The dark ambush of a veteran fighter...

It had been a rather long couple of days. Ever since she had been hired on, Rhein had been working overtime to figure out exactly how many clients she was supposed to manage, what were their strong points and weak points, and how best to market them so that they could get a proper amount of publicity while still earning the AFW federation enough profit to keep them and her around. Apparently, those up top didn’t care how much she would need to do right out the gate just establishing who exactly she had to work with. Each person had their own set of quirks and a weird personality to go with it. Upon reviewing some of their records, Rhein would only classify two or three of the people in her employ as “Normal”, and even then, that was a bit of stretch.

Her first plan of action was to get acquainted with the more problematic persons of her group, of which there appeared to be a few. They ranged from lunatics to ex-criminals, somehow gathering under one small tent in a wrestling league that stunk so bad of blood that one could probably smell the familiar copper stench in the halls if they were to focus on it. It wasn’t the most moral place around, but the ones that could pay what she asked for a salary rarely were. Still, morals or not, she would do her job the way she saw fit, and she was already moving to make some progress with her clients.

A quiet knock on the door, made her raise her eyes from the notes she was jotting down about one of her client’s mental state, one thinking she was a Wasp apparently. Her Jade eyes moved towards her clock, knowing full well who was on the opposite side of the door. They were five minutes early, but that was fine, perfect even.

With the quick and professional permission to enter the office space, the door opened, revealing two woman that were both a bit tall and had rather long hair. The taller one wore a heavy sweater that hid any curves she could possibly have from view, as well as thick rimmed glassed that pretty much did the same thing to her face. Her long hair was tied up into a messy ponytail, and as soon as she walked through the door, she seemed to stare at the floor like a child about to be disciplined. The slightly shorter one was pretty, but otherwise had a fairly regular look. Honestly, she had a completely forgettable air about her, with hardly any special or unique features to old onto…it would be difficult for Rhein to keep track of that one.

Still, even without an introduction, Rhein knew well enough that these two were Selina and Día, two of her clients she asked to meet her for a quick discussion. The pair was apparently a weird Heel team that played up its violence and sexuality. Looking at the two women, it was hard to believe either of them could harm a fly on the wall…but the manager was well aware how deceiving looks could be.

“Welcome! You two must be P.D.S.M. I assume you must be Selina, while you are Ms. Día?”

Neither of the women seemed brave enough to start the conversation from their end, simply exchanging glances quietly before looking back towards the woman in the green suit. Sensing their unease, Rhein quickly put on a pleasant smile and leaned back into her chair, making a gesture towards the two other seats across from her desk.

“There’s no need to worry. My name is Rhein Kazahana, but you may call me Ms. Kazahana. I’m sure you have been told how I have been assigned to you two and a few others not long ago to make sure you are all doing your best.”

The two-woman continued to stare at Rhein shyly, with Selina squirming in her chair and Día watching Rhein like a hawk.

“Now, in order to do my job properly, I need you two to do you jobs so that I can get an idea of what needs to be improved or simply changed. However, it appears it is rather difficult to debut a tag team while juggling a number of other clients. Because of this, I have something of a request of you two.”

She paused, letting the two of them digest what she had said before continuing.

“I would appreciate your help in making yourselves marketable. I want you two to look for an opportunity to show what it is you are made of, and seize it if you have the chance. If you two manage to find a match, I can try to find a hook and angle for you two that will help me and the company market you to your full potential. I know it may be a bit much to ask, but even if you two kept yours eyes open for opportunities, it would help us all a lot in the long run.”

“u-um…should we try to be more into our personas? Like…crazy?”

“I don’t think that would be necessary…I would prefer you act however you two wish to act wen you are in the ring. To be honest, so long as you get a match, I don’t mind whatever you do. I just want to start my work.”

“Well…I guess we could look around and see if we could find something…”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Anything else?”

--

The two women walked out into the long empty hall, Selina still nervous after talking with their manager. Día actually took the whole thing rather well. While she seemed nervous at first, she seemed to be the more level headed of the two, and took it in stride.

“S-so what are w-we going to do? I don’t know any one we can ask.”

