Penny (Big Bang Theory) vs Sharpay (High School Musical)
(An origin story, of sorts...)Wealth had left him time for his idle pursuits, one of which was scouting out fresh talent for the elite catfighting circle he helped host in Los Angeles, and he had developed a keen eye for good potentials.
Athletic ability was the first thing he ascertained, and that was discernible to the skilled eye by the way a subject carried herself. Less detectable...but obvious once you knew what to look for...was a fighting spirit. All too often, others had bragged that they had found the Next Big Thing with some gorgeous specimen, but although she had athletic skill, if she lacked the necessary spirit, she was invariably reduced to a sobbing mess within minutes. No, finding the right kind of competitor was an art, and it took time.
He had been watching the young waitress for a few weeks now. Places like the Cheesecake Factory were happy hunting grounds, as they tended to attract a certain type, and this girl...Penny...was exactly the type he was looking for. She grew up in farm country back in Nebraska, and he was certain she had had plenty of country girl scraps growing up. An aspiring actress, she moved to LA with a layabout hunk of beef for a boyfriend and was ready to set Hollywood on fire. In the meantime...a very short meantime, she was convinced...she paid the bills by waitressing. Casual conversations with her during his visits to the restaurant revealed a fierce spirit and sharp native intelligence that was just what he hoped for.
She was impressively amiable to the suggestion when he finally broached it. Frankly, she'd been picking up some extra money doing mud and oil wrestling in a seedy nightclub, but this option promised a much bigger payday...not to mention an audience that held more than a few potential power players in Hollywood. Penny was confident she'd beat whomever they put her up against, and it would all prove to be a fun little lark.
Arrangements were made, and the match was slated to be held in the Malibu mansion of a dotcom millionaire. The scout gave Penny the address of a very exclusive designer store on Rodeo Drive, and told her he had arranged credit for her to pick out a nice bikini for the match. With no price limit mentioned, she made a point of buying one of the most expensive ones there.
The night finally arrived and a car picked Penny up to take her to the mansion. She was escorted to a bedroom to ready herself. With butterflies in her stomach she then walked into the large living room. She padded across the thick carpeting, her sparking eyes meeting those of the fifteen or so spectators standing on one end of the room, the blonde giving an enticing small smile to each. Their eyes were locked on her, and they clearly liked what they saw. But suddenly she saw their eyes casting elsewhere; she turned and saw her opponent enter the room. All she knew about her is that her name is Sharpay...Penny couldn't help but wondering if she was named after a dog, and the thought always made her smirk.
Penny could read a woman as well as her recruiter could...or at least she thought she could. She was the blonde strut in, and instantly sensed the air of arrogance and privilege around her. Sharpay was fit and toned, but Penny was certain she was just some rich priss who was in way over her head. No doubt she would be blubbering with a lot of tears when she begged for mercy. Two, maybe three minutes...
tops.
Much to the transplanted Nebraskan's chagrin, things went considerably longer than that.
The first ten minutes or so was basically a stalemate, as the two blondes thrashed and tumbled across the room. Sharpay proved to be an unexpectedly skillful fighter, and indeed, it was Penny who was on the defensive much of the time. The more perceptive among the spectators realized Sharpay's strategy, and soon enough it came to fruition: Penny was giving 100% of herself, and as a result, she eventually spent herself into total exhaustion. Her chest heaved as she panted hard for breath, her arms and legs were leaden, and her sweat-soaked body trembled to remain upright. She was learning right this very minute the crucial value of endurance. Sharpay, on the other hand, was canny enough to hold enough in reserve, and now that her opponent was tottering, the haughty blonde called upon her remaining power and she utterly overwhelmed Penny.
She learned the hard way that this was not one of those two minute hairpulls behind a barn back home...this was a wrestling contest, and Penny's skills at submission wrestling are negligible. Unfortunately for her, Sharpay's are not, and she took a sinister delight in making her victim howl and scream with a variety of painful holds, twisting, yanking and stomping Penny's taut body until it quivered in agony. Finally...mercifully for the beleaguered Penny...the end came when Sharpay applied a Rear Naked Choke. Penny squirmed in her grasp, but it didn't take long before she was strangled into semi-consciousness, and sent into defeat, the victorious cackle of her rival echoing in her ears.
***
An hour and one long, hot shower afterward, Penny was composed enough in her assigned bedroom to receive her patron. Wrapped tight in a borrowed robe, her eyes were still rimmed red from crying, and she hung her head low in shame at her total defeat. But to her surprise, her benefactor wasn't there to tell her she didn't have what it takes to be a fighter. On the contrary, he said he was very pleased with what he saw. "What you lacked was skill," he told her. "But you had plenty of raw power, and more importantly, a real fire inside of you. You gave it everything you've got until you finally had nothing left to give, and then I saw you endure a beating that would have driven virtually anyone else to submit, but not once did I see an inkling in your eyes that you were considering giving up. What you lack can be taught, but what you already have is something truly special. I think you have the ability to be one of the very best catfighters around. But you're a diamond very much in the rough right now, and we need to give you polish." It was the crucial moment: would she accept the challenge, or else let the defeat she suffered tonight drive her away?
Tilting her head up to look directly at him, the distress that had been in her green eyes was replaced with fire. "So let's do it," she said in a steely tone. "I've got some bitches to beat up."
