Time seemed to pass quite quickly ever since Raven had set foot inside of the gym with Alexa, instantly falling in love with a sport that she never thought she would ever do in a million years, as she thought the same with her own predicament to begin with anyways, so it made any previous assumptions null and void in a sense. In any case, after a strictly followed training regime that was as rigorous as any other for 6 months, she was ready, more than ready in Hans' opinion. The day of reckoning and a true test of Raven's abilities finally came as set in stone so long ago, but things had changed drastically overnight in the gym's case. Hans, as well as aid from the promoter's staff, had managed to remove all of the gym's equipment and stored it in the basement of the building for the time being. The extra room that was made was to set up small bleachers of sorts, only 4-tier high, nothing drastic, as well as giving the fighters, both male and female, each their own prep area, divided for privacy. Last, but most certainly not least, the promoter supplied the event with a regulation standard ring, brand new, and made specifically for the event that was to be held. Even though it was nothing more than a city-wide tournament, amateurs mainly, but the event had managed to attract quite a crowd from all around the city, but in any case, anything that was going to take place here wasn't going to get much further unless it was something spectacular, or awe-inspiring, took place, and there was a good possibility of that happening, especially with a fighter of Raven's caliber. Yet, unknown to her, she was in store for possible match-ups against a few of the fighters in the tournament that were more than pushovers. The sound of those interested in seeing a lot of fights at a cheap price was evident as they filed in, taking their seats, but Raven, as well as Hans and Alexa, were oblivious to what was going on around them within the confines of their cubical of sorts, acting as their dressing room.
"How you feelin', Rae?" Hans questioned, meticulously wrapping her slender hands as she was seated before him, getting her to gingerly look up, wet hair hanging in her face.
"Great, never felt better," she quickly replied, flexing her hand once or twice as he continued his expert ritual of wrapping, as he had done hundreds of times in the past.
"Liar," Alexa quickly added, leaning against the makeshift wall, smiling.
"Okay, maybe I'm a little…nervous," Raven admitted, turning her attention to Alexa, "what about you?"
"About the same," Alexa answered, crossing her arms, her hands already wrapped and gloved. "I'm not going to lie, and if you are, learn how to do it better."
Raven merely smirked, scoffing a laugh, looking back up at Hans as he began taping Raven's wrapped hand and wrist to prevent it from shifting or loosening from use.
"So, since you basically guided me up until know, Hans, how do you think I'm going to do?" She truthfully requested, seeing he was in deep concentration, but was more than welcome to break it for a moment.
"Need I even say?" Hans attempted through a chuckle. "Do we already not have enough proof?"
"Yeah, Rae," Alexa chimed in, "not the fact that you've managed to give 3 sparring opponents in the course of your training concussions, with headgear."
"Or the time she broke Anna's nose, you remember that, don't you, Alexa?" Hans added, starting on Raven's other hand.
"Oh yeah, who could forget about that one," she added, beginning to move about the cubical of sorts, "also, that already-famous sparring match between her and Sven."
"Okay, I get the point," Raven laughed, butting in, "I'm…decent, but you did manage to forget about our little bout, did you not?"
Alexa snapped to attention, remembering the first day Raven ever entered the gym.
"That's right, Hans remembers as well," she smiled, knowing it was all in good fun.
"Alright, alright," Alexa protested, "I get it, can we please move on? As if I haven't heard about it only a million times from you two, not to mention even more from the regulars at the gym, so could we possibly give it a rest?"
Hans and Raven looked at one another sheepishly, then turning back to face Alexa.
"No," they both replied, laughing afterwards.
"Come on, Alexa, you know I'm just joking around with you," Raven informed, "you told me to quit being so modest about everything, now look at me."
"I've created a monster is what I've done," Alexa chuckled, "but I wouldn't have you no other way."
"Likewise," Raven commented, turning her attention back to Hans, seeing he had begun the taping process on her second hand. "So, Hans, when am I up today?"
"Well," he replied, making sure his professional job was indeed suitable for both Raven and his needs, "you just so happen to be the first match for the women's bracket, so you have the honor of kicking things off. Four-rounders, regulation rules, nothing special. As soon as I get your gloves on, it's time to head out there, but I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" Raven second questioned, "What kind of surprise?"
Hans leaned down, picking up a white box of considerable size, setting it Raven's lap.
"After much consideration," he began, "Alexa and me decided that since a fighter of your ability deserves to have a look to match."
Before Raven could even mouth a reply, she opened the box, finding something that was just absolutely breathtaking at the moment. The contents of the box baffled Raven for the moment, only seeing a silk-like cloth of a deep, rich blue color.
"What is it?" Raven truthfully requested, cocking an eyebrow.
"Take it out, let's see it," Hans insisted, ushering Raven to do just that.
Obeying, she removed it, unraveling it as it fluttered to the floor, revealing what it truly was. To Raven, it looked like a bath robe, but she knew better, as she held it out in front of her, watching the light shine off of it, not to mention the black trim that ran around all the edges of it, including the sash that acted as a belt to tie together in the front. She flipped it around, smiling as she figured out what it was, finding her name in bold, white letters as it curved in a convex manner, and last but not least, a raven with its wings spread underneath of it, made of the same material as the trim.
"I-I don't know what to say," Raven finally managed, still taking in the sight as she held it out in front of her. "It's…beautiful."
"That's not all," Alexa pointed out, motioning for her to lift a single piece of white wrapping paper.
Still in shock over their generosity, Raven managed to lift the wax-like paper, her breath was taken away once more. She gingerly set down the ring coat next to her in its folded state, removing the remaining part of her gift. It matched the coloring of the coat, blue with black trim, and as with the lettering as well, her name clearly across the waistband of them. Raven allowed the trunks to unfold themselves before her, the light seeming to shine off of the silk-like material.
"I can't let my fighter go out there in a t-shirt and shorts, now can I?" Hans quipped with a large grin to accompany it.
"Consider yourself lucky, Rae," Alexa added, motioning to her own outfit, which consisted of a white top, black trunks with white trim, and the same black mid-tops that she wore in training, "I had to fight in rags when I first started, but I'm not much further along now."
Raven noted Alexa's humor, still in awe from her recent gifts, knowing that it was indeed something special, especially for them to bestow such a thing upon her, and she was yet to prove herself worthy of such a gift. She quickly stood up, Hans turning around, respecting Raven's privacy as she quickly changed, more eager than anything.
"Okay," she announced, basically signaling that it was clear for him to turn around, seeing that she was adjusting the matching top that came with it, the stretching material proudly showing off her physique of hardened training.
"Excuse me, Miss," Alexa said in a playing manner, "but I think you are lost, the stadium where the world title match is being held is downtown."
