AFW Stories. Charlotte Ravel'. No doubts. No compromises. No excuses

Empty gym. Once upon a time, there were a huge number of people here almost every day. But everything is changing. And now Charlotte was sitting on the mat, her legs were crossed in the sukhasana pose, and her palms were folded in the dhyana mudra. She had already finished her warm-up and was now trying to completely distract herself from everything. To do this, she decided to devote some time to meditation. Perhaps not everyone could understand this, but the Frenchwoman faced some difficulties after her rehabilitation period ended.

It has been quite a long time since the doctors allowed her to return to training. Despite the risks, her right collarbone had healed well and therefore both of the young woman's arms were fully functional again. And about a month ago, she finally got rid of the semi-rigid corset that limited the movement of her back. Despite the fact that it was difficult for her, she followed all the recommendations of the doctors. She gave her spine all the necessary time to recover.

She devoted the last month to training in the gym. In two months of almost complete inactivity, her body became weak. Of course, she wasn't completely out of shape, but after everything that happened, she wasn't even close to being as strong as before the Summer Splash match. That is why she returned to sports equipment. She had to return every gram of her muscles to every part of her body. She had to increase the load gradually in order for her body to get used to it again. But every day Charlotte felt that her powers were returning to her.

And now her body was ready to return to martial arts practice. It was at this step that Charlotte realized that she was in trouble. She has always been a very difficult person. But such things have never happened to her. About a week ago, when she walked over to the punching bag, she was unable to make a single punch. Something was stopping her. And deep down she knew what it was. These were doubts. She doubted her own abilities. She doubted whether she should return to martial arts practice.

There was no denying that she was lucky. If luck had not been on her side that day, but now she would most likely enjoy life sitting in a wheelchair. Alaina almost destroyed her in the last match. And although the Frenchwoman let it go, she could not shake her doubts. She usually tried not to make long-term plans. She even tried not to think about the future. The main thing is today, not yesterday or tomorrow. But when, because of your weakness, you not only lose the match, but also see your dreams being destroyed... this is a big blow for any person. And for Charlotte, who devoted her life to martial arts and the path of a real fighter, it became a real obstacle. The obstacle that she still could not overcome.

“Time…” she said quietly.

The pink-haired woman opened her eyes and rose to her feet. Usually after meditation she felt light and relaxed, but now the situation was a little different. No matter how she tried to throw away all thoughts and doubts, she could not do it. So there was no point in continuing to just sit and wait for the good weather. Charlotte walked slowly to the other end of the gym.

What was she afraid of? Why did she doubt? She had the answers to these questions. She always took herself and all her successes and failures with the utmost seriousness. Charlotte never saw any kind of success as an excuse to relax and slow down. And she never looked for excuses for her failures. She didn’t want to hear any excuses like “good job, you were one step away from victory, you still made a good match”. Only a weak person will look for the truth in such words. No. Even in the case of her title match, everything was very simple. Alaina won. She lost. That's all. There was nothing more to talk about here.

Charlotte stopped in front of a punching bag. She had doubts for the simple reason that she did not fulfill the goal that she had set for herself. She could live with the fact that she did not become a champion. But she lost much more than just a title match. All she wanted was to surpass Alaina, proving that her talent and fire in her heart were enough for this. But now she will no longer be able to do this, since she is unlikely to get as significant a match as the one she lost at the Summer Splash. And now she was afraid that she had only one road. The road she didn't want to take. What if her destiny is to become the same as Alaina? Failed shot after shot. Living only for the illusory hope of someday gaining success.

The young woman looked down at the bandaged hands and then looked at the punching bag. All she had to do was start punching. What could be easier? Then why can't she do it? Charlotte tried to clench her fists, but failed. She pursed her lips. She felt disgust for herself. Sintharia told her about it. This is called a mental block. She herself prevents herself from going forward. But no matter how hard she tries to throw it all aside...

“Diable…” she said with a snort.

Charlotte stepped aside and sat on the bench, covering her face with her hands. The feeling of her own worthlessness was tearing her apart. During these three months she had time to think about a lot. Even things for which she was not responsible. When a person is in such a state, different thoughts constantly creep into his head. What will happen now? She missed her chance to become a champion. She heard that her former rival had already returned to the ring and continued to defend her title. Commendable. Charlotte wondered how long this would last and how it would end. Empty thoughts without any meaning, which now had nothing to do with her.

More recently, she told Margarita that since they are strong, they will always end up in the gym. Whatever happens, they will come back here to become stronger. And so she was here. And she was ready to return to real training. But for some reason she was sitting on the bench, covering her face with her hands. Maybe... maybe she just didn't believe in herself anymore. Charlotte removed her hands from her face and took a deep breath. From the first day she went forward with a firm intention to surpass Alaina. She worked non-stop, trying to do everything possible to become better and stronger. And now she was not even sure that it would ever be possible.

Charlotte got to her feet. Her rival almost literally killed her. She almost broke her, both physically and mentally. Charlotte walked over to the punching bag. With this victory, Alaina proved that nothing can be changed here. Charlotte clenched her fists. Until recently, the Frenchwoman believed that she was able to be better than her former rival. Charlotte raised her fists to her chin. But on the day of the title match, it turned out that the Amazon is better in absolutely everything, in pure physical strength, in endurance, in punching and kicking, in absolutely everything. Charlotte pushed her right leg back half a step. Once she became a champion, it seemed to make her invulnerable, while the former martial arts master returned to the days when she was nothing more than a mediocre in martial arts. Charlotte took a deep breath, and her gaze became concentrated. She could not find answers, she still could not understand why everything turned out this way, she still could not believe that this whole story was only to show that it is impossible to surpass a veteran, especially a veteran who became a champion.

Bam. Charlotte's left fist slammed into the punching bag. Bam. Charlotte's right fist slammed into the punching bag. Bam. Bam. Bam. A short series of quick punches. Bam. Bam. Bam. Step to the side. Bam. Bam. She took a deep breath. Bam. Bam. Bam. Step. Bam. Bam. Bam. Step the other way. Bam. Bam. Bam.

"Faster!" she told herself.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

"Faster!!"

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

"FASTER!!!"

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

Charlotte put her right foot to the left of her left foot. Relaxing her arms, she allowed her body to rotate around her axis, along with this the young woman lifted her left leg. The spinning heel kick sounded like an explosion in the empty gym, and the punching bag moved at least three meters to the side. The pink-haired woman put her foot back on the floor. She raised her palms to her chest, taking a deep breath, and then slowly lowered them down, exhaling.

“Balance in all things,” she told herself.

No, it's not over yet. She didn’t come all this way to stop in doubt. No doubts. No compromises. No excuses. She refused to believe that her fate lay on the same road as Alaina's. No, she was not going to lose matches year after year in order to get her ray of glory at the end of her career. If necessary, Charlotte will go through all the circles of Hell in order to climb to the top. Because this is the path of a true fighter. She was going to return. Return to regain her proud alias. Return to regain the right to call herself the martial arts master. Return to regain self-respect. Return to become a champion.