Axhammer and Klonk were just staring as Frostfang continued to stand with his firm expression.
"Well?", he asked, "Where's the coach?"
Winnie rode up to him and pointed to Theo.
"Here he is."
Frostfang looked Theo's way with a raised eyebrow and then to Ray.
"Is this really happening?", he asked.
Ray shrugged.
"I guess."
Frostfang looked Theo's way again and then fell to the ground laughing. Winnie however looked confused.
"What's so funny?", she asked.
Frostfang managed to hold himself together for a moment to look her way again.
"You seriously think…he can coach…me?!"
Ray and Winnie had a flashback to when they met up only Theo stood up on the bike looking as firm as Frostfang did.
"Hey, I may be a beginner but-"
He was cut off when Frostfang's laughter got harder.
"You've never coached?!", he cackled, "You really crack me up!"
Axhammer and Klonk were looking less impressed.
"This guy won twenty bouts?", Axhammer asked, "He probably lied on his chart."
Frostfang stopped laughing instantly, stood up and looked angry.
"What did you say?!", he snapped.
Theo tried holding his nerve, but Frostfang's expression was making it wane.
"And I thought Tentacular had issues.", Klonk commented.
Frostfang looked angrier.
"I don't have issues.", he sneered before looking calmer, "And just to prove it once and for all, I'll let whatever his name is be my coach and furthermore I will break him."
Theo raised an eyebrow this time.
"Is that a challenge?"
Frostfang looked his way again.
"You bet it is. Let's do this thing."
Frostfang started towards the stadium with Axhammer looking a bit shocked.
"Klonk, we need to head back right away. Mayhen really doesn't like it if we're late."
/
After Ray said good-bye to his old teammates, he headed back to the stadium with Winnie and Theo right alongside him. When they arrived they noticed Frostfang in the middle of the practice ring with a huge punching bag clearing getting in some punches and not paying attention to anything.
"So Frost, it has been a long time hasn't it?", Ray asked.
Frostfang stopped punching to help himself to a swing on a giant water bottle before rolling his eyes.
"This is really happening.", he grumbled looking annoyed, "The new coach I have and he's a beginner. He won't last a week."
Theo came over looking firm.
"Hey, I bet I can make it to ten days."
Frostfang spun around and brought his hand down so he could lift Theo to his eye level.
"Okay Mr. Thorson."
"Theo.", Theo corrected.
"Whatever.", Frostfang stated before continuing, "I don't do early mornings, I don't do hot weather, I don't care about who I'm wrestling, and I'm not here to make friends or catch up with old ones."
Ray looked Winnie's way.
"What happened to him?", he asked.
Unfortunately Frostfang heard him.
"I grew up."
Theo sighed.
"We got our work cut out for us."
Frostfang turned to him again.
"You mean you got your work cut out."
"Whatever floats your boat.", Theo countered.
Frostfang sighed and set Theo down nearby.
"So, laps?"
As he and Theo headed out with Theo on his shoulder, Ray and Winnie observed.
"I'd say they're off to a good start.", Winnie stated.
Ray looked usure. Sure he and Frostfang hadn't seen each other in ages, but what could've caused Frostfang to be so hard and unfeeling? He and Winnie came out to see Frostfang clearly running his laps and when he came back around Frostfang paused.
"Okay, that's about it for today."
"That was only two laps.", Theo stated firmly, "Five more and you get to take a dip on the coast."
Ray and Winnie looked amused, but Frostfang looked annoyed.
"You just get me a match on this new circuit and I'll take it from there."
"Only if you tell me what gets you going every day.", Theo countered.
Frostfang then started running again only Ray and Winnie joined in.
"You're pretty great at working out.", Ray commented Frostfang, "Those twenty bouts you did must have been tough."
Frostfang rolled his eyes.
"Last I heard of you was that you ran from your hometown, got dragged back in, then won the big belt."
"So, you heard about that one?", Theo asked.
Frostfang ignored him and kept running. By the time he and Ray had run five more laps around Stoker, Frostfang was looking less angry, but his attitude was still harsh. Theo then looked Winnie's way.
"So, when's our first bout?"
Winnie checked her clipboard.
"Four days."
/
On the day of the bout, Theo and Frostfang had arrived at their first stadium out in some sort of seaside city. The ring looked similar to the one from Stoker, but Frostfang wasn't looking pleased as Theo rode in on his shoulder.
"Okay, first match of the new gig. Let's talk about-"
"Zip it coach.", Frostfang said sharply, "All I have to do is get in a couple throws, hit the opponant's face hard enough to knock them out and then I win."
Theo looked firm.
"Do not interrupt in the middle of a sentence. Now the main elements here are going to be land and sea so we should have an advantage-"
He paused to see Frostfang wasn't even listening.
"You're just going to go with your strategy aren't you?"
Frostfang smiled.
"Exactly. I've got the basics down so I think I'll be fine."
Theo sighed. It looked like Frostfang would have to learn the hard way. The opponent was bird like with reptilian wings instead of bird wings giving Theo a guess that it was wind based.
"And we're here in sunny Florida for the new bout of the new Monster Wrestling Circuit! In this corner weighing in at twenty-two point five tons, the spirit of Isla de Fang, that underwater marvel, Frostfang!"
Frostfang came into the ring looking confident and focused.
"Okay, head in the game Fang, head in the game.", he muttered while smiling.
As the opponent was being announced, Theo came over to Frostfang as the wrestler took his corner.
"Fang, I really think this is a wind-based arena."
Frostfang just rolled his eyes.
