¡La Campeóna esta Aquí!

The Tension crowd was unusually loud and bustling today, as they anxiously awaited the next match, the next promo, the next whatever was about to go down. Part of it had to do with the crowd  - Tension had been doing well recently, but this was one of the first shows that had sold out. The brand was expanding and the fanbase was rising along with it. Business was booming, and the result was plain to anyone looking out over the stadium. Packed seats, the smell of overpriced popcorn in the air, and the low rumble of ten thousand anxious Tension fans.

That anxiousness turned to confusion when unfamiliar music started to play over the arena. People looked around, not sure what to make of a song they hadn't heard before. No one had heard anything about a debut, nothing special was scheduled. It was just random, smooth tones, two guitars furiously strumming along with each other. Pleasant, but pointless

That was, until the owner of the music emerged from the curtain and raised her title belt in the air.


Ladies and Gentleman!" The announcer called out with her powerful voice, as she pointed straight at her. "Allow me to introduce your new 24/7 Champion - Carmen Roooooooooooodriguez!"

The crowd erupted with applause and cheers, hailing their new 24/7, the woman who'd finally snagged the belt after three, long years under the Brat's control. Carmen couldn't remember the last time she'd had so many smiling faces aimed at her, and it was more than welcome. She smiled back, waved to the crowd, gave out a few high fives as she made her way down the ramp. She was the champ, and they treated her like the champ. It was a good feeling, the sort of thing she'd been fighting for since she threw her first punch. All those years chasing gold, and she finally had it slung over her shoulder.

Only, it wasn't that simple, was it? As much as she appreciated the adoration, she realized that many of them weren't cheering her so much as they were cheering the fact that someone - anyone - had the belt. Carmen was fairly popular, and they would've preferred her over others, but just about anyone would've gotten this reaction.

Having the belt wasn't enough. She had to earn it. And having the belt fall into her lap didn't count by any metric.

She made her way into the ring, sliding in under the bottom rope, and stood up quick with the belt held high. Carmen strode around the ring, making sure everyone got a good angle for their pictures, before she took the microphone and, after a deep sigh, began to speak.

"Japan...gracias." She nodded and looked from side to side. "When I came here, just a little over a year ago, I wasn't expecting much. I thought I'd wrestle a few matches, get some popularity for my outside ventures, and that would be it. Hecho, done. But since I settled in here, you've all been more than kind. It was rough at first, but you were all patient with me while I learned wrestling, as I got better. You supported me, and without that support, I know that I would've likely left here long ago. This title?" She pointed right at the golden clock. "It belongs to all of you, just as much as it does to me."

Carmen raised the belt one more time, before slowly lowering it down. "But there is a problem." Her face grew grim, more serious, harder. "See, I'm not the champion. Not yet." The people looked among themselves, back to confusion all over again. "Yeah, I have a belt. But being the champion is more than just a physical thing. It's about competition. It's about fighting for the top stop. It's about deserving to be there. The god's honest truth is that, at the end of the day, just about anyone on the roster could have won this the way I did. I was in the right place at the right time. I got lucky."

"However," Carmen held up her finger and wagged it. "That doesn't mean there's nothing I can do. I've been thinking, and I feel like there is a way for me to prove that the 24/7 belt belongs on my shoulders, that I'm worthy of it." She turned towards the entrance ramp. "But I can't do it alone. I need help, So with that in mind, let me introduce the last real competitor to hold onto the title..."

Carmen took a deep breath as the audience got to their feet once again, knowing what she'd say before the words came out of her mouth. Unless she was talking about King's one-day reign - she wasn't - that only left one option."The pride of Texas, CLYDE GASTIN!"

There was a period of silence for a good while. No one came out instantly, it took a minute or two before Clyde's theme hit the arena speakers and the crowd got to their feet in a hurry to greet the cowboy who strolled out onto the stage, clad in a black suit, slacks and tie, casually making his way down the entrance ramp with a steady walk. He had heard Carmen in the back and listened to what she had to say, it was a surprise to hear such passion from Carmen but getting called out was a bigger one.

Clyde hopped over the ropes after making his way onto the ring apron. Smiling and waving at the crowd before he turned to Carmen, keeping his eyes on her as he went over to grab a mic before looking at the latin champion that carried the first title he had ever won.

"Carmen... I just wanna say thank you for introducing me like that. It means a lot ta' know that Tension's first 24/7 champion wasn't forgotten BAAYBEE!!!" He addressed the crowd calmly at first before exploding for the cheering crowd so proudly.

"I must say though. I sure as hell like seeing you with the title more than King or The Brat Pack... I had good time that belt, the only belt I'll prolly ever have but I know you'll be a champ... But if you please, Amiga. You mind tellin' me exactly what you're out ta' prove?" He asked curiously as he paced around the ring before looking at Carmen out the corner of his eyes.