"Knock it off," Raven replied, looking in the mirror, taking in her form.
"All jokes aside, she's right, you look like a professional, hell, you trained like one, might as well be," Hans added, "all you need is your gloves and you're ready."
She waited as he opened a box that was sent by the promoter of the event, containing the regulation gloves, making sure that they weren't tampered with in anyway, shape, or form to insure no rules were being broken or bent for that manner. Something was different about them, not that she cared, but she could tell they were not the same that she was accustomed to using when she trained. Not only did they lace up, but she had used the kind that did before, but they appeared to be rather small in general, not providing a lot of padding.
"What ounce are those things?" Raven asked as he removed them from the packaging, the smell of fresh leather entering her nostrils, even shine still visible off the bright red.
"This tournament is using 8oz., you trained with anything from 12 to 16. Do I need to explain it to you?" Hans questioned as he slid them onto her hands, Raven quickly noticing the tight fit, but knew that everyone else was in the same predicament.
"In layman's terms," Raven began as he continued to lace, Alexa beginning to focus as she shadowboxed, oblivious to what was going on around her. "Less weight means I can throw faster, and less padding means they are going to hurt that much more."
"Exactly, but remember, your opponent can do the same, don't get cocky, and don't get all showmanship on me in the ring, Rae, some of the best fighters lose fights that way, and I don't want to see that happen to you."
"Trust me, Hans," she replied, taking in all of his information, "you trained me, and I thank you for all of it with every fiber of my mortal being, I will, in no way, dishonor or disgrace your teachings you bestowed upon me."
"Wow, Rae, that was pretty…deep," Hans answered, off-guard, realizing how much Raven actually respected him.
"I'm full of surprises," she smiled, a devious one at that, holding up her right hand, which was already laced up and everything.
Hans merely shook his head as he continued his work, lacing up the second on her left, and knowing what she was getting at, seeing how over her training, Raven had enough power in her right hand when it connected cleanly to move a truck, or so it would seem, all in all, it was dangerous, and it was going to be the hand that was going to make her opponents kiss the canvas.
"How they feel?" Hans finally questioned as he finished taping up the rear of each glove, making sure the laces didn't shift or become loose, and to prove that they would in no way be tampered with during the course of a fight.
She beat them together in front of her, making the usual hollow thump as they did, flexing her hands slightly.
"Good, snug, really snug at that," she commented, standing in front of the mirror, taking up stance, "I, on the other hand, feel great, probably the greatest since…, well, since I started this little journey of mine."
"That's good, now come here," he motioned, Raven obeying the man that she held the utmost respect for, almost able to consider him a Master of sorts, seeing how he did teach a fighting style to her, and watched over her. "Let's get this here coat on ya and we'll be ready to go."
"What about Alexa?" Raven questioned as she outstretched her gloved hands, allowing Hans to slide her arms into the sleeves of the ring coat.
"Her fight isn't until a few after yours, so she's going to hang out in here until then."
Raven turned towards her, acting as if she were devastated.
"You mean you aren't going to watch my debut bout? I am shocked," Raven joked.
"Don't play the guilt trip on me, girl," Alexa replied with a smirk, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "If it really means that much to you, then I will watch it, but I won't be up there with Hans, ok?"
"That's better than nothing at all, it means the world to me," she thanked in a sense.
Alexa nodded in agreement, Raven turning back to face the mirror as she watched Hans wrap the lavish coat around Raven's body, tying the sash in front into a neat bow.
"I know you hate hearing it, Rae, but you look like a pro, and I really think you should look into it, you just have pure skill, like you were naturally born to do this," Hans complimented, lifting the hood upon Raven's head.
She merely smiled, but also took an immediate notice to how the hood shadowed her face much like her own hood did on her cape she wore as a Titan, before her deception, before everything that seemed to ruin what quaint life she had up until that point. The feeling quickly subsided as she re-focused upon the task ahead. No sooner than she did, there was a faint knock at the door.
"Yeah?" Hans questioned in German, Raven being around it so long it that it was becoming second nature to her.
"Your fighter's on in 5," another male replied, having only that to say.
Hans faced Raven, seeing that his fighter had a face of determination, one nearly set in stone for that matter, Raven's eyes beneath the shadow of the hood piercing, looking into them almost made it feel as if she was in your mind, penetrating you to the very soul of your existence. All he saw staring back at him was someone that wasn't going to give up, she was going to go the distance, no matter the cost.
"It's time," Raven stated in the silence, finally psyched up enough to make her entrance.
Hans nodded, not wishing to break her concentration, wanting her to perform to the maximum of her abilities. Hans opened the door, picking up his supplies he would need as her cornerman as well, Raven stepping through into the makeshift hallway. Her eyes remained unchanged, even as she felt the prying eyes of those who passed, ranging from trainers preparing their fighters to spectators looking for their seats, truly seeing that Raven was something different. Even though the hall itself was dimly lit, it was adequate enough for Raven to follow Hans, the steady buzz of the crowd growing stronger with each step she took forward as they neared the entrance. She let out a breath of nervousness, hoping that Hans didn't hear it, but he knew her all too well.
"Ok, this is it," Raven thought to herself, gently throwing her hands out as she walked, trying to warm her arms up without expending energy. "No pressure, none at all. I'm here for one thing and one thing only: To win, and nothing is going to stand in my way."
Hans stopped short of a double set of doors that had been set up, seeing how they were actually underneath of the stands themselves, turning to face Raven.
"You ready?" He beckoned, depressing the lever that would allow it to swing open.
"More than I'll ever be," Raven attempted in a calm voice.
He merely nodded, turning around, pushing the door open, light flooding in from above, nearly blinding her, the sound of the restless crowd was something to behold all in its own. Raven retained as erect and strong as she had been before, not letting her true nervous self show, and unknown to why she was having such a feeling, but it was undeniably there. In any case, Raven followed the older man that had played the most important role in her training, as well as her life at that moment, able to pick out random comments amongst the crowd's buzz; some in her favor, others extremely negative to how Raven was going to perform. With the grace that she had always possessed before, Raven stepped through the ropes as Hans lifted them up for her, getting scattered applause as she awaited her opponent, throwing a lightning-fast combination to impress those who doubted her, but it was a rather touch crowd, as they didn't seem all that impressed.
"I don't think they like me," she commented to Hans, who was at her right, still retaining her composure to show she was unaffected by them, but a crowd could indeed make or break a fighter's spirit.
"To hell with 'em," Hans replied plain as day, "they aren't the ones in here banging it out, now are they? Don't worry about them until they start cheering for you, then you use it to your advantage. They think you're going to go down, and I want you to prove 'em wrong, understand?"
