Chapter 11
"When I heard you wanted a meeting, I almost fell over." Miss X called from the other end of a phone call.
"Well, keep yourself in check." Sayuri Rogue answered. "I wanted to talk to Mr. X, but I couldn't get ahold of him."
"So you want me to be the middle woman." X said. "Fine. What do you want?"
"I've got a project that I need the cooperation of your boss for. It's something that I believe he would want GWM to be involved with."
"And what project is that?"
"I'll e-mail you the information after this call. I just need you to make sure Mr. X gets it. There's also a line for his signature for if he agrees to it."
"Well, I suppose I don't have any reason to not consider it."
Sayuri wanted to talk more, considerably about Carly X, but she was worried Miss X would take it personally and mess up the negotiation. So she decided not to push it. She simply thanked Ms. X for her time and hanged up.
The next day, the reporter, Natsuki Okumura, sat at an outdoor table of his favorite café. He was reading his book when he heard a woman's voice behind him.
"You must be Mr. Okumura."
Natsuki looked across the table to see a green-haired woman with glasses standing there. She had a camera with its strap around the back of her neck.
"Don't know if I must be, but…" Natsuki joked. "And you are…"
"Kanae Fujishita."
"Kanae? The wrestling reporter? No wonder my boss made you my partner. You covered a lot of Berserk."
"Thank you. Shall we get going?"
"Sure thing." Natsuki said as he got up. "I admit, when my boss told me I was getting a partner for the Xtrema story, I was worried I'd be paired with a stereotypical kind of reporter."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, most reporters I know either ignore the truth, twist the truth, or focus their entire stories on the bad parts. I read your stories, and you're not like that."
"Believe me, I wouldn't do any of that. Those wrestlers do a lot of hard work and they wouldn't want the press to say bad things without all the facts."
"How do you know that?"
Kanae paused for a moment. "Long story. I'll tell you later."
The two of them stopped walking in front of the Xtrema front door. They opened up the front door and went through the lobby.
"So what exactly will we be doing?" Kanae asked.
"Just some standard questions and answers. The boss wants to see how relationships may have changed here. That scramble forged a lot of rivalries. Plus, we can get some insight on the next match night."
"Got it."
The two of them entered the gym and stopped in shock staring at one of the training rings. Two women were in there. One was Clementine Cirrus, who was wearing black workout clothes that showed off her massive arms, legs, hips, and breasts. The other was Tina Armstrong, who had on an America-themed bikini top and blue jeans. Clementine was on one knee keeping her headlock around Tina's neck.
"Give up, yet?" Clementine asked.
"No." Tina answered. She spun herself to get out of the hold. She then grabbed Clementine by the waist and hit her with a German suplex.
Tina grabbed onto Clementine's legs and spun her on her stomach putting her in a Boston crab.
"Come on, Clem." Tina said. "We agreed this was a sparring only match, so don't make me use all my strength."
"Good point." Clementine replied.
Clementine tapped out on the mat letting Tina let go and posing. Kanae used this opportunity to get shots while the large cowgirl stood back up.
"Don't think this counts, sugar." Clementine said. "Next time, it will be an official match where I won't hold back. Still, you've gotten better. Can't wait to make it official."
"I'll be waiting." Tina said.
"Whoa!" Natsuki said. "We just witnessed Clementine Cirrus wrestling Tina Armstrong. Isn't that exciting?"
"Like titans from the West." Kanae agreed.
"Attention, everyone!" Sayuri Rogue called from the center of the gym. "We're holding a meeting!"
Everyone dropped what they were doing and headed for the center. Tina put on her cowboy hat and headed with Clementine. Natsuki and Kanae followed them. Sayuri smiled as the addressed the crowd with Ryuji Hashimoto beside her.
"First of all, I must say, it is an honor to have you visiting our gym today, Ms. Armstrong."
"Thank you, ma'am." Tina said tipping her hat.
