The burger joint was quiet that day. The employees found other ways to preoccupy themselves, with the most common option was by cleaning the place up. In the case of their only working cashier at that hour her eyes were glued onto the TV. Normally the screen was on mute and you had to watch the news with the subtitles on – but with how absent the lunch time rush was, Courtney felt no shame with the TV blaring in the restaurant. Besides, it was for something important. Well, important to her at the very least. She was watching none other than the first Arms announcements of the year!
She'd get this look in her eye when watching the sport. It was a remarkable difference from her usual, somewhat laidback demeanor. Living in the home town of the famous Spring Gym, the Arms League was almost ingrained in the city's culture. It was impossible to ignore. It was early fall, the season of when the sport officially starts up again. Now was the best time to get hyped. On average it normally began with some more relaxed matches. The Arms Getter was a favorite among both fans and the actual fighters, giving the fans the opportunity to see their favorites train and a chance for the battlers to experiment or hone their skills. It was no surprise that Courtney's favorite was the famous Spring Man, an icon for the Arms condition and a local hero to the city.
"Spring Man," asked Biff, directing his microphone near the young fighter, "What are your thoughts on the announcement of this year's Grand Prix?"
Courtney's eyebrows rose excitedly.
Spring Man eagerly grabbed the microphone, slightly surprising the small interviewer. He looked at the camera with a big grin, "It's going to be great Biff, and I have an announcement myself!"
Biff scrambled to get closer to the microphone. He frowned briefly before asking another question, "And what's that?"
"This is going to be the Grand Prix to end all Grand Prixes; I'm in it to win it this year!" Spring Man beamed, "I'm not going to quit until the championship belt is hanging on the walls of the Spring Gym! I'll see you all in the ring!"
Biff quickly snatched the microphone out of his hands, "You heard it here, folks! Spring Man's got his eyes on the prize!"
Courtney stood up excitedly as a wide grin appeared. She completely believed what he said; this was going to be an unforgettable Grand Prix after that display of confidence and enthusiasm. She knew that he wouldn't let the city down. As the program cut to its sponsors and commercials the smile quickly faded. She drooped back into her chair, picking and scratching at the counter. There was no way that she could ever reserve a ticket for herself for any of the fights. The prices fluctuate, but one detail that was consistent is that there was no way a fast food employee could ever get it without some help. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she heard the door open. It got her back to her senses as she muted the TV.
"Courtney, have you heard the news?!" An excited voice exclaimed, one so enthusiastic it almost challenged Spring Man's.
Courtney sat up immediately. It was Zahida, a girl that she met in late high school out of a mutual love for the Arms sport. In the case of her however, it became a quite literal case of "love". She has been absolutely smitten with Ninjara ever since she saw one of his original fights and her loyalty to him has become the driving force of her passion for the sport. It was safe to assume that she knew everything about the merchandising scene of the modern league. As she rushed towards Courtney, her purse swayed quickly. Unsurprisingly, there was a charm of Ninjara's famous Chakram attached to its zipper.
Courtney looked at her confusedly and pointed to the TV, "Are you talking about that interview?"
"No, no, no!" Zahida swiftly answered, "I was reading online that there's a magazine out now with some exclusive info."
That still didn't solve her confusion. "About what?"
"Some new promotion, I think," Her friend answered, "My mom said she saw the magazine at the gas station a block away. Want to come?"
Any excuse was a good excuse to leave early – particularly if it was something relating to Arms. Courtney turned to look at her manager. He eyed his wrist watch before giving her the okay to leave. Normally the man wasn't fine with this, but even he recognized that it wasn't a very busy day. Courtney quickly removed her apron and her paper hat, grabbed her coat and headed out the door with her friend. It wasn't a long walk to the location. The two exchanged words about the current league, mainly discussing the new info surrounding the announcement of this year's Grand Prix. Courtney had her hopes up that possibly the magazine segment that Zahida referenced possibly featured an interview from the always dedicated Spring Man, or some commentary on his own plans in the competition.
