Marzia and
Alizeh were alike in many ways. Both had similar strengths when it came to their in-ring style. Both had competed against one another before, putting their command of submissions to the test. And, perhaps most pertinently of all, both had grown concerned that how they had conducted themselves in and out of the ring up to this point wasn't working for them - and both of them, under the tutelage of another wrestler, had looked to reinvent themselves.
For this match, there was one other thing they had in common. Both, in the leadup to the bout, were biding their time backstage, trying to calm their nerves.
This was a feeling Marzia had more familiarity with than
Alizeh did, but nevertheless, this match had her questioning herself more than ever before - or at least more than she had since she had adopted her new persona. It wasn't her first match since she had trained with Gail and vowed to assert herself more, but it
would be her first match going up against an opponent she'd faced prior, before she'd joined forces with the Tornado.
And not just any opponent, either. This was none other than her rematch against
Alizeh Midori.
The first time their paths had crossed, Marzia and
Alizeh had walked away from the match with a mutual appreciation for each others' hard work and talent. They had seen what they were each capable of, and they saw one another as worthy opponents. But it was a match that everyone knew would not be their last. It had ended in a tie, with both Marzia and
Alizeh passing out in a mutual headscissor - and after they had woken up, they had both agreed it would only be a matter of time before they met in the ring again. They needed to settle the score, and to determine once and for all who between them would come out on top.
They saw themselves as friendly rivals, then. A rematch was only to be made in the name of good-natured competition.
But at last, when the time had finally come, Marzia had to doubt if it would be so friendly after all.
In the time that had passed since their last bout, Marzia had changed.
She had met Gail, and after defeating her, managed to impress her opponent with her potential. All she needed was to overcome her anxieties that were holding her back. She needed to stop worrying about being so nice, and to know when to get serious. It wasn't something that came to Marzia naturally, and she was afraid of what she could be capable of. It felt wrong to act this way. And yet...neither she nor Gail could deny that it was getting her results. Marzia questioned it, and the fans didn't know what to make of her new attitude. But, for better or worse, she was going to stick with it. It was working for her, and Gail was only growing more and more impressed with her abilities.
The question now was how
Alizeh would feel.
Would she still look at Marzia as her friend? Could Marzia even bring herself to treat
Alizeh with the aggression she had accepted was part of being a successful wrestler now? And if
Alizeh rejected her...could she handle the loss of a friend?
No, she told herself. She couldn't let any of that hold her back. She shook her head, biting her lip and taking in a breath as she rose to her feet, her fists balled at her sides. She'd have to treat this match like any other,
Alizeh or no
Alizeh. She was in the ring against an opponent - and she had to do whatever she could to win. Heading to the locker room door, Marzia slung a leather jacket over her shoulders, waiting in the wings for when it would be her time to arrive on the scene.
She was watching
Alizeh's new entrance, taking in each step the green-haired girl took, and each blast of colorful fireworks that accompanied her every move. On an instinctual level, it gave Marzia pause - her first thought was that her own presentation could only fall flat by comparison.
She never had an entrance like that. How was she going to compete with someone who did?
But the Italian shook her head. There was no time for such thoughts. There was only one thing left for her - and as
Alizeh settled in the ring, Marzia knew what to do.
"HOLD IT!!"
A moment ago, the crowd had been cheering
Alizeh's display, but as soon as Marzia stepped onto the entrance ramp, all eyes turned to her. She stormed down the ramp, her fists balled at her sides. Marzia wasn't going to do any fancy moves or flashy effects like
Alizeh did. She would let her actions speak for themselves.
At seeing the other half of this long-awaited rematch coming down the aisle, a few excited fans at ringside threw their hands in the air to greet Marzia as she passed, starting up a chant of
"Welcome Back! Welcome Back!" But Marzia turned on her heel, jabbing a finger in their direction that silenced them on the spot.
"Shut it!!" she hissed.
"I'm not doing this for you, you know-!" Already, a few boos had begun, as Marzia made her way toward the ring. An anxious feeling bubbled in the pit of her stomach hearing them; did she really want to be doing this? But she quickly set that thought aside. There was no time for any hesitation. Not against
her.
Marzia hopped up on the ring apron, leaning against the ropes and jabbing a finger toward
Alizeh.
"You know, Alizeh...that was a pretty nice show back there. But this...this is wrestling! It doesn't matter how good you look outside the ring if you can't back it up between the ropes...and I don't need any showy displays to kick your ass!"
She climbed through the ropes, looking up at
Alizeh with a glare and cracking her knuckles. A few fans gasped, seeing the threats she was making against her old friend.
"We've both changed. You're talking all about how you want to show a new side of yourself to the world...but I did that months ago, and you know what? Now...now I've been seeing success I never dreamed of before!"
Marzia's hands were quaking as she spoke. She was still afraid, deep down, at the thought of chewing
Alizeh out. But she knew she had to, and she let the worlds flow before she could even think through what she wanted to say to her opponent.
"What I've learned since our last match...is that nice girls finish last. And I'm through being nice. I know that everyone wants us to still be friends - I know you want that - but to hell with that!" She punctuated her outburst with a stomp against the canvas.
"What matters to me is that I can win. What matters is that I'm not going to be treated like a joke any more, with loss after loss after loss. I knew that when we met again, I was going to give it my all. And you know what? I'm stronger than I was before! So here I am! And you know what else?"
Marzia stood straigher, pushing out her chest as she squared up her shoulders. Her heart was still beating faster than she could keep track of, but she knew what she had to do. She couldn't hold back. She had to make everything count, and hesitation would only slow her down, no matter how much she wanted to second-guess herself. As she took a step closer to
Alizeh, she let the jacket fall from her shoulders, getting into her old friend's face. She locked eyes on
Alizeh, the two standing shoulder to shoulder and chest to chest.
"If I have to fuck you up to prove that...so be it!"