“Oh, we aren’t asking anyone. I think I already have an idea how to get the exposure our manager wants while promoting our special kind of brand.”

“WHAT?! Why didn’t you say anything? What’s the plan?!”

Día suddenly stopped, and pointed towards a pamphlet. It read about something many had seen before, but with a unique individual.

“It appeares that a long-time veteran will be receiving her own promo in hardly any time at all~” When Día turned around, her demonic hood now covered her face, “I say that’s a perfect party to crash, with the perfect victim to toy with!”

It’s been quite some time since Kelly, or Kei as she’s been known as during her career, was about to be in a ring all the way out here, or in general. Last time she was in this part of the world it looked like the spark of hers died for good. Those close to her managed to help her regain the drive she once had. Getting an invite back was a welcomed call. As she made her way back to Japan she got a call, one that made her do some thinking, and something to ask her fans. When her entrance music played she went through the curtain as normal, but before making her way to the ring she stopped and took a good look around. Even though she wasn’t in her ring attire and something more of a casual nature, she felt at home. After taking it in she progressed towards the ring. The welcoming back she got was touching.

“ Thank you, it’s great to be back. I’ll admit there was a time not long ago where I thought I couldn’t do what I’m doing right now, stepping foot inside a ring. For as long as I can remember it’s the only thing I knew how to do, and I spent decades doing it. Whether it’s back home in Canada, the US, Mexico, Australia, Russia, or here in Japan, if there was a ring to be found, I would occupy it.” There was no secret to the time and effort she put into the sport, even if it cost her family time, just like it did to those that came before her.

”When you’re in this for as long as I have, or even a fraction of the time, in order to be good, and I mean really good, there are a sacrifices that need to be made. Some pay more than others. Not only was there a physical price to pay, the emotional cost for not just myself, but my family, some days I wondered how we all put up with it.” Despite all of that, she kept going, until it became too much.

“Then the unthinkable happened. There came a time where I didn’t want to do this anymore. Nothing felt worth it, the will to fight was gone. It was a feeling difficult to shake, it took me down and out of the game…But as you can see it failed to finish the job. To my family, my students, friends, and fellow wrestlers who helped me through this difficult time I thank you. To Peggy McIntyre, I don’t know if you’re still around, but if you are, since the spark appeared to have died with you across the ring from me, if you want to take it, I owe you one.” She knew her opponent on that night had a lot to prove, and walking away didn’t do the kid any favours she bet, so if there was a desire for her to face the veteran again, Kei would be up for it. But she knew there is more competition around, more so than when she left.

“Having said that, I know there’s many athletes back there that I would love a crack at, but there is a slight problem with that. On my way back I got a call, a call from the one of the top promotions in the country. I won’t mention which one, but the talent they posse is a list someone like me would not want to pass up. There was a catch though, I would have to leave and never return. This is where you guys come in.” As temping as it was to go seek new challenges, she knew she would be missing out on something if she jumped without thinking, which she wanted to pick the brains of those in attendance today.

“Stay or go. Let’s look at what we’ve got here. There’s a lot of serious talent here that do this sport proud and give it the respect it deserves, and not treat it like a sick joke. They’ve been quiet lately, but the UKE have changed the way we view tag team wrestling for the better. Alaina Sanders is another one who any fan at any age can watch and be inspired by what they see.” Of course, with all the good she’s seen this promotion offer, she’s seen the bad, and the ugly as well.

“I could name a few more, but I’d be a while. Then there’s the list of ‘’wrestlers’’ that are better suited for c-grade pornos. There’s guys whose attitudes are so bad, and yes there is a difference to being a good wrestler with a negative attitude towards others and being an ungrateful disrespectful cunt.” She takes a moment to breathe and calm herself. “Sorry about that, as you can tell I care a lot about this sport, so forgive me if I get a bit worked up if I see someone soiling something as sacred as a wrestling ring’s canvas.”