Raven nodded, allowing Hans to remove her ring coat, the lights above reflecting off of her pale flesh as it was coated with a thin layer of perspiration from her warm-up drills she had done only moments before, causing her defined body of toned muscles to appear to glow. No sooner than the coat was handed to Hans' assistant and Raven's cutman, the crowd's clamoring seemed to pick up slightly, and Raven knew why, her opponent was making her entrance to join her in the ring. She managed to get a look at her long before she entered the ring, seeing she was shorter than herself, about average height for a female, blonde hair, vivid blue eyes, and a normal Caucasian skintone to match. She was wearing blue and orange, but her outfit didn't appear to be as professionally-crafted or looking for that matter, as Raven's was. She bounded up into the ring, staring Raven down intentfully, giving a small show of her speed as Raven had done.
"I've seen that look before," Raven commented as they removed her towel she had upon her much like she had her ring coat, "I saw it in a mirror."
"At least she ain't intimidating you," Hans added, "but keep it to a minimum, I don't want you getting full of yourself, ok?"
She nodded, still looking at her soon-to-be enemy across the ring from her. An official, apparently the ring announcer, reacht up and took hold of a descending microphone, seeing both of the fighters were more than ready to begin.
"Tonight," Raven translated, "we officially kick off the women's division of this tournament, beginning with the match between two combatants of noticeable caliber, proving that it will be your money's worth. Scheduled for 4 rounds by regulation rules, the 3 knockdown rule is in effect, and will go to the scorecards after 4. Let's introduce our warriors of the evening to officially start this thing."
He turned to Raven, shuffling through his cards, finding the information upon her.
"Hailing out of the blue corner, coming in at 126 and ½ pounds, wearing the blue trunks with the black trim, and making her debut bout this evening, Rachel "Raven" Roth."
She managed to receive scattered applause, as well as a few comments.
"I really hate my alias name," she commented to Hans, who was rubbing her shoulders, trying to keep her relaxed. "126 and 1/2? I've put on weight."
"Ignore them, besides, that weight is solid muscle, so no worries." Hans consoled, even though he knew Raven was merely remaining light-hearted.
The announcer turned towards the unknown blonde that Raven had only seen for the first time mere seconds ago.
"And coming out of the red corner for the beginning contest of the evening, weighing it at 120 pounds, wearing the blue and orange trunks, and entering with a record of 7W-3L-1D, 2 by KO, Ingrid "Annihilator" Achbehn."
There was a more audible reaction, seeing how she had fights under her belt, and did have wins, so a fanbase was to be expected. The referee, or what Raven assumed was by the pinstriped outfit they were synonymous to, motioned for both of them to step forward to the center of the ring. Easily noting her height advantage over her opponent, Raven gingerly looked down, making eye contact with her, vice versa for her to do to Raven.
"Alright, ladies," the referee began, Raven completely understanding a language once alien to her, "I want a good, clean fight, always obey my commands at all times."
He took hold of Raven's right hand, as he did with her left.
"Anything here," he informed, holding Raven's gloved hand up to the middle of the waistband on Ingrid's trunks, "is good, and anything here is good," he did with Ingrid to Raven's, showing the absolute lowest point they could cleanly hit one another. He released their gloved hands, both allowing it to fall to their respective sides.
"Now touch gloves and come out fighting at the bell," he finished, motioning for them to do so.
Raven and her opponent obeyed, as well as wishing to show the mutual respect for one another as respective participants of the sport, as well as to show there were no hard feelings in general.
"Good luck," Raven added as they broke contact, giving a minute smile, only getting a slightly confused look from her, seeing how she spoke in English, the thought of the language barrier slipping her mind.
"Stick and move, stick and move, remember that," Hans advised as they returned to their corner, preparing Raven for the opening round.
She acknowledged in silence, but Hans knew that she understood, and there wasn't really any need to tell her all those little things and worry about her, she was more than capable of handling things.
"I'll use my head, don't worry," Raven informed as he stepped through the ropes, his assistant putting Raven's mouthpiece in.
"Just don't use it as a catcher's mitt," Hans warned, attempting to lighten her mood enough to keep her relaxed.
She smiled, her blue guard showing, quickly turning back to her opponent, who was in stance, ready as much as Raven was. The bell sounded, ringing crisply in the stagnant air. Raven didn't bolt out of her corner as quickly as her opponent did, but was still close enough to the center of the ring to not worry about being cornered within the first few seconds of the fight. As she had managed to predict on her feet, Ingrid fired out several jabs, easily blocked or slipped by Raven's superior speed, still trying to figure out her opponent's rhythm, but keep herself out of harm's way, even though that was the object of being in the ring. Raven continued to stay lightly on her feet, avoiding anything that would prove painful if it connected, her opponent still coming after her, becoming visibly frustrated as she constantly chased Raven around the ring. Needless to say, there were rabble-rousers to Raven's strategy; feeling as if she was constantly running away, and she had indeed hadn't thrown a single punch of her own. Not to say she wasn't completely flawless of course, Ingrid still managed to slip a jab or two past Raven's defense, even though they were weak, they still connected. Just like that, the round ended with the synonymous ringing of the bell. Raven merely leaned against the ropes in her corner, not even taking a seat on the stool, Hans stepping through, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, and forcing her to sit down. Confused by the act of anger that he showed, Raven allowed the assistant to take her mouthpiece, finding a bony finger in her face.
"What did I tell you before you came out here?" He angrily questioned the suppressed rage clearly in his eyes.
"What? All I'm doing is avoiding her shots, isn't that what you told me to do?" Raven reasoned, not becoming upset in anyway.
"Yes, but you have to hit back, Rae, when she throws that jab, counter with a left hand of your own, slip and counter, block and counter, she hits you, you hit her back, you understand?" He explained while the assistant gave her some water to swish around.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," she acknowledged, opening her mouth back up for the mouthpiece, knowing that Hans wanted her to be serious now.
Needless to say, after the "seconds out" warning was given, Raven was on her feet, and ready to go, awaiting the beginning of Round 2 to signal itself as it did in normal fashion.
