A Double Layered Challenge (Ouka/Charlotte)

Nothing promised trouble. After Charlotte challenged Belinda, she was confident that she would spend the remaining time before the Avalanche in the gym. She needed to prepare and enter the ring with the utmost freshness. And she certainly did not expect that she would have to visit the AFW arena after such a short time. Therefore, she was extremely surprised when the manager informed her that she have to come here today.

Charlotte stood behind the curtains and listened to the speech of the woman she did not know. The Frenchwoman's eyebrows were slightly furrowed. She had a bad feeling about this. It wasn't hard to see that the red-haired woman's words were filled with self-confidence. And it reminded Charlotte very strongly of another woman she had recently encountered. At that time, Ranga tried to use Charlotte in order to make herself known.

"What do you know about her?" she asked.
"Hmm, before AFW, she was the main star of a small pro-wrestling federation," Victoria replied, adjusting her glasses, "here she didn't have a very large number of matches, but she entered into a long rivalry with Belinda, besides, she had loud victories over two top-tier fighters, Cicilia and Josey, I'm sure you've heard of them, but she hasn't been much in the ring lately."

Victoria has always done her job well, it was a useful quality. And after her words, Charlotte began to suspect what all this farce was for, which was now taking place in the ring. And after a few moments, her suspicions were confirmed. Ouka expressed her displeasure that she was not challenged to the Avalanche. And then, in the most dismissive manner, she called Charlotte to talk. The Frenchwoman pursed her lips and took a step forward.

"Be careful," Victoria warned, "she's dangerous and I'm not exaggerating."
"I noticed."

Her theme song began and Charlotte walked out from behind the curtains. This time, she decided to do without punches in the air in time to the music. With a wide smile, she raised her hand in response to the audience's applause. They hadn't expected to see her before the Avalanche. But it was a pleasant meeting. They loved her and the Frenchwoman always answered them in return.

She confidently began to descend the ramp, her arms spread wide to the sides to give a five to anyone reaching for her. But her gaze was focused exclusively on the red-haired woman who was standing in the ring. It was obvious that Ouka had a plan. And Charlotte couldn't deny that she was interested in finding out exactly what this woman wants?

Charlotte grabbed the microphone from the commentator's table and rolled under the bottom rope, then she quickly rose to her feet. Despite the fact that she had no plans to back into the ring before the Avalanche, she was glad to be here. In the ring, Charlotte felt at home, here was her place. She turned to the audience and raised the microphone.

“Didn't expect to see you all again so soon,” she said, causing another wave of approval.

The Frenchwoman turned around and took a few steps forward. Between her and Ouka was no more than a meter and a half. She looked into the eyes of the red-haired woman.

"You wanted to see me, so here I am," she said, "and I'm listening."

Oh, now Charlotte knew exactly where the wind was blowing from. The red-haired woman did not even try to disguise her first words. Instead, she said bluntly that she expected more. Perhaps the funniest thing was that the Frenchwoman had to deal with similar situations quite often lately. Almost every last woman she encountered has also tried to make her feel like she's in a much less prestigious league.

Ragna, Adrian, Juri - they were all the ones who unleashed a real conflict with Charlotte. And each had their own reason. Ragna used this to get a chance to make a name for herself. Adrian wanted to prove that she was still worthy of calling herself a champion. Juri... perhaps it was the most controversial situation, when the conflict had no specific cause. And now, most likely, another woman will be added to this list.

And this became very clear at the moment when Ouka expressed her main claim. Charlotte hadn't expected to hear something like that. And in surprise, she even raised her eyebrows. This Japanese woman was unhappy that Charlotte had challenged Belinda and not her. The pink-haired woman raised the microphone.

“Well… first of all, you know, I was expecting nothing seeing you face to face,” replied Charlotte in the same coin, only in a more honest manner, “and I in no way have report to you about who I challenge for this or other PPV."

Charlotte smiled slightly, indicating that she would not let the red-haired woman dominate this dialogue. For the past month and a half, she has faced too many attempts to prick her. And although she still remained cold-blooded about such things, it taught her to properly defend herself. Perhaps earlier, honor would have pushed her to simply ignore such words from another fighter. It was strong from a human point of view, but many others could see it as weakness. Therefore, now Charlotte was not afraid to respond to such attacks in her direction.