After she'd said her peace, Carmen made her way over to the farthest corner from the entrance and leaned against the turnbuckle, waiting and watching. The tech crew played her new music, but she doubted they'd get through the whole song. She hadn't told Clyde this would be happening beforehand, wanting to surprise him, but she knew he was in the building, and if he really was the sort of man she thought him to be...

"There we go." Her smile widened as his music started up, and the man himself made his way down to the ring, looking slick in his outfit. She slowly paced around the ring while he spoke, nodding along with his words and promptly responding when it was her turn.

"Well..." She rubbed her chin and patted the belt on her shoulder. "It's a simple thing, vaquero. This title sat around for years with the Brats. For a while, it was just an ornament. Now I have it. On paper, I'm a champion. But a belt's only as good as the woman holding it, and a champion needs a challenger. I need someone to put me the test and give me the chance to prove that this title belongs to me."

Carmen pointed straight at his chest, right on his fancy tie, as she looked at Clyde with solemn eyes. "I want that 'somone' to be you."

Clyde stood there eyeing Carmen from the side, hearing her out before turning to her, standing up straight, raising his chin to her so they were directly facing eachother. Looking her directly in the eyes as sh got in close and poked his chest.

He then huffed in amusement and smiled before picking his mic back up. "You make it sound like yer askin' me out..." He muttered before looking to the crowd, and shrugging coyly. He loved to pander.

"But see Carmen... Yer tryin' prove somethin'. I understand that. But that's a title that doesn't NEED a match. All it takes is one stunner right here and now and a ref that sits backstage or ringside and the strap is mine again... If you REALLY wanna hold this title you can't expect me ta' be honorable about that belt!" He said firmly, keeping his eyes locked on the tall boxer while he poked that title.

"That was the first title I ever won... And I'll prolly never be a world champion thanks to Melissa Sellers and King's Crew." The mere mention of their names gained a hail of unanimous boos. "And I'll do any damn thing... Ta' show the world that I can be the best." He added as he leaned up towards Carmen.

"But I don't need ta' take it now, I respect ya enough ta' fight ya straight up. I'll do it on a nice, big payday at the brand new Climax Pay Per View! But see you come out here challenging the hungriest dog in the pound and show him the only meal he's ever gonna have... Girl please, You're ain't asking fer a title defense... Yer askin' ta' be replaced as Champion!" He shouted to her before shoving the mic in her chest, backing off and firing twin finger guns in her face before storming off hopping over the ropes and leaving up the ramp with his arms out as if he beckoned Carmen to match him.

This was his only chance to be a champion again. He wasn't giving it up this time.

Carmen let Clyde go without another, not wanting to spoil his big moment. Even though she was fairly new and unskilled in the art of the wrestling promo, she understood the mechanics of it. They talked some junk, got the crowd riled up. Simple stuff, and she was fine with the game. He was good, she wouldn't take that away from him. But she'd improved. She was a better wrestler now than she was the last time they fought. Carmen could beat Clyde, and when the time came, she'd prove it.

She'd planned on taking the rest of the day easy, conserve her energy for a hard weekend in the gym, but as it turned out she had some business to handle first - having the title meant new responsibilities, and one of those was doing autograph signings.

Carmen didn't mind it, though, and she was all smiles as a group of about two dozen or so Japanese circled around her. A good chance for her to meet with some of her fans, and an even better chance for her to practice her conversational Japanese.

["To...Mia..."] She let the fifteen year old girl in front of her hold the belt while she signed a Tension poster. Ten down so far, and about twenty to go, if her count was on. ["...from...Carmen."] She handed it off the smiling girl and gave her a thumbs up as she took the belt back.

Belle B. Barker had watched every bit of Carmen and Clyde's little exchange out in the arena. She was as close as she could possibly get, leaning against a wall, dressed in her ring gear. An Odd assortment of scant layer after scant layer which included a cow patterned bikini, covered by a pair of tight fitting, low cut denim shorts over her bottoms, with another white piece of fabric that was trying to pass off as a shirt. It had sleeves but didn't even reach her bust. Over that was a leather vest and hanging loosely around her neck, tucking between her ample chest was a purple tie. Her purple hair was pulled into two long pigtails and a cowboy hat covered her face while she watched Carmen approach and tend to a small group of adoring fans.

It was nice to have fans who appreciated you. Belle had a few that liked her spunk, but she would have to work harder to earn more. She had no doubt she would, even though most of them really didn't seem to understand where she was coming from. Eventually they would.

As the last fan left, Belle grin and pushed her hat up onto her head and stepped up to face Carmen. When she was in the girl's field of vision, she reached up and tugged the shirt up, revealing one of her breasts fully and offered it to Carmen.

"Just go ahead and sign anywhere. I really liked what ya had ta say out there! Ya really understand the way things oughtta work. If anyone deserves a title shot, it's Clyde!"

Carmen had been wrestling with the AFW for over a year now, and as such, she'd started to get used to all the random things that could happen around it. After a couple of little people broke into her gym and challenged her to a match, she'd thought there couldn't be anything that surprised her anymore, that she'd seen the absolute strangest thing the company had to offer. But, as Carmen stood there, marker in hand, staring at the exposed breast of a purple-haired woman in a cowprint bikini, even she was at a loss for words. Just didn't see that one coming.

