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+----- Thread: David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz (/showthread.php?tid=4552)
David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz - Konrad Raab - 09-15-2025
SCW United States Championship
2 RP Limit for singles
3500 Word Per RP
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, September 20, 2025
RE: David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz - PhantomTroupe - 09-17-2025
(Striker) In the End
RE: David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz - Wisteria Waltz - 09-19-2025
OOC: Consider this CD taking place at the same time as the one for Amelia's match in terms of a timeline.
----------------------------------
La Pequeña Luz considered this probably one of the weirdest stretches she's had yet in her SCW career.
It had nothing to do with anything that was actually happening in the business... and that felt like the problem.
Coming out of Rise To Greatness, Luz's path seemed simple enough once SCW resumed operations. David Striker had won the Scaffold Scramble and, as a result, was the number one contender to her newly won United States Championship. As elated as Luz was to think about being the one holding the unified title once the dust settled at SCW's biggest show of the year, she was even more excited to be able to get back in the ring and start building towards a match with someone she respected, even if she wasn't always a fan of the way he conducted his business. A clash of beliefs in how to get business done wasn't any concern, though, nor was the challenge of the now-former Adrenaline Champion when she'd knocked off Dexter Grant on the first Breakdown back.
No, it was the fact that she'd spent the rest of that show and the following two weeks not only with barely anything to do, but wondering if she would even be defending her title at all come Apocalypse.
It was no fault of David's. How could it be when he spent most of that time recovering? Luz had seen Gavin Taylor throw him off the top of the scaffold structure and through a pair of tables out of frustration that he'd lost the Scramble, and the closest she'd gotten to any sort of clarity was CHBK reassuring her that Striker would be 100% in time for Apocalypse and Gavin's claim to a title match held no merit. If push came to shove, she would've had no problem defending against Gavin if necessary, not because he deserved it but so his new attitude could get a reality check in the middle of that ring. Still, not having much to do and feeling like her actual title defense was almost an afterthought for weeks because of the uncertainty surrounding David's condition did not sit well with her, and anyone with ADHD like Luz was bound to go stir-crazy being in her position.
Supporting Amelia had helped in keeping her grounded and composed, and she had to admit that swapping these roles was long overdue. Not since Amelia's run through the tournament for the then-vacant U.S. Title a few years ago had it been a case of Luz standing on the sidelines cheering on her wife's singles endeavors. If it wasn't the two of them tagging together in the ring, it was Amelia cheering Luz on through both her Television and interim U.S. Title reigns, and as much as Luz loved and appreciated the support of her beloved, she could see the cracks beneath the surface, knowing how badly Amelia wanted to join her in solo success she absolutely deserved to have as well. It was why she'd been a little surprised when Amelia left her side later on the August 28th Breakdown and revealed that she'd finally turned in her Trios contract to challenge for the World Title.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Amelia had claimed when she returned to their locker room after the fact, and it had resulted in Luz kissing every inch of her wife's cute face.
Now that Apocalypse was just on the horizon, however, Luz was struggling to hide some of her frustrations about how things had been playing out.
While she couldn't fault Amelia for doing her best to put it out of her thoughts since she had a World Title shot right in front of her, Luz had enough irritation for the both of them when it came to the state of SCW affairs lately. She felt she was allowed to be upset on her wife's behalf that Selena was trying to ruin Amelia's opportunity all because she was insistent that she had to be the World Champion defending in that match, and Selena's actions this past Breakdown in trying to paint Cid in a bad light hadn't helped her case. Plus, she was absolutely allowed to be upset that she had all but become an afterthought in regards to her own title after how hard she fought to earn it back because David was determined to make Gavin pay for what happened at Rise to Greatness.
Luz understood all of it, but that didn't mean she had to agree with it.