She felt fine to talk more about that. “There’s a long list of offenders who I’d want line up I’d love to slap into line, but let’s start at the bottom of the list with a new team that recently showed up, a combination that calls themselves PDSM. I personally have never heard of them, but from what I’ve heard people say they sound like a pair that should be in the next sequel to 50 Shades of Grey rather than here. You may be actually decent wrestlers, I don’t know, but I’ve seen poor attitudes bury many in my time, so here’s some free advice; what ever sick ‘n kinky shit you’re into, save it for the hotel room and spare the good people from having an aneurysm.” She shifty quickly into popping the question formally.

”So how about it everyone? Are there guys on the roster here and you good people want me to face, and believe me there’s a decent sized list of talent that I’d love to square off against. Or should I pack up and move on?” The response she got was clear; leaving wouldn’t be a good idea. She began to play to the crowd, and the louder they got the more of her she gave them.

The crowd flooded the arena with cheers and praise of all kinds. Many die-hard fans could recall Kei’s introduction to AFW and the long history she had with wrestling itself. She had raised children that would go on to be belt holders at one point, and it had been so long since anyone had seen her back in the ring where she had once made such huge waves. To hear she was going away? No one could believe that, and many cried out against it, almost demanding that their idol stays with them. Even the newer fans who were not so much aware of Kei’s long history didn’t want to see a potentially interesting competitor leave so soon after such an amazing response. If so many of these people loved her, they must be good. Kai still had a fan base after all the time that had past, and they wouldn’t let her leave so easily.

Already, fans were shouting out a number of talents they wanted to see the veteran go up against. Some were current AFW champions, some new up in comers that could prove to be an interesting match against one with so much experience. Kei was in the limelight, everyone excited for the possibilities that could come from someone with so much experience participating in battles. She had even called a few people out, though not too many people recognized the names. Would grudges be grown? Is retaliation in the cards? No one knew for sure!

Suddenly, in the midst of all the excitement the lights suddenly flicked off, leaving the entirety of the arena in total darkness.  The excited yells and shouts died down to confused mutters and questions. It was so dark, it would be difficult for anyone to see even an inch ahead of themselves. The lights remained off for several minutes before suddenly a voice boomed over the speakers.

“My, myyyyy~ What a sad little worm we have here…Crawling around in the mud begging for support…”Please give me applause or I’ll leave and never come back”, or something like that?”

Smoke began to poor out of the entrance hallway like a bomb had went off. A distinct crack of a whip cut through the smoke like butter, creating a ghastly tear of visibility to the woman who stood inside the smoke-cocoon. With another flick of the wrist, the hip sliced through the smoke yet again and created an opening for her to step through. The gas mask and lack of clothing paired with the black eyes and long hair made who it was unmistakable.

It was Selina Lash, one of the members of the P.D.S.M.

Selina:

“I never seen anything so disgustingly pathetic. An old, sad woman trying to relive her pathetic excuse for glory days. I’d say you were good for a laugh, but that would imply you are good at anything~”

A few of the audience members seemed to adore Selina’s choice in attire, but the rest quickly descended into jeering the Heel, which she took little notice of. Selina walked down the ramp, coiling her whip around her arms with a predatory look in her eyes. Like a snake, she easily slid into the ring to stand opposite of Kei, who was a good few inches shorter than the sadistic seductress.

“A little worm like you should know your place!” A far more raspy and cruel voice appeared behind the woman. The creature had crawled out from under the ring, a demonic hood and piercing red eyes glaring at Kei with only a lust for violence and intention to harm. “Someone as pathetic and useless as you has no right to say you are better in anything other than losing and getting medication!”

The voice could only belong to the second half of the team, Día Sect. Her instable lust for carnage and violence made it apparent without even needing to look at her terrifying outfit.

Día:

“But…We are farrrr kinder then you let on~ See? We came all the way out here just for you~ You want to start your career off again? Then you can start at the self-proclaimed bottom~ We will happily introduce ourselves to you!”

Día snicker behind the older woman, the Demon’s red claw propping itself on her shoulder. The costume was intricately detail, filled with stiches and black cloth, with her fingers being a crimson red, making them stand out in the see of white, black, and grey.

“Of course, if you beg for us, and give your fans a nice little show, maybe we will go easy on an old timer like you. Wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your pathetic life in a hospital bed after all. Right, bitch?”

