NEW - NOIR EXTREME WRESTLING

Hana_Jeong: I stand just inside the doorway for a moment, holding the strap of my small bag with both hands. Everything I own is in it. A few clothes. My basic wrestling gear. I did not expect to be here. A girl from a poor neighborhood. Raised by my grandmother after my parents died. Working in the market stall since I was old enough to carry boxes. Waking before sunrise. Hands always busy. Always tired. But every night I watched wrestling videos on my phone. Japanese wrestlers flying through the air. I practiced in a local amateur ring. I learned the moonsault there, falling again and again until my back stopped hurting. I sent those videos to Stardom. I never thought they would answer. They did: they selected me to participate in a rising star program. My family cried when I left. My grandmother held my face and told me to eat well and not apologize for existing. I promised her I would succeed. I promised I would become a real wrestler and help her to have a better life. Now I am here. I step fully into the locker room. Japanese voices surround me. I understand some words but not all. My shoulders feel tight. I move quietly to an empty bench and place my bag down with care, like it contains something fragile. I open it and begin taking out my gear. Folded top. Shorts. Knee pads. kickpads worn at the soles. Everything looks small and ordinary in this place. Then I feel it. Someone watching me. I lift my eyes. A Japanese girl across the room is staring directly at me. Her gaze is steady and open, not hidden at all. She does not smile. She does not look away when I meet her eyes. She studies me from head to toe. Measuring. Questioning. Almost cold. My chest tightens. I look down again quickly and pretend to adjust my gear. My fingers move but I am not really focusing. Heat rises in my face. I feel exposed. I know what I am here. The Korean girl who somehow got selected. And under her stare, I suddenly feel very far from home.

 

Jillian_Mercer: Ever since i was born, i knew i was destined for greatness. I was never someone who let others decide my fate, be that my parents or my teachers. I was stubborn, headstrong and never afraid to speak my mind. Always ready to defend myself with words or hands. In my youth, i was known for my beaty and feared for my physical prowess. Even men quickly learned not to mess with me, for my tongue would cut sharper than any knife and my fists could knock out just about anyone. I started practicing wrestling, which i used to watch in TV ever since i was a child, at an amateur ring. I was a natural, learning even difficult moves without any real effort, moving elegantly and earning praise from coaches and even rivals. Eventually, Stardom sent a talent scout for me, and offered me a contract to fight under their new rising star program. I didn't need much time to consider at all. I knew this was my destiny. I would do anything to become a star in japanese wrestling. I have been there for a day, and now am sitting in the women's locker room. I just finished changing into my gear when SHE arrived. She was not japanese, i could tell. She didn't look like the rest of us. She wasn't proud, wasn't fierce. She looked weak and scared, as if she'd entered the wrong place. Ugh, such insecurity always bothered me. I stare daggers into her. Eventually, she notices my gaze and looks up. Ugh, such a stupid face. I stare at her until she's too scared to keep eye contact. Weakling.

Hana_Jeong: The locker room door slides open and a young woman from the staff steps inside, holding a clipboard. Her voice is bright and practiced as she greets everyone. The room settles quickly. Conversations stop. About twenty of us gather loosely around her. Almost all Japanese. Two girls I recognize from earlier introductions are European. And me. I stand slightly behind the others, shoulders drawn in, hands clasped lightly in front of my thighs. I listen carefully to her Japanese, concentrating so I do not miss anything. She explains that we will begin with exhibition matches in the training gym. There are four rings prepared. Coaches and senior staff will watch and evaluate our current level. They want to see our fundamentals, conditioning, and ring awareness. They will decide what each of us needs to improve. My stomach tightens. She begins reading the match list from the clipboard. Names come one after another. Japanese names I do not yet know. Girls step forward or nod when they hear them. Then she reaches the next line. Hana Jeong versus Jillian Mercer. For a second I do not move. My heart starts beating hard against my ribs. I lift my head and look around, trying to locate the other name. My eyes move across the room. Then they stop on you. The same girl who was staring at me. Understanding hits all at once. My throat feels dry. I swallow and force myself to hold your gaze this time, even though my chest is tight and my pulse is loud in my ears. I am facing you.