She opened her mouth and started to ask whether the woman was a wrestler or not, but after a split-second of thought, she stopped herself. In an outfit like the one this woman was wearing, on top of a physique like that, with hair like that, and a Texan accent, this close to the arena? Almost definitely an AFW wrestler. Carmen had never seen her before, but that wasn't too surprising - she was so busy these days, she missed far too many episodes of Tension.

"Completely agree." She bit her lip and admired the view for a moment, before looking up and going eye-to-eye. She nodded with a wistful sigh. "Clyde's been really good to me since I came here, stand-up guy every time we met." Carmen laid her belt on the woman's shoulder, just for the moment, then looked back down and started writing her signature across the bottom of the woman's breast. "Probably the first guy I really connected with in Tension. Talented, funny, good heart, sweet guy, and he just gets screwed over and over and over." She grumbled and shook her head, remembering the crap he'd been through in just the small amount of time she'd been with the company. "This is the least I can do for him."

She finished writing 'From Carmen! A+! 10/10!' on the lower half of her breast, then moved to the top, pausing before she started again. "What's your name, vaquera?" Carmen tapped the marker right on the tip of her nipple, hardly able to contain the laugh under her voice. Only in the AFW. "Might as well give you the full deal."

Belle's eye twinkled as she made eye contact with Carmen, her grin never leaving her features, even as Carmen set the belt on her shoulders, only her eyes moved to look at it. It was heavy, but felt good. Something like that certainly belonged on Belle more than Carmen.

Belle nodded along as Carmen spoke highly of Clyde. She agreed with every bit of it and just stared at the girl, blushing as the marker scribbled across her boob. She liked that Carmen was so bold, and she liked that Carmen liked Clyde. He needed more friends.

It was all just so unfortunate though...

"It's Belle! Belle B. Barker." She chirped. "And yeah, Clyde's a real southern gentleman. Ya don't see too many of them in the states, let alone Japan! We're all lucky to have him around! He really is the best though..." She said as she looked Carmen over. "Has he really been that good to you though?" She asked, tilting her head. "I mean, yer close?" She asked. "I just know that he likes to act like he's a lone wolf on an island, so I wasn't really expecting him to, ya know..."

Carmen returned Belle's smile as they made eye contact, loving the friendly atmosphere. The rare times she could catch Friction these days, she always hated how everything seemed so caustic and chaotic there. Competition was one thing, that she could handle, but too many of the women seemed to make everything so personal. Just because they would be competitors inside the ring didn't mean they had to go crazy outside the ring.

"Belle." Carmen repeated, smothering the name in her accent. "Lovely name. And yeah," She finished writing 'To Belle' across the top and stuffed the marker away. "I'd say we're pretty close. I'd like to be closer with him, really." She ran a hand through her hair and scoffed. "I can tell he likes to go it alone, but it shouldn't be that way. I remember, he came to me one night, and-"

She paused, thinking about the time Clyde stopped by her gym after his girlfriend split up with him. Not something she had the right to just throw out there to a stranger. "Never mind." She coughed and tried to play it off. "But yes, he's been good to me."

She brightened up again and looked Belle over, head to toe, with an approving gaze. Fine woman. "So, you're a wrestler, too, right? New on the roster?"

"Oooh?" Belle's grin widened and the twinkle in her eye sparkled a little bit more as Carmen spoke. Belle wasn't a jealous girl per se. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to settle down with Clyde. She did, but she just wasn'' totally sure. Right now he needed her to help him along and be his guiding hand. He needed a look out and someone to keep him safe. If he had girlfriends in the meantime, well, that was just fine and Carmen really seemed like a good girl, she was probably more perfect for Clyde than Belle was if Belle were to stop and think about it.

Belle wasn't very interested in doing that though.

"I think ya should try it, pursuin somethin with him, I mean. It could be fun, ya know? I know I'm havin a blast!" She nodded eagerly. "And, yeah, I'm a wrassler. Haven't had a match yet, but I know it'll be soon. I plan on bein champ in no time!" Belle grinned and heaved the belt off of her shoulder and looked at it.

"This one's real pretty, Clyde definitely deserves another shot at it. I hope ya won't feel bad if I'm rootin fer him though!" Belle giggled and then suddenly dropped the belt on the floor, trying to make it look like an accident.

"Shoot!" She said and pushed her hand into Carmen's breast to back her off. "I'm real, real sorry! Darnit, how disrespectful. Lemme just grab it. I'm so sorry!" She apologized profusely as she squatted and put one hand on the belt. Her other hand brushed off her hat and her eyes gleamed as she sprung upward in a flash.

She crashed her head into Carmen's jaw and then grabbed the girl by the hair as she brought her feet up and let gravity bring them both back down with Carmen's jaw once again slamming into Belle's hard head. A perfect Sooner Sitout if she ever did see one.