“However, I'm already here,” the Frenchwoman continued, “so I'll explain. Belinda is not only one of the most famous and best fighters here, she, like me, shares the same views on what a real fighter should be. And that is what we will show this winter, at the Avalanche.”

Charlotte's words caused a loud stir among the audience. They really loved this Swedish woman and they knew it would really be a great match. Charlotte tried to stick to the path of a real fighter as much as possible. And she believed that Belinda was made of the same material. Now Charlotte's career was at a stage when she had every right to choose her opponents. And she hadn't seen a better candidate for a match at the Avalanche. She was confident that this match would be even better than her match against Alaina a year ago.

“But you say that I'm wrong. You say that you should be in Belinda's place. So can you tell me something else?" Charlotte put her hand to her head as if she were thinking about something. “Who are you again? And why should I have choose you?"

Spoiler:

Charlotte has always had a bad sense of humor. But she always had a high sense of self-esteem. And thanks to some of the people she became close to, she developed some skills in the area of ​​sarcasm. This allowed her to interact more closely with her fans and ordinary viewers, especially considering that her sarcasm was never empty words. Even now, her words were only a reflection of the fact that she believed that Ouka was not in a position to consider herself a more worthy candidate than Belinda. However, Charlotte was ready to hear if the red-haired woman had something to answer?

If Ouka at least tried to hide all this sarcasm, then perhaps Charlotte would have believed that the red-haired woman went to the ropes in order to leave the ring. But that did not happen. The Frenchwoman was sure that all this was just a theatrical performance. And she was right, as the Japanese woman turned around and started throwing "arguments" at Charlotte.

However, this did not make any impression on the Frenchwoman. Nearly every Ouka's statement was only vaguely true. Although the pink-haired woman was willing to assume that Ouka really believed what she was saying. But Charlotte had nothing to do with it. Let this woman stay in this ring and continue to tell stories about how powerful and famous she is. The fact that she believes it still doesn't make it truth. Charlotte was about to step aside and just leave the ring, since this conversation was completely empty. But then...

"What?" it was evident that the Frenchwoman's face turned slightly pale when she heard the last question.

She could very well come to terms with this woman's conceit. But the fact that Ouka questioned her honor and bravery literally caused her switches to change positions. Charlotte has always been patient and cold-blooded, but only until someone crosses the invisible line.

“You're in no position to claim that I'm running from a real fight,” Charlotte said, looking into the eyes of the red-haired woman who got too close.

The Frenchwoman understood that this was a provocation. Surely Ouka was counting on either a fight right here and now, or that Charlotte would refuse the match with Belinda in her favor. The young woman tried to take a deep breath. No, she shouldn't lose control. These words won't make her abandon the match with Belinda in order to challenge Ouka.

"I won't give up on a match with Belinda because of your bloated ego," she said, "do you want me to challenge you, do you want a match with me? Get in line."

With these words, she turned around and headed for the ropes. Let this Japanese woman think whatever she wants. But Charlotte had no intention of changing the match with Belinda for the match with Ouka. At the very least, that would be unfair to Belinda herself.

Charlotte got to the ropes and was already intending to leave the ring. But Ouka was not going to give up. Charlotte was sure that this red-haired woman would not be able to say anything new. But then the Frenchwoman froze in place. What the hell just happened? Had Ouka really just challenged her in person? Charlotte turned to the Japanese woman again.

It was very difficult. The young woman knew it was a trap. Ouka's words that Charlotte could easily beat Belinda and come to the second match with fresh strength is just the most commonplace lie that had nothing to do with reality. She knew and understood this, but there was one problem. Almost no one around condemned Ouka's vile proposal. If all the audience started whistling and wailing about it, maybe Charlotte wouldn't have to stay and make a decision now. It was very clear what they all expected from her. Both, Ouka and the audience wanted her to accept the challenge.

But she understood that this was madness. Charlotte was fully aware that no matter how her match with Belinda ends, her body would be beaten. At best, she will have a few hours between matches and this time will never be enough to restore at least some of her strength. The pink-haired woman was sure that Ouka understood this perfectly. She managed to put Charlotte in a catastrophically difficult position. No, she shouldn't agree. And Charlotte was about to say it.

"You are running from a fight now."