Jillian_Mercer: My cold eyes lock with yours. I heard your name and instantly knew i would be facing you. A devilish grin appears on my face as i see your shocked understanding. As the staff member leaves the locker room after telling us to get ready for our matches, i approach you. "You seem stressed. Are you afraid to face me?" You notice that i am confident, completely unfazed by you. As if i don't even think for one second about losing. No sweat is on my skin, my eyes are honest, and you can tell by my smile that i have no doubt in my own capabilities. Suddenly the room seems to widen, while you feel like you're shrinking in my presence. You feel threatened as if i was a veteran wrestler, even though im clearly just as new as you are. And you can't even explain why you feel this way.

Hana_Jeong: Your shadow falls over me before your words do. I feel you stop close. Too close. The space around me feels smaller even though the room has not changed. “You seem stressed. Your voice is calm and certain. Not teasing. Not loud. Just sure. I keep my eyes lowered. I cannot hold your gaze at this distance. My fingers tighten slightly against each other in front of me. I feel the heat in my face again. My shoulders draw in without me wanting it. For a moment I say nothing. I watch the floor between our boots. Your stance is steady. Relaxed. You are not nervous at all. It is obvious. I swallow and speak quietly. “…I am not afraid.” My voice is soft and careful. Not confrontational. Almost apologetic. I still do not look up. “I know I am new here. I know I have much to learn.” I pause, then add, “But I came to wrestle.” My eyes lift only briefly. Just enough to meet yours for a second before dropping again. My posture stays modest, chin slightly tucked, hands still close to my body. Even without looking, I can feel your confidence pressing against me. I stand there small beside it, trying not to show how strongly I feel the difference between us. I move towards the ring room

Jillian_Mercer: "Oh?" That simple answer says so much. Disrespect. Disbelief. Laughter. Mockery. Even Rage. You immediately know i don't take you seriously for a second. "Well then, why don't we get to the ring. We only have a few minutes left before our match starts anyway." I turn around and walk towards the door, expecting you to follow me. You can tell my the way i move that i am proud to be here, not fearful and uncertain like you and other athletes who are hoping that they may just be good enough to be noticed. I KNOW i am good enough. I long to prove to the world that i am the greatest female wrestler of all time, and my walk alone tells you all of this without you having to even ask me about it as you move towards our ring behind me.

Hana_Jeong: You turn and walk away without waiting. I follow a step behind you, my bag left on the bench, my hands empty. Your back is straight. Your pace is steady. You move like you belong here already. I keep my eyes mostly down, watching the floor and your boots ahead of me. We enter the training gym. The space is large and bright, four rings set across the room. The sound of ropes creaking and bodies landing echoes around us. Other rookies are already warming up. Coaches stand at different sides, observing. A staff member gestures us toward one ring. At ringside stands a woman with a clipboard. She looks experienced, composed, someone who has seen many matches. She greets us briefly, then points to the apron and tells us to get in. Her tone is neutral and direct. I climb through the ropes after you. The canvas feels firm under my boots. The room seems to fade slightly at the edges as my focus narrows. My breathing is shallow. My hands tremble at my sides. I try to still them but the shaking moves through my arms, into my shoulders, down my legs. The evaluator gives the signal to begin. My body feels light and unstable. My knees almost weak. I lift my eyes to you across the ring. You look calm. Ready. Certain. My chest tightens. My lips part slightly as I draw a breath. “…C’mon Hana,” I whisper to myself, barely audible. “Be brave.” I raise my hands slowly into a cautious guard, even though they still shake. I take a small step forward toward you, heart pounding hard in my throat, trying to stand here without breaking under your presence.

Jillian_Mercer: Our match begins as the staff woman shouts "Fight!" I move out of my corner and approach you, moving in a feral stance, hands loosely at my side like claws. I lick my lips as if i was the apex predator, circling its prey. You see neither fear nor nervosity in my eyes, only hunger for glory and pride. It's as if i was born for this. I look at your uncertain stance and frightful, shaking hands and my grin widens. "What's wrong, girl? You look like you wanna flee to your mami." I giggle slightly and suddenly explode like dynamite, running straight at you at immense speed. The ring roars under my boots and a shocked gasp escapes your throat when i am infront of you in the blink of an eye, my hands shooting to your neck, wanting to grab you and then move behind you for a quick running neckbreaker.

