Author's Note: R.I.P. Shad Gaspard!
"So does this mean you're a Horsewoman?" Bayley asked, with a bit of a laugh.
Sasha chuckled a bit on the other line.
"No, I just need a 2 on 2 partner to be eligible for this card."
"Why not B.A.D. or Gunshow?"
"They're teaming with each other."
"Makes sense, but yeah, tell them I'm down."
"Alright, I'll call them now."
"Cool, let me know." Bayley smiled, hanging up.
"Becky, I feel like I already know what you're gonna say, but G9 sent a mass text about the-"
"You know I got the text too, right?" Becky laughed, sitting in her car, in the parking lot of the building her class was in.
"Right. And Bayley's teaming up with Banks and-"
"And you want me to be your partner." Becky said, cutting off Charlotte again.
"I uh... yeah..."
"Okay."
"Really!?"
"Yeah." Becky shrugged.
"Um, okay, I'll tell them right now!"
Charlotte hung up and Becky smirked a bit at how starstruck Charlotte sounded talking to her.
A few days later, JTG and Shad sat in an office, as their assistant, Eve, wrote on a white board.
"So as far as female teams..." Shad started.
"Well, we had AJ & Kaitlyn vs Sojo & Kharma as the main event..." JTG said.
"What do you mean had?"
"Kaitlyn wants to get paid the same as AJ."
"Fuck no. Kaitlyn is a respected legend but she's no fucking AJ."
"Yeah, that's why we don't have the battle, I offered AJ 30k and Kaitlyn 15, she said she won't do it for less than 30, so I dubbed it."
"We still need AJ on the card though, she's regarded as the best female battler in history." Shad said.
"I know, we need to get her a new partner and re-structure the card. Originally I was thinking B.A.D. & Gunshow vs Mella D & Deville, Banks Da Boss & B-Shine vs Becky Balboa & Flair but we can move the B.A.D. & Gunshow battle to be vs Sojo & Kharma."
"They should get AJ and her new partner."
"Nah we gotta save that AJ vs B.A.D. matchup for a 1 on 1, marketing wise it makes sense to keep them far away from each other to make people wonder 'what-if', you know?"
Shad sighed.
"No other team on this card has enough momentum to justify giving them a battle with AJ Lee, no matter who her partner is."
"Mella and Deville are proven Vets."
"They're not gonna battle AJ, they're all in that New York-New Jersey alliance."
"Then give Banks and B-Shine the shot, Banks is hot right now."
"Banks is hot but Shine isn't, and her battle with Shenom dropping isn't gonna exactly break the internet. Also, Banks only has 2 G9 battles, it might be a bit soon for that."
"...after that battle Banks and Becky just had drops, they'll definitely have all the momentum, that had fire bars, drama, everyone's gonna wanna see what they do next, plus Becky already has an established international fanbase in Europe." JTG said with a devious smile.
"Flair has one good performance."
"I know... what if we took the hottest 2 new G9 battlers, who just had a battle of the year classic, potentially the best G9 battle ever, and team them up vs A battle rap legend, AJ Lee, and whoever she wants to be her partner?"
"I mean... I don't think we'd be putting them in the best position to succeed, I don't know if they could compete with AJ, but buzz-wise that would be crazy... do you really think Becky and Banks would team up?"
"Lemme ask AJ what she thinks about it first."
JTG called AJ, putting it on speaker.
"Talk to me." she said, answering the phone.
"Alright um, who else would you want to team with if not Kaitlyn?"
"She's not doing it?"
"We couldn't reach an agreement on the contract."
"Hmm..."
"Also, you might have a different opponent." JTG said, nervously.
"Man, you're changing a lot."
"We're trying to build new stars, you remember that Banks vs Becky battle you said you loved?"
"Of course."
"I'm thinking Becky & Banks vs you and whoever you want."
"...uh... I... I kinda like that... you know my girl Liv Morgan?"
"Of course, of course. She's impressive, we've been in talks to get her on G9."
"I think... maybe I team with Deville... and then Liv being her replacement teaming with Mella. I'll call them to see how they feel about it."
"Okay, let me know."
"Alright, bye."
AJ hung up.
"Now what?"
"I'mma call Banks and Becky on three way, Banks first."
The phone rang a few times as JTG put in on speaker.
"Hello?"
"What's up Banks!"
"You better be calling me to tell me the battle is dropping." Sasha said.
JTG and Shad both laughed.
"Y'all battle will be dropping first out of all the Judgement Day joints, you know that."
"Stop hiding the body! Ya girl died!" Sasha laughed.
"Pay-per-view buyers still got it debatable, I actually wanted to call you about Double Trouble."
"Who we got?"
"Alright now, first and foremost, we like the idea of you and B-Shine, but we have a bit of a different vision, let me know what you think."
"Uh... okay?" Sasha said, cautiously.
"We got AJ Lee and Deville for you."
"WHAT!?"
"AJ Lee and Deville." JTG repeated, with a bit of a laugh.
"Stop fucking playing! Are you serious!?"
"Yes, AJ Lee and Deville, you'll be making $8,000."