No sooner than it did, Raven erupted out of her corner, catching her opponent off-guard and it didn't help matters any that she was beginning to become fatigued from chasing Raven all around the ring for the entire first round. With wicked force, Raven connected with a standard 1-2-3 combination that flew at blinding speed, the crowd coming life as the damage was inflicted, causing Ingrid to cover up and try to get away from Raven quick and in a hurry. Using her learned abilities from Hans, Raven cut the ring off, keeping her from getting away. In her panic, Ingrid continued to lash out, striking Raven with a mere jab before she covered up, protecting herself from a left hook that followed the jab, rolling with the shot, and countering with one of her own, feeling the clean connection, and knowing that she hurt her. As a predator would pounce on a wounded prey, Raven went after Ingrid as she staggered backwards from the sheer force of the hook she had delivered only moments before. Raven's stinging jab pumped twice into Ingrid's face twice in quick succession, only to have a vicious right hook to the body, left hook to the head, and the final right uppercut that lifted her inches off of the canvas, sprawling out on her back, the crowd exploding into a cheering craze, as that is what they came to see. As per the referee's instructions, Raven went to the nearest neutral corner, awaiting the outcome. He went to Ingrid, who was still laying upon the canvas, attempting to regain her bearings and rise.
"1…2…3…4…5," he counted out loud, comments such as "Get up!" or "Stay down!" clearly heard from the crowd. "6…7…8…9…10, you're out. Winner and advancer in the tournament, Rachel "Raven" Roth!"
Raven was clearly happy for her first win, and by no means was containing it, even though she was taller than Hans, she leapt upon him, hugging him.
"Easy, Rae, I'm an old man, you'll break me," he laughed, setting her down.
"Thank you, Hans, this would have never been possible without your help, just thanks for everything," she stated, spitting her mouthpiece into her hand.
"We aren't done yet," he warned in a sense, "you still got a whole tournament ahead of you, this is only the beginning."
Raven knew it to be true, but there were other things going through her mind at the moment. Even though Ingrid's downed person was surrounded by her trainers, as well as the officials, trying to get her out of the ring, Raven muscled her way through, seeing that she was sitting up, still shaking her head, but other than that, appeared to be physically sound. She looked up, finding an outstretched arm for her to grasp to help her to her feet. Out of pure sportsmanship, she accepted Raven's offered assistance, being lifted to her feet, truly showing that there were no hard feelings or ill thoughts between them, only two participants in a contact sport amongst no other.
"Y-you're something else," she managed, still feeling that last shot that Raven delivered with amazing power and accuracy.
"You aren't half bad yourself," Raven complimented in a tongue she could understand, "you gave it your all, and that's what matters."
Ingrid nodded as her trainers led her away, and seeing that they were ready to begin the next fight, Raven decided it was time to go back to the dressing room, and maybe gloat to Alexa about her KO in the 2nd. After donning her ring coat once more and following Hans back down the short walkway to the ring that led back to the dressing rooms. She contained herself as she walked behind Hans, fans that were in reach patting Raven on the back, proud of her showing, and her fans multiplying in numbers, proving that she was no pushover and a force to be reckoned with, hopefully instilling fear and intimidation into her next opponent.
"Excuse me, next world champion coming through," Raven joked around as she passed several people in the hall, being sure to say it English to not truly gloat, seeing how they couldn't understand her.
Hans merely shook his head with a thin smile, opening the door to her dressing room.
"Most impressive to say the least, Rae," Alexa added, knowing she was the next fight up. "Sorry I can't hang around, but I'm on up next, so I'll see you in a few, gotta go."
She nodded, turning to Hans as he cut the tape off her gloves, sliding them off.
"Alright, let's see if your hands are alright," he informed, rubbing her knuckles, using his expertise on the subject, "I know it was short, but all it takes is one bad punch to mess your hand up bad. Luckily, all of yours landed clean, so you'll be in good shape the rest of this tournament."
"Glad to hear it," Raven replied, flexing her fingers while her hands still remained wrapped.
"You know, though, you kinda surprised me there at the end," Hans admitted, moving to the next hand.
"What do you mean?" She asked, perplexed.
"Helping her up like that, even though fighters respect one another most of the time," he more than willingly explained, "that was a true showing of sportsmanship, Rae. It even surprised me more that she accepted it, most of the time, anything like that is brushed aside or refused because of stubborn pride. She has about as much heart as you do."
"But lacking the iron fists I have," Raven joked, holding both her hands up.
"Easy, killer," Hans managed through his stifled fit of laughter. "After a rather…good showing that you just demonstrated, I know you are going to advance past the prelims with ease today, so you still have 5 more fights ahead of you. I know it sounds like a lot, but you get a good break in between each one, and there only four rounders, not like 10 or something. Besides, most of them won't go the distance, KO's or forfeitures, seeing how most of these fighters aren't in absolute top shape, and no trainer wants to watch their fighter take a beating, knowing they can't come back and win."
"Just promise me something then," Raven reasoned, understanding what he was getting at.
"What's that?" Hans smiled, re-applying tape that had managed to come loose.
"Don't throw in the towel on me, no matter what," Raven seriously requested, looking deeply into his aged eyes.
"Oh, come on, Rae, don't do this," he pleaded, "you're more than capable of handling yourse-"
"Promise me," Raven interrupted, making sure he understood. "No matter what, do not give up on me. Even when things look their worst, you must stand by and let me finish what I started, it is the only way."
"Ok, Raven, I promise you I will not give up on you," he solemnly succumbed to Raven's seemingly grim request, but feeling as if it was unnecessary. "Then you must promise me something then. You will forfeit if you yourself feel it to be right, if be need. If you yourself wish to give up and quit, I will not stop you."
"Fat chance," Raven quickly replied, "I'm not about to get this far to give up, I just don't want you giving up on me, that's what I mean."
"I will do no such thing in a million years and you know that," Hans confirmed, "just get in there and do what you do best."
She merely smiled, brining him in close for a hug.
Hans' prediction for Raven, as well as Alexa, solidified into existence as the day progressed forward, each of them winning their matches respectively, and with marginally improved skill over their opponents clearly visible, needless to say Raven managed to give an opponent a hairline fracture of the jaw, another a mild concussion, and her latest victim left the ring with a cracked rib, as well as a profusely bleeding cut above her left eye that was laid open by Raven's deadly right hook that took 4 stitches to seal up. She wasn't trying to hurt her opponents in such a way, but just the sheer strength and force of impact that she possessed when she connected with her shots was just devastating. Raven came in with the crowd having an extremely negative view upon her, but left with a rather solid fanbase, easily exciting them by her mere appearance in the ring, as well as feeling rather sorry for whoever she was slated to go up against, as well as the sight of her sportsmanship and honor amongst the other participants, respecting them as they did her. Alexa was just as victorious, half of her wins coming by decision, 2 by KO in the 3rd and 4th rounds, respectively, and her last one ended by a TKO, her opponent's corner throwing in the towel, but she wasn't the one that ended all of her fights in 1st round KO's, most of them little over halfway through, as Raven did, except for her first, which was mainly related to her nervous state of being in a real bout for the first time. Even long after the day's event was over with and everyone nearly gone, Raven found out that she was wanted to sign several autographs, which came as a surprise to not only her, but Alexa and Hans as well, seeing that the tournament itself was far from over, and her fans had that much faith in her from the start.