Both women looked at Kei with a dark desire. Día looked like she wanted to rip the woman in half, while Selina looked like she wanted to see Kei cry. Both seemed to have height and youth on their side, and Selina looked to have some muscle mass as well. What was apparent was that neither of the P.D.S.M members liked Kei, nor thought of her as a threat. She was, at best, a toy they could play around with to kill some time. All of it punishment for just a few simple words…

It was becoming obvious she would stick around with the reaction she was getting how she was returning the feeling in kind. Sometimes the crowds here can be mixed with what they buy in to, but tonight’s appeared to be one that respected the miles she put in. Even if she was old enough to be the mother to at least half of the roster, she felt younger and energetic as the present moment. She took interest in some of the names being mentioned, but before she could respond there was issues with the lights.

Before she could inquire about the sudden darkness, someone else had something to say. When said voice decided to make themselves known, Kei wasn’t sure what to make of the sudden appearance of Selina at first. She took notice of what Selina was wearing as the woman moved closer, to which Kei looked cautious. For all she knows Selina could be an escaped mental patient with how that whip was being held, and her choice of dress showed a lot of skin, however certain parts appeared to be covered so she didn’t comment on it verbally. It wasn’t often Kei found herself looking up at another female in the ring. She’s been in there with guys around Selina’s height so it wasn’t knew, but she had a feeling this might not be pretty.

Before she could say something in response to being joined by Selina, someone else decided to slither in on the party. This wasn’t the return she had in mind. Sure she had the attention of not one, but two people, but she never envisioned it would have gone down this…creepy…at least Dia had more overall coverage, but that didn’t really help matters at this point.

Kei detected some sarcasm when she heard that they were kinder than what she’s seeing, but when she heard they wanted her at the bottom she two that two different ways, and she didn’t like either. Given their tone and choice of attire, not to overlook Selina’s prop, she had a feeling they wanted to more than simply beat her. She did twitch at the first touch of Dia’s claw, unexpected by it. She remained quiet as Dia did what she did and said her piece. The threat of being hospitalized wasn’t a welcomed one, but even if they followed through on the threat it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

”Can’t say I would, but there’s one problem with that… Since you’re new here I’m sure these nice people here can educate you that no hospital bed holds me for very long. Another veteran of this spot once boasted to knowing 1004 moves, well I hate to inform you but not only have I taken all 1004, but also 314 variations of them, put through tables, thrown down stairs and intro traffic, burned, hit and dropped on to broken glass, you name it, I’ve done it, so your little toy rope there doesn’t scare me.” Selina and Dia may have given their first impression, but Kei wasn’t about to let them spoil the mood.

”And a free tip from someone who has been there before, nothing you can do to me would compare to the pain I felt while giving birth. I suggest you try it sometime, you might appreciate things differently. You want me to beg and give these people a show? How about I spank your skanky asses back to the stone age?” That last part could have made her sound old, but her tone was clear; she wasn’t about to back down, despite being out numbered. She stepped back so she could see them both in her line of sight and drew and invisible line across the canvas with her right foot. “The way I see it you have two choices. One, go find someone else to get your kinks off with, maybe perhaps someone in section 112 row 5 is into that sort of thing. Or, you step over this line and I show you two what hasn’t killed me made me stronger than you could ever dream of becoming.” That was a randomly thought of location, not wanting to signal someone out, but it wouldn’t be surprised if it got people sitting there questioning those near them. As much as she didn’t want to get physical so soon, as someone who has been around for as long as she has been she knew things like this could happen, and she wasn’t one to back down.

The tag team of P.D.S.M were likely expecting some heroic bravado from the veteran. Neither of them honestly thought she would kneel down and beg for forgiveness, and that really wasn’t what either of them wanted anyway. Both Selina and Día simply wanted to make Kei an example, to show off what they were about in a flashy way and maybe scare up some competition as their manager asked. Kei was just a “wrong place, wrong time” kind of deal. The team would let her say her piece, then play with her…

Except…well… neither of them really expected what they got.