"I'm getting paid!? Yes. Whatever it is I agree to the terms and conditions, send me the contract right now." Sasha said, as JTG and Shad laughed.
"But wait, but wait, your partner-"
"AJ fucking Lee?"
"Yes." JTG said, laughing again at Sasha's eagerness.
"You're telling me I get to battle the best female battle rapper of all time AND I get 8 racks!?"
"Yes, in a 2 on 2, it's AJ and Deville vs you and-"
"If this shit is a joke I'm gonna be pissed."
"It's not a joke, but listen."
"I'm listening."
"...we want you to team with Becky."
Sasha was silent on the other line for a bit.
"Hello?" JTG asked.
"...you ask her yet?"
"We're about to put her on 3 way with you."
"Okay."
"Are you with it though?"
"Call her, we'll talk about it."
"Got you."
JTG dialed Becky's number, adding her to the call.
It rang a few times.
"Hello?"
"Hey, what's up Becky?"
"Waiting on this battle to hit YouTube, what's up?"
"It's coming soon, it's coming soon, I actually got you on 3-way with Banks right now."
"Um, why?"
Sasha chuckled a bit at Becky's response.
"Uh, we got an idea."
"Talk to me." Becky said, seeming impatient.
"Alright, now, are you familiar with AJ Lee?"
"Mmhmm..."
"Alright, how about G9's Deville?"
"Yup."
"Okay, AJ Lee & Deville vs Banks Da Boss & Becky Balboa, you'll-"
"What happened to Becky Balboa & Flair?" Becky asked.
"We don't think Flair is ready for this opportunity yet, she still has a lot to prove."
"Then why not just let Banks and B-Shine face them."
"We think it's too soon for B-Shine as well. She has great moments but we wanna see her have a couple consistently great performances throughout. Honestly we're not completely sure you and Banks are ready, but we're kinda scrambling to fix this broken main event, and you guys are hot right now."
"Tell her about the bag." Sasha said.
Shad and JTG both laughed, as Becky remained silent.
"You and Banks will both be receiving $8,000 for the battle."
"Each right?" Becky asked.
"Of course."
"I'll do it for 10."
"10k?"
"Yeah, I'm worth more than Banks, and I'm sure you're paying AJ and Deville 3 times that, right?"
Shad simply raised his eyebrows at the difference between Sasha's excited response and Becky's calm, calculated reaction to the battle proposal.
"W-well we haven't reached an agreement with Deville yet, and we have a non-disclosure clause in AJ's contract so we can't exactly discuss specifics, what's the most you've been paid for a battle?" JTG asked, nervously.
"I don't think that's relevant. If you guys think that Banks Da Boss is worth $8,000 based on a viral clip of a round and an unreleased YouTube battle then you should be glad that all I'm asking for is 10."
"Why do you think you're so much better than me when I just beat you?" Sasha asked.
Shad looked over at JTG, who smirked, knowing a debate would start.
"In the grand scheme of it all, you have 2 battles on G9. I have 1 battle on G9 and I have 6 battles on Don't Flop, the top league in the United Kingdom, and was in line for a title shot before I got locked up. So you have Banks Da Boss, who is not even a top 10, 20, or 30 most known battle rapper in the United States in America, and then you have Becky Balboa, who had a chance to become the #1 battler in the entire United Kingdom, and only didn't because of legal issues."
"Get your head out of your own ass, Jesus Christ, you're an egomaniac."
"I didn't say anything ego-driven, I gave you a list of verifiable facts. You're the one being egotistical if anything, I wasn't talking to you, I just used you as a reference point to how much money I think I deserve."
"You're sitting here downplaying me to try to make yourself look better or feel better about me kicking your ass."
"There's 4 people in this conversation and you're the only one talking about our battle, I'm just making sure I get paid what I'm worth." Becky shrugged.
"I wonder why you're not talking about the battle." Sasha said in response.
"Because I know I won, I'm not arguing with you over it. If you think you won, good for you."
"I KNOW I won."
"Congratulations, can I talk to Shad and JTG about my contract now or?"
"Just don't try to put yourself back on your little pedestal after I knocked you off of it."
"What did I say that's not true?"
"You're just overconfident."
"All I said is I was a top 5 U.K. battler at one point and you're not even top 2 in your hometown, which means I'm more well known than you, which means I'll sell more tickets and generate more pay-per-view buys, which means I should be paid more, if you want to disagree with my assessment of my worth and it's relativity to yours, then provide facts, I'm all ears, otherwise, shhhh."
"I'm saying you don't have to try to make me look bad to make yourself look good, unless you have some alterior motive."
"How am I trying to make you look bad?"
"You're basically saying we're not on the same level."
"Because we're not."
"I just fucking beat you."
"The only round you won, I didn't rap in, how does that feel?"
"I damn near 30'd you!"
"You think you won the first?"
"It's debatable."
JTG and Shad chuckled a bit.
"Are you retarded?"
"You weren't that crazy in the first."
"I'm not arguing with a delusional teenager, 10k, take it or leave it."
"I'm 19."
"Keyword, teen." Becky said, as JTG chuckled a bit.
