Victory conditions: pinfall, submisson, knockout, disqualification
“How are you feeling?" Victoria asked.
Instead of answering, Lily turned to the right on her toes, sending a hard left hook into the punching bag. The sound of the blow echoed through the locker room, after which the brunette took a deep breath. Only then she turned to her manager. The Englishwoman's face was as cold and emotionless as usual.
“Is this a trick question?” She asked, heading for her locker.
“Perhaps...” Victoria said pointedly, adjusting her glasses.
“Do you really think that something has changed?” Lily asked, taking her cloak from the locker and draping it over her shoulders. “I assure you that's not the case.”
“I think you're wrong,” the manager got up from the bench and approached her ward. “Defeat, especially the first one, changes people, I've seen it, even such resilient women as Astrid, Charlotte and Nerissa are unable to escape the pain of defeat." She stared intently into Lily's eyes. “So didn't your last match change anything?”
“Alizeh was stronger than me that time,” Lily replied. “That's why...” Lily noticed Victoria looking at her with obvious disbelief. “What do you want from me, Victoria?”
“I want you to be honest with yourself, Lily,” the manager said bluntly. “You came to this federation and signed a contract with me because pro wrestling is one of the few things that can make you feel." The manager adjusted her glasses. “So did you really feel nothing in that match, and did nothing really change for you after that?”
“I...” it was that rare moment when Lily faltered.
Memories came flooding back. Yes, Victoria was right, thanks to the match with Alizeh, she really felt some things. So why didn't she want to admit it? She couldn't describe it correctly, but every time she thought about those events, a terrible sensation appeared somewhere in the area of her heart.
“I felt like I let you down...” she said at last. “You allowed me to participate in the PPV even though you could have chosen another fighter, you put your hopes on me, and I didn't live up to them." The brunette's lower lip trembled slightly. “I felt the bitterness of defeat and it hurt... and now, thinking about it, I feel the pain... right here...” Lily put her hand to her heart. “That's why I don't want to talk about it, that's why I don't want to admit it... that feeling... I don't want it... it's too much for me...”
“Oh Lily...”
Victoria took a step forward and hugged her ward. Because of this, the Englishwoman froze like a stone statue. The warmth emanating from her manager spread throughout her body. It was... nice.…
“I didn't think you were capable of making these kinds of mistakes,” Victoria said, releasing her ward. “It's quite the opposite, you lost, but you met all my expectations.” She smiled. “You may have lost, but you got a little bit of emotion." She held up her palm, preventing the brunette from speaking. “Yes, you didn't like these emotions, but I'll tell you what.” Victoria has become more serious. “No one likes to lose, no one likes to feel the bitterness of defeat, no one likes to feel the pain in their heart." She put her hand on Lily's shoulder. “But that's what makes us human, I know that you would like to feel the joy of victory, not the bitterness of defeat, but now you know what you should strive for." Victoria adjusted her glasses and took a step back. “Don't ignore the pain you've been through, use it, let it make you stronger, and then next time you'll feel the joy of victory and nothing else.”
Lily's lower lip stopped trembling. She took a deep breath, trying to accept everything Victoria had just told her. She closed her eyes for a few moments, and then the corners of her lips lifted slightly. For the first time since their first meeting, Victoria saw some semblance of a smile on her ward's face.
“Thank you, Victoria,” Lily said, then pulled the hood over her head. “And now I have a match waiting for me.”
With these words, and accompanied by Victoria's soft smile, Lily left the locker room and headed down the long corridor. She had a brilliant intellect, but that couldn't help her understand exactly how emotions affected her. Now, thanks to Victoria's words, the picture has become much clearer. Yes, not every emotion is pleasant, she realized that now. After losing to Alizeh, she felt a pain she had never felt before. And now she was ready to accept it. Accept, but not tolerate. She didn't want to feel the bitterness of defeat anymore, which meant she has to win today. Today she has to leave the ring with a sincere smile on her face.
Entering the waiting room, Lily stopped in front of the curtains. Involuntarily lowering her gaze, she was surprised. Her hands were shaking slightly. It seems that the conversation with the manager had a much greater impact on her than she thought. But emotions won't help her during the match. So she took a deep breath. The trembling disappeared, and her heart began to beat steadily again. Her gaze turned as cold as ice again. It's time.
Entrance Music
Attire
The lights in the arena completely disappeared, and a thick fog filled the top of the ramp. When the music started, several spotlights illuminated the top of the ramp and in the fog the audience could see the silhouette of a woman wrapped in a cloak of huge raven feathers. The Black Crow has arrived.
Under the excited hubbub of the audience, Lily began to smoothly descend the ramp. The floodlights stopped illuminating her, but her silhouette was still visible thanks to the periodic flashes of the cameras. When she reached the ring, she rolled under the bottom rope and quickly got to her feet.
At the same moment, the light returned to the arena. The black Crow defiantly unbuttoned her cloak and threw it out of the ring with an elegant movement. She put her left hand behind her back, and raised her right hand above her head, accepting the audience's applause. She never thought that a soulless doll like her would receive so much attention from them. But with each new match, her popularity continued to grow, and in a way, she began to get used to it.
When her music ended, she nodded briefly to the referee and headed to her corner. When she got there, she crossed her arms under her chest and pointed her head towards the ramp. Her rival should arrive soon. And even though there was not a single emotion on Lily's face right now, she was more determined than ever to leave today with a victory.
