Diamond cut diamond

"Who have you gotten into most of the trouble for lately?" the question was asked.
“Oh, it's Astrid, no doubt about it, haha,” replied Charlotte, trying not to laugh too loudly, “she has a real talent for getting in trouble because of her passionate temper. And every time I’m around her, I’m caught up in it too.”

The young woman, dressed in jeans, trainers, sleeveless T-shirt and hoodie, was sitting on a chair on a low stage to get a better view of the fans. She lowered the microphone and looked around the conference room. It was not the largest room, but there was practically no free space. People occupied every free corner and, as is usually said in such situations, even an apple had no place to fall. The federation has been hosting fan events more and more lately. Although, of course, this was not surprising. Winter is coming. This means the main event of the year too. The management wanted the hype to be as much as possible, which means it was necessary to give fans the opportunity to meet directly with their idols.

This was already the second event attended by the Frenchwoman. Just two weeks ago, she had an autograph session. Although she had to admit that now the situation was completely different. At that time, she was not only tired and absolutely in no mood, she also had to endure an unexpected meeting with her former rival. She would have preferred that there hadn't been any conversation at all, since it was nothing more than idle chatter, for which Charlotte had little sympathy. But at least this made it possible to finally complete that chapter in her life.

And today she was in a much more cheerful frame of mind. She spent most of the day interacting with fans. Many wrestlers have received their own panels. And although everyone could choose any format for the meeting, Charlotte decided that the best way would be to simply meet with those who support her. And most of the time she answered questions that interested them. Sometimes this allowed her to tell a story from her life, and sometimes it led to a whole discussion on one topic or another.

“So our time is coming to an end, maybe a lot of other wrestlers have already finished their panels, and since we don't want the guards to kick us out,” she said jokingly, nodding towards the guards near the stage, “let's end our meeting. Two questions, no more. Hey, you there, you raised your hand for a long time. Wanna ask something?"

Charlotte pointed to a young guy who really wanted to ask something more than once, but every time he missed this opportunity under the onslaught of other fans. But now he was lucky, so he got up.

"Recently there was a poll on the social network, with whom would you like to see Charlotte in a match?" he began, while Charlotte blinked several times, she had not heard of such a poll. “And Adrian Kytes got the most votes. What do you think about it? And what is the likelihood that the fans' expectations will be met and such a match will actually take place?”

The young woman was surprised. Anyone could have won such a poll, but it was the former world champion who got the most votes. It was also a funny coincidence that a year ago, around the same time, Charlotte was also at the conference. And that time she also discussed this person. Charlotte raised the microphone to her mouth, there really was something to talk about.

“A very interesting and unexpected result,” she said honestly, “what do I think about this? Well. I think I understand why fans preferred Adrian in this poll. Whoever says anything, but she is strong. She was the world champion and was able to defend this title for quite some time. I do not respect her methods, but I recognize her power."

She paused for a sip of water, remembering that a year ago she had already expressed her attitude towards this American woman. For a long time she tried to get to the top, but each time she felt back to the bottom of the mountain. And at some point she decided to act differently. Any dirty tricks were used. And, admittedly, this led her to the desired goal. But Charlotte, for whom honor was above all else, believed that the once strong and promising woman had simply given up.

“We are completely different people,” continued the Frenchwoman, “I am not looking for excuses and still trying to go forward. Alaina almost broke my back, but I'm still here. And despite defeat, I will never stoop to using dirty tricks to win. As I said, we are completely different people. I think this was the reason for her victory in this poll. The fans wanted to see two opposites in the ring. But, as ironic as it may sound, it seems to me that it is for the same reason that such a match will not take place. We are from different worlds. Adrian has her own methods and goals. And I have mine."

Charlotte almost never lied and she wanted to be honest with her audience. Why hide something? Who would be better if she said that tomorrow she will go to the management with a proposal to organize a match? In addition, it's not a secret for anyone that two fighters always participate in a match, which means that she could not decide anything on her own.

"Another questions?" asked Charlotte.

She expected someone from the audience to ask the last question. But contrary to her expectations, the question came not from the side of the hall, but from the side of the curtains. Charlotte had never heard this voice in person before, but she knew perfectly well who this voice belonged to. The young woman turned her head to the side to look at Adrian Kytes, who unceremoniously invaded her fan panel.

The Frenchwoman raised her left eyebrow slightly. Of course, she was well aware of the temperament of this American woman. And for a person who has always tried to maintain a sports ethic, an almost outright insult was not the most pleasant moment. The reaction of the people in the hall was not unambiguous, however, the noise level definitely increased. Nobody expected the appearance of the former world champion. Charlotte glanced at the fan who had asked a question about the poll on the social network.

"As they say, be careful what you wish for," Charlotte said with a slight smile, "let's welcome our unexpected guest."

There was not the most deafening, but still applause. Charlotte did not want to escalate the situation from the first second. It had been a good evening and she had no intention of letting this woman ruin it. However, of course, she could not leave it all just like that. These were her fans and she had no right to fall face down in the mud in front of them. So the pink-haired woman got up from her chair and turned to Adrian.

“It’s very kind that another fan of mine decided to join my panel,” she said as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Charlotte had a pretty mediocre sense of humor, it's true, but thanks to some of the people around her, she developed a pretty good sense of sarcasm. And if Adrian decided to start throwing loud words from the doorway, but she had every right to respond with the same coin.

"Well, answering your question," the Frenchwoman continued, "I want to note that this is really strange. I also do not quite understand why someone decided that for a person like you, who has not won a single match like a real fighter in the past few years, there is a place in the ring with me."