One area where nothing seemed to be happening and Luz was absolutely OK with that was in regards to The Empire. Ever since Amelia's parents had been arrested for hopefully the final time and Luz had survived dealing with Stephen Crane (even if her thoughts were still haunted by the sight of him falling dead before her very eyes courtesy of a still-unknown assailant), the religious cult had gone radio silent once again. It didn't come as a surprise to her, considering its murderous splinter cell was now down a leader and two key figureheads while those who still followed Caleb White and believed the couple and their found family could all be “saved from their sinful ways” had been relatively quiet for far too long, likely due to trying to clean house on their own ranks because of the existence of the splinter cell.
Luz wasn't an idiot. She knew full well that it was only a matter of time before Caleb or his remaining elites likely made another move. Even with the splinter cell, they'd had months to figure out a new plan, and she doubted it was going to take Caleb too long to get everyone back in line, so she and the others needed to make the most of whatever time they had before those zealots decided to finally strike again.
“You'll have to forgive me, Luz, but... why did you want to come with me again?”
Luz turned her attention to Lily Clauson, Marilyn's sister, who she was walking alongside as they wandered the streets of Toronto. Their destination? The Royal Ontario Museum. Luz had learned recently that Lily was quite the history buff (aka a 'huge history nerd' according to Marilyn) and had been dying to check out the museum while they were in Toronto for Apocalypse. To her surprise, Luz had asked if she could tag along, which is what led to right now.
“It's not that I don't mind,” Lily continued. “I just would've thought you'd jump at the chance to train with Amelia some more.”
“We talked this morning, and Ames said she wanted to train alone for a bit today,” Luz explained. “She's got some things she wanted to get out of her system alone, and I'm willing to trust her. Hopefully she figures out what she needs to, because I would love to be able to watch her hold that World Title belt up high at the end of the show.”
“And what about your own match?” Lily raised an eyebrow.
“Already got some training in this morning,” Luz replied, “and pending how Amelia's feeling later, we might get another joint training session in this evening. Just because I haven't had much to do these past few weeks doesn't mean I'm going to let David end this title reign that quickly or easily.”
The fact that Luz's voice gained a bit of a frustrated edge to it on that last sentence was not lost on Lily.
“To answer your question, though,” Luz continued before Lily could address it, “I realized something lately. You're probably the person in our little group I've gotten to know the least. Amelia's my wife, Henry, Ivy and Gage have become my best friends, mamá and V are family, Ed and Em are Amelia's siblings, your sister's really taken to being a mentor figure for me, and I've spent tons of time around the agents with all the Empire nonsense hanging over our heads. We've interacted a few times and I know you mentored Amelia for a while, but... I just kind of wanted to get to know Lily Clauson a bit more.”
Lily looked stunned by Luz's explanation, even as the luchadora got more sheepish by the end and glanced away. Luz had a point, though: out of everyone that composed the odd little found family that had formed around Luz and Amelia, Lily had arguably spent the least amount of time around Luz. It was hardly her fault, considering she had spent a good while during the early days of everyone coming together being undercover as one of Caleb's original elites (or at least, that's the closest she could compare her position in The Empire to) until he'd grown wise to her playing double agent against him. Even after the fact, Lily had mostly stuck to interacting primarily with Amelia or her sister or the agents, if not the group as a whole.
That made the fact that Luz actively wanted to spend some time with her and get to know her better heartwarming in a way that helped her start to understand the magic of knowing La Pequeña Luz.
“I'm flattered Luz, I truly am,” Lily choked out after a moment of fighting to keep from crying in the middle of a crowded street. “I mean no offense, though, but... you don't seem much like the history type unless it relates to wrestling.”
“Yeah, you got me there,” Luz chuckled. “But the Royal Ontario Museum also has art, and I can always get lost in the colors and deeper meanings behind paintings and sculptures. Plus, like I said, I want to get to know you better, and despite what Marilyn's said about your interests... well... I'd be lying if I said the way you obsess over historical facts didn't remind me a lot of my own rambling when I have a topic I'm really obsessed with.”
“Perhaps it is a shame we haven't spent time together sooner,” Lily nodded sagely, flattered that Luz seemed to see some of herself in the older woman. “Are you sure you're alright, though? You can be honest with me... you know that, right?”