"Please, I can take him coach."
The moment he finished, the ring altered to appear like it was on a beach with half of it sandy coast and the other was covered in sea water.
"Must be the new rules or something.", Theo thought.
Frostfang then headed to the center of the ring where Mr. Archie (his opponent) had come to where they exchanged the usual sportsmanship bump, went back to their respective corners.
"Let's get ready to rumble!"
Theo took a breath and tried looking cool and collected.
"Okay Fang, I'm thinking he'll go with-"
"I'll be fine coach.", Frostfang stated plainly, "Trust me."
Theo didn't look so sure.
/
The moment the match started, Frostfang did try to hit fast, but Archie simply slid to the side and tripped him so that Frostfang fell face first into the sand before Archie gripped his tail to send him sliding.
"Oh, and it looks like Frostfang's in a pickle. Archie's doing the usual reversal swing and oh, there it went!"
Frostfang started feeling frustrated, but Theo tried to get his attention.
"Fang, I need you to listen."
As much as Frostfang disliked the sand scraping his skin, he didn't like losing even more and clearly this guy he was wrestling wasn't going to go down easily so there was only one option for him.
"Okay fine coach, what do you suggest?", he asked as he barely got to his feet and avoid Archie again with a roll.
Theo then saw it.
"Quick, flip and jab."
Frostfang looked confused but then got it. As Archie swooped in for another swing, Frostfang ducked and once the arm was over his head, he flipped to the side using his tail to send Archie aside only to use a swift jab to knock the monster back to his own corner.
"And it looks like Frostfang is back up and fighting here! And oh, he's got Archie by the wingtips, but the wrestler is not out yet!"
Frostfang then managed to get to the water and after feeling it on his foot, his mood seemed to ease. When Archie came in for yet another reversal, Frostfang then placed his hands together and after blocking what looked like a flurry of punches, delivered one of his own making Archie hit the side and stagger. Then Frostfang got to the ropes and pulled them back hard while smiling.
"What is he doing?", Theo asked himself.
Frostfang looked his way.
"Watch this.", he said before launching himself, "Frost chop!"
Unfortunately, that only lasted one second cause Archie ducked and then flipped Frostfang to land on his back, but the wolf monster had gripped Archie's arms and twisted to land on his feet so he could use the momentum to flip Archie right into the water creating a geyser making the crowd go silent for a bit. He let go, but Archie wasn't moving so much so the ref started counting.
"One…two…three…four."
Theo tensed and Frostfang backed off a bit. Once the ref hit ten, a loud bell went off.
"And it's all over! Frostfang wins the match!"
Theo looked amused and Frostfang had to admit that he couldn't have done it without Theo there, so why was it he couldn't brag like he used to?
/
After Theo and Frostfang returned to Stoker, Ray and Winne were already there looking a bit beaten, but okay.
"Oh hey Fang, how was your bout?", Ray asked pleasantly.
Frostfang rolled his eyes comically.
"Okay, so maybe I was a bit harsh when I met Theo here. If he hadn't called out that one shot, I guess I would've lost."
Theo looked his way playfully.
"I'm sorry, could you speak into my good ear? I thought you said you would've lost."
Frostfang chuckled but then looked firm.
"Hey, told you I had it."
Winnie then spoke up.
"Okay, we got past the first round, but we have our work cut out. Ray and I did okay, but we need to start practicing in environmental rings if we're going to be any better."
Frostfang raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
Theo then caught on.
"Fang, how good are you in heights?"
Frostfang's usual confident look shifted to one of nervousness.
"What?", he asked, "I'm fighting in the air?"
Ray looked sneaky.
"What's the matter Fang? I thought you'd be up for anything. Unless you're-"
"Okay fine, I'll do it.", Frostfang said cutting Ray off due to him knowing what Ray was aiming for, But Stoker doesn't really have an environmental hologram does it?"
Winnie smiled and held out a remote.
"We got the package delivered just today."
As Ray and Frostfang started helping set it up, Ray felt like he should talk to Frostfang until he heard singing.
"Yo, the name is Frostfang. The right swing is my whole thang. I live on some island out in the sea, but just get in the ring and wrestle me."
Theo heard it too and he and Winnie looked to see Frostfang appearing to rap as he finished up his area oblivious to Ray and the duo listening cause he was in the zone. The rap zone that is, but Theo noticed his fluid movement and footwork.
"Wow, you're surprisingly good when you rap.", Theo commented.
Frostfang noticed Ray dancing which sparked an old memory of when he and Ray were kids. It was outside a stadium near sunset and Frostfang was looking over a list of rhymes while Ray did a little dance.
"Should I go with "I'm white as the snow but I give a huge blow" or "I give a toss with style yet I'm hot a while"?"
Ray chuckled as he finished up his latest routine.
"How about "Make way for the champ's room cause here comes the Moon Boom"?"
Frostfang smiled.
"I like that."
"Fang? You okay?"
Frostfang came back to reality and looked a bit embarrassed as he paused.
"Sorry, I just…got bored you know?"
Theo looked inspired.
"Hey Fang, where did you learn to rap like that?"
"Oh I heard it once back in New York when I had a bout and it helped me ventilate so I kept practicing."
Ray looked Theo's way.
"You know Theo, this rap could be useful in Fang's later bouts."
Frostfang looked confused.
"Ray, I'm only rhyming to rhythm."
Winnie however looked inspired.
"Feels like the first time we found our connection hey Ray?"
Ray nodded.
"Looks like Fang has found what gets him up in the morning."