 

Hana_Jeong: You explode forward and I am not ready at all. Your speed erases the distance before my body can react. A startled sound escapes me as your hands hit my neck. Your grip turns me and my balance disappears instantly. This is my first real match. My first time in a Stardom ring. My mind freezes under the shock of it. You drive through the motion and the running neckbreaker snaps me down hard. My back and shoulders hit the canvas with a heavy thud. My head whips and pain shoots through my neck. I curl immediately onto my side, both hands flying to my throat and the back of my neck. A strained cry slips out as I roll across the mat, knees pulling toward my chest. My boots scrape and kick lightly against the canvas as I writhe, stunned by the impact and the sudden violence of it. I clutch my neck tightly, eyes squeezed shut, breathing broken and shallow. The world feels loud and distant at the same time. I roll again onto my stomach, still curled, clearly overwhelmed by the pain and the shock of being taken down so fast.

Jillian_Mercer: I grin as i see my early advantage. You were clearly not prepared to face an opponent of my speed and brutality. The woman with the clipboard looks with big eyes and takes quick notes after my move lands. Two of the more experienced men around the ring seem impressed by me. I lean down to you and grab you by the hair, yanking you back on your feet in a painful grip until you're standing again. "You don't belong here. You're a joke" i whisper with a cruel smile and aim a hard right to your face, to cause you even more pain and keep up the fast pace of this match aswell as my dominance.

Hana_Jeong: Your hand tangles deep in my hair and you yank me up. A sharp groan tears out of me as my neck and scalp burn with the pull. My hands come up instinctively and clutch around your wrist, trying to relieve the pressure, but you keep me trapped upright in front of you. Your words cut deeper than the grip. They land inside me, heavy and cold. For a fraction of a second my eyes lose focus, the hurt not only physical. Then your fist crashes into my face. My head snaps sideways and my body collapses with it. I hit the mat hard and roll onto my side. A thin cry escapes my lips. A tear slips from the corner of my eye and streaks down toward my temple. I taste metal. A small line of blood seeps from the edge of my mouth. The world feels wrong. Loud. Blurred. Doubts surge through me all at once. I should never have come. I was not born for this. I am so stupid. I curl briefly, then force my arms under me. Shaking badly, I begin to crawl away across the canvas, trying to put even a little distance between us. One hand still covers my mouth and cheek. My movements are unsteady and desperate, like I am trying to escape something far larger than just your attacks.

Jillian_Mercer: I look down on you as you crawl away from me. It‘s clear to me now. I am the strongest wrestler of all time. I‘m easily able to break this pathetic excuse for a fighter. And i simply need to prove it to the company. I come closer an grab you by the shoulders, lifting you on all fours before wrapping my strong arms around your waist. You can feel the power in my muscles as my arms lock you in feeling like a vice. I lift you off your feet and attempt a german suplex, followed by a pin. My body strikes a perfect bridge as i keep you down on your neck on which i just slammed you with all my strength, while the count starts. „One … Two…“

Hana_Jeong: You haul me up from the mat and clamp your arms around my waist. The pressure crushes the air from my lungs. I feel your strength locking me in place. My boots leave the canvas and panic surges through me. “ARRGGHHHH” The scream tears out of me just before you throw. My world flips and the back of my head and neck slam violently into the mat. A burst of white explodes across my vision. My body folds from the impact as you arch into the bridge, trapping me down. The ceiling spins above me. I cannot breathe. “One…” The word reaches through the ringing in my ears. “Two…” Hana do something. The voice is inside me. Urgent. Desperate. Mine. A sharp cry rips from my throat as I force my hips and legs to fire. I twist hard and kick out, my body rolling backward out of your bridge. Momentum carries me away from you across the mat. Pain floods my neck and spine but I keep moving. I scramble, pushing up to my feet with a strained groan. My balance wavers but I stay upright. You drop awkwardly from the broken bridge behind me. I clutch my neck once, teeth clenched, then force myself to move. I turn and run, boots pounding the canvas, and hit the ropes. They stretch and throw me forward again. I sprint straight back toward you and leap, legs snapping up around your head and shoulders, trying to swing my body through for a fast running headscissors takedown.