When they arrived, her friend made an immediate beeline to the small magazine rack in the corner of the station, near where the large coolers were located. It only took a short overview of the display to find the addition she was looking for. She grabbed it eagerly as Courtney took a moment to take a look at the sodas. It was a pop culture, celebrity driven magazine. It included all the rumors of who's dating who, what shows you should be binge watching, and what diets or exercises the biggest stars are currently endorsing. She quickly flipped through the pages until she reached the middle of it. The news ended up not being anything big or really something worth getting excited about – it was an announcement of new merchandise. They were little badges of the most popular fighters, companies, and gear associated with the sport. But given the kind of fan that Zahida was, she disregarded the text as her eyes immediately zeroed in on a picture of Ninjara promoting the new merchandise.
A dreamy but silly smile slowly grew on her face. If it was any more obvious, there would have been cartoon hearts floating above her. This was definitely going to be another picture that was going to decorate her wall. Excitedly, she somewhat shoved the magazine towards her friend with a big wide grin. Courtney stepped back quickly out of surprise. The image was so close to her it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. It was some of the most popular fighters that the League had to offer, Ribbon Girl, Spring Man, Min Min and then Ninjara. All four of them were very well dressed and were proudly displaying the badges.
"You see that jacket?" Zahida said as she pointed to her obvious favorite, "That jacket is complete boyfriend material." She said jokingly, but her friend knew her so well that there was definite serenity in her statement.
An eyebrow rose as Courtney looked at the image and then back to her friend. She found it endearing, but was more amused than anything else.
"I don't know," She replied, "He looks kind of pretentious to me." It was a bit of honesty being played off like a joke.
Zahida immediately huffed as she brought the magazine close to her chest, "He does not!" She spoke defensively as she went back to that one single image. The fawning expression quickly appeared again.
"Try not to crumple the pages, okay?" Courtney teasingly replied as she gave the cashier a can of soda, looking at the image out of her peripheral vision.
Zahida put the magazine on the counter, with the employee scanning it next.
"Hey, are you still saving up money for the tickets?" She asked, as the conversation prior reminded her of it.
The young woman sighed as she took her drink and gave her friend the magazine back. She didn't want to let her down, especially after that display of passion for the sport. She opened the can which made a loud 'crack' that was heard throughout the gas station.
"Yeah, but…" Courtney struggled to get her thoughts out, "It's my family, okay? My gap year's ending and they think the money should be going towards something more important."
She quickly took a sip before continuing.
"I mean, I haven't done anything for the past year but work," She added with a sense of annoyance in her voice, "I'm not asking for much. I can save up the money."
Zahida followed her out of the building with a look of concern.
"What? Did they tell you no?" She asked, trying to get a better understanding of the situation.
"Well, no, not entirely," Courtney attempted to answer her question, "But I can tell they're not game. I want to start off my college experience with a bang, or a 'punch' I guess in this situation." She then shrugged.
The two paused and waited for the signal for them to walk across the street. Courtney raised her arms as she looked around the surrounding city.
"We got an official Arms stadium practically in our backyard!" She cried out, "I'd be happy with some cheap seats as long as we can see the action. Shouldn't there be a discount for locals at the Spring Stadium?"
Zahida blinked, thinking about her question.
"Um, probably," She assumed, "I think you've proved yourself independent, you've had the same job for close to a year…" Her voice trailed off.
Courtney subtly rolled her eyes. It wasn't directed at her friend, but it was towards the situation and her own family.
"But I guess I can relate," Zahida continued, "My dad's always trying to pair me up with his friend's sons. I mean, he should really know that I'm holding out for someone."
She reached for the magazine, going to look at the advertisement again.
"A hero to be exact," She smiled.
Courtney could only frown in response. Zahida recognized that she was frustrated as she stuffed the magazine back into her purse. That was one detail about the two that Zahida felt split the two of them apart. She never fully understood her friend's passion for the sport – she didn't collect the merchandise, watch analytical videos about the fights, or even read up on the history of it. The two even became fans around the same time. She knew that the passion was there, though. The pre-Grand Prix Arms Getter test fights meant the world to Courtney. She paused for a moment to think.
Courtney glanced at her friend's bag, "Why do you keep staring at your purse?"
She stopped in her steps as Zahida looked back up at her friend.
"How much do you have saved up?" She asked.
"Uh," Courtney wasn't expecting that question, "I don't know exactly but somewhere over a hundred bucks."
Zahida was silent for a moment, counting the change in her head.
"I can give you an extra fifty," She offered, "It's really all I can give, but-"
Courtney excitedly drew her in for a hug.
"What?! Really?!" She nearly yelled, looking at her friend with wild eyes, "That's like, enough for the really bad seats but…" She smiled, "I'll take it!"
