Screwed up Sandiego

By: FunahoMisaki

(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)

"You really do have a big appetite." Carmen said surprised as Ivy demolished her rather large pork chop in no time, the second one on its way.

"Oh this is nothing. One time she ate three whole plates by herself, although to be fair she had just finished winning a MMA tournament." The lady who apparently ran the drive-thru said as she set the second pork chop down on the table.

"Mixed Martial Arts? Here I thought you only knew karate." Carmen said raising an eyebrow although she did frown a bit. She hadn't paid a lot of attention to the girls fighting style, only that she had a black belt. That remark caused the regulars nearby, all of whom had greeted Ivy by name as soon as they sat down, to snicker or snort.

"The girl has five black belts at last count, and I stopped counting six years ago. Y'all enjoy." The drive-thru lady said with a snort of her own before she went back to work.

"Come to think of it you have another, bigger, tournament coming up soon don't you?" One older man that Ivy called Rickey asked looking at the red head who nodded.

"Yeah since I won the district tournament three times in a row they're upgrading me to the state tournament. Qualifying rounds are tomorrow actually. Not sure if I'll do it though." Ivy said with a shrug of her shoulders at the end.

"Go for it. I have some spare time to come and watch and I'm quite interested in seeing what you can do in a fight." Carmen said watching Ivy and noticing the surprise flicker on the girls face for a brief moment.

"She can completely destroy someone is what she can do." The woman with Rickey, Linda apparently, said with a snicker while Ivy gave a sheepish smile.

"That about sums it up really." Ivy said with a rather guilty smile on her face although her eyes weren't in it. Carmen frowned as she looked at her new little protégé.

"Hm. Well if you're going to be working for me you do realize I need to know your capabilities and skills correct? I believe this tournament will be an interesting way to see just how…capable you are." Carmen said eyeing the red haired teen who just nodded her head and proceeded to demolish her second pork chop.

"Oh? A new job? What kind of work will she be doing?" Jen asked overhearing this as she delivered plates to the table next to them.

"Bodyguard mostly. There are plenty of people who would wish me harm, and she is quite capable of protecting me I'm sure. Of course seeing how she does in a state wide MMA tournament will only help alieve any worries my… associates will have of her strength and prowess." Carmen said smoothly and making Ivy raise an eyebrow at her.

"I toss around some of your bigger co-workers like they're toys. You really think any of them will doubt my abilities?" Ivy asked earning a smirk from Carmen who shrugged slightly.

"I have it on good authority that Dara will be in the state tournament this time as well. If you managed to make it to where you can fight her and win, you'll have most all of my employees and associates convinced of your prowess even if you don't look very strong." Carmen said making Ivy give a small rather dark smirk that had a shiver of warning going down Carmen's spine. Or…well…she thought it was a shiver of warning.

"Looks are very deceiving." Ivy said with a slight purr to her words, making Carmen stare at her for a moment before the criminal lowered her gaze to her salad.

"True as that may be my point still stands. While you are technically my body guard as of now, make a good showing in the tournament and none of the others will doubt you." Carmen said not glancing up at Ivy who shrugged her shoulders and started on the fruit bowl that was apparently today's desert.

"And if I win the whole thing?" Ivy asked without pause, making Carmen look up at her sharply.

"You seem sure that you will." Carmen noted as she looked at the unbothered red head.

"I collect black belts like some people collect stamps and I'm a lot tougher than I look. The best part about seeming so scrawny, means that everyone underestimates my actual ability and strength." Ivy said with a small secretive smile while Jen snorted slightly.

"Girl if the stories I heard have any truth to them, then you have black belts in styles most people forgot existed. Not to mention some of the non-official or non-regulated styles of fighting." Jen said with a grin towards Ivy who grinned back.

"Hey, it's a better way to protect myself and others. Certainly came in handy more than once." Ivy said making a few of the regulars snorted, seemingly recalling some memory or another.

"The qualifying matches will take at least a week until there's only sixteen contenders left. Once the final sixteen are established we'll be put into brackets and faced off against one another in public and likely over television. That's what my sensei told me after I got the invite at least. I can secure tickets for you and some of your co-workers to come and 'evaluate' my ability during the matches once I make it to the top sixteen." Ivy said looking at Carmen who gave a small smirk at this.

"I'd quite like to see this. Not to mention I'd be going anyways since Dara is in the matchups." Carmen said nodding and making Ivy smirk back as she finished off the last of her food.

"Don't forget that if you need sponsoring then I don't mind throwing my lot in with you." The old waitress who was apparently the owner of the restaurant said casually as she looked at the red head, having walked over just in time to hear about the television part.

"I'll make sure that I have your logo and advertisement on my side of the ring when I go in for the finals." Ivy said nodding to the woman who grinned at that.

"Just make sure you make plenty of bets on me winning…because losing isn't in my dictionary." Ivy said earning nods from a few of the regulars around her.

"Not to mention that when you get really into the fight then you're downright brutal. During your last district contest one girl tried an illegal move that would have likely broken your neck." Rickey said making the others wince slightly at seemingly recalling that matchup.

"I may have overreacted slightly but it was reflex against a potentially lethal move!" Ivy said causing a few of the regulars that had seen the match to give her flat or disbelieving looks.

Carmen was the one staring at the red head in disbelief at Linda's incredulous words.

She'd have to warn Dara to stay away from potentially crippling or lethal moves.

"You snapped her arm in two and broke four of her ribs with one kick!"