Jillian_Mercer: How is it possible that you kicked out of my pin? That's the only question in my mind right now. You were not supposed to survive. I was supposed to win, right here and now, and show them how easily i could take any opponent aswell as the women's division of japanese pro wrestling by the storm. Instead, you kicked out. How? Why? Was my pin not strong enough? It can't be you. You're just a weak, inferior little girl. Oh, i will ... What? I see you suddenly leaping at me. Where did you find the strength? Before i can even do anything else but wonder how you got so much left in your tank to even consider fighting back, let alone jump at me with such energy, your legs already wrap around my neck and i gurgle as i feel the strength of your thighs. My world turns and you take me down in an elegant headscissor, slamming me hard onto the mat. For a brief moment, everything turns dark as i close my eyes and grit my teeth in pain. When i open them, i see blood. Red mist infront of me. I know this feeling, i felt it a thousand times. Every time a bully tried to pick on me, i felt it. Every time someone bigger than me tried to intimidate me, i felt it. It's like an old friend, coming back to me in moments like this. Rage. I sit back up and look at you with furios eyes before fully getting back on my feet and charging at you with extended arms, aiming to tackle you to the mat.

Hana_Jeong: I land from the headscissors and push up fast, forcing my body to move before the pain can catch me again. My chest rises and falls quickly. Fear is still in my eyes. It has not gone away. But something else is there now too. A small, stubborn courage that refuses to let me stop. I see you surge back to your feet. Your eyes burn with fury. Then you charge straight at me, arms wide, aiming to crush me down. My heart jumps but my feet move. At the last instant I drop my level. Your arms sweep over my head instead of catching me. I feel the rush of your body passing just above me. I pivot on my lead foot and reach up, grabbing your shoulder as you pass. I turn sharply into you, pulling your momentum across my body. My legs spring upward, hips lifting high with a sudden burst of athletic motion. I swing my legs up and around your head, trying to snap my weight through and flip you over in a standing hurricanrana, using speed and balance rather than strength.

Jillian_Mercer: I realise too late i let my anger get the better of me. Usually i wield it like a weapon, but this time it did not serve me. Your movement is swift and more athletic than i would have ever expected. I can only watch as time seem to move slowly while your legs catch me once again and throw me over the mat in a hurricanrana. I see the mat getting closer. How? I am superior to you! You are not supposed to fight back like this! I ask myself where this sudden bravery is coming from. Then my face reaches the mat and i crash hard against it. Rolling over it and lying on my back for a moment, eyes close, terth grit. I wait for my head to stop spinning. Wait for the doubt in my mind to leave me. The voices to go quiet. Why did i let that happen? How are you so strong? Where did you find the courage? These questions torment my brain as i lie on the mat.

Hana_Jeong: As the hurricanrana completes and you crash down, something shifts inside me. The fear that filled my chest moments ago loosens. My breathing steadies. My senses sharpen. I feel the canvas under my boots. The ropes. The space. The ring. This is where I belong. I straighten slightly, eyes clearer now. The noise of the gym returns around us. I notice the evaluator at ringside watching closely, pen moving fast on her clipboard. A few others have turned toward our ring. For rookies, we are drawing real attention. We are performing well. You lie on your back, stunned, chest rising slowly. You sold the impact completely. The opening is there. I move without hesitation. I step in and quickly tug my knee pad higher into place. Then I break into a short run and leap cleanly over your body, landing lightly near the ropes. The top rope dips under my hands as I grab and spring upward in one fluid motion. My body rises and folds back in the air above you. Arms opening, legs tucked then extending. I rotate backward in a smooth arc, aiming to crash down across you with a clean lionsault, using all the speed and height I can generate.

Jillian_Mercer: I am still dazed as i watch you perform your athletic move, my face a mix of amazement, shock and disbelief. Your body comes closer, and i know i should do something. I should ... What was it again? Counter? The thought crosses my mind. I try to lift my legs, but they're so heavy ... Come on ... I lift my legs and bring my knees up just in time. You crash hard onto my knees and your painful moan fills the entire ring. The evaluator gasps in shock, feeling with you. I grin, knowing this is my moment, and watch as you roll off my legs and curl up to a ball in pain. Your move was beautiful, flawless in its execution - But luckily for me, i am simply better than you. I roll over and get on my knees, from where i rise back to my feet.

Hana_Jeong: My body crashes down onto your raised knees instead of your torso. All the air explodes out of me. “Ffuuuck…!” The word comes out in Korean , stretched by pain. My face twists instantly as shock tears through my abdomen. My arms wrap around my stomach and I roll off your legs onto the mat. I curl tightly onto my side, then onto my back, then side again, writhing. My knees draw up toward my chest. Both forearms clamp over my abs as if trying to hold them together. A strained, broken groan keeps slipping out between clenched teeth. My boots scrape helplessly against the canvas as I roll, completely overwhelmed by the impact. My eyes squeeze shut, then flutter open glassy with pain. Saliva gathers at the corner of my mouth as my breathing turns shallow and rapid. I stay curled on the mat, clutching my midsection, body shaking while the pain radiates through my core and steals every bit of strength I had just found.