She paused briefly to gauge the audience's reaction. Of course, this was not a serious answer. But when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself. And Charlotte was not going to sit like a little girl, listening to the censure of the evil aunt. No, she was not like that.

"Seriously though, maybe you should get down to earth a little. You are no longer a champion. And I already had a chance to fight for your lost belt. So our leagues are not that different, whether you like it or not."

Charlotte tilted her head slightly to examine the belt that Adrian held in her other hand. If her memory did not fail her, then besides the world champion belt, this American woman had no other AFW federation belts. Charlotte looked into the brown-haired woman's eyes again.

"And what's that?" she asked this time without a trace of sarcasm, nodding at her belt. "Did you 3D print this to replace the real belt?"

Charlotte seems to hit the right strings. She was usually able to keep her cool in almost any situation. She was as reserved as possible, even at the moment when her recent interview was interrupted by an intruder. In a way, it was funny, because the character of that woman was very similar to Adrian. She was proud of her achievements in the past, forgetting that the moment is important.

The Frenchwoman calmly listened to the tirade of Adrian, who still considered herself a champion. Some people were ready to deny absolutely any arguments and facts in order to preserve the illusion they created for themselves. Even among Charlotte's friends there were people like that. And although she could understand it, she could accept it.

The young woman preferred to walk forward rather than stand still, looking back at the past. She hated losing. The bitterness of defeat is the worst thing for her. But, nevertheless, any defeat is only part of the path. And each defeat made her stronger. She never tried to find an excuse. Instead, she was willing to do what not many are willing to do. Charlotte was always ready to accept defeat, find the strength to rise to her feet and move on, doing everything possible in order to become the best version of herself.

She shook her head slightly, once again heard that they were from different leagues. It was with these stereotypes that she tried to fight during her rivalry with Alaina. Most of the people here believed that only the number of matches mattered, regardless of their quality. Charlotte believed in the importance of talent. Quality, not quantity.

"True, I have never been a champion yet," she agreed, acknowledging this fact, "but at least I have the honor. And I don't need the help of henchmen and dirty tricks during the match."

And then the Frenchwoman heard the story of the belt that Adrian was holding in her hands. Her left eyebrow rose slightly. Of course, any title is a title, no doubt about that. But now, for some reason, it looked like a grown woman was too used to her child's toy. It was easy to see that the American woman was reassured by the fact that she had a belt and that she could technically call herself a champion. Charlotte sighed.

“A belt from the past doesn't make you a champion in the present,” she said, then took another step towards Adrian, “I believe you know that, but you’re not ready to admit it. Once you were a great fighter, deserving not only respect, but also the love of the audience. But halfway through, you gave up. Falling after defeat, you did not rise to your feet in order to become stronger. You just become one of those bastards who are not able to win honestly. Come on, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you did it to equalize the chances with those who acted dirty against you."

Charlotte took another step forward, getting closer and closer to Adrian. Some can say that to some extent she even forgot that they are now on stage and that her fans are looking at them. Now the Frenchwoman was looking into Adrian's eyes.

"Consider yourself a champion?" she asked a rhetorical question. "Then fight me. Next week. A standard match. Then we'll see if our leagues are really that different."

Charlotte raised her left eyebrow slightly again. She had a feeling that Adrian didn't seem to hear her. However, now it was not so important. What mattered was that she agreed to the match. The Frenchwoman watched with some bewilderment as Adrian shouted somewhere in the direction of the curtains, as if a manager could appear here like a mushroom, who in the blink of an eye would book a match for them.

Charlotte put her microphone aside. Whether it was naive or not, she was going to propose to seal the deal with a handshake. But even before she could reach forward, Adrian said there was one more question.

"What do you?.." the pink-haired woman wanted to ask.

But she didn’t have time to finish. A microphone crashed into her face, which the American woman was holding a moment ago. Not expecting such meanness, the young woman's head turned to the side. It was so damn painful and unexpected. She covered her left cheek for a moment, but then she turned to Adrian.

"Salope pourrie!" she snapped.

Charlotte's eyes filled with fury, and she lunged forward, swinging her arm. But Adrian took a step back in time, hiding behind a security. Perhaps Charlotte would have had time to send the fist to the head of this impudent woman, but several security guards blocked her too, preventing her from approaching Adrian. Charlotte tried to push them away.

"You have no honor!" she screamed. "Next week, I'll show you how a real fighter fights that you couldn't become!"

She hadn't been so angry in a long time. Even Ranga, who unceremoniously interrupted her interview recently, hasn't stooped to such meanness. The security guards began to take Adrian off the stage, not wanting the conflict to escalate further. Charlotte tried to free herself from the guards' grasp a few more times, then tried to calm down and take a deep breath. Only after Adrian went backstage she relaxed and her eyes were no longer so angry.

“I'm fine,” she told the guards to stop holding her.

They let her go, but stayed close. The Frenchwoman again touched her palm to the spot where Adrian had hit her with the microphone. She snorted in annoyance. Bad blood cannot be hid. Adrian ignored Charlotte's words that she had once been a worthy fighter. But maybe she can figure it out during the match. The pink-haired woman looked at the fans, who were, to put it mildly, shocked by what had happened. Charlotte took the microphone.

"You know, when I was in Russia, I heard them say that any event isn't fun without a good fight," she tried to defuse the situation, "thank you all for coming, I was glad to see everyone, come to see the match."

To the applause, Charlotte put the microphone aside and bowed to her fans, after which she went backstage. Hell, this was definitely not what she was hoping for. But now she had a chance to meet in the ring with the former world champion. And although she had no respect for Adrian right now, that chance doesn't often come up. She was going to take this chance.