Luz bit her bottom lip, her urge to keep her issues bottled up front and center as per usual. She reasoned with herself that she could trust Lily, though... yeah, they hadn't spent too much time together one-on-one before today, which was the whole point of this trip, but Lily had also been there with everyone else, fighting to deal with The Empire and protect her and Amelia, supporting the both of them through every trial they've fought to overcome both inside the ring and out. Lily was part of the family.
“You're right,” Luz sighed as she stopped just as 'The Crystal' part of the museum came into view, with Lily halting in her tracks to watch her carefully. “I'm just... I'm still struggling with what happened in Houston with Crane. I knew I was going to probably have to fight for my life to save my mom and sister, and I was fully prepared for when that happened but... watching him fall dead right in front of me, even if he deserved it, even if it stopped him from putting a bullet through my own head. I know we still don't know who killed him, but I can't stop picturing myself being the one responsible for it all the same.”
“Sounds like a bit of survivor's guilt,” Lily nodded in understanding.
“Among other things, I guess,” Luz admitted. “Amelia and I have talked about it, and we've asked Avery about seeing if there's a therapist who might actually understand and work with us because... no offense to SCW or their therapist, but we're worried Dr. Marsh-Asher might pull us from competing so long as The Empire's still an active threat if we talk with him about it, and wrestling has always been the perfect distraction to just lose ourselves in and forget all our outside problems in the face of something we both love doing. That's what's made these past few weeks all the more frustrating. I haven't had much to do to help keep my thoughts from spiraling beyond the match with that anti-social media nutjob, and supporting Ames as she's going for the World Title is only a band-aid that works for so long. I hate that my title defense feels like an afterthought because I didn't know if my opponent would be cleared for it or not for so long, I hate that it still feels like an afterthought because of a third party who's not involved in the match, I hate that Amelia could be seen as an afterthought in her own title match because Selena's been so obsessed with getting the title back...”
Luz trails off, breathing heavily, as she realizes just how much of a tangent she actually went on for a moment there. She clears her throat, looking away from Lily in embarrassment. If it weren't for her mask, her blush would have been impossible to miss.
“Sorry, didn't mean to just dump all of that on you,” she sheepishly admits.
“You've been holding that in for quite a while, haven't you?” Lily finally responds.
“Mm-hmm,” Luz slowly nods. “I didn't mean to, especially when one of those problems isn't even mine but Amelia's, but... it's been hard trying to ignore the memory of that mess with Stephen without a good distraction and I think all the other frustrations just piled on top of it.”
“Well...” Lily thought for a moment before she her phone went off. She took a moment to look over the text message she'd received before typing something back, nodding as she did before returning her gaze to Luz. “Looks like at least one of those problems has been solved, at least. Darius just texted me asking where Amelia was... apparently he got an NCA-sponsored therapist lined up for the both of you and he wants to be the one to tell her.”
“For real!?” Luz sounded excited again, and Lily's nod of confirmation let her breathe a sigh of relief. “Gracias a dios. I'm sure Ames will be so happy to hear that as well.”
“You both have been through far too much involving The Empire as it is,” Lily admitted, “and I know what happened before Rise to Greatness didn't exact help either of you, even if you both found closure for certain things. As George R.R. Martin once said: 'Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.' But know that no matter what happens, I and everyone else will be right here with you, helping you out however we can. And hopefully, someday soon, we can all put The Empire behind us.”
“At least we'll have Apocalypse to occupy our focus in the meantime,” Luz breathed out a chuckle before wiping a tear away from the eyehole of her mask. “And hopefully, we can end the night both holding gold and standing tall together, showing the world exactly who we are and what we're capable of.”
“I'm sure Caleb would hate the sight of that,” Lily mused, giving Luz a smile that got her smiling again as well.
“Thanks, Lily,” Luz finally said after a moment. “I needed that more than I thought.”
Lily opened her mouth to respond-
“HELP! OH PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!”
Luz and Lily's heads immediately jerked towards the Royal Ontario Museum, rushing around the corner to see what was going on. They skidded to a halt, however, at the sight they found. It wasn't just some man who was outnumbered and literally being pushed around, but the two figures harassing him wore the familiar white cloaks and plague doctor masks of The Empire.
