From The Bottom Of My Heart

It had been a good year for Valley Doll, overall. A wild one, but a good year.

Coming to Tension had been a big move for her, the biggest step she’d taken in her career since she first came to the AFW. A gamble, and a big one - swimming out of the fairly successful waters she’d gotten used to and taking a risk in a fresh, new pond. It hadn’t all been roses, either, with Daisuke nipping at her heels and the regrettable incident with Chloe Mason, but on the whole, she couldn’t complain. Meeting fresh talent like Edward, aggressive men like Trent Masters, and a banger of a match against Kyo Akamatsu, a crazy bout that she was feeling even now. There was something about performing to a new crowd, facing new challenges, that just hit the reset button on her. Made her feel fresh. Alive.

And this was what she had to show for it, after all that time grinding: A trophy. Valley Doll was named the top competitor of 2020.

She stood in the middle of the Tension ring, clad in her blue jeans and white hoodie, looking down at it while the crowd chanted around her. They caught her off guard with this, in more ways than they could know. When she won the Entropy Title, Valley thought that would be it as far as her accolades went - she wanted to keep reaching, keep striving, but she tried to be realistic about things, knowing it would be harder and harder to get that push as time went on and newer wrestlers stepped up to take a swing. But this…

”Wow.” Valley finally spoke up, her voice cracking a bit in the microphone as she held the trophy up. It was a shiny thing, about a foot or so long, with a golden woman in a grappling stance at the top, surrounded by wings. Like an aggressive female Oscar. ”I honestly don’t know what to say here, guys. Wow.”

The crowd gave her an appreciative round of applause, with chants breaking out between them. She did her best to hold back the tears, but a few slipped out, anyway.

”Actually, you know what? Scrap that. I know exactly what to say here: Thank you.” She nodded and gave them a quick clap herself. As much as she could with an award in one hand and a microphone in the other. ”I came to the AFW over five years ago, and at first, I didn’t have anything. No friends, no clout, no one here even really knew me. Over the last half decade, though, you’ve all just been...amazing. You took me in. You accepted me. You cheered me on when I won, when I lost. I’ve had the best matches of my career in Japan, I met my girlfriend here, I feel like I’m in the best chapter of my life. And everyday I wake up in the country I know, I know, that moving here was the right decision.”

Valley looked over at the trophy, smiled, and stretched her arm upward to hold it higher, raising it and letting it shimmer as the crowd boomed around her. It might’ve been more than a little haughty to feel so much pride, here, but screw it. If ever there was a time, this was it. ”So, with all that in mind, I guess I should let you all in on a little something I’ve been thinking about for a while, now. I was iffy on the idea, but this award? It pushed me over the top.”

She found the nearest camera to the ring, sauntered over, and leaned over the top rope to look down its way, pointing straight towards it. ”Mako Adachi!” She took a customary pause as the crowd surged, getting hyped at the mere mention of the world champion, knowing full well where this was going. ”You’re a good champion. I’ve been watching you over the years, and I’ve always been impressed with the way you worked. But I’m here, now.” She thumbed her chance. ”So I’ll make you a promise - I don’t know when, or how soon, or where, but sooner or later, you and I are meeting in the ring. And if that title is around your waist when we do, I’m snatching it right off!”

Valley Doll moved away to the center of the ring as all the cameras centered on her and the place lit up with hundred of flashes, knowing this was her shining moment. ”It starts right here, right now! Valerie Dolores-Castle Welles is gunning for the Tension World Championship!”

Mako was a little grumpy. Overall life was great. She was the champ. She was having fun everyday. She was getting into some awesome fights. And she was having tons of sex. That last one wasn't even anything new, but it was still pretty great! The one and only bad thing going on in her life right now was she didn't win the "competitor of the year" award. Even worse, she got second place. Now if this was a fight, then there'd be nothing wrong with it. However, she wasn't in a fight for it. So there was nothing she could be happy about other than she was nominated, and just barely lost. And both of those facts just annoyed her. This was why the shark settled everything with a fight. She could lose ten fights as long as she had a blast during them. But just losing this one award contest was driving her crazy.

Of course she hated feeling like this. It was so annoying to be caught up on this thing, it just made her feel like a petty little bitch. So, obviously she was in a hurry to fix this whole mess. And there was only one way Mako could get past this shitty mood she was stuck in. The champ knew it had to be done or she'd be stuck being a moody, sore loser for the whole week...

...Mako had to punch Valley in the face...