Their foe pretty much started her argument off by saying she had taken every single move in the wrestling genre and additional amounts of variations. Impressive to say the least, but neither of the two Harpies took it that way. Both of them stared and Kei like she had gone a little bit mental. Why was she bragging about taking hits? Both of them didn’t consider she may be bragging about her endurance, but rather admitting that she was not very good at defending herself against attacks. Self-deprecation was not something to two villains were used to in the ring.

Things only went downhill when Kei began to talk about her time at the hospital giving birth. Neither of the girls seemed comfortable with the subject, both of them being half the veterans age and unknown to each other, neither having a partner in that way for a few years. The sadistic glee that was sitting on their faces moments ago was sucked away, leaving only and awards stare and a strange exchange of glances. Selina’s predatory eyes had narrowed to disbelieving slits, wondering why the veteran brought something like that up while the once fang filled smile from Día Sect had tightened instead into an expressionless mask that practically screamed the words “No comment”.

Neither of the villains said anything for a few moments, letting the veteran wrap up her speech with a declaration and promise that if they wanted a fight, all they have to do is cross that invisible line and they would get one they would never forget.

Problem was…Kei had successfully killed a lot of their motivation in the worst way possible. Día seemed a bit irritated with the strange proclamation, and Selina looked like she felt bad for Kei, and passively played with her whip. The stadium had gotten much quieter, the audience wondering how the villains would respond, but even they didn’t know what to do.

Finally, Día stepped up and tried to push past the awkward conversation topic.

“Uh…erm…well okay…uh… I-If you wanna talk tough, then I guess we’ll show…you…tough…right?”

It was hard to muster up any real power into those words…Día kept imagining the miracle of birth over and over again, and it kept taking her out of the moment. When she looked towards her partner for back up, she found Selina was even worse off, staring at the floor and muttering about how she was scared to be a mother…Día was starting to notice her partner was not too bright of a bulb.

So, the Demon moved in by herself. A bit halfheartedly, her clawed hand moved to slap Kei across the face, trying to get something started and hopefully distract her from those gruesome images of labor and the like.

The reaction, or lack thereof, wasn’t what Kei was expecting. She thought the two of them would have been on her as soon as the line was drawn, but instead the two didn’t look sure of how to respond. Eventually she did get a response, but with the introduction the two made, Kei got a feeling of maybe they’re mostly all talk and no bite, with a hint appealing visuals, for those that were into that sort of thing.

Kei was about to say something after the two ladies in front of her looked towards each other. But before she could process a thought she felt Dia’s hand tag her across the face. Those in attendance ‘Oooooo’d’ at the first strik. Kei remained standing, but it caused her to move back at bit from the unexpectedness of it. She felt the side of her face for a moment, rubbing it before commenting. “Not bad, form could be better though, 6 out of 10.” Being someone who also teaches the sport to those wanting to break in, she couldn’t help but critique, even though she did feel the sting from it.

While only one of them struck her, she had a strong feeling the other would follow suit. If the numbers weren’t against her she would have asked if the other wanted to see what a 10 looked like, but it was clear to her that the time for talk was over. Her somewhat calm facial expression from reacting to the slap faded and from her mouth came something that resembled a yell from someone that was about to rush into a big battle. She then advanced on Dia, faking a high punch before coming at her with a series of quick kicks. There might be two women opposing her, but if she could take out, or at least slow one of them down then maybe she’d get out of this alright.

Only down side to this was Selina was left alone, but to those that saw Kei begin to strike back, especially those that have seen her before could tell that there was a lot of passion behind Kei’s response, and they were behind her all the way.

Día’s slap went off without a problem, though she couldn’t really find it in herself to put her all into it. Intentional or not, Kei’s strange speech got into her head and distracted her from her destructive lust for carnage and her opponents’ demise with thoughts of child bearing and getting smashed over the head 342 times… Even as she slapped the veteran, the Demon was wondering if she misunderstood Kei, and maybe she meant something else? It was hard to tell, but her partner Selina took it the same way, so it had to be what it sounded like. Kei even mentioned she had been in the hospital once or twice…god that was sad, in a pathetic sort of way.

