AFW Stories. Charlotte Ravel'. It's a matter of honor

“Once again, I strongly recommend you not do this,” Victoria said.

Charlotte sighed heavily. She knew that a number of decisions she made would not be clear to most. Even for those who knew her well enough. But she didn't expect it to trigger so many attempts to persuade her to change those decisions. She had enough worries without these repetitive dialogues, but everyone seemed to have forgotten about it.

It has been two weeks since the surgery. There was now a thin horizontal scar three centimeters long on her lower back. Yes, she really did it. She didn't want to risk. The surgery was the only safe way to get back into the ring. Now the Frenchwoman's torso was fettered with a semi-rigid corset and almost any physical activity was forbidden to her. But at least she was able to walk again. Considering everything that happened during and after the title match... it could already be considered a stroke of luck. She once dreamed of surpassing a veteran and becoming a champion. And now... she had to rejoice at the fact that she generally remained a capable person with the prospect of returning to the ring.

"I won't change my decisions. And enough about that," she said harshly, "if you don't accept my point of view, it doesn't mean that my point of view is wrong."

Victoria snorted in annoyance, she had nothing more to say to her ward. She was not only a manager, she also handled all the financial matters of each member of their team. And she knew that after Charlotte announced her decisions, the Frenchwoman could say goodbye to her stable income. And although this question could not be called critical, it seemed to her that Charlotte did not understand the seriousness of this situation.

“It's a matter of honor, Victoria,” Charlotte said, then grabbed the doorknob, “I’ve screwed up like never before in my life. And now I need to fix it. I don’t know how to live any differently. I may not be a martial arts master anymore, but I still have the remnants of my honor. And I cannot do otherwise."

Charlotte turned the doorknob and opened the door. Under the clicks of cameras, the Frenchwoman went to the center of a small stage. She stopped in front of the pulpit and smiled slightly. It was a small conference room. She asked Victoria to gather a number of journalists so that she could report on several of her decisions and give explanations to them. Of course, there were not so many people here, because it was not some kind of significant event, but even this small number of journalists was enough. Charlotte cleared her throat and approached the microphone.

“Good afternoon everyone,” she began, “thank you for coming today. As you probably know, I want to tell about several of my decisions and give explanations to them. I know that if I had not gathered this conference, then questions would surely have arisen anyway, to which I would have to give answers. So I think it would be better if we deal with this right away. I will not answer too many questions, but I will answer a few after each decision I voiced. Thanks in advance for your understanding."

The young woman paused briefly to collect her thoughts. She was preparing for this moment, because despite her experience in conferences, she was still not used to giving a speech in front of a large number of people. But it had to be done, so Charlotte took a deep breath.

“I'll start with the most important decision,” she said, glancing around at the assembled reporters, “as far as you know, I have a martial arts school that I founded after I decided to stay in Japan. Among other students, I trained Karen Aoki-Justice and Margarita Jorgensen. I have decided to close my martial arts school. The premises will continue to operate in the form of a classic gym. All student prepayments for training will be refunded in full."

There was a noise that Charlotte had not expected. Her school was really quite popular due to the fact that Charlotte taught many martial arts and everyone could find something for themselves. But she didn't think that her words would make someone show so many emotions. The young woman raised her hand for silence.

“A master is judged by the students,” she said, “under my leadership, Karen and Margarita did not achieve any success. Moreover, the master should be the face of the school. And in my case... I do not think I have the moral right to teach whom martial arts without having succeeded in what was really important to me. Questions? Yes, I'm listening to you."
"Will the school reopen?" the man asked.
“The martial arts school is one of those things that I can truly call my dream,” Charlotte nodded, “I always wanted to show everyone the way of a real fighter. So someday, yes, the school will reopen, no doubt. More questions?"
"Don't you think this decision is too emotional and hasty?" the woman asked.
“I understand what you mean,” affirmed Charlotte, “my loss in the title match certainly pushed me to this decision. But I thought about it before the Summer Splash. Under my leadership, Margarita was unable to achieve even one victory. Karen... I don't think I should discuss this. Answering your question, no, the decision is not hasty or emotional."
"Do you think the gym will be as successful as the school?" asked another woman.
“A question that worries my manager very much,” Charlotte smiled sadly, “the school was my main source of income because it was a unique place. There are a lot of gyms and therefore my income will drop dramatically, I know. But it's not about money. It's about the right decision. And I am sure that this decision is the only correct one. Let's finish with the questions on this topic."

The Frenchwoman felt strange at this moment. On the one hand, she was in pain, because she did not want to do it. She hoped that the school would become her safe haven. And it really was, it was one of the few stable things in her life. But Charlotte was sure that this decision was right. The master is always responsible for student failures. Charlotte's students, like herself, have achieved nothing. Therefore, it was the final decision. For now.