Zahida blinked and was briefly quiet. That wasn't the response she was expecting, but was pleasantly surprised by how excited she was.
"Then it's yours!" She replied, "We're really going to do this!"
The height of their own fandom for Arms has finally been reached – the tickets were bought as soon as possible. Courtney's expectation of having bad seats was proven correct, but that didn't matter. They were actually going to participate in one of the official Arms events. The week leading up to it felt like an eternity. When the day finally arrived the both of them were up at the crack of dawn. The two respectively wanted to represent their favorite fighters, with Courtney wearing a hat that resembled Spring Man's famous pompadour and Zahida styled her hijab to resemble a ninja hood. They met up at the front of the Spring Stadium, which, much to their surprise was completely packed with people.
After Courtney gave their tickets to one of the event organizers, a wave of anxiety consumed her for a moment. She had never been in a crowd so dense and large before. She worriedly looked at her friend who didn't seem to be as bothered by it. Many comments and observations about the building and the fans surrounding them raced through her mind but with the conflicting noises it was impossible to have a conversation. The only way it was possible was by yelling, though that wasn't completely a guarantee either. Courtney attempted to look over people's shoulders in an attempt to get a better look at the directions to the seats, but even that proved to be a fool's errand. Zahida tapped Courtney's shoulder after failing to get her attention several times. She turned to look at her friend.
"Do you want some snacks?" Zahida asked with a frown, "I didn't really eat anything before leaving…" Her voice trailed off.
Courtney wasn't sure how to reply, "I haven't seen where the snacks are even located at yet," A similar frown appeared on her face, "Maybe we should wait-"
Before she could finish her comment Zahida was already attempting to make progress on finding the concession stand. The sight of her friend was quickly swallowed up by other fans blocking her. Courtney struggled to get out of the traffic, with many "pardon mes" and "excuse mes" being said along the way. After what felt like several minutes she finally found a way out of the crowd, but unfortunately had gotten herself more lost in the progress. She took a moment to catch her breath as she looked around. It was a long and narrow passageway with several closed doors. She wondered if somehow in all the madness she accidentally got into a confidential part of the stadium. As she walked she noticed one door was slightly open. Perhaps it was one of the employees or even a janitor, maybe they could help her find her friend and give her the directions she needed.
"Excuse me," She spoke softly as she opened the door.
She began asking her question, but stopped in mid-sentence when she realized who was in the room. It was none other than the famous Spring Man, in person! He seemed as surprised to see her. The room appeared to be his locker room, as the boxer was apparently gearing up for the game. He didn't have his chest plate currently on but other than that he looked completely ready for whatever was going to be thrown at him. Well, he didn't quite look like he was expecting a visit from a fan. He raised an eyebrow, briefly looking her over.
"Uh, hey," He greeted rather casually, "You're not supposed to be down here, are you?" He was a little awkward but still remained friendly.
Her eyes grew big. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts into a cohesive sentence – she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the Spring Man.
"N-no I'm not," She replied, "At least I don't think so. Um, it's really packed out there."
He smiled, "Yeah, sorry about that," He scratched the back of his neck, "The building's kind of old and I don't think it was built for that many people, at least in the ticket area."
Courtney simply nodded her head, practically staring at the man.
"If you leave the way you came in, take a few right turns you'll be where the concession stand is at," He tried to help, "And I think on the… left is where some of the seats are located."
Spring Man buckled up his chest plate as he finished the sentence. Courtney gawked slightly as he moved past her, trying to politely get out of her way.
He rose up his arms excitedly as they became coiled, "But hey, thanks for the visit!" He beamed, "I hope you have a great day!" He said before leaving to the actual stadium.
She heard the sound of footsteps behind her before a familiar voice called out to her, but Courtney stood in silence at what just happened. She swore in that final moment she even saw his trademark toasters fire up eagerly before he left.
"There you are!" Zahida called out as she ran up to her along with a security officer, "What were you doing down here?"
She then caught a glimpse of the fighter as he left. She fumbled with the nachos she was holding before quickly looking back at her friend. Courtney was completely red-faced as a dreamy but silly smile slowly grew on her face. If it was any more obvious, there would have been cartoon hearts floating above her. Zahida finally figured out at that moment of what made Courtney such a dedicated fan of Arms and her adamancy on scoring those tickets.
She's also holding out for a hero.