The next day, Dawn Sawyer returned to Berserk with her training gear. She changed in the locker room into her wrestling gear. She had just finished lacing up her boots when the coach, Ryo, approached her.
"Hey, Bee. We got something to show you."
"Really?" Dawn asked. "What?"
"Just come with me." Ryo said.
Ryo lead Queen Bee to the main gym. It was dark for a moment, but when it lit up, the newcomer gazed at the ring. Ten different wrestlers stood inside looking like they were waiting for her. They were all in their wrestling attire.
"What's this?" Queen Bee asked.
"Hello, there, Ms. Sawyer." Greeted Seichii Inoba as he approached her. "How would you like a debut match?"
"Really?" Queen Bee asked. "You're giving me one this early?"
"Well, normally, we'd test you after a few months of training, but we don't get a lot of newcomers who are already pros. So for now, we're letting you have an early chance."
"Whoa. Wait, test?"
"That's right." Misaki said from the ring. "This is called the Hellish Hundred Throws. Each of us will throw you ten times in this ring to test your stamina."
"Suplexes. Piledrivers. Drops. You name it." Sakura said.
"And if you're still standing after the 100th throw, we'll give you your debut match." Rio said.
"So what do you say?" asked Inoba.
"What do I say?" Queen Bee repeated with a confident grin. "Hit me with your best shot! I'm not one to turn down a challenge!"
And so, the test began. The wrestler to start off the match was a young-looking wrestler with an orange-and-black two-piece: Chinatsu Suzumoto. She hit Queen Bee with shoulder throws and slams while Ryo counted. It did hurt a bit, but after the tenth throw, Queen Bee managed to get back up on her feet like nothing hurt her.
The second woman was Kurea Komiyama. This redhead was known for taking on tough opponents, so Queen Bee wasn't surprised when she dealt her even harder slams than Chinatsu did. She mostly did powerbombs, but like before, Queen Bee powered back up to her feet. It took a bit more effort, but she made it.
Chocho was next. She was a tall, muscular wrestler with black hair and a red bandana. She wore a black two-piece. This girl was in Berserk for only two years and only suffered five losses, two of them were from championship matches against Misaki. When Chocho slammed Queen Bee, she actually gasped out her pain. The 30th slam ended, and Queen Bee slowly got back up on both her feet.
The fourth was a short girl in purple hair wearing an orange leotard. Her name was Langley. Unlike the last two, Langley wasn't as rough with her slams, but she made the throws much more curvaceous with her flexibility.
After Langley finished her throws and Queen Bee got to her feet, Hiyori came next. She was a tall woman with pink hair and a purple two-piece like Rio. Hiyori used her size to her advantage and didn't hesitate on slamming Queen Bee from high above. When it ended, Queen Bee almost slipped on one knee, but she gritted her teeth and stood up straight.
The next wrestler who threw Queen Bee was a woman named Tsukuyo. Tsukuyo was a blonde girl who always appeared to have closed eyes. She had two black spots underneath one of her eyes and a green two piece which complimented her thick limbs. This girl was a power wrestler, so Queen Bee had a very hard time getting back up after each throw.
The seventh girl entered the ring across from Queen Bee. Her name was Hikari, a short, blue-haired girl in a yellow leotard. Unlike the other girls who were getting impressed with Queen Bee's perseverance, Hikari was getting frustrated. She wasted no time in wailing on Queen Bee with hard throws and slams. After her sixth throw, Hikari began to trash-talk the pro.
"Is that it, bumblebee? And here, I thought you were a pro! Do us all a favor and stay down!"
Queen Bee gritted her teeth both in perseverance and in anger. Hikari continued to throw her across the ring until the end of the 70th throw.
The next wrestler to come in was Rio Kazama. She was quite a powerful thrower, as Queen Bee felt personally. The last throw was a chokeslam that nearly knocked the wind out of Queen Bee. The pro was very exhausted and wanted to give up, but she was determined. She took a very long minute standing back up for the next one.