Jillian_Mercer: I am on my feet again, looking hungrily at you knowing this might be my chance to finish this charade of a match. I quickly come running at you, and under the shocked faces of all the people watching us i perform a high leap into the air, followed by a beautiful moonsault aimed at your stomach. „She did a running moonsault…“ One of the more experienced wrestlers, a brunette with a tall frame, mutters in disbelief. I am geinning while i perform the move, not doubtikg myself for a second, nor questioning my limits or what could go wrong. In my mind, i have already squashed you under me, and won the match. In my mind, i am Stardoms greatest star.

Hana_Jeong: I am still curled on the mat, arms locked around my stomach, vision blurred by pain. I barely register your footsteps before your shadow passes over me. Then you leap. Your body crashes down across my abdomen with full force. The impact is devastating. My back arches violently off the canvas, legs and arms shooting up into the air from the shock. A choking gasp bursts from my mouth and drool sprays out with it, strings of saliva hanging as the air is crushed out of my lungs. My eyes fly open wide, completely stunned. My limbs fall back down uselessly as you settle onto me. My mouth hangs open, saliva pooling and slipping from the corner of my lips while I struggle to breathe. A broken, breathless sound escapes me again as my hands twitch weakly toward my stomach, my body flattened under you and overwhelmed by the running moonsault.

Jillian_Mercer: There is one thing on my mind, and that is securing the match. I grab your right leg and hold it up for the pin. The referee comes running and slams his hand onto the mat. Everyone holds their breath, me aswell, all believing you are finished. „One … Two…“

Hana_Jeong: You hook my leg and fold it up tight against your body. I am flat on my back beneath you, chest barely moving. My mouth hangs open as I fight for air that will not come. My vision flickers at the edges. The mat vibrates under the first slap. “One…” Sound feels distant. Heavy. My body does not respond. My arms lie limp at my sides. “Two…” No. Not like this. A surge of desperate will snaps through the fog. A raw scream tears out of my throat as I force everything I have left into one motion. “Aaahhh!” My shoulder jerks up and my arm shoots off the mat at the last possible instant, breaking the pin. My body twists weakly with it, chest heaving in ragged, painful breaths as I deny you the finish by a fraction of a second.

Jillian_Mercer: „What?! NOOO!!“ I look at you in complete shock and rage, my face partially red. I then turn around to the referee, but he shows me that the count was legit and you kicksd out. I look at him, then back to you. You are not gonna stand between and the career of my dreams any longer! I grab you by the hair and growl through grit teeth as i drag you back onto your feet. My entire body is aching from my moonsault, and i trust you feel the sting aswell, but i try my best to ignore it. I have to win this match to make a good first impression!

Hana_Jeong: More people have gathered around our ring now. I can sense the movement at the edges of my vision. Voices low, surprised. Attention fixed on us. Your hand knots deep in my hair again and you haul me up. A rough groan spills from me as my neck and scalp burn under the pull. My body feels heavy and slow, still crushed from the moonsault. I clutch at your wrist with one hand, trying to ease the pain as you force me upright beside you. I bend forward slightly next to your body, breathing ragged, face tight with strain. My free hand curls into a fist almost on instinct. Then I start to punch. Short, desperate jabs driven into your abdomen from close range. One. Two. Another. My arm trembles with each strike but I keep trying, aiming at your abs while I stay folded beside you, still half trapped in your grip, fighting through pain just to make you feel something back.

Jillian_Mercer: My body stifens at first before i bend over a little as your fist digs into my abs. My anger is replaced with surprise and pain and my eyes widen as you punch me relentlessly. „Ungh. Oofh.“ I moan in pain at each impact and let go or your hair, my hands slowly moving my stomach but not touching it. For a moment, i am completely stunned, just standing on my feet in complete disbelief over how you found the energy to fight back, desperately trying to catch my breath.