"My next decision is not so important, at least it will seem to you. But, nevertheless..." Charlotte took a bottle of water and took a short sip to wet her throat, "when I was studying at a Chinese monastery, I received several honorary privileges that only a true fighter can truly appreciate. At first, my masters named me the Sand Lizard for my ability to adapt to any opponent. And then they called me a martial arts master because my skills at that time were really impressive. And now I believe that I have lost these privileges. I cannot call myself a martial arts master because my skills are not enough for my students to succeed. And I cannot call myself the Sand Lizard, as my rival has shown that she is superior to me in everything. So... from this day on, I will no longer use this in relation to myself. I do not expect that it will be important for you, but for me, who has always strived to be a noble and worthy fighter, it is very important. Questions?"
"Are you going to take on a different alias?" asked the man after a short pause.
"I was named the Sand Lizard by my masters," said Charlotte, "and I think it's wrong to just forget about it and take another alias. Someday I will earn the right to call myself the Sand Lizard again. No more questions?"

She knew that many people didn't care if she called herself the Sand Lizard or not. For most people, it was just a ring name. And they can hardly understand what it means for her to lose it. But she was a person of honor. And she knew that after her defeat, she could no longer call herself that, it would be wrong. She lost this right. And she had to go the way to feel again that she was worthy to use the proud alias the Sand Lizard.

“Well, the last thing I wanted to talk about was my condition,” said the young woman, “I read a lot of questions about it on social media. Well, many already know about what happened to me, but I'll tell this one more time to dispel all rumors, etc. Besides bruises, the broken nose and the knocked out tooth, my right collarbone is broken. And I injured my spine. I had a microsurgery and now I am in the process of rehabilitation. Questions?
"When can you return to the ring?" the woman asked.
"The collarbone should recover in about three weeks. The spine is more serious. It is predicted that it will take me another month and a half before I can try to return to my usual rhythm of life, after that I will start training. I already feel that my body weakened, so I will try to get back in good shape as soon as possible," said Charlotte, "although, of course, just getting back in shape is not enough. It is pointless to deny the obvious, I could not win the most important match because... in general, I have to become better."

It was the most painful thing to talk about. For a moment, the young woman felt a lump in her throat that prevented her from speaking. She still has not found answers to many questions. She really felt like she was getting better with every match. And the victory at the Avalanche instilled in her the confidence that she can really surpass Alaina. But the day she got the chance to become champion, she lost in all aspects. Even in punches and kicks, her rival was better than her. Charlotte never thought it would end like this. It might be time to end this conference. But…

"Do you want to return to the ring?" there was a question from somewhere in the back.

The young woman looked away. Yes, this was perhaps the most important question. And she thought about it a lot. It would seem that the answer should be obvious. Six months ago, she took a good match. And despite the defeat, she played a good match a few weeks ago. Many were ready to pat her on the shoulder and say "good job, someday you will be successful". This annoyed her the most. For some reason, many believed that this should justify her failure. Plus she lost a lot more than just the title match. She tried to show that a talented newcomer can surpass a veteran and become a champion. But after this match, she is unlikely to be able to achieve this goal. The likelihood that she could not only once again claim the title of Alaina, but also take it, seemed to her unlikely.

“No doubt,” she said emphatically, “I just have no other life. In recent years I have devoted my life to becoming a real fighter. I lost, I admit it. But I won't stop. I never needed to grab anyone's hair or kick them between legs to win. If you want to see these champions, then it's your choice. But I will always be above that. I'm a fighter. I will never stop. And no one can break me. Neither Alaina, not anyone else. I will recover. I will become better. I will return to the ring. I will return my honor. And I will become a champion. Thank you everyone, the conference is over."

Charlotte was determined to ignore the wave of new questions after her last words. She even took a step aside to leave the stage, but then she remembered something and went back to the pulpit. The young woman cleared her throat and everyone fell silent, perhaps they expected her to add something to her last words. But that was not the case. What she was about to say did not apply to her at all.

“Since you are here, I was asked to say one more thing,” Charlotte didn’t want to do this, but Victoria asked her a favor, “maybe some of you have heard rumors that Hideko Matsuoka is going to join AFW. It really was, but, unfortunately, she changed her mind. Not so long ago, another famous streamer arrived at the company and therefore Hideko decided that it would be too commonplace. So we won't see her in the ring. Thanks again. And goodbye again. Next time I will see you from the ring.”

Charlotte left the stage. To her surprise, Victoria did not wait outside the door for her. Well, there was nothing wrong with that. The young woman glanced at her watch, it was time for her to attend a physiotherapy session. She walked slowly down the long corridor. She really wished that the story ended this way, but after all, she realized that it could not have ended otherwise. In no universe would a talented newbie defeat a veteran by becoming a champion. But that didn't mean it was over. The world hasn't stopped. This means that she should not stop either. She had no idea how long it would take, but her spine would heal. And she will return to training. And what will happen next... well, she was not a seer. Therefore, only time will tell. But Charlotte was sure that the fused bones were getting stronger. This means that after Alaina almost broke her, she will only become stronger. And if she still has at least a ghostly chance to take Alaina's title, then this time everything will be different.