In real time, Charlotte felt her heart begin to beat faster. But that's not all. There was something strange inside her. It was like a flame that burned her from the inside. What was that? Exactly. That was rage. Charlotte involuntarily squeezed the hand in which she was holding the microphone. Very rarely did anyone manage to piss her off to such an extent. The last such person was the notorious Adrian Kytes. And now, Ouka has really achieved what she wanted. Charlotte began to slowly approach the red-haired woman. When she stopped, there was no more than half a meter between them.

It was only when Charlotte looked again at that defiant grin on Ouka's face, the realization of a simple truth came to her. If she now, in a fit of anger, simply agrees to this match, then it will most likely be her end. A memory of her past flashed before Charlotte's eyes. In the Chinese monastery, the masters dubbed her the Sand Lizard for her amazing ability to adapt to any opponent. She gave up this alias after Alaina nearly broke her spine at the Summer Splash. Charlotte refused this because she believed that she could no longer adapt and therefore she did not deserve to call herself the Sand Lizard. But now was exactly the moment when she had to find the right solution. The young woman's heart began to beat evenly. She was still looking into Ouka's eyes, but now the rage was gone from her gaze. There was calmness in her eyes now.

"You want a match?" she asked a rhetorical question. “You will get it, Ouka Shimusen. You and me. This winter, Avalanche 2021. No matter how my match with Belinda ends, I accept your challenge. We will have a match.” Charlotte paused for a while, and then... “A hardcore match, Ouka. So tell me, do you really want it?"

The last question was heard to the accompaniment of shouts and applause from the audience. Charlotte was confident that in a standard match against Ouka, she would not stand a chance due to the condition of her body. But hardcore is a completely different world. The world that the Frenchwoman has faced too often lately. She recently took part in a wide variety of matches filled with blood and brutality. Tables, parking fight, coffins. Why was this important? Because she's still here, she went through these matches. And now she was ready for another one. And she didn’t do it because Ouka wanted it. But because perhaps that was exactly what Charlotte herself needed. She failed to win the world title this summer. This undermined her self-confidence. But now she had a chance to regain what she had lost. And she was determined to do it.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly as she heard the red-haired woman laugh, as well as her words that she was the best in hardcore. The Frenchwoman was beginning to think that Ouka's conceit had no limit. Well, so be it. Charlotte always said that only the ring can show the truth. So now the Japanese woman could say whatever she wanted. And if her belief that she is really the best, the most famous and so on is so strong, then...

Only the very last words of the red-haired woman were slightly more serious. Charlotte was fully aware that the stakes were high. And she was definitely not in the most advantageous position. Ouka will have a very, very significant lead. Was she really not supposed to make that decision? Perhaps this is what any sane person would think. But Charlotte was made from a different material. And if she refuses to take a challenge, albeit such an unfair one, then she will never be able to get what she wants and what she deserves. Therefore, she considered her choice to be the only right one.

“Then we'll see soon if you're really that good,” Charlotte said, “especially in hardcore. I'll see you on the Avalanche, Ouka Shumisen."

With these words, the Frenchwoman passed her future rival and rolled under the bottom rope, leaving the ring. The young woman left the microphone on the commentators' table and then began to climb the ramp. Viewers and fans were all excited. It was obvious. Charlotte could understand them. She promised them that they would get a great match, that she and Belinda would do whatever was necessary for it. And now they will get not one, but two matches at once.

And the only problem was that no one seemed to be fully aware of the situation she was in. If she had turned down the challenge, it would be a blow to her reputation and pride. And they would not forget it. Was hardcore a good idea? Definitely. Charlotte saw no other way to even the odds even slightly. If she does whatever is necessary, then hardcore should definitely help her. She went through a tremendous amount of pain and blood. Since the Summer Splash. Alaina nearly broke her spine. That is why she started taking part in the toughest matches. Now she was ready for it.

She stopped in front of the curtains. She felt a weight inside, as if something was pulling her down. What was it? Was it fear? No, definitely not. It was different. And Charlotte knew what it was. Now the burden of responsibility rests on her shoulders again. After her defeat for the world title, she lost any opportunity to prove that talent was the most important thing. Her talent was not enough to defeat Alaina. The veteran has once again made it to the top, while the promising fighter is once again just the promising fighter. This defeat relieved Charlotte of responsibility. But now she felt it again. Was she ready for this? Without turning to face the audience, Charlotte raised her right fist above her head. Yes, she was ready. And she will never go out of her path, the path of a real fighter. The Frenchwoman took a step forward and disappeared behind the curtains. The Avalanche 2021 is coming.