Hana_Jeong: As your grip leaves my hair, I stagger a half step away from you, chest heaving. My arms feel heavy, my abs still throbbing from the moonsault. Sweat and breath burn in my throat. I have never pushed my body like this before. Never against someone like you. You are stronger. Faster. More certain. That is clear to me. But the coaches are watching. This is my chance. I cannot fade now. I drag in a sharp breath and force my legs to move. I turn and run toward the ropes, boots pounding unevenly across the canvas. The ropes hit my back and spring me forward again. I drive toward you with everything left in me, planting my lead foot and whipping my body around, leg snapping high in a running spinning heel kick aimed at your head, throwing all my remaining energy into the strike.

Jillian_Mercer: My mouth goes open as you come flying towards me, watching your boot approaching my face in shock, and you can hear the japanse word for "wait" coming out of me before your kick painfully crashes into my face and tears me down onto the mat. I land on my back with a satisfying thud, and the evaluator gasps again, having not expected this turn to happen. Neither did i. Once again, you have sent me down to the mat. You, the weakling, the one i already cleared out in my mind as a scared little nobody. How is this possible? I look up to you with a pained expression as you come closer, no doubt going for the pin.

Hana_Jeong: You hit the mat and for a second everything inside me goes very quiet. I am standing over you, chest rising fast, the sound of the room rushing back in. My mind says the obvious thing. Pin. Take the point. Show efficiency. But something deeper pushes back. I did not come all this way to survive. I came to be seen. I shake my head once, almost to myself, and reach down. I grab your ankle with both hands and begin dragging you across the canvas toward the center of the ring. My arms tremble from effort and adrenaline, but I keep pulling until you are perfectly placed. I release your leg and stumble back a step, breathing hard. My eyes lift to the corner. The turnbuckle. I run. My steps are quick but heavy with fatigue. I climb, hands gripping the ropes, boots finding the pads. For a split second I balance on the top, body coiled, the world narrowing to a single point below me. Then I jump. I fold in the air, rotating clean and tight, my body remembering every repetition from that small Seoul ring. The rotation is smooth. Controlled. Perfect. I open at the last instant and come down in a flawless moonsault, aiming to crash across your torso with full commitment, risking everything so they cannot ignore me.

Jillian_Mercer: Your moonsault is perfect and your landing is painful. You crash into my stomach and my legs and arms kick up with a loud "Oooowwwffhh!!" before my body goes limb under you. I am barely conscious, and saliva drools out of my mouth and slightly drops down onto the mat. My eyes are halfway shut, and my vision is blurred. I can't even think of fighting back at this point. All i know is that i have to do something before this weak little bitch defeats me, but every part of my body feels so heavy ... And hurts so much.

Hana_Jeong: The moonsault crushes down and the impact shoots pain back through my own abdomen. A strained cry escapes me on landing. My arms tremble as I try to push up, my abs burning from both impacts now. Everything feels distant and heavy. I can barely move. I roll slowly off you, then force myself to crawl back across your body. My vision swims. My chest drags over yours and I end up half sprawled against you, cheek resting over your chest, breath hot and ragged against your skin. My arm slides weakly across your torso and down to your leg. With shaking fingers I hook it, pulling it just enough for a cover. My weight is barely there, more collapsed than pressing. The referee drops beside us and his hand slaps the mat. “One…” I barely lift my head. My face is pale, lips parted, breath shuddering. “Two…” I cling weakly to your leg, my body spent, holding the pin with the last strength I have left.

Jillian_Mercer: I manage to kick out using whatever strength i have left, raising my arm and rolling on my side where i lie, panting heavily, gasping for air. "Hff ... hff.." My body feels terrible. It's as if you shattered all of my bones. I hate you. That's the only thing i know right now. I never felt so much anger towards someone. You are not gonna make a joke out of me in this qualifying match! I'm the best to ever do it, and you are ... nothing ... I slowly get on all fours. Looking at you with pure hatred. "You fucking bitch ... You're not gonna sabotage MY career! I'll end you!!" I get up and run at you, slamming fists against your face.

