I Want a Good, Clean Fight!

The crowd was hushed as they waited for the next match to begin. When the loudspeakers crackled to life with music, the crowd began to cheer. Now familiar with the plucky young kickboxer, they were hoping to see Gabbie in the ring and they were going to, but as the normally quite determined Canadian stepped out onto the entrance ramp, it seemed as if it was not to wrestle.

She was wearing an unzipped beige hoodie with the words DESJARDIN SAVATE embroidered on the back. Underneath that was a white tee and she wore a black skirt with black stockings and white tennis shoes. She had a microphone in one hand and a timid, almost shy look on her face, especially considering she usually looked determined and ready to fight for matches. Gabbie walked slowly down the ramp and slipped into the ring. She took a moment to look at the cheering crowd before she lifted the microphone to her lips.

"H-Hello." She said shyly and then took a second to breath. "I, uh, I usually come out here to fight, not to talk. I'm, uh, not usually one for talking and, I'm actually pretty nervous." She admitted as her cheeks flushed. "But fighting is important to me and whether or not I'm nervous, I feel like I have to get this off my chest."

Gabbie inhaled again. "I came to this league from Thailand. Before I got here I was a fighting professionally as a Nak Muay. I've spent my whole life fighting. My family owns a Savate school in Toronto and I have won every Savate tournament I've entered. I've won in kickboxing as well and I had heard that this company, AFW, was the best. My sister joined as well, she grew up fighting in Jiu Jitsu tournaments against someone you're familiar with, Cassie Elliot. The only person my sister ever lost to was her and I believe that Elliot joined this league because she, too, thought it was the best." Gabbie frowned. "But Elliot is gone. She quit this league because this league is not a hotbed of professional martial artists and dedicated fighters."

Gabbie frowned even deeper and looked at the crowd. "She was under assault by people who could not cut it and were forced to resort to cheating. Cheating in ways that weren't just dishonorable but dangerous and career threatening. People who will do anything to win are not true competitors. I've seen this since I started wrestling but it's worse. There's people who don't even care about winning and cheat simply because they can. Because they take pleasure in being sadistic or, believe that's the only way for them to achieve fame or glory."

Gabbie  pointed at herself, her voice becoming harsher. "I've dedicated my life to fighting! I've worked hard to be as good as I am and I am not going to be driven away by anyone who makes a mockery of this sport! Is THAT what you want?!" She asked the audience. "Do you want to see people beat each other with chairs and choke each other!?" Gabbie shook her head. "I was just in a match where i was tied to my opponent. It was degrading for both of us. It wasn't a competition, it was a farce! And if it's not cheaters I'm matched up in or circus acts they want me to perform in, then they are putting me up against pathetic competition!"

Gabbie was now pacing. "I understand there's no divisions here. Even my own dojo  mates think that I will struggle here because I'm not the biggest girl in the league. I understand that mismatches are part of what drives this league and if the management wants to put me up against one of the giants, then fine! I firmly believe that no matter how big a girl is, I can end any fight with one well placed kick. However, there are girls who just simply do not belong in the league on any level! My first opponent in the Tempest Tournament, Neske, is the perfect example. I was actually worried for her safety! I was trying so hard to end the fight without permanently injuring her because she does not belong in this league. Whatever idiot told her to join is going to get her killed and that is terrifying!"

Gabbie's tone had changed. She definitely looked concerned. "Letting just anyone into this league is going to result in serious injury. Is that why you paid money to come here? Do you want to watch someone die in this ring? That is not why I dedicated my life to fighting. I am not an executioner! Those in charge need to consider having at least some scruples when hiring fighters or, at least, make sure the girls who do not belong in the real league, stay in the kawaii league where they can do bed wrestling matches and never have to worry about getting a concussion or suffer a paralyzing fall or internal bleeding."

Gabbie then bowed. "Thank you for your time. I promise I will always try and do what is right and fight honorably. I know that's why everyone is here and I hope that in the Tempest Tournament Finals, I will be facing credible competition."

As soon as Gabbie reached the finishing lines of her speech, a distinct noise could be heard from the crowd. Not of cheering, or even booing the proud wrestler, but of loud, irritated complaints. Steel clanked against cement as several chairs were haphazardly pushed aside, and many-a-fan roared their frustrations as one viewer made her way toward the stage. And in most circumstances, it could have been the least likely person to make such a stance.

