"I ain't gonna apologize if that's what you're gonna ask." Yoshiko said to Juri who met with her in the middle of the Miyabi gym.

"I don't expect you to." Juri said. "But you've got to at least consider how this looks to us. We've only just brushed off the bad reputation Kassidy Klaws gave us after she broke my friend's back."

"But that's the different. Hagiwara isn't my friend." Yoshiko said. "That cow had opportunities she didn't deserve. She was chosen by Jackal Tojo to be her opponent, and at the time, you could count her win record with just a single hand."

"I know why you're upset." Juri said. "Honestly, it shocked me too. But all in all, you've got to work on your attitude. I'm going to meet with Ms. Rogue and Mr. Inoba this weekend to discuss how to fix this. In the meantime, you have to be punished. So until I say otherwise, you'll not only be doing extra workout, but you'll let Elena practice her moves on you."

"What?!" Yoshiko yelled out looking at Elena. The orange-haired star gave a burning glare at her and cracked her knuckles. "You can't be serious!"

"I am. And please, try to be careful in the future. Remember how you got kicked out of Stardom."

Yoshiko growled for a moment, but her mind flashed back to how her temper got the best of her and nearly ruined her life. She sighed in defeat. "Fine."


Later that night, Dawn Sawyer decided to take a little stroll through the park. Much to her delight, she saw Sakura Hagiwara and Yoshi Hirano sitting at a park bench underneath a lamp post. They stared at the stars above before they noticed Dawn.

"Oh, hey, Dawn." Sakura said.

"Hey, you two. How are you doing?"

"As good as we could be, believe it or not." Yoshi said. "We managed to walk off everything Yoshiko did to us." He and his girlfriend stood up from their bench and walked alongside their friend.

"Still can't believe Yoshiko ambushed us like that." Sakura said.

"You shouldn't let your guard down, especially around people like her." Dawn said. "When someone becomes good at something, there's always someone who thinks you're getting credit you don't deserve. They call it a push."

"Do you think I got a push, Dawn?" Sakura asked.

"Well… Honestly, it is a little surprising, but I know that Jackal Tojo wouldn't have chosen you if it wasn't for a good reason. And you gotta admit, that was an awesome match."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Dawn."

"Speaking of awesome matches, I've been meaning to ask about your last one." Dawn said. "What happened with that actress who hates you?"

"Well, she kept claiming that my win over her was a fluke and didn't count because I had a man helping me." Sakura said. "Though, she fled the country before she could make a rematch. She said she was going to film a new movie in America, but…"

"Total bull. Got it." Dawn said.

"Oh, hey." Yoshi said. "Before I forget, tomorrow, Kaito's going to go through the Ten Beasts Fury."

"The what?" Dawn asked.

"It's similar to the 100 Hellish Throws we do at Berserk." Sakura said. "If Kaito passes, he gets his first official match."

"Really?" Dawn asked with a proud smile. "All right if I come and see?"

"I was just about to invite you." Yoshi said. "He owes a lot of his improvement in his training to you."

Dawn couldn't help but blush a little. "Uh… That's nice."

Sakura giggled. "Oh. Do you like him?"

"What? No." Dawn replied defensively. "I just… Wait, hold on a second."

"Now, don't go changing the subject." Sakura said. "I think you like…"

"Sakura, I'm serious." Dawn interrupted in a harsh whisper. "I think something's about to happen."

Understanding the seriousness in her voice, Yoshi shared concern with Sakura. "How do you know that?"

"Because I just noticed that girl behind us has been following me for the past ten minutes."

Sakura and Yoshi peeked their eyes back and saw a feminine figure in the distant darkness. She was surely following them.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. But I think…"

The trio was stopped by two other girls who walked up in front of them. One of them had black hair with red ends, amber eyes, a black leather jacket, a red tank top, black jeans, and black boots. Theo ther had short, white hair, blue eyes, a white shirt, and blue slash-like marks on her shoulders.

"Well, well, well." Said a voice from the girl behind them. The sound of that voice made Yoshi widen his eyes. "If it isn't Yoshi Hirano."

The last girl had long, brown hair, hazel eyes, light tanned skin, a black leather jacket over her orange shirt with a snake design, black fingerless gloves, black pants, and boots with an Aztec pattern.

"Luciana." Yoshi greeted back with an angry snarl.

"What?" Sakura asked. "That's Luciana Santiago?"

"Luciana Santiago?" Dawn asked. "Isn't that the name of the Cutthroat ace?"

"Si. She's also my arch enemy from childhood." Yoshi replied. "It's like I am you and Luciana is Hornet."

"Except I'm clearly better." Luciana said.

Sakura growled. "What are you doing here? If you want to pick a fight with Yoshi…" Luciana interrupted her with a hard punch right into her stomach making her cough. Yoshi knelt down to care for his girl.

"Leave her alone!" Yoshi demanded. "This is between you and me!"

"No. Believe it or not, you poor excuse of a wrestler, I am not here for you or him." Luciana said before turning to Dawn. "I'm here for you."

"Me?" Dawn asked. "Why? I don't even know you."

"But I know who you are, Queen Bee." Luciana said. "You may have begun as a lowly jobber, but you quickly rose into a proud superstar. I've seen some of your matches in the independent circuit, and you've prevailed in some brutal matches."

"Thanks, I guess." Dawn said. "Still doesn't explain why you're here or why you attacked my friend."

"Friend?" Luciana laughed. "You're honestly friends with this talentless bimbo? She's no better than that chicken she's dating."

"Hey!" Sakura cried out as she stood back up. "You don't get to talk about us like that!"

"I can talk however I want to talk." Luciana said. "Listen, Sawyer, Berserk clearly has low standards if they are resorting to recruiting that pop star. But you, you're too good for them. But you're just right for us."

"What are you saying?" Dawn asked.

"I'm saying we've got an open spot for you." Luciana said. "I've been watching your last match personally, and I think you are much better suited with us than with Berserk. Join us and you'll be given better opportunities, greater challenges, and…"

The Cutthroat leader was cut off by Dawn's hysterical laughter. She kept laughing which made Luciana and her friends scowl angrily. Once Dawn was done, she gave her answer.

"You seriously thought I'd want to join you? I like where I am. And I'm not just going to give it up just to join a group of heels. I may not be a nice girl in the ring, but I'm not a bad one either."

Luciana growled. "You'd rather take these losers over us?"

"I'd rather take a root canal over you." Dawn replied. "OOF!"

Dawn was caught off guard by a stomach punch from Luciana similar to what she did with Sakura. Though Dawn did stumble backwards a few steps and held onto her stomach, she didn't fall down like the pop star. Luciana then gripped onto Dawn's hair holding her to her face menacingly.

"Listen, you yellow bitch," Luciana snarled, "You're going to regret denying my offer. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon, I promise. Just remember that you're a bug and I'm a snake. Don't forget who's higher on the food chain." She pushed Dawn back and turned to her companions. "Ayane. Mizuki. Let's go." Together, the three of them walked off into the darkness.

Dawn recovered from the punch and stood up straight alongside Sakura and Yoshi. "Wow. She's an even bigger bitch than I read about."

"I hope you know what you're doing?" Yoshi asked.

"Why?"

"Because Luciana is a snake. One venomous strike from her, and you're as good as dead."


Author's Note: Now, we have met the Cutthroats and Queen Bee just provoked them. Will it turn out to be a mistake? Who knows.

In the next chapter, Kaito Marx will finally start his 10 Beasts Fury trial. Hope you're ready.

Any and all comments are welcome.