Now while that sounded like an incredibly  insane, juvenile, petty, and just an overall worse solution compared to the actual problem, the shark saw it differently. She'd go out, punch Valley, fight Valley, and win or lose, get over herself before making up with Valley for the whole thing. It was the perfect plan (To Mako, and no one else). However, before she had the chance to clock the woman, Valley showed up in the ring and called the champ out during her acceptant speech. This was even better! Now Mako didn't have to punch Valley cause the chick just announced she was gunning for her title! Standing in the back watching this all play out made Mako cheer out loud and smack a guy. She didnt mean to hurt him. She was just holding him with one arm as she celebrated, then when she slapped him on the back there was a pop and her fell flat on his face. He must've been a lawyer or something, cause he wasn't all that old looking, yet his body snapped like a twig. She'd check back in on him later...for now she had a response to deliver!

Mako Adachi:

SHARK ATTACK played as she walked out on the stage. Her white shirt left her firm abs exposed, while her Title belt was hanging right below her midsection around her waist. The King would make her way down the ramp and go straight to the ring. Wasting little time she'd roll under the ropes before standing up and facing Valley with a mic in her hand.

"Hey Val~" Mako said bluntly as she stood in front of the blonde woman. Already acting pretty formal with the woman, who she's never spoken to before. That didn't stop the shark from calling the older woman by a nickname, though. "So you wanna shot at the champ, huh? Well I don't blame ya I'm pretty great~" she said, sounding pretty full of herself. "...But since you're the one with the award here...I can't help feeling this urge to prove it..." Mako stated, taking a step forward as she got closer to Valley.

"Oh! Hey! We've never talked before, huh? Wow that's weird...I've always wanted to hit on you...I wonder why it took me this long..." Mako blurted out loud for all to hear. The crowd chucked as the champ spoke about how she wanted to hit on Valley. Some of which were even surprised since Valley was already taken. Silver Ace being the one who took her. That didn't matter to the shark, though. She'd be more than happy to get both of them if she could. But Mako didn't want to hit on one without the other, so the reigning champ figured she should explain that she wasn't here to seduce the blonde woman. "I'll flirt with you later, though. But right now...I just wanna say one thing..." Mako added, actually coming onto Valley harder despite saying she wasn't hear for that...before pausing briefly.

"Bring. It. On." the champ said, putting emphasis behind every word as she got right up in Valley's face until their heads were butting together like two alpha rams. With a big smirk on her face, Mako would wait to see how Valley responded. And in the meantime she'd do her best to keep her eyes locked with the blonde's. She was falling though since she looked down at the woman's chest a few times. She jinxed herself about not flirting with Valley. Now it was stuck in the back of her head and it was hard to stay focused. Oh well...everyone knew she was pretty sex-crazed (To put it lightly).

Put the blood in the water, and soon enough, the shark will come sniffing around.

Valley was not the least bit surprised when Mako’s music played. If anything, she would’ve been surprised if the champion didn’t come out to play. She was all but calling her out straight up, announcing her intentions, making it all loud and clear. The champion hadn’t gotten to be the champion by sitting idly by and letting this sort of thing go unanswered, so here she was. Ready and willing to receive all dangers coming her way.

Valley had to respect that, and by the looks of things, the respect was returned. She stood there, looking on as Mako inspected her like a hungry dog with a juicy steak in its bowl. It brought a smile on her face to match, loving that hungry look. It was easy to see how a woman like this had fared so well in Tension - she had the hunger, the energy, the will you needed to be a champion. She just needed the proper outlet, and Valley was all too happy to provide it.

Just not right now.

”I’m guessing it took you so long because we work in different cities. But don’t worry, you can make up for lost time.” She leaned forward as Mako got in her face, pressing their two foreheads together. ”Later, though. We’re meeting, don’t get me wrong, but I’m still new here. I don’t want to walk in and take a title shot right away - I’m working to the top. Proving I can hang here. And I’ve got one little grudge I need to settle, too…”

The crowd sounded disappointed at first, knowing they wouldn’t be seeing this matchup play out in the near future, but they were keying on to what she was saying all the same. There was another blonde she had her sights set on, one she intended to pay a visit to soon.

”When I’m ready, if I’m ready, I’ll meet up with you. Any match you want, any time you want.” She stepped back and extended an open hand. ”How’s that work for you?”

Honestly, Mako felt like she was going through an emotional roller coaster at this point. First she was a moody and pissed at herself for being jealous. Then, she was all pumped that she'd found a way out AND would get to fight Valley! And now, when she'd confronted the woman face to face, the older blonde was telling her to wait. Mako's face may have stayed the same on the outside, but on the inside the shark was screaming and cursing. Sure she didn't come out here to have a a match this second. But Mako didn't want to wait for Valley to 'climb up the ranks' and settle some grudge! She didn't have the patience for that shit at all!

And yet, she never let Valley see the emotional whirlwind going on inside her perpetually-chaotic mind. Instead, Mako calmly accepted Valley's outstretched hand and shook on it in agreement.