A sober Neske Aalpo would have stayed in her seat after being called "pathetic," more anxious about her own ability than indignant towards the insult. A younger Neske wouldn't have the fuel to care about whose head this blonde kickboxer knocked around. A tired Neske wouldn't dare want the attention of an audience on her for anything other than a concert, and least of all wrestling. But right now, Neske was none of those things, and the way this blonde-haired Canadian was running her mouth off like she was the best thing around was getting under Neske's skin.

Toppling haphazardly over the barricade and climbing into the ring, Neske wrestled the microphone from Gabbie's hands with a grunt before starting to speak. Or rather, before pausing for a decent period of time as she came to the realization she didn't really have any sort of speech prepared in her mind. But before too long, the words came to her, and she puffed up her chest as much as she could. "Look who it is, pinkie! Look who's doing just fine! So you can climb down from from that high horse of yours, alright? You could fall, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

She gave a pause to let the audience react with a self-satisfied smirk before continuing, her face a little more serious now. "Look, pinkie, I know this may come as a big shock to you, but no one made me join this whole shindig. No one makes me do anything. I-I mean, who do you even think you are? You beat me unconscious and call me names, you beat up my girlfriend, and then you tell me I shouldn't be here? Well I got news for you: there are different ways to be entertained. Your's isn't automatically the best. If you have a problem with that, maybe you are the one who doesn't belong, huh? Ever think of that?" she prodded with a flick towards Gabbie's pink streak for added effect.

Gabbie was about to leave when she saw Neske tumble over the barricade. She hadn't heard the clanging about, but when her former opponent spilled into view, the blonde wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Neske?" She said as the girl trudged into the ring ans stumbled towards her, tearing the microphone away from her.

Gabbie recoiled at the sight of the drunk girl and her accusing words at first. By the time Neske  was finished, even flicking the lock of hair she dyed pink, Gabbie had a stern look on her face. She grabbed Neske's hand firmly to hold the mic in place and leaned in. She

"Are you..." Gabbie said and then pushed the microphone away. She had caught the smell of something horrid on Neske's breath. "Are you drunk!?" She whispered and then leaned back, pulling the microphone to her lips, extending Neske's arm as she held onto it.

"Maybe someone should make you do something." Gabbie said finally, chastising the girl. "I only knocked you out because you were putting yourself in danger! The fight was over way before the final blow. Anyone with a brain could see that." Gabbie pried the microphone away from Neske and shoved her away. "I was protecting you because you're either unwilling or unable to do it yourself! Either way, that's reason enough why you shouldn't be in this ring and it proves my point entirely!"

Gabbie continued to question Neske and her ravings. "I don't even know who your girlfriend is! I don't beat people up! I'm a fighter. I'm a combatant, not a thug!" The Canadian was irritated by Neske's accusations. "What's entertaining about someone who doesn't belong in a ring getting the utter crap beat out of her? Was it fun for you? Because it wasn't fun for me. I was ashamed! And you definitely should be too! You're a disgrace! coming out here like..."

Gabbie let it go. She wasn't going to call out Neske for being intoxicated. She'd deal with that privately. She'd humiliated Neske enough as far as she was concerned.

Before Neske could make a response, Fire by the Music would play as Akiha came out.  Usually, the audience would boo but right now they were confused to why the raven hair wrestler had showed up.  In her hand was a microphone.  The Japanese wrestler would look at the two wrestlers in the ring as she walked back and forth a bit on the entrance ramp before finally stopping.

“You know Gabbie, at first, I respected you, you seemed to be a wrestler who fought with honor but now I see what you are.  You're nothing more then a little cry baby who constantly complains about everything.  You win a match, you complain.  You win another match, you still complain.  You lose a match and big surprise, you still complain.  All you do is complain and complain and complain and complain... and complain and complain and complain... and complain and complain... and complain.” stated Akiha as she nodded her head.

“I mean you say Neske shouldn't be here?  But I have seen her go through way worse than that.  I've seen her get hit twice by a spike piledriver as she was assaulted by three different wrestlers.  Trust me, your little kick may have knocked her out but you weren't in danger of doing any damage to her.  Neske is the type of wrestler who gets right back up and keeps on going.  She knows what wrestling is, what AFW is and gladly accepts it.  It what pays her bills and puts food on the table.  But no, you don't want her to have this job.” stated Akiha as she now started to make her way down to the ring.