“The Empire!” Luz growled.
“Here? Now!?” Lily was flabbergasted at the sight for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, fists clenching. “Should've guessed they weren't going to stay quiet for much longer.”
“Come on, we have to help that guy!” Luz exclaimed as she and Lily rushed over, just as the guy was thrown against the wall of the museum and staggered away before falling to his hands and knees.
“What do you want from me!?” he exclaimed.
“You know exactly what we want!” one of the Empire goons demanded. “Now tell us what we want to know and we'll be on our way!”
“I swear to you gentlemen, I have no idea what you're talking about!” the man pleaded. “Who even are you, anyway!?”
“They were just about to get lost!” Luz exclaimed as she jumped in front of the guy to defend him, with Lily right behind her. Luz knew this probably wouldn't be a good look if she actually got involved in a fight in broad daylight, but right now, all she cared about was protecting this poor guy behind her and sending these religious wackos packing.
“Well, isn't this our lucky day!” the first Empire goon chuckled.
“No, it's not!” the second one frantically said as he held his associate back. “Lord Caleb's orders were strict: the sinful couple and their loved ones are to be left alone until further notice.”
“Care to fill us in on why?” Lily demanded, stepping forward as the two cloaked figures moved back a few steps.
The first goon huffed beneath his mask before answering: “Wouldn't you like to know?”
The next thing they knew, the Empire members were turning tail and making a run for it. Lily started to pursue, but didn't go too far before she just let them go, opting to keep her eyes on Luz just in case this was some sort of trap. She still whipped her phone out and texted Evie about what had just happened, though, since she knew Avery was busy and she didn't want to pull Darius away from Amelia unless absolutely necessary, especially now.
Luz, meanwhile, leaned down and offered a hand to help the man up. “You alright?”
“I think so,” the man replied, his British accent decently thick. It felt a little familiar to Luz, though she couldn't quite place it and nothing was an exact match in her mind. “They didn't rough me up too badly before you ladies showed up.”
“What was that all about anyway?” Lily asked as she put her phone away before glancing over at Luz. “Also, Evie's on her way. If The Empire's lurking around and active again, we need to keep our eyes peeled.”
“I'm afraid I haven't a clue,” the man admitted. “I was just about to visit the museum when those white-cloaked ruffians jumped me, claiming they wanted information from me, but I couldn't begin to tell you whatever they think it was. Do you know who they are?”
“Bad news,” Luz firmly stated.
“Noted,” the man sighed.
“Maybe it's best if you stick with us for now?” Luz suggested. “We can let museum security know what happened and maybe a friend of ours can work with them once she gets here to track those two down. Is that alright with you, mister...?”
“Paul,” the man chuckled as he shook Luz's hand. “You can just call me Paul, no need for such formalities.”
“Nice to meet you, Paul!” Luz grinned. “This is Lily, and I'm-”
“La Pequeña Luz, correct?” Paul said with maybe a little too much enthusiasm before he reeled himself back in. “My apologies... I've been an SCW fans for quite some time and I thought you looked familiar.”
“Maybe we should head inside before those two goons resurface, in case they didn't come alone,” Lily suggested, earning nods from both Luz and Paul. Lily couldn't help but eye Paul carefully, as something didn't feel quite right about this whole situation. Something about Caleb actively demanding that Luz, Amelia, and their loved ones were left alone for now reeked of suspicion, and while she knew from experience that Caleb having other targets for his deranged plans of a 'truly united world' wasn't out of the question, it was hard to figure out a method to the madness for some random guy who seemed just as baffled about why he was a target. Something wasn't adding up, and if The Empire was active again, that meant being vigilant once more.
Unfortunately, being so lost in her thoughts while Luz was immediately seeking out museum security to fill them in on what happened, neither one of them noticed Paul glance back around the side of the museum where he'd been jumped... and give a nod to the two Empire goons before they truly got out of dodge and he followed Luz and Lily inside.
