"Dad, I want to join the league."

It was Wednesday evening. Joe was feeling much better now that he had recovered from being concussed, and he had been sitting on the front porch with a book, soaking in some sun, when Katrina had come outside telling him this.

"Joindre la ligue?" (Join the league?) Joe was surprised and amazed. His daughter wanted to follow in his footsteps! That was amazing! …And worrying. "Katie, ca c'est fantastique, mais es-tu certaine que tu es prête pour quelle grande responsabilité?" (Katie, that's fantastic, but are you sure you're ready for such a big responsibility?)

"Of course," said Katrina. "I've learned more than you think, watching you all those years."

Joe clenched his teeth. He'd only ever won one match; what could she have possibly learned from him? "Eh bien, on va t'inscrire demain." (Alright, we'll get you registered tomorrow.)


The next day, Joe and Katrina entered the WVBA arena and found Pierce, who was prepping for the ten o'clock match between Piston Hondo and Great Tiger. "Morning, Joe," said Pierce. "Can I help you?"

"Je suis ici pour aider ma fille à s'inscrire pour la ligue." (I'm here to help my daughter register for the league.)

Two Beauforts in the league? Pierce was appalled by the idea. But then he thought. Katrina's a brave girl; surely she can put up some sort of fight? "Well," said Pierce, "she's lucky that she's already reached the age threshold, since you have to be thirteen to register."

"Coach Hiddleston said on my report card that I was the best weightlifter in my class," said Katrina.

"That's good to hear," said Pierce. "Usually, first fighters go against Joe first, but it's against policy to make you box your own father. And the same deal goes for stepparents, so we can't pit you against Viktor, either…"

"I was actually gearing to fight Aran Ryan," said Katrina.

Both Joe and Pierce looked at her in disbelief. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, sweetheart," said Pierce, "he's a pretty big guy."

"And?" Katrina looked indignant. "He concussed my dad, so I'm going to teach him a lesson."

"Ca c'est vraiment noble de toi, Katie," said Joe, "mais c'est aussi tellement dangereux. Es-tu certaine?" (That's very noble of you, Katie, but it's also very dangerous. Are you sure?)

"Dad," said Katrina, "if you can beat a World Circuit boxer without ever winning a match before, who says I can't?"

Huh. Elle a suivi mon guide plus près que j'ai pensé. (Huh. She's following my lead closer than I thought.) "Je suppose que ca c'est vrai." (I suppose that's true.)

"Alright," said Pierce. "We'll do a few training exercises to get you started, and then I'll work on booking you and Ryan in."


Later that evening, after all the training and paperwork, Katrina was happy to be at home, relaxing on the couch. Soon dinner would be ready; she was looking forward to a hot meal.

From the kitchen, she could hear Dad mumbling to himself. "Glass Joe et Chaton Cheri…Glass Joe et Chaton Cheri…"

Curious, Katrina got up and went to sit at the kitchen table. "Who are you talking to?

"Oh!" Dad jumped and turned around, startled. "Oh, j'étais…j'étais parle à moi-même. J'étais perdu dans mon imagination." (Oh, I…I was talking to myself. I was lost in my imagination.)

The oven beeped, and so Dad and Katrina plated their chicken, scooped out their potatoes, and sat down to eat. "So who's Chaton Cheri?" Katrina asked.

"C'est toi," said Dad. "J'étais pense à propos de ton nom de scène. Tu aimais?" (It's you. I was thinking about your stage name. Do you like it?)

Katrina rolled the name around in her head. Alliterative, cute, and meaningful. She liked it. "Yeah."

Joe beamed with pride. "Oh, ma p'tite fille est devenu un boxeur juste comme son vieil homme." (Oh, my little girl's become a boxer just like her old man.) He kissed her forehead; he was insanely proud of her.