“But enough about Neske, let's talk about you, Gabbie.  You going around saying that last match versus Hisui was stupid and farce.  Yet Hisui informed you that such a match is rooted all the way back to the gladiator pits which wrestling is now the modern day version of.  That means it part of wrestling history and despite knowing that you still continue to insult it.  You insult all of wrestling history when you say that.  Honestly, you have a terrible attitude and you don't seem cut out for wrestling, nor do you seem to enjoy it.  So either shape up or ship out.” stated Akiha as she lowered the mic as she was now just outside the ring.

Gabbie narrowed her eyes as she heard the music. She turned away from Neske and stared Akiha down as the haughty Japanese aristocrat spoke. Akiha was another irritant and one of the people Gabbie had been speaking about without mentioning her by name. Gabbie never complained in her life and now, suddenly, because she was concerned about the state of the sport, and the wrestlers in it, she was being painted as complaining. She wasn't having any of that. DEFINITELY not from Akiha.

Gabbie stepped forward and leaned against the ropes. "You're probving my point with your words, Akiha." Gabbie said, trying not to growl. "You talk about how much of a beating Neske can take and how it's so amazing that she can survive getting her head kicked in and that my kick had no chance of injuring her. Well, you're right about that. Do you want to know why it wouldn't have hurt her? Because I'm a professional. I know what I'm doing and I know how to kick someone without giving them brain damage but, apparently, you think it's noble to watch someone who can't defend themselves get gang banged and beaten half to death!"

Gabbie looked Akiha in the eyes when she said her next words. "If I saw Neske getting beaten up by three girls, you know what I would do? I'd try and help her instead of saying how tough she is. And, if it was you, I would do the same thing! Would you help me or would you just sit by and say how much of a trooper I am for not getting killed from a three-on-one mugging?"

Gabbie shook her head. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. The last time I checked, they don't have Olympic strap matches. You know what else they didn't have back in the day? Chairs and green mist and double teams and everything else you love so much that you think is making this sport and this company so great, so why don't you save the history lesson! Gladiators were slaves who fought to survive. They were a horrible spectacle and they hated it so much they killed and died just to escape those pits. I'm a free woman and I choose to fight, honorably. I'm perfectly fine separating myself from them."

Akiha watched as Gabbie continued to talk. “And here we go again, with more complaining and complaining. I don't like Hentai nor do I take part in such matches but you don't see me calling for it to be removed from AFW though you probably want that gone as well.” stated the raven hair wrestler.

“If Neske can take the punishment and make a living off it, let her make a living off it. I've both given and taken a brutal beating. For example my matches with Belinda. We may both hate each other and do brutal things to one another but neither us are bitching or complaining about the tactics we use.” stated the Japanese wrestler in response to her Canadian counterpart.

“You don't get to dictate how other people live their lives or what people should watch. As for me helping her, how am I suppose to travel all the way from my house to the ring in time? Neske is a wrestler who is constantly trying to improve herself and get better. AFW accepts everyone, they don't discriminate and give everyone a chance. But hi, who cares, instead of letting her get better we should only allow people who have the money to get professional training. Let's discriminate on the poor who can't get a chance. That is what you are effectively calling for.” stated Akiha as she now circled the ring.

“Well then, why don't you join the Olympics. Just remember in that kind of wrestling, you can't punch or kick your opponent. Also, I don't think this is a sport, I think this is entertainment for the crowd. We are a company here to do two simple things, give the crowd a good time and make money. Right now, you're not doing either one of those two. If you want to fight professionally as a sport, there are other companies that do that.” replied Akiha as she finished making her last point.

Gabbie was starting to get pissed now. Akiha's mention of the hentai league felt underhanded. She was now going to have to vocalize her displeasure for it and, by proxy, her displeasure for her sister's life choices out loud. "AFW provides a venue for people to have sex with one another and call it fighting. If that's the kind of thing they want to do with their lives, I don't have to watch it and I don't have to be involved with it. It's separate from this discussion and I am not interested in having it." Gabbie made a point to emphasize her last bit.

"Is that what you call bettering yourself? Getting beaten bloody? You have a strange idea of what getting better is and how dare you bring money into this! I don't have money, my family isn't rich, like yours. I worked for everything I have earned and," Gabbie pointed back at Neske, "if Neske was serious about getting better, she could join our dojo, for free, and she would learn a heck of a lot more about how to fight in a day than she's learned in a career of getting pounded and ganged up on. Of course, she'd also be expected to work. I wonder if that's even a concept you understand."