"So, ladies," Hans beckoned, looking up from paperwork on his desk, "how does it feel to go 6-0 so far?"
"Awesome," they both replied in unison, as if they were thinking on the same wavelength.
"That's good to hear," he added, "but you girls go home, I mean straight home, nothing else, and get some rest, and just don't slack off tomorrow, do some easy stuff, and come back here bright and early day after tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to watch the prelims of the men?"
"A couple of over-testosteroned guys on an ego trip, trying to beat the shit out of each other in order to impress me?" Alexa quipped, having a different view upon the male aspect, "I think I'll pass."
"What makes that so different from us?" Raven asked, confused slightly.
"We do it with grace, style, and, well, grace," Alexa explained, attempting to find reasoning behind her theory.
"You said grace twice," Raven informed.
"That doesn't matter," she quickly replied, unable to have a solid explanation "the point is, we are more sophisticated in the ring than they are, and it's not like we are showing off for them, seeing how we usually scare guys."
"Ah, I see now," Raven reasoned turning back to Hans. "So, where does that put us, you know, advancing to the quarterfinals?"
"The quarterfinals," Hans explained, sitting at his desk, looking across his desk to his fighters, "are still four-rounders, nothing special, but I will tell both of you this, the weak have been weeded out, so expect a better class of boxing when you fight these opponents. Even though it managed to pan out that way, Raven's side of the bracket, seeing how the two of you are on opposite sides, happens to have the more difficult of the remaining competitors, not to intimidate you in any way, Rae, mind you."
"Just means that I will actually have to try now," she smiled, leaning back in her chair.
"There she goes again with the "oh, look at me, I'm so much better than everyone else" ego trip thing again," Alexa commented in a joking manner, getting her attention.
"I learned it from you, I just refined it a little," Raven smiled, getting a chuckle out of Alexa.
"Alright, alright girls, settle down," Hans chuckled as well, seeing how over the course of these few short months they had managed to become the best of friends. "I ain't got nothing else to tell you, so go home, get some rest, and I expect to see you here bright and early in 2 days."
"Will do," Raven obeyed, standing up, as Alexa did, who gave a small wave of her hand as the two of them made their way to the door, taking the stairs down to leave.
"What's your prediction on the outcome of this thing, Alexa?" Raven questioned her companion at her side as they walked up the street in the nighttime air, their destination to be her apartment.
"Seriously?" Alexa second questioned, getting a nod from Raven as an answer. "Well, I figured I'd go to the finals at least, about me winning, I don't know, I don't know who my opponent would be. What about you?"
"I was going to say about the same thing, except for me winning," Raven confidently informed, "do you think it will come down to you and me?"
"I hope not," Alexa quickly answered, surprising Raven, "I mean, you're one of the few people that promotes more than a challenge, but we're friends, and actually going 10 Rounds with each other would be difficult."
"We've sparred before, so what's the difference?" Raven stated, cocking an eyebrow at her logic.
"Rae, sparring with headgear and higher weight gloves is a little different than an actual bout," Alexa informed in a need-to-know manner. "I just don't know if I could go with the same tenacity against you as I do anyone else, and you probably feel the same way in that situation, do you not?"
"Well, yeah, but it's a sport, and that's how I've been looking at it," Raven replied, waving to a couple of acquaintances she had managed to make in her stay in this neighborhood. "I'll admit it though, I'd hold back though."
"You see, we are going to have a dilemma on our hands if we both go the finals," Alexa announced, "what do you suggest we do?"
"It's still a little early to plan on things like that, not that I doubt either of us or anything, but don't count your chickens before they hatch, correct?" Raven reasoned.
"I suppose," Alexa answered, shrugging her shoulders, "but I am counting chickens, not eggs, so it is only a matter of time."
"Enough with the proverb, please, I just want to get some rest and call it a day," Raven laughed, seeing that Alexa was always one to draw things out, no matter how small they be.
Thankfully, sleep came as wished, and the day of light training was much appreciated as well, passing quickly with the duo only doing some minor roadwork, as well as skipping, other than that, lounging around, trying to dig up as much information as they could on up and coming opponents in the tournament that they may possibly have to face. These fighters were indeed better than those eliminated on the first day, but one of them seemed to stand out more to Raven than the others, a almond-skinned one, her face was one that could just define one's soul, and all Raven saw was trouble. Rachelle Mitzer, as Raven found out her name to be, had a reputation of being a dirty fighter as it was coined, throwing numerous illegal shots, as well as maneuvers that were frowned upon in the ring. As fate would have it, Raven was matched up against her, her final quarterfinals match for the night, bringing her total wins to 10, all 10 of them coming by KO. Needless to say, Mitzer wasn't impressed, after two rounds of the scheduled four, Raven found out that she wasn't going to go down easy, taking her seat in her corner, starting to feel fatigued for the first time.
"She won't go down," Raven informed Hans through her breaths as she drew air into her lungs.
"It's alright, keep breathing," Hans assured, "you're working her down, scorecards have you up right now, just stay smart, don't get sloppy. When you sense a weakness in her, assault it, and don't stop until the ref pulls you off of her, ok?"
Raven nodded, seeing her blue mouthpiece was being directed to be put back in her mouth, accepting it.
"Just keep your cool, don't panic if you get hit, even the great ones take hard shots every now and again, it happens, but let her come after you, and make her pay for her mistakes and over aggressiveness. Show me you have brains to go along with all the brawn."
Raven nodded once more, hearing the "seconds out" signal, standing up to see what she had to give for Round 3, and hopefully solidify a win out of it. Hans and his assistant hopped off of the apron, the bell sounding, Raven quickly moving out of her corner to face her opponent in the center of the ring. As it had become etched into her mind, Raven slipped several jabs as Mitzer came after her, trying to stay on the attack and keep Raven from gaining her balance to fire back. She finally seized the moment, parrying one of them to leave an opening long enough for her to get off a left hook that sent a shockwave through her body, Raven noticing her legs beginning to go wobbly, but quickly recovering to lash out with her own right hook to the body, causing Raven to back up.
"Cover up, don't take that crap!" Hans yelled over the roar of the crowd, hoping it registered in Raven's mind, as she was a little preoccupied with Mitzer as she continued her seemingly endless assault upon Raven.
As if Mitzer didn't learn the first time, Raven countered with the same hook, but to her surprise, Raven felt an extremely painful sensation shoot up from behind her leg, her eyes instantly going to the source, finding a gloved fist retracting, and noticing she had fallen to one knee. Nearly an instant reaction of booing from the crowd erupted, Raven noticing the referee warning Mitzer, telling her to keep her hands up, then coming to Raven.