"Fuck no. I'm gonna fight you way sooner than that."

...Or maybe she'd say the exact opposite and confuse literally everyone in attendance. Mako wasn't smiling sadistically anymore. Now, while she still looked happy, she was way calmer. Too calm actually. Those who knew the champ best might actually be more afraid of 'this Mako' compared to the blunt / overly honest / wild one they were used to. If there really was a calm before every storm, then there was a full blown calamity coming on the horizon! It wasn't long until Mako's smiling facade shattered, though. Suddenly the champ would become all depressed and annoying looking. Groaning out loud, the shark was clearly about to voice her displeasure.  

"Uuuuuuugghhh...Jeez...after I take the time to come out immediately after hearing your speech and get all pumped up in the process. I really wanted to set a date and everything. Now I have to wait, come back, and then set a date when you're ready? Oh sorry, IF you're ready. Man...Fuck me this really blows...*INHALES*...HAAAAAAA...Ok fuck it. If you're not gonna say yes today...I'll just have to see you again tomorrow. And then the next day. And then the next. And the day after that. And then again and again until you're ready." Mako would say, sounding exhausted as she complained about apparently being 'led on' by the blonde woman. After taking a deep breath and sighing, the champ would simply decide to try again tomorrow. After all, it would keep her busy at least until she got a real challenge from the older woman. Still, Mako couldn't help but feel annoyed that even though Valley announced her intentions moments ago, she didn't plan on following through with them now that the champ had come out right away to 'accommodate her'.

"Welp...see you tomorrow then, Dolly...I'd say it was nice meeting you but it'd be a lie after coming out here just to get myself blue balled..." Mako grumbled as she began to turn away from Valley and exit the ring. Meanwhile, the crowd was kinda split on how to react. About half were quiet since they still expected the fight to happen, but were thrown off by the champ's disappointing reaction. And then the other half were vocal but more to discuss amongst themselves about their confusion to what just happened. Oh, and there were the asshat fans who were naturally jerks and started shouting at Valley. Mostly about her being a tease / blue baller / complaining about her leading people on. Just a bunch of dumb stuff overall.

Mako of course wasn't paying attention to the crowds as she began to leave. But not before taking one last shot at Valley to ease some of her own frustrations. "...I feel sorry for Ace...that poor girl must be getting blue balled 24/7 if she's with you. Probably why you two were broken up for a little...fuck I hate neglect play..." the champ would whine as she began to exit through the ropes. However, even though it wasn't said into the microphone, Mako was leaning over with her hands on the middle rope. Causing what she'd just said to get picked up by the mic just loud enough for everyone (Both in attendance and watching from home) to hear her.

Maybe it was the bad mood she was in, or the fact that she was kind of a...well a moron when it came to bringing up delicate subjects. Either way, Mako didn't realize the sheer gravity of what she'd just grumbled about. Obviously the gasping crowd members did, Mako though? She was clueless. Later on, if she imagined that someone insulted her using someone she really liked...she'd realize her fuck up. Basically, she'd realize this was like someone saying "Man what is wrong with that Makie girl? She's sleeping with that woman who literally fucks everything. Why the hell would she wanna be around such a huge slut?". Sure Mako didn't care if a whole arena was shouting 'slut' at her. But if they added on something about someone she really liked...she'd go over and beat them senseless.

So, this all went downhill fast, and maybe Valley should’ve seen it coming, but damn.

Was she being a bit of a tease, here? Sure. She wouldn’t deny that, she came out here knowing what she wanted and what she was pushing for. Wrestling was about setting this sort of thing up, making a lot of talk and getting the crowd hyped up. She’d been doing this for nearly two decades now, she knew the score, and she knew that Mako might have something of a negative reaction to it. But they were both professionals, both champions, had both competed on the big stages. She had to understand how this was supposed to go.

Well...apparently not, because that was decidedly not the reaction she wound up getting. Valley stood there, folded arms, canted head, as Tension’s top champ clearly tried to goad. She was impatient, she got that, but the woman was being petulant on top of that. She’d heard stories that Mako could be a little hotheaded - people named after large, carnivorous fish tended to be on the aggressive side. But this.

Okay. Okay. It was all a bunch of bluster, and she was willing to let it go.

And then she had to go and drag Ace into this.

She joined in the audience’s disgust as the woman dragged an old skeleton out of the closet, hitting on the bad spell she had years ago. On one hand, she was surprised Mako even remembered that - it had been an unpleasant but short chapter in her life, all things considered. But it was a slap in the face, a big one, and she couldn’t let it go.

Valley picked up the microphone and pointed Mako’s way with a hardened face. ”Be careful what you wish for, Mako. When we do meet in the ring, I’m going to remember that.”