"OW!" Dawn yelled. She rubbed the back of her head that Kanae smacked. She sat right in front of Inoba and Misaki in the former's office still feeling the sting. "That was uncalled for."

"No, it was completely called for. You were being thick-headed again." Kanae argued.

"That's not the only issue." Misaki said. "We just got finished settling any bad blood between Berserk and Miyabi. Then, you and Tania Smythe went off like this."

"She started it!" Dawn defended.

"It doesn't matter who started it. What matters is that it's happening." Inoba said. "I just got off the phone with Juri. We can't stop the match from happening, but we'll have to try and quell the fan reception thinking this will start another war between gyms."

"While that's happening, let's not forget how you blindly accepted an I Quit match against a woman who wiped the floor with you in the past." Kanae said.

"Whoa. I wouldn't say she 'wiped the floor' with me." Dawn said.

"I saw the match online." Kanae said. "You were basically a ragdoll to her for ten minutes."

Dawn blushed feeling embarrassed that the match was still online. "Look, it doesn't matter. That was ages ago. I've gotten stronger as a wrestler since then."

"So did Tania." Kanae said. "The woman wasn't even an official wrestler the day you fought her. Back then, she was just a champion bodybuilder. And now, after she gained a lot more experience, you blindly accepted a match from her where anything goes?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it makes me sound stupid." Dawn said.

Kanae took off her glasses so she could pinch the space between her eyes. After releasing it, she looked back at Dawn with her glasses back on. "Listen. We're going to spar."

That caught everyone else in the room off guard, especially Dawn who responded, "Say what now?"

"You heard me." Kanae insisted. "You and I are going to change in our wrestling gears, get in the ring, and wrestle."

"This is out of nowhere." Inoba said.

"This is training." Kanae said.

Dawn shrugged. "Fine by me. You know I never resist a challenge." She stood up and left the office leaving Kanae to sigh in annoyance again.

"She just did it again." She muttered.

"Kanae," Misaki said, "I'm all for discipline, but what exactly is this going to prove?"

Kanae, at first, didn't answer. She looked down to the floor and reminisced.


"You can't be serious!" gasped a young Misaki as Kanae began beating on the sandbag.

"Serious as I can be." Kanae replied with a smug grin on her face.

"Kanae, have you forgotten who it was you're about to face?" Misaki asked. "She's Kassidy Klaws. She's been in Miyabi for only a short while, but she's already developed a vicious reputation. That, and she's much bigger than you."

"Meh. I'm not too worried about it." Kanae said. "Consider this a David and Goliath situation."

"David had a rock and a slingshot. All you'll have are your bare hands." Misaki argued. "Look, Kanae, I'm just worried you're biting off more than you could chew."

"Misaki, it's sweet that you're worried about me," Kanae said, "But don't forget, I was trained by Jackal Tojo, one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. I'm not scared of one thug. After I beat her, I'll have my shot at your title."

Misaki let out a deep breath of acceptance. "If you're sure."


Kanae broke out of her flashback and turned back to Misaki. "Just feel like I need to give her a lesson."

Misaki nodded indicating that she understood.


Once Queen Bee and Kanae were in the ring wearing their wrestling outfits, they caught the attention of basically everyone in the gym. They abandoned their exercise to get a closer look at the action.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Looks like Bee and Kanae are doing a practice match." Rio said.

"Think this has something to do with her match against Tania Smythe?" Manta Rei asked.

"Maybe." Chinatsu said. "Still, Kanae and Tania are both different weight classes. Wouldn't Bee be better off practicing against someone a little closer to Tania's build, like Chocho?"

"I wouldn't object to that," Chocho said, "But let's see what Kanae has in store for Bee."

Queen Bee cracked her knuckles. "You ready?"

"When you are." Kanae said.

"Then let's get started!" Queen Bee declared before heading to the center of the ring. Kanae did the same.

Once they were both at the center, they locked up in a collar-and-elbow. Queen Bee broke the tie-up by quickly slipping behind Kanae and grabbing her in a reverse waistlock. She squeezed her arms around Kanae's body, but it was only one squeeze before the reporter grabbed Bee's wrists and twisted them making her let go. After that, she turned around and shot a lariat that sent Queen Bee down.