While she accused the Japanese aristocrat, Gabbie continued to turn towards Akiha as she circled the ring, not letting her out of her sight. "You're so delusional that you've managed to convince yourself of a reality that doesn't exist. You are unable to compete fairly so you have to create a scenario in your head to justify your cheating! Of course you have to say it's not a sport because if it was, you couldn't cut it!"

Gabbie paused and took a deep breath. "And, as far as Belinda is concerned, that's really the saddest part. I've gotten a chance to fight in these tournaments and in this league and I have put myself out here every time, giving it my all. There's a lot of cheaters and jerks and despicable people in this league, trying to drive the honest ones away. I count you among them, Akiha but." She paused briefly. "I don't actually hate you. We've met, outside of the ring and maybe you're a little highbrow, but you seem normal enough. I didn't come here to hate people and I didn't come here for drama or any of that. I just came here to fight honestly and prove that I'm the best around, pound for pound."

Gabbie lowered her head a bit. "But it would have been nice to find others who thought the same. Who weren't just jerks who needed to cheat to win and could behave decently. Sometimes, I even think that maybe Elliot was right to leave but, I'm not a quitter." Gabbie gathered herself, clenching her free fist. "I thought, of all the people I've been around, Belinda might have been one of the decent ones but, maybe I was wrong about that too. You say you hate each other? Well, I don't have any use for people who have hate in their hearts. I saw the way she choked you out and tossed you aside like you were nothing. She didn't even check to see if you were ok. No. She posed like a preening peacock over your conquered body. So, I don't know what to make of that. Maybe I am all by myself on this. Maybe everyone else just wants to hate each other and be nasty. Well, I don't. I came out here because I'm passionate about how I feel, not because I need to try and spike ratings!"

Elect by Kradness started to play out of the speakers, having people talk so much about here now was just something that Belinda couldn't pass up and besides, the chance to help out Akiha with their little thing was more than enough reason to step out onto the ramp and confront this whole situation. Belinda wore a black skirt with black leggings, a pair of lovely brown leather boots and a somewhat tight fitting white T-shirt, plain in design and a silver necklace with a cross pendant. She stepped out onto the ramp with a microphone in hand, she swallowed a big gulp before she brought the microphone up to her lips.....AAAAAH! What the hell should she even say ? Maybe she should have thought about that before she went out here....shit.

" Ah?..." Belinda involuntarily let out into the Microphone, hearing the light echo of her voice over the speakers caused her to perk up a bit....her eyes trailed between the three ladies as she would take a deep breath, her eyes locking onto Akiha. At least there was something that could give her confidence. "There is a lot of talk about me here and now...and I have to ask, Why ? I don't really understand why I am being roped into the same light as her kind!" Belinda let out as she'd gesture towards Akiha. " I've followed to rules, I've fought fair, I've done all I can to keep up my way of fighting in the face of whatever kind of dirty trick without stooping to any levels which I think are unfair!" Belinda spoke as she'd start to walk down the ramp...stopping half way down to the ring.

" I don't complain about it though! Cheaters will be cheaters, they think they can get away with anything in life...fine." She shrugged, looking up at Gabbie in the ring and then looking over towards Akiha. " Let them cheat! Let them do whatever they want! I am a wrestler! I'm not some common fighter, I have pride in the fact that I step into this ring day in and day out and I throw my body on the line...it's not just for myself, it's not for the sake of fighting! It's for the fans!" Belinda let out as she'd gesture with her free hand towards the people in the crowd. " The fights are fun, I improve with every match, but as...I can't believe I am saying this....Akiha." Belinda would roll her eyes, trying her best to act in the manner that she should regarding hers and Akiha's rivalry. " She is correct, we are Gladiators. I will forever look up to the image of Flamma! The Gladiator who chose to be a Gladiator time and time again he won is freedom and instead chose to entertain the crowd in the best way he saw fit. He was a superstar beyond belief and everyone in Rome loved him because of his greatness! That is what I desire!" Belinda let out as she would take another deep breath, walking up closer towards the ring.