"Secondly, thank you for coming, Natsuki and Kanae. I know you wouldn't want to miss this."
"Sounds like we're just in time." Kanae said getting her camera ready.
"Now, as you all know, last week's 24/7 Championship Scramble has been quite a riot. This sparked some rivalries that the public and I believe should be explored deeper. So because of my preferences, public opinion, and the insistence from all of you, I've got the next match night planned out. For those who aren't here, I'll send out an email to you all. First off, our opening match will consist of Kyoko Natsumi against Mantis."
Kyoko and Mantis exchanged deadly glares at each other. They didn't really say anything.
"Second is Willow Powell versus Clementine Cirrus. Apparently, Ms. Powell feels there was some unfinished business."
"Oui. Ze hick needs to learn her lesson for messing with me."
"Hey, you jumped me and nearly cracked mah skull with a vase." Clementine retorted. "But if you want a repeat of what happened in that office, I'm fine with that. Book it, Rogue."
"Already done."
"Hey, Ms. Rogue," Tina spoke up, "If you don't mind, is it all right if I stand at Clem's corner? I know you already have a guest competitor, but I'm not competing that night, so I don't think it'll count. Since I'm just accompanying her."
"Not a bad idea, actually." Sayuri said. "That would get the guests excited. What do you think, Ms. Powell?"
"I don't care if she has ze entire country of America at her corner." Willow replied. "Zat just means more people to watch ze hick lose."
"All right then." Sayuri said. "Now, back to an earlier topic on our guest competitor, we will have Diana Diaz versus Lady Kai."
"No kidding." Kanae said widening her eyes. "Lady Kai is coming here?"
"Who's Lady Kai?" Natsuki asked.
"She's a self-trained wrestler who's famous among the independent circuit. Her high-flying maneuvers, counter-moves, and ninja background has labeled her the fifth most popular indy wrestler in Japan."
"Sounds like it'll be a good fight." Natsuki said.
"Once Diana and Lady Kai had finished their match, Team Spirit, you are free to address your new title reign."
"Great!" Starla exclaimed.
"Awesome!" Isebella agreed.
"Wait." Natsuki said. "Don't the Daughters of Darkness have a rematch or something?"
"League rules." Kanae explained. "Bloodstone and Midnight both have the authority to challenge Starla and Isebella to a rematch for the belts, but if they lose, they'll have to be sent to the back of the contender line and work their way up again. I guess they're either working on a master strategy or waiting for their next title defense so they can challenge afterwards without the risk of being held back."
"After that, the Skunk has requested a match against Cleopatra."
"Why me?" the Egyptian asked.
"Apparently, she's a little peeved about how you stopped her from stinkfacing Thunder Mana."
"Yeah, I never got to thank you for that." Mana said.
"And lastly, for our main event," Sayuri said, "It's Neko Girl versus Carly X. Mewlie and Thunder Mana can be in your respective corners."
"As long as I get a chance to claw the eyes out Carly 'X-tra Lame', I don't care." Neko Girl said.
"Bring it, pussycat!" Carly said. Thunder Mana pulled her aside.
"Carly, are you sure about this? Remember, she's a Killer Kitty, and those two both fight dirty. She won't be like any other opponent you've faced, and you've faced two."
"Yeah, and I beat them both." Carly X said. "Look, little miss fanservice started it, and I intend to finish it. Now, Ms. Rogue, book the match!"
"All right then." Sayuri said. "Thank you for your time, everybody. Back to your business."
Everyone turned around to resume their exercises, except for Thunder Mana who approached the Xtrema owner.
"Ms. Rogue, we need to talk."
"Can it wait?" Ms. Rogue asked. "I gotta get to the Den."
"It's important." Mana answered. "I'm asking when I'm going to get my next match. It's been a month since my last one."
"Well, I was originally going to put you and Carly in a tag match against the Killer Kitties, but for some reason, the fans wanted Carly and Neko one on one. Though, given how this escalated, I'm beginning to see why."