With Queen Bee down, Kanae proceeded to give her a camel clutch. She wretched Bee's head back making her grit her teeth in pain. Eventually, Bee managed to reach the ropes and grip it with her hand. After Kanae let her go, Queen Bee swung her legs to trip her over. Once she was down, Bee jumped up for an elbow drop. However, Kanae rolled away at the last second.

Kanae lifted Bee up and threw her over to the ropes. She readied her arm for a clothesline, but when Queen Bee came back, she shot a kick to Kanae's stomach. She took the opportunity to put Kanae in a hammerlock. It didn't last forever though. Kanae shot her head backwards to strike at Queen Bee. The senior took advantage of her opponent's stunned state to get behind her and apply a sleeper hold.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in front of Queen Bee, one that she didn't like. She saw her old gym, Queen Bee, where she trained at. She saw a reporter challenging her to a sparring match only to make her tap out to a sleeper hold in record time. She remembered the feeling of humiliation and frustration from that moment.

When Queen Bee returned to the present, her anger overcame her and she violently threw herself around. As soon as she broke out of the sleeper hold, she turned to shoot an elbow at Kanae. However, the reporter caught her with an elbow strike first. She then readied Queen Bee for a fisherman's suplex and managed to toss her overhead. She followed through with her move, the Kanae Krash. Queen Bee was out of breath after that.

Kanae stood back up and let out a breath of relief. "I think we all know who won there."

Queen Bee was frustrated. She balled up her fist and smacked the mat beneath her. "Dammit. How did I lose to you?"

"Because you underestimated me." Kanae said. "This is pro wrestling. You have to expect that your opponent has as much a right to be in the ring as you. You can't just casually see things in black and white."

"It always worked out in America." Queen Bee said. "I've had an impressive record back then."

"Yes, but it's different here in Japan because it's a lot more personal. Hornet made the beginning of your career a living hell, Tania basically steamrolled you before, and I'm just going to assume that you thought Artemis Creed would be easy to beat just because she was a boxer." She wasn't wrong. "That's why you have to be more careful about how to pick your battles. Remember, diving in headfirst is diving in brains last."

"And what makes you such an expert?" Bee asked.

Kanae answered while rubbing her back. "How do you think I was out of commission for a long time?"

The girls that surrounded the ring murmured. They all whispered among themselves how Kanae got hurt.

"How were you out of commission?" Queen Bee asked.

Kanae frowned. "I was put in a match against one of the Miyabi wrestlers, a powerhouse named Kassidy Klaws. The odds were against me, but I didn't listen. I wanted to prove myself. And sure enough, I did, but at a price…"


1… 2… 3!

DING-DING!

Kanae got off of her much larger opponent. She was very exhausted and sore in just about every part of her body, but she was proud that she was able to overcome the odds in this match.

"It's over, folks!" the announcer declared. "It's been quite a brutal match, but Kanae Fujishita of Berserk came out on top above Miyabi's powerhouse, Kassidy Klaws! With this win, Kanae must be feeling extra confident in challenging Misaki Toyoda for her title!"

Kanae turned her head to see her rival, Misaki Toyoda, who was standing just outside the ring. They exchanged smiles looking forward to their match. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Suddenly, Kanae felt an excruciating pain on her back. Her opponent she just defeated charged at her and rammed her elbow into her back. Kassidy Klaws stood tall with her blonde, spiky hair, her black leotard with red claw marks on the front over a red orb, and the word "Klaws" on the back written in claw marks.

"HEY! What are you doing?" Misaki protested as she attempted to climb into the ring.

"BUZZ OFF!" Kassidy shouted. She quickly kicked Misaki out of the ring before she could finish getting in. "This is between me and the bitch!"

Kassidy continuously stomped on Kanae's back making her scream louder with each stomp. Kassidy stopped at some point before grabbing Kanae's prone body and climbed up the corner. She raised her overhead for the whole crowd to see and fear.

"You mess with Kassidy, you get the Klaws!" she shouted right when she slammed Kanae down. Her back landed right on top of the metal corner post. As soon as Kanae heard the sound of bones cracking, she screamed so loudly, it rattled the entire stage while she fell at ringside. The other Berserk wrestlers went to check on her. Kassidy, on the other hand, roared proudly doing a double-bicep pose on top of the corner turnbuckle.