The 81st throw was done by none other than Sakura Hagiwara. The idol took the liberty of dropping Queen Bee with one hard slam after another. Sakura didn't want to hurt the American, but she couldn't afford to hold back. After the 90th throw, Sakura left leaving Queen Bee feeling utterly destroyed. The American was in more pain than ever and was on the verge of blacking out, but she managed to pull herself back up.
Misaki Toyoda was the last one. The ace entered the ring and began with a shoulder throw. The 92nd was a belly-to-belly suplex. The next was a monkey flip. After that, Misaki hit Queen Bee with a Northern Lights suplex, a fireman's carry slam, a Death Valley driver, a simple German suplex followed by a release German suplex, and a power slam. That was the 99th. Queen Bee was completely destroyed at that point. She slowly got up nearly half-dead. But she gripped her hands and faced the champion ready for the last throw. Misaki obliged as she got behind Queen Bee. Most of Berserk gasped in shock when the ace wrapped Bee up in a crossface before launching her backward landing her with a Misaki Special. The impact shook the ring.
"Did she just do that?" Chinatsu asked.
"Didn't see that coming." Langley said.
"She hasn't used that since Kurea took her test." Chocho said.
Queen Bee was on the verge of passing out. She did to. But then, something sparked inside of her. A memory of a past she's driving from. She continued gritting her teeth to keep herself awake. She gripped the ropes and started to pick herself back up. She nearly slipped on her sweat, but she regained her footing and kept on going. As soon as she reached back up on her feet, Misaki smiled.
"I say you're ready." She said.
Queen Bee sat herself at the corner taking a breath. "Thank… goodness."
"All right then." Inoba said. "Now, all that's left is to find you a debut opponent."
"Mr. Inoba." Hikari spoke up. "I'd like to volunteer as Bee's opponent."
"Really? All right then." Inoba said. "I'll set it up for the next match night. In the meantime, Queen Bee, why don't you rest up for the rest of the day."
"Sounds like… a plan." Queen Bee said.
Most of the girls continued their training routine. Hikari passed by the corner where Queen Bee was prompted before whispering angrily.
"Don't think this wins you any points, bumblebee. I'll send you back to basic training if I have to."
Queen Bee wanted to retort, but she was too tired to. Hikari left, but Sakura approached the newcomer.
"I just heard Hikari. Sorry about that."
"What's her deal?" Queen Bee asked.
"Well, she's probably upset that you're already getting a debut match." Sakura said. "She's been training for six months before she could complete her Hundred Throws challenge."
"Ah. I see. And you?"
"Oh, I have no problem. I'd like to welcome you to Berserk. Tell you what. Tomorrow, I'm meeting with my friend, Elena, over smoothies. Would you like to tag along?"
Queen Bee managed to sit straight back up and turn to the idol. "I wouldn't be imposing?"
"Not at all." Sakura brushed off. "Don't worry. I'm sure Elena would like to meet you."
Queen Bee smiled. "All right."
Across the gym, Misaki and Ryo were having a talk while looking at Queen Bee.
"Seems like the newbie's already got some heat on her." The coach commented.
"Honestly, I saw it coming." Misaki said. "Dawn here is the first wrestler we've had in a long time who was already a pro. A lot of the girls are either going to resent her for being 'an upstart', or eager to use her as a stepping stone for their careers. Either way, Queen Bee's challenge starts now."
Author's Note: I didn't mean to be done with the next chapter this soon. I originally planned on making it longer, but then, I decided to split it into two chapters.
To let you know, the wrestlers I've named as Chocho, Langley, Hiyori, Tsukuyo, and Hikari used to be nameless background characters in the show that I feel like should have been given names. Thankfully, they were given by fellow fanfic writer, Awesome ax10. I hope to use more of them in the future of this story.
Any and all comments are welcome.