Hana_Jeong: Around us, the ring is no longer just ours. I hear movement, voices, the shuffle of feet as more coaches and trainees crowd closer. They did not expect this. None of them did. And even though you kicked out, I know we have shown them something. I push up onto my knees, chest still heaving. The shy Korean girl who walked into the locker room feels far away now. Adrenaline floods through me, hot and sharp. My eyes lock on yours as you rise with hatred burning in them. I give a small, breathless, ironic smile. “Guess you don’t have the better moonsault.” Your fist slams into my face. My head snaps sideways, but this time I fire back instantly. My knuckles drive into your abdomen again. Then again. We collide chest to chest and it stops looking like wrestling. It becomes a raw brawl, both of us swinging at close range. I keep targeting your stomach, hammering short punches into it whenever I can reach. We stumble and shove, foreheads nearly clashing, breath hot, hands grabbing, striking, pushing. It is messy, desperate, animal. At ringside the female coach’s voice cuts in, sharp, in English. “Hey girls, this is just an evaluation, not a real match. Girls, stop.” We do not stop. We barely hear. We look less like wrestlers now and more like fighting cats. I snatch a fistful of your hair and yank your head down while driving my knee up toward your belly, trying to fold you over it. Then suddenly strong arms seize me from behind. Rough. Forceful. I am yanked backward away from you as others grab at you too. Our bodies strain forward even as we are dragged apart, both of us still trying to reach each other through the separation.

Jillian_Mercer: "I will kill you! Do you hear me BITCH?! I'LL KILL YOU!!" I yell over the men's voice who try to separate us and calm us down. I am getting dragged out of the ring. We have shown them something, yes, but now we went too far. However i don't care about consequences right now. My brain is clouded by a red mist. I am walked out of the ring, surely the same as you. Two men walk me into an office and roughly place me down on a chair. I breathe in a fast pace and wait. Then you enter aswell and i wanna jump up, but the two guys keep me on the chair. You are also accompanied by two men, who hold your arms. The woman with the clipboard enters and sighs. "You girls showed alot of promise. Why this act of animality at the end? Do you two have some history we don't know about?"

Hana_Jeong: As soon as they pull me away from you and the distance opens, the heat drains out of me just as fast as it came. My chest is still heaving but the adrenaline begins to fade, leaving only shaking and shock behind. Your voice cuts through the room. “I will kill you! Do you hear me BITCH?! I’LL KILL YOU!!” The words hit me like cold water. I freeze. My eyes widen. I have never heard someone say that to me before. Not like this. Not with that level of fury. I stop resisting immediately. My body goes slack in the grip of the men holding my arms as they guide me out of the ring. My gaze stays low. My breathing turns shallow again. The fight is gone from me. I have never been in a real fight. Never in a brawl. Not outside the ring. Not like that. In the office they push me gently down into a chair across from you. Two staff still hold my arms. I keep my head lowered, hair partly falling over my face. I do not look at you. I cannot. Your anger is still palpable in the air. The evaluator enters and speaks. Silence fills me. My throat tightens. I shake my head faintly without raising it. My hands rest limp on my thighs. I stare at the floor between my feet, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. I feel small again. Ashamed. Afraid of what just happened and of what you might still do. I say nothing.

 

Jillian_Mercer: "I don't know her" I growl through grit teeth and manage to break one arm free from the men's hold. "Release me! I've done nothing wrong. You wanted us to fight, no?!" The woman sighs, but the men let go of our arms. I stare at you, but do not try to lash out again. The woman then adresses us both. "While rivalries within our company are all but encouraged, we put safety of our wrestlers first. You two must learn to atleast partially get along. We do not tolerate any non-scheduled fighting outside the ring. And to ensure that you become somewhat capable of working together, i'll give you this." The woman hands us each a white magnet keycard. I look at it and ask: "What's this?" She answers. "It's the cards to your new rooms within our headquarters. Congratulations. You two fought more fiercely and with a level of technique that we haven't seen from any other of the new competitors - You're both in. But we'll only give you a contract after you put your differences aside - Atleast so long as you're outside an official fight. Therefore ... " She smirks and leaves the room, the staff members following her. I look at my keycard, then at yours. Both say 83 and i immediately know what this means. "This is a joke, right? Are we supposed to ... be in the same room?" I look at you in disbelief.

Hana_Jeong: The white card feels light in my hand but heavy at the same time. My eyes drop to the number printed on it. I blink once, then again, not fully understanding at first. Then I see your card. The same number. My stomach sinks. The meaning settles slowly and completely. The room. The small company apartment. Shared. Not for a night. Not for a week. Months. At least the next semester in Tokyo. With you. My fingers tighten around the keycard. My shoulders draw in. I feel the nervous heat return to my face. When you speak in disbelief, I finally lift my eyes toward you. I nod once. Small. Hesitant. “Yes…” My voice is quiet and uncertain. I cannot hold your gaze for long and it drops again to the floor between us. My hands come together around the card as if it might protect me. Inside, one thought repeats with cold certainty. This girl is going to kill me.