Belinda would shake her head a bit, " We are fighters sure, but we are entertainers, we are stars that people look up to. They don't just watch us for the fights, they watch us for everything about us. We are wrestlers, uuuuh...Gabbie right ? Look, sweetheart...I have nothing against you, and don't take this the wrong way but...If you don't want to be a wrestler...then maybe you are in the wrong place. Maybe you should be the one to find a league or a place of fighting that you can call home. My home is right here in this ring!" Belinda let out as she'd climb up into the ring. " I will always be here fighting like a warrior, never cheating and never stooping to any dirty tactics even if I have to deal with it constantly from...her!" Belinda let out as she'd point towards Akiha. " Because that's what true wrestlers do! We bare with the cheaters and losers and overcome their antics."

Gabbie was actually a little grateful when Belinda showed up. Now Belinda could put her fears to rest about whether the girl was on her side or not. However, as the blonde talked and began to come down to the ramp, Gabbie found herself in a state of disbelief.

That quickly turned to annoyance and even irritation as Belinda's tone quickly became condescending. Gabbie didn't come here to be scolded, certainly not by someone who claimed two seconds ago that they were supposedly on her side of the fence when it came to cheaters. "There's nothing common about me." Gabbie muttered, her tone rife with irritation. "And don't call me sweetheart."

Gabbie shook her head. "So far I'm the only one here who isn't completely insane. That's the only thing I've figured out."  She looked between the three girls and settled on Belinda. "You don't care what anyone else does because you just don't happen to stoop to their level? That's what I'm hearing from you, Belinda. As long as you don't get your hands dirty, and follow the letter of the law, anarchy is just fine with you." Gabbie felt herself getting more worked up by Belinda's nonchalant attitude than Akiha's. Akiha was demented. She had convinced herself that what she did was correct. Belinda... Gabbie had heard a saying that applied very accurately to people like Belinda.

"I was raised to be a decent person. Of course I want people to recognize my ability. Of course I want adulation and praise. Who doesn't want that? But I don't care about some crusty old gladiator guy! People who remember me will remember me as a girl with some character and my character tells me that no one can be noble when they allow ignobility to run amok."

Gabbie then looked at the crowd and inhaled deeply. "If we play with pigs, the pigs are happy and we get dirty." She looked back at Belinda. "Your pretty white outfit you wear to the ring is going to get dirty, Belinda. I've already seen that much and I'm not going to be the one to stand quietly by while they wreck everything! And then say, well, pigs will be pigs, what can we do! Call it complaining if you want, but I'm getting a little tired of everyone telling me cheating is fine and dandy. It's wrong and I'm not going away."

Gabbie clenched the microphone tighter. "UNDERSTAND!?" She growled into the microphone, starting to get frayed by the constant barrage. She looked at the crowd and then looked at Neske, then Belinda and then Akiha. "I am NOT a quitter and THIS LEAGUE will NEVER force me out! That is why I JOINED as a wrestler! To prove to EVERYONE that good people can inhabit this league without having to give up their morals!" She looked at Akiha. She then turned to Neske. "Without having to treat people like they are slabs of meat and not real people with real feelings." She then turned to Belinda. "And without having to turn a blind eye to the horrible things people do to each other under the pretense of being better than them."

Gabbie looked at the audience. "I AM better!" She declared. "But not as a person. Not as a human being. In that regard, I'm no better or worse than anyone here. But I'll put my skills up against anyone if they want to try and prove me wrong in the ring. In the sport of wrestling. All I'm asking for is to do it fairly." Gabbie inhaled. "And I didn't realize that was asking too much."

Conveniently having been nearby, as soon as Serina heard Belinda talking out on the live feed, she took off in a sprint to the backstage.  Coming in just as Gabbie had finished her speech, with no warning but the sound of her approaching footsteps, the dirty blonde stampeded her way out into the arena.

"Hey you fucking blonde-  oh right, give me that!  Hey you fucking blonde bitch!" Serina shouted, snatching a mic from a nearby stagehand.  Dressed in a loose yellow blouse and short black shirt, with knee-high black socks and sneakers, she marched her way down the aisle, continuing her angry tirade.  "I could hear you and that other cunt going on about honor and all that crap the whole way over here!"

Scrambling up onto the ring with the rest of the fighters, she made her way threateningly towards Belinda.  She had really only been half-listening, but it was enough to give her the sense that it was something she vehemently disagreed with.  "Get that stick outta your ass!  All we're doing is trying to kick the shit out of each other!  If you think you're so high and mighty, get these other fucks outta here and let's go for round 2!"