"We can make 10k happen." Shad said, as JTG nodded.
"And drop that battle." Becky added.
"Yeah, so everyone can see that I smoked you." Sasha said, as JTG and Shad laughed again.
"You're 0-2 in battles that matter."
"If Shad and JTG put a poll up asking who won, I promise I get more votes than you."
"When it drops on YouTube, they can put up a Twitter poll."
"And don't share it so all your little stans overseas vote before they even watch the battle."
"I won't as long as you don't share it to your 8 fans." Becky said, as JTG began laughing even harder.
"Guys, guys, AJ is calling me, we'll talk to you guys later, but you agree to the battle terms right?" Shad asked.
"Yeah." Sasha said.
"Yup." Becky added.
"Alright, J will send y'all the contracts for your e-signature and all that, y'all got 5 weeks to get ready, talk to y'all later."
JTG hung up as Shad answered his phone and put it on speaker.
"Yo?" He asked.
"Hey, I called JTG it kept going to voicemail."
"I was in a 3-way call with Banks and Becky."
"Oh, okay. Well Deville is down, she said she'll do it for 15."
"Aight perfect, I'll send the contracts through."
"Mella and Liv are down for that Flair and Shine battle too."
"Bet, bet, we'll call Flair and Shine next."
Sasha sat outside, on the front step of Naomi's house, in disbelief that she was about to rap on a stage with her favorite battle rapper of all-time, AJ Lee. She hadn't even told anyone yet, simply because she couldn't believe it was actually true. Just then, an unfamiliar Maryland number began to call her. She looked at it and ignored it, before going back to thinking about the battle. She didn't even care that she had never done a 2 on 2 before and that her partner was Becky, despite their mutual distain for each other.
She got a text from the unknown number that read "It's Becky" before her phone started ringing again, with the same number on the caller I.D. She answered it.
"How did you get my number?" Sasha said, immediately.
"Shine. We can't fuck this up."
"What do you mean?"
"This opportunity. I got my momentum snatched from me with the legal shit. You had a viral round vs Shine, then we just had a classic battle, and now we get this look? If we capitalize and have a crazy performance, you're gonna be the fastest rising star in battle rap history and I'm gonna be right back to where I was in the U.K., except over here now."
Sasha simply smiled.
"I still can't believe this shit is going on."
"We need to be completely locked in. I'm coming up to Boston next week. I need to spend a week writing with you in your normal writing environment, and you need to spend a week writing with me in mine so we can be completely on the same wavelength. Then that leaves us 2 weeks to rehearse, put on final touches, all that."
"Uh... okay, that makes sense. I'll probably write some shit by myself this week too."
"Yeah me too, we can start with comparing what we got so far and probably have a round of material right off the bat."
"Yeah, so you're staying up here for a week? And you want me to stay in Maryland for a week?"
"Yes."
"Okay, um... why?"
"The whole over the phone preparing shit won't work, we need to locked in for this battle together and in a somewhat similar headspace. Also, we need to discover or develop some type of chemistry or it's gonna be really awkward. We gotta figure out what we have in common and use that to our advantage. AJ is a master at angles, so she's gonna attack the fact that we barely know each other and the fact that we don't like each other."
"Right, right. I mean... we both have an aggressive style, I think I write a little better and you have higher energy and control a crowd better."
"You know WHAT to say, and I know HOW to say it." Becky said.
"That's a fire way to put it actually. I think we'll make a really good team."
"You ever done a 2 on 2?"
"Nope. Have you?"
"I did one, it was alright. It was a 1 round battle though."
"Is it on YouTube? I'll watch it tonight."
"Yeah, Becky Balboa & Black Widow vs Peyton Royce & Billie Kay."
"Gotchu. We should spar with people to get a feel for our 2 on 2 style, maybe like we write a quick round for Omi and Tamina for when you come up here, and we can do a round on Skype vs Shine and Flair?"
"That's a great idea actually. We can start writing those now if you want."
"Aight, what comes to your mind with Shine & Flair cause I thought of a million different name flips as soon as I said their names out loud together."
"Uh... I said... I bought extra cans..."
"Uh huh." Becky said, mocking how Tamina and Naomi hype Sasha up during battles.
"Both of y'all get sent in different directions when the tech in hand..."
"What else?"
"Pre-existing condition... send Flair up outta nowhere when the weapons blam..."
"Flare up? Okay."
"Then put Shine down, ain't no second chance."
"That's fucking fire, you just freestyled that!?"
"Yeah, your turn." Sasha chuckled.
"Ah shit, I gotta follow that, alright uh..."
"I thought you had a million flips." she teased.
"I do, I just gotta think of 3 set up bars." Becky said.
Sasha laughed.
"Alright, both of y'all in here done..."
"Yeah they are."
Becky chuckled.
"Loud shit, I load a snare drum."
"That's loud."
"Kill you with ya partner's shit, if you scared run... I'll put Shine in the sky with Flair gun."
"Dude what!? Shine in the sky, flare gun!? You didn't freestyle that you had that already." Sasha laughed.
"Not at all. Just thought of it."
"Okay, this is gonna be fun."