"No knockdown," he announced, helping Raven to her feet, "fighter, you have 30 seconds to recover."
Raven acknowledged, trying to walk off the Charlie-horse from hell that exploded throughout nearly every muscle in her leg, making it rather difficult to walk without causing pain to shoot up it. Needless to say, Raven used nearly every second of it, finally taking up stance again.
"Ok, box," he ordered, motioning for them to swing at one another again, neither of them having to have a reason to, seeing how Raven was hurt to a degree, and trying to stay alive in a sense, while Mitzer wasn't about to stop her rampage.
Knowing the 3rd round was coming to a close, Raven started going on the offensive, wanting to prove that she wasn't affected by the illegal blow, eventually coming down to trading shots with her, Raven clearly on top of the exchange, but as a right hook grazed her face as she slipped it, Raven felt the hard, bony tip of her elbow follow right behind it, crashing into her nose with tremendous force, causing her to stumble backwards from the immense pain. The referee stepped between them, in the midst of the crowd's heightened booing, knowing that Raven was winning, and Mitzer was having to cheat only to prolong the inevitable.
"Final warning," the referee ordered, pointing at her, "anything else like that and I'll disqualify you." He finished, turning to Raven, who was wiping blood away with her glove, finding out that she was bleeding profusely out of both nostrils. "Fighter, are you capable of continuing?"
"Yes," Raven said with a nod, allowing the blood just to flow slowly down the features of her face.
Before he could signal for them to start again, the bell sounded, bringing them to the final round of the match, Raven more than eager to take a seat in the corner.
"Alright," Hans announced, bounding through the ropes, "let me see."
He tilted her head up as his assistant removed her mouthpiece, the crimson liquid still flowing freely from it. "Looks none to good."
"Just stop the bleeding and I'll finish it," Raven managed, "that's all I ask."
"I can't, Rae, it's inside your nose, luckily it ain't broken, but I can't fix it," he informed, wiping it away with a towel.
"Use that stuff you use on cuts, put it on a swab, and shove it up there," Raven suggested, just wanting it to stop affecting her concentration.
"It's for external use only, besides, it burns like hell," he warned, his assistant continuing with his duties.
"Do it," she ordered, looking his squarely in the eye.
"Alright," he succumbed, signaling for two swabs, as well as the cut gel he used to seal them up, hoping it would do the same long enough to give Raven what she needed.
"Suck it in," he ordered, "suck it in and swallow it."
Though it sounded disgusting, Raven knew it to be necessary; reluctantly doing so, cringing as she felt the blood and mucus go down, wishing for another swish of water. No sooner than she did, Hans inserted the swabs, rubbing them around the interior of her nostrils rather far up, as far as he could go without hurting her, and like he promised, it did indeed burn like hell, several of them to be in fact.
"I don't know how long it's going to last, but just do what you need to do to win," Hans informed, "lull her into a trap, make it seem like she thinks she's going to catch you on the nose again with a hard shot, and drop her, you hear me?"
Raven nodded, her eyes still watering from the coagulation gel that was setting her nostrils ablaze, knowing that if she didn't do something soon, it was going to be twice as worse as before. She was up and ready well before the "seconds out" was given, waiting for the bell to ring, and put an end to it.
The fourth and final round began, and as Hans instructed, Raven feigned being hurt, forcing herself to go a lot slower than normal, as well as keeping her right hand low, almost inviting for a punch to be thrown to her face. Being aggressive, as well as dense in nature, Mitzer rushed in, continually throwing the jab, trying to set up for the knockout punch, but Raven was more than ready for it, just waiting, setting her trap. Finally, Raven saw the big left hand coming in, wide and fast, but being quicker to the punch, she countered with her own jab, going to the body with a right, then a left, doubling up on it by going to the head with a nasty hook, setting up with the final blow that Raven hoped that would put her down for the count, connecting cleanly with right uppercut, feeling her teeth clench together from the force of it, and if it weren't from the mouthpiece, Raven would have easily knocked teeth out. Time seemed to slow as Raven continued to follow through with the uppercut, lifting Mitzer off her feet, landing on the ropes, and snapping taut again, forcing her to crash to the mat, face first, unstirring. The crowd exploded once more, but this time, it was for Raven's show of abilities instead of jeering at the disgusting show of cheating they had seen thus far from her opponent. She loved what she was hearing, her name being chanted, drowning out the referee as he counted away, knowing that she was out cold and there wasn't a need to, Raven won by knockout, and advanced to the semifinals. She still smiled through her throbbing pain in her nose as she went to Hans as she done over and over again, ready to exit the ring.
"Nice finish there, Rae," he congratulated, placing her coat on her, still noticing the praise she was receiving from the congregation of spectators. "You also seemed to have gained a following, they think the same as well, and probably one of the greatest knockouts I've seen in a long time."
"I'd love to chat, Hans," Raven managed, visibly in pain still, "but could it wait, I need you to fix this still, I don't think its working."
"Oh," he remembered, and knew Raven wouldn't make a big deal over an injury unless it was actually troubling her greatly, concerned for her well-being, "right, right, right, well, come on then, let's get you fixed up."
Raven followed him as they made the same walk they had made time and time again, and her receiving the pats on the back and shoulders, comments to go along with them, knowing that she was truly something. She was more than eager to get to the dressing room, feeling extreme discomfort in her nose.
"Hans, it isn't holding, I feel it," Raven announced as he opened the door, getting his attention.
"Sit down," he ordered, searching around the wash basin set up in the cubical of sorts, finding a small bucket, "here, use this if it comes undone." Hans added, handing it to her after he quickly removed her gloves, tossing them aside.
It was just in the nick of time as well, no sooner than Raven put her head over the bucket, blood flowed from her nose once more, and in a much more dramatic fashion, two steady streams came forth as if someone had turned on a faucet.
"That isn't good," Raven managed, wide-eyed at the spectacle, her voice slightly affected by her nose being the way it was.
Hans looked at it, pinching her nostrils shut, then releasing them again, Raven showing that they were tender by flinching.
"It's just draining," Hans informed, attempting to calm her somewhat. "After it stops or at least slows, tip your head back and I'll see what I can do."
Raven understood, still watching the blood collecting into the bucket, the line of crimson water slowly rising, but the two tendrils of red were slowing in volume luckily. Just as it came to a drip, there was a knock at the door, startling the two of them as Hans was preparing anything that he could use to help Raven.
"What?" He gruffly requested, looking over at the door.
Instead of getting an answer, a man in a suit walked in, both Raven and Hans knowing why he was there, and who he was for the event.
"She's fine," Hans informed, wishing he would just go away, "nothing I can't fix."