RE: David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz - Wisteria Waltz - 09-20-2025
It's hard to see anything at first glance, mostly because it seems like our view is obstructed by water shooting up in our faces. It's not long, though, before our view is clear, and it quickly becomes apparent that we found ourselves right in front of the water fountains that dance before the three-dimensional LED sign bearing the name of the city of Toronto. With the exception of the medicine wheel, the letters of the sign and the maple leaf at the end light up the coming night in a rainbow of colors that might bring to mind the LGBTQ+ flag for a moment, which fits perfectly with the masked woman sitting right in front of the maple leaf at the very end. La Pequeña Luz has that trademark grin that could light up the night all on its own, gazing out at the dancing fountains in the pool before her. Her gaze drifts down to the United States Title resting in her lap, her grin softening as her look becomes more contemplative for a moment.
“I have a dream... over the past several weeks, it's been a dream that has helped keep me focused, even in the face of uncertainty regarding what Apocalypse would look like for me. It is a dream that has lit a fire within me that's burning even brighter than this amazing sign I'm sitting in front of. That dream is for Apocalypse to go off the air... with Amelia and I standing side by side in that ring, both of us holding championship gold high above our heads. For me, it would be this very title sitting in my lap, the title I fought tooth and nail to end the uncertainty over once and for all at Rise to Greatness. And of course, for mi amor, she would be holding the World Title high, proving once and for all what I've always known to be true: that she is good enough to stand right by my side as we do everything that we can to make the future of professional wrestling just that little bit brighter, inspire even more men and women who have dreamed of being here to not be afraid to take that shot.
I know, in my heart, that Amelia can do it... that she can beat Cid Turner and call herself World Champion. But of course, I have my own challenge I need to overcome if I want to make that a reality, and that has to take top priority in my mind.
Except... over the past few weeks, it's been a little hard to do just that, and I can't lie guys, it's been a little frustrating. It wouldn't be fair of me to blame David Striker for that when the man was thrown off of a scaffold and needed time to recover, but there's a reason I've always been of the mindset that wrestling problems should be solved in a wrestling ring. There, the result is certain and absolute, and on that night, the better wrestler truly wins, simple as that. At Rise to Greatness, David was the better wrestler in that Scaffold Scramble, and it should have been as simple as knowing for sure that when I walked out of Houston with this championship, that he would be waiting for me come Apocalypse, ready to throw everything he had at me to try and stop me when I have no intention of letting down the people who believed I could sit here and call myself your undisputed SCW United States Champion... weird as that feels to be saying while sitting in front of Canada's most well-known symbol.
Instead, I've been left wondering if this match would even happen at all, if David truly would be 100% by the time Apocalypse rolled around, what the backup plan might be if that wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, I believed CHBK when he told me David would be cleared and ready to go for this Sunday night, but I've also been in this business long enough to know that anything could happen at the worst possible time and force a change in course. Heck, I went through that exact scenario last year, when I won a triple threat match at this very pay-per-view to become the number one contender for this very title, only to be named the interim champion the very next Breakdown because of mental health concerns regarding Deanna. And yet, in the meantime, we have the very man who had to be a sore loser in that Scramble claiming that he apparently had a shot at my title direct from Mr. D, all while acting like a certain individual I'm not going to name because none of that is worth wasting my breath on.
At least Ames got to stand face-to-face with the man she's facing here in Toronto... I almost feel like the third wheel in an issue that's supposed to be about this very championship I hold and defend with honor and pride.
Don't get me wrong, I can't blame David for making his top priority when he did return getting payback against Gavin for trying to take him out in the first place. I've wrestled against him, I've wrestled alongside him, I've played security in trying to hold him back... I know he doesn't completely subscribe to the same philosophy as I do in this business, not that he had anything to prove in that regard since he'd already beaten Gavin, among others, to get this match in the first place. That said, I'm not afraid of Gavin being a factor in this match, because I think it's been established by now what kind of champion I am and what Gavin's going to have to do if he wants to face me for this title. That just leaves one question:
David, I need you to please be honest with me for a moment... is your focus 100% on me coming into Apocalypse?”