"Ms. Rogue, you gave me the opportunity to get back into pro wrestling after GWM refused to take me back. I need to prove myself, but I need a chance."
"I see." Sayuri turned to her assistant. "Ryuji, what options do we have?"
Sayuri and Ryuji turned around and going through the latter's clipboard. They whispered options to each other for a bit. In just a minute, Sayuri turned back to the GWM star with a smile on her face.
"All right. Here's our idea. After the main event next show, you step into the ring and make an announcement. Give a speech that you believe will get the crowd all riled up. The point of the speech will be for you to challenge Queen Bee. Then, after she is cleared to return to the ring, you and she will compete."
"For the title?"
"Non-title. But if you defeat her, then you will get to challenge her again, and this time, for her belt. How's that?"
"Fair enough." Mana said liking the idea. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Sayuri said as she picked up an exercise bag. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some auditions to judge." She walked away, but stopped herself to greet Kanae and Natsuki. "Good to see you both again. Thanks for your time." She continued her walk.
"Wow!" Natsuki said. "This is certainly exciting. Wait, did she say 'both'? Kanae, do you know her?"
"Not enough. Let's just say that she's a friend of a friend."
"If you say so." Natsuki said. "By the way, would you like to assist me in covering this upcoming Xtrema event."
"Only if you come with me in covering the next Berserk."
"Sounds good."
There is a warehouse that's listed under Sayuri Rogue's name. It's called the Initiation Den. Inside, Sayuri set up a wrestling ring for new recruits. Over the next few days, each new recruit arrived one by one for the practical part of the audition. They changed into their workout clothes and met with Sayuri in the ring, who was also in workout clothes.
The exam was simple. For the first few minutes, the recruits would go on the offensive and attack Sayuri Rogue, who was free to defend and counter, but never strike. It was Sayuri's test for their power, speed, and skill. After the minutes have passed, Sayuri started the second half of the exam, where she would attempt to throw the recruit out of the ring and they would defend themselves anyway they can. There was no time limit for the exam would only end when the recruit is thrown out of the ring. If Sayuri liked what she witnessed, they had passed.
Zelda Griff was first. During the offensive part, she used standard moves that were higher than average. During the defensive part, she was exemplary at dodging and countering. After ten minutes, Sayuri threw her out. Later that afternoon, Jasper Jones took the exam. She was stronger than she looked and she managed to last twelve minutes carefully calculating her movements. The next morning, Sam Hamilton took the exam wearing a Captain Marvel outfit. Her attacks were fairly standard and she endured the second half of the exam with an average of eight minutes. Platinum Mask came next. She was excellent in offensive measures and she stood a firm ground for eleven minutes. Clover came the next day using her massive size and strength to earn a good fourteen minutes. Last was Poison, who proved to be much tougher than she looked. Not only did she pack some powerful strikes, but her aerial maneuvers managed to keep her at arm's length or thirteen minutes before Sayuri threw her out of the ring.
In the end, all six newcomers had passed. They were told to get ready to report to the gym first thing in the morning and be ready for their upcoming debut matches. Poison was also cleared for managing Diana Diaz during her match against Lady Kai. Either way, Sayuri Rogue gave each of them the same three words…
"Welcome to Xtrema."
Author's Note: Next time, the next event will begin. To recap...
1.) Kyoko Natsumi vs Mantis
2.) Willow Powell vs Clementine Cirrus
3.) Diana Diaz vs Lady Kai
4.) Team Spirit title celebration
5.) The Skunk vs Cleopatra
6.) Neko Girl vs Carly X
7.) Thunder Mana calls out Queen Bee
For clarification, Lady Kai is an OC that I made up. The reason I didn't make a profile for her is... Well, you'll see. Let's just say I've got a bit of a storyline behind that.
Who do you think is going to win?
Any and all comments are welcome.