We Are The Champions

"I will leave you to your time to shine now."

It was strange how ten little words could take some of the luster of something, even when that something was illustrious as a title win. There Valley had been sitting on the ladder, feeling like she was the highest thing in the entire world, surrounded by more people than she would’ve seen in a month’s worth of her old house shows. She had a belt - her first in the AFW. She was a champion, the crowd roared for like a damn champion, tears were welling up in her eyes…

It was so much. Too much, maybe, because she’d almost forgotten about the former champion below her, until said champion spoke up, then made her long walk up the ramp.

A small part of Valley wanted to run up the ramp and stop her, hug her, shake her hand, do something, but by the time she’d made her way down the ladder, the moment was over. She felt bad, but the worst thing was that she wasn’t exactly sure why. She hadn’t done anything wrong. They’d both fought within the rules and given a match that was worthy of the Entropy Title. Alaina had left a big bar for Valley to jump over with her stellar title run. There was no shame, here.

There shouldn’t have been, anyway.

Valley tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as she made her way to the back. She could and would straighten things out with Alaina over that little date they’d set up. A perfect way to clear the air, after the Amazon had time to process.

For now, Valley’s main focus was finding the skybox, so she’d have the best view when her girlfriend’s match started.

Emily was still privately amazed that she had managed to get a seat in the skybox. In retrospect, it wasn't too surprising, given that she was not only an AFW competitor, but also a former Wrestle Angel and someone who had plenty of contacts within and without the league. Either way, it was nice to be able to watch a match for a change, and to take a break from the ring itself. Plus, Emily decided, she needed to distract herself from other things on her mind.

Other things like Natasha suddenly up and leaving the league. Her hand involuntarily tightened around the glass of Scotch in her hand at the thought. Natasha Han had been more than just a fellow Wrestle Angel, she had been a friend, and a good one at that. But she had also always been trying to outdo herself, never accepting anything less than perfection. She remembered that one night where a distraught Natasha had visited her apartment, in a state of utter misery after losing two matches in a row to a skilled American newcomer. Emily had tried to comfort her as best she could, but she couldn't simply find the right words.

In the end, it didn't matter. Natasha had faced her American rival for the third time in a row in the ring, and this time, with Emily watching in the stands, had beaten her decisively. Emily had been there, cheering her on, but when she searched for Natasha afterwards, she couldn't find her-- not in her locker room, not in the commons, not anywhere.

Only a few days later, Natasha had unexpectedly quit the league and left, and Emily hadn't heard from her since. Emily still wondered why Natasha had quit like that all of a sudden, especially after her big victory. She going over that one night in her head over and over again, wondering to herself if there was anything she could have said or done that would have prevented Natasha from leaving. The more she thought it over, the more she wondered if there was anything she even could have done, and the thought just made her angry and sad at the same time. She wanted to punch something, to write a long message to Natasha on social media, anything that would make her feel less helpless about the whole thing.

Downing more of the Scotch, Emily took a deep breath and focused on the looming match. It was between an established name, Adrian Kytes, and an up and comer named Silver Ace. Both were fairly skilled wrestlers in their own rights, and while Emily wasn't a big fan of hardcore matches, she still wanted to see how these two girls did in the ring. Who knew, she might have to face one of them one day.

Sighing, she leaned back. The skybox was mostly empty, save for one short-haired blonde girl climbing up from a lower row. For a moment, Emily's heart leapt, and she looked at the other girl as she approached. Then common sense kicked in and she realized, no, it wasn't Natasha.

"Sorry," she would say, in case the newcomer caught her staring. "I...thought ye were someone else."

”Congratulations, Valley!”

”Awesome win!”

”Taihen yoku dekimashita, Valley-san!”

It seemed like everytime Valley turned another corner, someone was there to greet her and give her props for the match. She appreciated it all, just hoping that it didn’t get too tiring in the months to come. It was a weird little change for her, especially considering that this was her first and only PPV win so far, and she wasn’t sure if she could get used to it.

In due time, she managed to find the Skybox and managed to get in without too much trouble. While she wasn’t carrying a special pass, she was still dressed in her ring attire, covered up only by a pink and white t-shirt with a heart in the middle. If that weren’t enough to verify who she was, the championship belt she carried at her side solidified it. She made her way up without a word of protest.

Instant access. That she could get used to.

She’d made her way up a few steps when she caught sight of woman staring straight at her with a look of quick jubilation. Valley’s head canted to the side, a bit puzzled. The woman had a striking look. Pink hair, though it didn’t make her look cutesy like it did with so many in the league. She was tall, apparent even as she sat down, and well-built. Not a hulk, but stronger than Valley, clearly, with a body that looked lithe and limber. While she wasn’t in gear, she was either a wrestler or she should’ve been.

When she spoke, her voice rife with Scottish flavor, Valley finally clicked and remember who she was: Emily Nelson, the Noble Fighter. During her Slamazon days, she’d always admired the woman’s super clean wrestling style, not to mention her taste for tight leg holds.

”That doesn’t surprise me, us blondes are all over the place.” True words. The number of blue-eyed blondes in the AFW always amused her.

Valley lightened up and stepped towards Emily and brought her belt over to the other hand, so she could offer a handshake to the Wrestle Angel. ”Emily Nelson, right? Valley Doll. Loved your matches, back in the day.”