Luz stares at us for a moment, perhaps waiting for an answer she knows won't come right this second, but she still can't help but sigh.
“I'm sure you can understand my frustration David, even though I want to reiterate that it's not your fault at all for needing the extra time to recover. But think about it from my perspective. I walked into Rise to Greatness, into a marquee match on SCW's biggest pay-per-view of the year and fought my butt off to be able to call myself the undisputed U.S. Champion, beating three other extremely talented wrestlers in the process. Coming out of that show, I had high hopes about this run, I was excited to hit the ground running and really prove that I deserved to be holding this title once more, this time without the interim tag. It had a strong enough start when I knocked off the former Adrenaline Champion, but then... nothing. Aside from supporting my wife as she prepared for the biggest challenge of her career, I was left to train for a match I wasn't completely sure was still happening, despite all the reassurances. And then, even when you finally returned, seemingly aligned with the Shinigami Foundation now, and gave Gavin a receipt for what happened at Rise to Greatness... you didn't say a word to me, didn't seek me out for a staredown.
For a moment, it almost felt like you were making the same mistakes as the last time we actually faced off at Taking Hold of the Flame last year in that eight person tag match, forgetting that I existed because you had to make absolutely sure that Gavin got the message. I know for sure that's not the case now because I've heard what you had to say to me going into this Sunday night, but even then, despite what you had to say to me and despite the reassurances of your new manager, it almost feels like you still have Gavin on the brain.
Can you blame me for being a little frustrated when all I've wanted was to prove myself?
I'm not going to doubt for a second that when that bell rings over at the Rogers Centre, you're going to give me everything that you've got David, and at the end of the day, that's all I ever want. I want to be pushed to my limits, I want to fight like my life depends on it, I want to know that if I'm still meant to hold this title by the end of the night then I darn well earned that right. You don't have to pray, because I swear on the spirit of mi papá that you will get nothing less than my absolute best and a whole lot more if that's what it takes to make my dream a reality.”
It's at this point that Luz stands up, a fiery determination in her eyes. She goes to raise the U.S. Title belt high, but sheepishly pauses and glances back at the sign she's standing in front of. After a moment, she starts to walk away from the Toronto sign before she does proudly hold her championship high.
“That said, I hope you know what you're getting into this Sunday night David. Anyone who's ever known me will tell you that when La Pequeña Luz has a goal to fight for, there is no stopping me from making it happen, no risk I will not take. If your focus wavers for even a second, worrying about someone who has nothing to do with this match, I will make you pay for it. I'd hate to do it, but I am bound and determined to end this Sunday night standing by my wife's side as we call ourselves the top singles champions in all of SCW, just as Syren and Ravyn Taylor once did, and just as Selena and Deanna Frost once did. I can think of no better way to start heading towards the one year anniversary of being married to the woman I love and support with all my heart and soul, but to make that happen, I have to defeat you first. I have to prove that no matter how good you truly are when you're absolutely focused on the opponent in front of you, no matter how much you believe you have what it takes to outwrestle me, that my light will still shine just that little bit brighter and give me the strength I need to push myself across the finish line and have my arm be the one raised in victory.
David, I truly wish you the best of luck come Apocalypse, and I truly hope you can get Gavin off the brain for one night to give me the fight I know you can provide. But no matter what happens, this night will belong to me and I will leave Toronto still your SCW United States Champion. For the sake of my dream, for the sake of being able to share that moment with Amelia, I have to do my part. Sorry David, but with love as my motivation and all the support I have behind me, there's nothing I can't do.”
With that, Luz nods to us, though it's clear the nod is to David Striker, acknowledging the challenge she knows he'll bring with him to Toronto come Sunday night. Still, there's a fire burning brightly in Luz's eyes, a fire that drives her to prevail in her first defense of her title and prove that she belongs in this position once again, a passion that fuels her dream. And if she's this bound and determined to make her dreams a reality, then that could make for a very long night for the new and improved David Striker.
RE: David Striker vs. La Pequena Luz - PhantomTroupe - 09-21-2025
(Striker) "Live in Fear"