated DDT he'd attempted. Between the up-force of Hiro's fist and the down-force of Salem's fall, the impact created a bone-shattering crack that drew a large pop of surprise from the crowd as Salem's body snapped backward, landing shoulders-first against the arena floor. His head was spinning, eyes fluttering as he moved his arms lazily, struggling to get control of himself.

Salem, still reeling from the monstrous uppercut he'd received just moments earlier, lacked the coordination to fight off Hiro as he was lifted to his feet and rolled back into the ring before he could be counted out. He felt Hiro bear down on him as he went for the cover, shop lights from the arena ceiling blaring in Salem's eyes.

"One...!" the ref shouted before Salem lifted his shoulder forcefully, looking to throw Hiro onto the canvas after taking his little breather. It'd take more than that to put this hungry rookie away.

Salem had avoided a premature loss to his respected adversary, but had perhaps put himself in an even worse situation as he felt his head wrenched back by the forceful grip of Hiro's hand on his hair. It felt like his hair was being ripped out from the root, his fists flailed as Salem's anguished cries were muffled by the merciless strikes to his head from Hiro. Trying his best to fight through the pain of each battering blow, Salem's arms shook as he struggled to stand and get back to a vertical base.

Salem's valiant effort to get back to his feet cost him a lot of pain - and it would have been worthwhile, had Hiro not sent this dream crashing back to the ground, Salem with it. The heavy hook that cracked into Salem's skull sent a thunderous shockwave through his spine, momentarily stunning the helpless warrior as he felt back to the canvas. Altering his strategy, the rocked Salem started doing a military crawl towards the ropes, hoping to get back up from that position.

Salem was running on pure adrenaline at this point, but his senses were still keen enough to feel the ring shaking beneath him as Hiro charged over. Glancing back just as he was dropping for his elbow, Salem would roll out of the way, grabbing the bottom rope to pull himself into a sitting position, hoping he could get to his feet before Hiro could recover from the momentary delay.

As Salem pulled himself to his feet, he could tell that Hiro was almost to his, as well. Thinking fast, and lacking the wind to fight just yet, Salem would deftly bounce off the second rope, using the added boost to make up for his lack of strength at the moment. As he went into Hiro, Salem would try and turn the tides by hitting Instant Karma once again, hoping that the second time would be the charm.