"Sorry," he replied, setting down his small, black bag, removing a flashlight with his latex gloved hand, "standard procedure. I watched it happen, and I need to ensure she is fine."
"Fighters take hard shots all the time, it happens, she just happened to be on the wrong end of an illegal shot," Hans prolonged, knowing that if the medical assistant found anything he didn't like, he wouldn't let her continue.
"I'm here for her safety, nothing more," he coolly informed as he moved the beam of light back and forth between Raven's eyes.
"You know," Raven said in an irritated tone, "only one of my eyes works, I'm blind in the other, so of course you aren't going to get a reaction out of it."
"I see that, how did you acquire such an injury?" He pressed, running his finger down the scar left by Slade's blade so long ago.
'It's none of your concern," Raven rudely pressed, pushing the hand away, "I'm fine, I assure you, I'd know if I would be capable of continuing, now get out and let my trainer do his work."
He merely pushed his glasses up on his nose, backing away from her.
"You better have her nose fixed before her next fight in the semifinals or she will not continue in the tournament, do you understand me?" He warned in a seemingly threatening way.
"Trust me," Hans began, facing him once more, "you'll have your work cut out for you after Raven is done with all of those so-called opponents, now, as my fighter said, get lost, I've got work to do."
Knowing his place, but not taking too kindly to Hans or Raven's comments and general reaction to his presence, he quietly subsided out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Alright," Hans announced after he left, moving over to Raven, squatting to see her nose had finally quit bleeding, but he still needed to assure it would heal correctly to prevent the wound from being opened back up in anyway. "Let me see what we have here."
He used a wet swab to clean the remaining blood that clung to the interior of her nose, seeing that the hard elbow shot she had taken had ruptured many tiny blood vessels, an easy fix, but he needed to do it right this time, otherwise he'd have a similar problem to what they just had.
"Seriously though," Raven began while he inspected her, "how bad is it?"
"Nothing too serious," Hans answered, "just your standard bloody nose."
"Then why did it drain like that?" she continued, motioning to the bucket, which did have a fair and noticeable amount of blood in it.
"Probably backed up into your sinus cavities, I don't know, I'm no doctor, but all that matters is that it's out of there, and I can try to seal it up enough to let it heal in a matter of days, as well as reduce the swelling around it. Other than that, you're a big girl, you can take it."
Raven meekly smiled while he continued to clean her nose, preparing a larger, more effective dose of the cut gel he used in the ring. "Now will this burn like it did before?"
"Probably, maybe even a lot worse since I cleaned it up," Hans truthfully admitted. "I assure you you're in good hands."
"I haven't doubted you yet, nor have you given me a reason to, so just do it to the best of your abilities," Raven replied with a smile, glad that he was proud of her.
He took the swab with the gel, gently inserting it to seal up the wound on either side, and as promised, it burned again, and more intense as he had warned. Her fists tightened, clenching them in pain.
"Stay still," he ordered in an easy tone of sorts as she flailed about, the sound of the door opening behind him.
"Attention, can I have your attention please," Alexa announced, the door closing behind her as she stepped into the room, being overly dramatic, "I am pleased to inform you that the one and only Alexa Doren is advancing to the semifinals and is a contender for the finals."
She actually opened her eyes, taking in Raven condition and Hans' taking care of the situation.
"Am I interrupting something?" She quipped, cocking an eyebrow.
"Nothing you haven't already experienced," Hans informed while he continued working away. "That Mitzer, damn her and her dirty fightin', caught Raven in the nose with an elbow."
"Is it broken? Better yet, did she win?" she anxiously questioned, concerned.
"Luckily, no, it ain't broken," Hans replied, hearing a sigh of relief, "and yes, Raven won, rather dramatic in fact."
"I laid her out," Raven managed, her nostrils still ablaze with pain, demonstrating the right uppercut she finished the fight with.
"Awesome," Alexa commented, sitting down, looking over the bucket, seeing the noticeable amount of blood that collected into it, and it had began to harden. "Are you sure your ok though?"
"A little light-headed, but no worse for wear," Raven said, looking out the corner of her eye, keeping her head still for Hans. "I'm just glad that I didn't have another bout today, I don't think I could do it."
"Here, here," she replied, "that last one was something else, went the distance, even though I won, Rae, I still took a few good shots, and I am wore out. I'm just ready to get some well-deserved rest for the semifinals."
Hans finally stood up, wiping his hands upon his sweatpants, leaving small blood streaks upon them.
"That should hold, just make sure you don't do anything to…upset it anyway, ok?" Hans informed, picking up his scissors to cut Alexa's gloves off of her.
Raven nodded, gently breathing through her nose, testing Hans' handiwork.
"This will definitely do, thanks Hans," Raven paid respect, "glad to have you on my side."
"Likewise," Hans smiled, handing Alexa a cold icepack for her face to prevent any kind of swelling to arise from what punches she did take. "Now let's get you squared away and we might be able to catch the last match today. It's always fun to watch em', learn a lot just by observing."
"Shall I take notes?" Raven joked, acting as if she had paper and a pen.
Hans merely smirked as he cut Alexa's wraps of her hands.
"Towel off, Rae, we'll meet you out there in a minute," Hans ordered, pointing to the corner where her towel, as well as her change of clothes were at.
She acknowledged, doing so and rather quickly at that, more than eager to get out of her trunks that were saturated with sweat, as well as noticeable specks of darkened fabric from drops of blood, her top in the same condition. Raven quickly emerged from the room in her black running outfit consisting of a pullover hooded sweatshirt and pants to match, placing stray strands of hair behind her ears. She slowly walked to the same entrance to the arena atmosphere that she had grown used to after making an appearance 11 times thus far, all 11 ending in victory, and she hoped to keep that trend going. Raven silently entered through the doors, the crowd's full volume exploding into her hearing, her eyes adjusting to the lighting above the ring. She leaned against the bleachers, crossing her arms as she watched the bout take place before her, but she immediately straightened up as soon as she realized who the taller of the two fighters, and was clearly winning. Raven watched intently as Evanna, a person that Raven didn't really care for in general, continued demolishing her clearly inferior opponent, bouncing her around the ring off of the ropes like a rag doll at times, using her height and weight to throw some of the most powerful punches she had seen ever thrown in the ring. Evanna's opponent was clearly bleeding, damaged, and in extreme pain, as any normal human being would be, yet, she was running on nothing but heart and instinct now, trying to stay alive long enough to see if she could pull a win out over Evanna, but it was fading fast, as she was. Raven continued to watch the carnage, but learning, studying Evanna, she knew that Evanna was going to win, and she would end up facing her some time or another, call it an instinct. It wasn't much longer, but she finally went down, hard for that manner, and the crowd knew it was coming, but she still struggled to get to her feet. No sooner than she did though, her corner threw in the towel, not wishing to watch the malicious beating continue. Clearly relishing in the victory, Evanna scanned the crowd, but she stopped, seeing a familiar face, Raven's. With a grin of sorts, she pointed her gloved hand in her direction, clearly attempting to intimidate Raven, but it didn't seem like it was working all too well.