Still, the slap was enough to make her take a step back, though it was rated poorly, with only a six out of ten from Kei. Día’s red eyes simply stared at Kei…wondering if she should try again, but wishing Selina would do something to get the violence started already. Standing around was not the P.D.S.M’s thing. Usually they were violent, energetic, and cruel. Yet Kei had twisted that on them and made them confused and a little docile, but only for the moment.

As soon as Kei moved in with a flurry of kicks, the Demon Día raised her arms in defense, blocking most of the kicks with her arms and mitigating most of the damage. Selina, meanwhile, seemed to finally realize the fight was getting started, and swiftly flicked her wrist to send her coiled whip out to strike! Its twisted leather looking to lick Kei’s soft skin and creating a burning scar that would make the veteran more suspectable to the two cruel women’s charms.

Kei was determined to break through Dia’s defences. But before she could come close to that she got taken down to a knee, feeling an unexpected jolt hit her, in form of Selina’s whip. Holding on to the area that got struck, all she could say in response was “Really?” It was then got the feeling that things were about to get ugly. It took her a moment, but she looked up, and regardless if she was in the eye sight of Dia or both of them she would gaze with a look of defiance. Perhaps if this was anywhere else or if she was anyone else maybe there would be an apology or plea for mercy, however she had her pride. If what she thought was going to happen would indeed be the case, she's never been one to hide from something like that.

The snap of the whip cut through Kei like a sword and brought her down to her knee instantly. For all that boastful talk about taking hits, she fell over like a leaf in the wind. What was worse, Kei even made a remark towards Selina, when an enemy just as dangerous and deranged was standing right in front of her, angry at the multiple kicks she had taken to her defense. The eyes that peered down at the fallen veteran were blood red and vengeful, and the second pair being black as night. It was foolish to underestimate opponents, especially when they outnumbered you and looked to pride themselves on violence.

Día, who seemed somewhat hesitant before, suddenly lurched forward and snagged a handful of Kei’s hair, pulling it towards her so she could get a clean knee slam right into the down woman’s face. Selina meanwhile went around Kei, letting her partner attack her from the front while she sent a violent kick into their foes exposed back. After that, the two would devolve into violently kicking, punching, slapping, and whipping the poor woman. They were like a pack of hyenas tearing into an animal, shamelessly attacking Kei with horrific glee and angry stares.

As Kei’s prediction was becoming true, Lina was in the locker room area, taking care of things that related to those who she managed when she happened to glance at a nearby monitor. She saw Dia and Selina being there double teaming. While a situation like this might usually not be any of her business, she instantly felt the need to tell someone what she saw as she knew who was being on the receiving end of the exchange. She dropped what she was doing and quickly left the room.

Leaving the room with a frantic look on her face, she searched for anyone in the White Gale faction. It took less than a minute to find them as she saw Lita cutting a video promo to hype up some upcoming events in different cities. Sion and Daisuke looked like they were up next, but Lina interrupted Lita’s part, calling for cut and pulling Lita out of the shot. The three looked confused by this, though Daisuke the lesser of the three. Lina spoke quickly, as she knew timing was critical here, but was fumbling her words.

Daisuke got her to calm down, and when Lina managed to do so, the trio’s friend/manager informed them of what she saw. She didn’t see what started it, but mentioned she saw, “Two tall women are in the ring beating the crap out of your mother”, telling the group as a whole but looking mostly towards Sion when saying who was the target. Sion didn’t expect to hear that, neither did Daisuke, but that did explain Lina’s current state. Lita quickly asked after hearing that information “In the ring right now?” “Yeah, as soon as I saw it I came to find you and t” before she could finish saying she went find and tell them about it, the group was already on the move.

As quick as Lina moved to find and deliver the news, each passing second was feeling like an eternity for Kei. She wasn’t quick enough to prevent Dia from grabbing her hair for the knee strike, which took her back down with complete ease. The kick to the back didn’t help matters either as she was a practice dummy at this point. As much as she wanted to try to at least make a downed kick or two to see if that would do anything, she couldn’t. All she could feel was them wailing down blows on her. She could hear voices around her, but the words of encouragement from those watching and wanting her to somehow fight back sounded blurry.