Emily, for her part, was wearing a simple black blouse and jeans, and was beginning to regret not wearing a jumper given the cool breeze going through the sky box.  The newcomer, on the other hand, was not nearly so unadduming: maybe she didn't notice earlier because of the dim lighting, but now Emily could see the newcomer was definitely wearing ring attire-- a white and pink two piece with a heart motif going on. To make things even more surprising, she had a championship belt draped over her shoulder.

Emily was so stunned by this sudden revelation  that she almost didn't hear the new girl speak. When she heard who the girl introduced herself as, however, she felt something cold run through her spine.

"Valley Doll?" She echoed, fixing the new girl with a firm glare and leaving her proferred hand hanging. Now she remembered this girl from that one, final match of Natasha's she had seen. "Ye mean the new Entropy champion?"

Valley was still hot, still steaming from the matchup, but even so, she could feel a cold chill in the air all of the sudden. Maybe it was her imagination, but Emily seemed to be giving her the stink-eye. And she hadn’t shaken her hand yet, which was certainly not in her imagination. The whole awkward aura made her face sink.

Valley kept the hand extended for a few more moment. It was possible the Noble Fighter hadn’t seen it, or there’d been some sort of misunderstanding or...something. She couldn’t think of any other reason she’d be getting snubbed by someone she’d only just now met in person.

”Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m the new champion.” Valley moved the belt higher up on her shoulder with her spare hand, proudly putting it on display. ”Just won it, ladder match against Alaina Sanders. She put me through hell, but…” She gave the belt a pat and rubbed its face. The feel of it brought some of her smile back.

Yes, now Emily could see that it was her. She remembered the iron woman match Natasha had against her, and remembered the degree to which the two women had knocked the stuffing out of each other. Truth to be told, Valley Doll had fought very well in that match, and Emily could see how she could give even someone as skilled as Natasha a run for her money. But she also remembered, quite vividly, the extent to which Natasha agonized and sank into depression over her inability to defeat her up until that point.

Once, she might have felt resentment towards Valley over what she had put Natasha through, knowingly or not. But she knew deep down inside that that wasn't fair, that Valley was most likely a good sort who hadn't wanted to inflict such pain on the Russian, and that for all she knew Natasha had left for unrelated reasons. It wasn't fair, Emily knew, that Valley was still here when Natasha wasn't, but Emily wasn't about to take that out on Valley. The least she could do was give the American a chance...especially since she seemed to be a fan.

Smiling warmly, Emily finally shook her hand. "Aye. I saw it. It was no mean feat, defeating the Amazon, so congratulations." She gestured to an empty seat on the same row. "There's space up here, if you're looking fer a good view."

A bit of a dim pall had been growing in the air for a moment, but it finally dissipated when Emily accepted the shake. Valley eagerly put her smaller hand in the Noble Fighter’s and gave it a good squeeze. ”Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you.”

Valley nodded and eagerly accepted the offer. While she wasn’t initially going to take the seat right next to her, a man - looking about his mid-fifties - saw that they were both wrestlers, and moved a seat down, opening up the spot next to Emily. With a nod of appreciation, she sat down and laid the belt across her lap, keeping it close like a newborn babe.

”Definitely did better this year than last. Natasha really put me through the wringer, felt that match for a month.” Despite the loss, she spoke about it with a pleasant air. It was one of the best matches of her career, even though she’d came up short. ”They build you Wrestle Angels tough, no question.”

At the comment, Emily found herself wincing, ever so slightly, at the mention of Natasha. She didn't want to bring up that that was the last she had seen of the Russian. She simply nodded, and forced a smile back. "Aye, that was an intense match, no doubt," she said. "Of course, I expected nothing less from Natasha."

She took another sup of her scotch. "But then ye've proven yerself tough and all, getting this far. And as I said, defeating Alaina was no mean feat-- even I would think carefully before challenging her. So..." she raised a glass as though to toast Valley, " well done on you lass."

The talk of Natasha brought back a lot of fond memories, as strange as it felt to think of them that way. It was strange to think she’d spent almost the entirety of 2015 with some ache in her body that she could thank the relentless Russian for. When she’d found out that her rival had left the company, Valley had a good day of moping over the news. Even if their business had ended in a spectacular way, she still hoped for one more match, someday…

Valley was wistful for a moment, but it passed, and she raised an imaginary glass to meet Emily’s toast. ”Thanks, again. Alaina was a beast. Is a beast. But you can’t be on the mountaintop forever, right? And Natasha…”

Valley took a moment to cross her legs and get comfy. She must have bruised a tailbone during the match, because it gave her a sharp pain if she didn’t settle in just right. ”Natasha was good. Great. Amazing, really.” There was some reverence in her voice, like she was speaking about some holy warrior. “All you Wrestle Angels are. All the ones I’ve beaten on since I joined, anyway. I’d say I won the war between us, overall, but she made me work for every inch of it. The woman’s a machine.”

Emily had hoped that Valley wouldn't mention Natasha again. She really did. As misfortune had it, though, Valley just kept returning to he subject, and try as she might, Emily couldn't keep her face from twisting into a pained frown.

"Aye, she was," she said, before downing a gulp of scotch and letting the burn of it distract her. "I dinnae where she went, or why. She didn't even say goodbye."

She looked back at Valley and forced back a smile. "But other Angels, you say? I think I heard a bit about you taking on Chris Morgan. Is that right?"