"I don't know about you," Alexa announced, scaring Raven from behind, "but I think she just called you out."
"She can call out all she wants," Raven reasoned, not a change in her tone whatsoever, "but she has another thing coming, Alexa. I'm sure that I can take her."
"As long as you are, "Hans added, resting his hand on her shoulder, getting her to turn, "then so am I, Rae. I don't even really need to tell you, but I worry about you girls, but please go home and rest. You're going to need it for the semis, these matches are going to be the most difficult ones yet, the highest caliber fighters, 6 Rounds, so you better be ready for it."
"Hans," Raven said, facing him, "I was born ready."
"I second that," Alexa smiled, both of them walking past him, welcoming the thought of rest, especially after such a rough day, and an even rougher one to come.
Though the next few days passed by, allowing them to heal, but they seemed to drag on as Raven continued to think about her up and coming bouts for the semifinals, and knew a match up between her and Evanna was imminent, but it wasn't more of a fear, but preparation, knowing that she was going to have to bring her A-game in a sense, fight the hardest, give all she had, and more. Even in her light training sessions she did, Raven found it difficult to concentrate on anything, all she saw was Evanna, a looming enemy standing in her between her and final victory. The pit was one thing, this was on a whole other spectrum, and just by watching the few fleeting moments of her in action in the ring, Raven knew she was a force to be reckoned with. Alexa noticed too, concerned that Raven was going to become unglued at one point or another if she kept going the way she was. Yet, she felt that Raven was going to use that to her advantage, and use that pent-up aggression and rage to her disposal. Still, Alexa felt as if it was causing more harm than good.
"Alright," Alexa finally said out of the blue, only a mere day before the semis as they ate at the diner that Raven wandered into the first day she came to that part of Berlin. "What's wrong with you?"
Raven looked up quizzingly from her food, as with most things, it tasted good, but wasn't all too good for you.
"What? I have no idea of what you're talking about, Alexa." She informed, attempting to hide the truth.
She merely leaned back in her booth seat, pinching her nose as she let out an exasperated sigh.
"When are you going to learn that I know when you're hiding something? Come on, I let you live at my place, you can do me a favor by letting me know what's eatin' at you."
Raven set her tableware down, adjusting her posture, pretty much signaling that she was serious.
"Do you really want to know?" Raven questioned, getting an obvious nod from Alexa. "Honest truth is that I am having some thoughts, almost second-guessing myself."
Surprised, Alexa leaned closer, seeing it was something that was severely affecting her.
"Well, like what? This sounds pretty deep, Rae, you'll feel better if you let it out, I may even be able to help you out," Alexa offered, twirling her fork in her hand.
"Throughout this whole tournament, I felt invincible, unstoppable; nothing was going to get in my way, that sort of thing. Yet, as I progress, I'm starting to think that I may not have what it takes to go all the way."
"What? Rae, you're a hell of a better fighter than I am and I've gotten by good so far, why the sudden lack of faith in yourself?" Alexa queried out of severe concern.
"When I watched Evanna," Raven admitted, "before I even get into details, I'm not afraid of her; I just merely doubt my own abilities."
"But when someone doubts their own abilities," Alexa added, setting the fork down, "it induces unwanted fear, so, in theory, you do fear her."
Raven thought for a moment, seeing that she did have a point.
"Look," Alexa said in her silence, "it's alright to be afraid, but fear is just like any other emotion, you got to control it. Don't let it control you. You'd have to be insane to not possess any fear in your body, hell, I'm scared all the time when I'm in the ring, it's just learning how to use it to your advantage."
"That's part of it, but as I said," Raven admitted, knowing it was futile to lie, "I doubt myself, like, my heart's all for it, saying that I have this in the bag, but my brain's telling my body that I have limitations, and I don't have enough of what it takes to win. That everything so far has been so easy, no challenges, and I ain't ready for a real fight."
"Heart's a good thing to have, Rae," Alexa commented, taking a drink of her beverage, "it's what keeps you going after you don't think you can. I've seen fighters with nothing but heart go on and win even when the chips were down. It's part of the sport, Rae, you probably noticed that in a couple of your opponents, how no matter what, they wanted to keep getting up and giving all they had and more, just to see if it was going to be enough to turn things around. Sometimes its enough, sometimes it ain't. Now, since you've got it off your chest, why don't you tell me why you started thinking so much about something like this?"
Raven was quiet for a moment, trying to formulate the sentence, attempting to find the right words. She let out a breath as she prepared.
"It was the fight, when I watched it," she managed, feeling as if it was foolish, "I feel so…childish telling you this, but Evanna's opponent was about my size, height, weight, everything, and watching her get knocked around like that just seemed to wear on me."
"Uhh…wow," Alexa managed, seeing that this was serious, "ok…umm, I don't really know what to say to that, Rae." She added, scratching her head as she prepared a reply of any kind that would help. "Okay, one, Rae, that wasn't you, if that was you, you wouldn't have gotten the shit kicked out of you like she did. Evanna went in there knowing that she had an easy match, and it was, it's amazing how her opponent slipped through and made it that far. Two, she's not dumb enough to come after you like she did her, because she's slow, and you'll beat her to the punch every time, no matter what. Take your opponent's strength, and turn it into their weakness. You hear all the time "attack the weaknesses", to hell with that, alright? You take on the strengths, and break them down to nothing, destroy them, you hear me? By the end of that bout, she'll be more than afraid of you. I'm sure Hans is going to be the trainer that he is and tell you all this shit, but hey, better hear it now than then, right?"
"It does make sense," Raven concluded, "all I have to do is use my head, fight smarter, not harder, fight my fight, not hers."
Alexa raised her glass as if she was toasting with a smirk.
"That's the spirit, there's the Rae I know," she added, slamming the rest of the soda she had.
Hopefully, that was the very same person that would step through those ropes when the time came. She felt the warrior's spirit within her, and it was ablaze, she hadn't come this far to give up or lose, so she wasn't about to start doubting herself anymore, because it was proving to be a weakness, and that was one thing that Raven was not, weak. A devious smile crept across Raven's usually timid visage, narrowing her eyes as she did so.
"I know that look," Alexa commented with a laugh, "you're ready, aren't you?"
"More than you know, Alexa, more than you know."