Kassidy was excited until she felt arms grabbing her from behind. At least three women grabbed her and threw her backward landing her in a suplex right in the middle of the ring. Kassidy looked up and saw her senior, Juri Sanada, and the other Miyabi wrestles looking down at her in disgust and anger.

"What the hell was that for?" Kassidy asked harshly.

"What was THAT for?" Juri returned pointing outside where Kanae was being looked at. "You've overstepped your bounds!"

"You're showing sympathy for her?" Kassidy asked standing back up. "She's the enemy!"

"Just because we're from different gyms, it doesn't mean we're enemies!" Juri argued. "Kanae is a friend of mine, and you may have just critically injured her!"

"Sanada, she made a fool of me!" Kassidy shouted. "I merely did that to show everyone not to mess with me! Anyone else would have done the same!"

"You did as you pleased and you let me down!" Juri said. "I'm sorry, Klaws, but you leave me no choice. I've given you more chances than you deserve, but you just crossed the line! As of right now, you are no longer a member of Miyabi!"

At first, Kassidy was shocked, Then, she became angry. "You can't do that!"

"I'm afraid we can." Juri said. "Now, get out of here before I'll have you escorted by security."

Kassidy growled. Her vision changed to red. She furiously exited the ring. Before she exited the ramp, she turned around giving one final statement.

"You haven't seen the last of me! I'll be back, and I'll make every last one of you sorry you pissed me off!"

Kassidy left the arena leaving the Miyabi girls to help escort Kanae to the medics.

"Just stay calm." Misaki said to her hurt friend. "Everything's going to be all right, Kanae."


A silence haunted the Berserk gym as everyone heard the story from Kanae's point of view. Even Dawn, who stood next to the reporter, stared at her with sympathy and disbelief. Misaki watched from afar with a down expression.

"I… I had no idea." Dawn said. "That must have been so painful."

"It was. If I had been smarter, I would have seen it coming." Kanae said. "That's why I want to help you, kid. You may not need me to teach you how to fight, but I do need to teach you how to pick your fights. I can't stop your match against Tania, but I can at least support you for whatever comes next. What do you say?"

Dawn looked away for a moment to think deeply about it. After a minute, she shook Kanae's hand and smiled.

"Fine. After Tania, we'll do it your way."

"Wow." Kurea said. "Looks like Queen Bee is finally accepting Kanae as her mentor."

"Is that good or bad?" Chinatsu asked.

"It just means we should put up our guard." Rio said.


Late at night, Tania Smythe took a stroll through the city streets. She wore her tracksuit while drinking the last of her protein shake. When she was done, she tossed the empty cup in a trash can she passed by.

"Now, how would I go about beating that bumblebee this time? I pinned her last time, so maybe it would be a refresher if I made her submit. After all, it is a nonverbal way of her admitting I beat her. But what kind of move would I…"

"Hey."

Tania stopped and turned her head to an alleyway that was covered mostly in shadow. She heard what sounded like a woman's voice and looked curiously.

"Who's there?"


The following day, Juri was in her wrestling attire sparring with Noriko Saihara. Once again, the rookie was trying to beat the head of Miyabi. However, Juri won with her Spider's Web. Noriko tried to break out, but she eventually had no choice but to tap out. After releasing her, Juri helped Noriko up.

"Good job. You actually lasted longer than before." Juri said. She then looked around curiously. "That's odd. It's not like Tania to be…"

"JURI! JURI!" Elena yelled out as she ran toward the practice ring. Juri looked at her pupil taking notice of her worried look.

"Elena, what is it?" Juri asked. "What's wrong?"

"I just answered your phone in your office! You got a call from the hospital!"

"The hospital? Why…"

"It's Tania! She's been assaulted! She's in the hospital right now!"

Juri widened her eyes full of surprise and confusion. "How did this happen? Who could possibly hospitalize Tania Smythe?" All these questions and more were swirling around her head like a chaotic storm.


Author's Note: Yeah, that's right. Turns out, Tania Smythe isn't going to be facing Queen Bee in an I Quit match. That was all a set-up for a much bigger storyline. Still, with Tania out, Bee is going to need a new opponent for an I Quit match. Anybody got any ideas?

Sorry for the late arrival, but at least I made it. That's good.

Any and all comments are welcome.