One More Time

For the most part, tonight had been business as usual in Friction. But there was something unusual happening now, and everyone watching could tell something wasn’t right. Julia Rogers was standing in the ring for the first time in what felt like quite a while. But when her music had hit and the crowd roared, the daredevil cowgirl hadn’t come bursting through the curtain with her usual overflowing energy and excitement. She wasn’t dressed in her ring gear either, but wore a pair of jeans, a white blouse, and a brown leather jacket. The cowgirl boots and mask were the only parts of her attire the crowds were used to seeing on her. She’d smiled, she’d waved, and then she’d calmly walked down the aisle with a microphone in hand, ascended the steps, and slipped through the ropes to enter the ring.

Once the music died down, for a moment cheers of “Ju-li-a! Ju-li-a!” filled the arena. But they quickly began to subside when the only reaction from the masked blonde was a smile and a small chuckle. No attempts to guide them to cheer louder, no flashy poses. She just stood there, and it was becoming increasingly clear that, whatever Julia’s purpose in being here tonight was, it wasn’t something she was very happy about. A heavy moment of total silence lingered, until the mic was raised and Julia spoke.

“Y’know… I don’t say it enough, but I can’t tell ya how good it’s always made me feel to hear you guys cheer like that whenever I walk out onto that stage… When I first came here, I was completely alone. I didn’t know anyone, and no one knew me. But I introduced myself and showed y’all who I am, and it didn’t take long before the Higurashi Dojo, and more importantly, YOU guys, accepted and welcomed me like family.” A fresh round of cheers and applause came in response as Julia continued, with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“This place has become a second home to me in a way I never could’ve imagined! There’ve been good times and bad, laughs and tears, the best of friends and the worst of enemies, and you’ve been right there for me through every moment of it! I’ll never be able to fully show my appreciation for that... But I’ve got another family back home in America, and right now they need me. So that’s why I’ve asked for this time tonight, to tell y’all that I will be going back to America, and that I will be leaving AFW indefinitely.”

She paused to let it sink it. The collective gasp that immediately followed her announcement soon turned into a cluster of various sounds and chants. But then Julia wiped away her tears and cut in again.

“But! ...There’s one thing I gotta get sorted here before I go; a certain blonde I’ve got a score to settle with. It ain’t Gwen. As much as I’d love to finally pry those tag titles away from Imperial Order, wouldn’t do Sonic Boom much good if I ain’t around to help defend those titles after. It ain’t Kelly either. That ol’ war ended this last year at Avalanche.”

By now the crowd had picked up on what she was getting at and were already chanting the name she had in mind. Now that familiar look of eagerness and excitement was on her face as she turned to face the entranceway.

“VALLEY DOLL!” An immediate explosion of cheers rocked the building after the words left her lips. “You and I have unfinished business… The two matches we’ve had have been right up there with the best I’ve had the joy of bein’ a part of. But right now we’re tied at one win each. So I’m throwin’ out the challenge now! Julia Rogers vs Valley Doll! ONE! MORE! TIME!!!!!”

The fans echoed those last three words in a booming chant while Julia eagerly paced back and forth in the ring, never taking her eyes away from the entranceway. No one was going anywhere until Valley came out and gave everyone the answer they wanted

It was just supposed to be a regular day. As regular as any day in the AFW, at least. Valley wasn’t scheduled for a match, wasn’t scheduled for anything, but as one of the league’s top talents, she had to be on hand in case there was a challenge made. There wasn’t often one, but at bare minimum she got to watch the show for free in the VIP suite.

She’d been doing just that, too, though she was considering a bathroom break while the next kawaii match happened. Good thing she stayed back, though, because if she’d left she’d have missed one of the most important promos of her life.

Valley sat in her chair, leaning forward, eyes glued as the masked wrestler spoke. Julia had come along not too long after she’d made her own debut, and while the two of them never became as close of friends as she might’ve liked, there was no denying the well of talent she had. When Valley was her age, she could scarcely get two wins in a row, couldn’t have dreamed of doing half the things that Julia was capable of. She was a champion. One of the best to ever grace the AFW’s hall. A future World Champion.

Or, she would be, if she wasn’t leaving.

Julia cried, and Valley had to shed a few tears, too. Seeing such a talent leave, knowing they’d never finish their mini-feud, that she would never have the kind of test that the cowgirl could provide...it was a sobering thought. But as Julia spoke on and Valley realized what her rival was getting at, she immediately bursted out of her seat and went as fast as her legs could carry her, tearing through the halls at high speed, jumping down the steps, nearly knocking over several people as she made her way to the gorilla position.

”ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE-”

The crowd interrupted their chants with cheers, as Valley’s music came blaring out and the woman herself slipped through curtain. There was a microphone in her hand and a smile on her face, and she didn’t seem to mind the sweat dripping down the pink heart on her shirt.

She brought the microphone to her mouth, opened, and for a hot moment said nothing at all. She could’ve said a lot of things. She could’ve told Julia how much she respected the younger high-flyer. She could’ve begged her to reconsider, tried to get her to stay, made some kind of offer. She could’ve told her how much this meant to her and how great of an honor she considered this to be.

Valley could’ve said a lot of things. Instead, she simply nodded and said three words.

”One more time.”

There were always some butterflies in one’s stomach before stepping out onto this stage, even for someone as easily outgoing as Julia. But only once in her entire career had she felt a level of nervousness anywhere near what she was experiencing now, and that had been the day of her last match in America before embarking on her journey to AFW. It wasn’t that she was scared of Valley - though she of course respected her talent and prowess. No, the uncharacteristic shaking of her limbs that she was only just barely keeping under control came from the simple fact that Julia understood what making this announcement and issuing this challenge meant. Once the match was over, that was it. This would quite possibly be her last opportunity to give the league’s fans something special to remember.

That feeling only intensified when Valley’s music came on and her rival took the stage. And the moment she saw her, Julia’s pacing came to an immediate stop, and she held her gaze on Valley while waiting to hear what she would say. They may not have been best friends, but Julia felt she knew Valley well enough that she should’ve been able to guess what she was about to say now. She felt sure Valley would accept the challenge, but what if she didn’t? Maybe she’d just come out here to try to talk Julia out of leaving. That was a discussion the cowgirl really didn’t want to have in front of a viewing audience. But fortunately that wasn’t something she’d have to worry about.

It almost sounded like the building was going to explode once Val gave her answer. Julia swallowed a lump in her throat and felt a fresh stream of tears trying to get out, though she fought them back as well as she could. It was all set now. Julia’s AFW retirement match - and the finale of what would be remembered as a classic trilogy - had just been made official. Keeping her composure as well as she could, Julia raised her mic once again.

“No quarter asked, none given.”

With that she tossed her mic down, and smiled while staring Valley down as her music played again over the speakers. Little had been said between them, but it was enough. All that was left now was to wait for that fateful day to arrive...