The foundation of the future

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"You wouldn't have to force me," Charlotte said, blinking a few times. "Won't deny, I'm not really familiar with such things, but I'm always open to something new, especially to something that is talked about with such fire in your eyes." Having said that, Charlotte realized that she might have gone a little out of line, after all, it was their first meeting, so she hurried to close the subject. "So I would be grateful for the ticket, although I would even pay for it."

Even though she allowed herself to say something she wasn't going to say, her words were sincere. She even really saw a real fire in Akari's eyes, and although Charlotte was not one of those who could look directly into the soul of another person, she had no doubt that such a fire could only be seen in the eyes of those people who were wholeheartedly devoted to their beloved cause.

"I would never dare," the Frenchwoman said a little more seriously than before. "A real fighter has no right to treat opponents lightly, it inevitably leads to defeat, so whether it's sparring or a match, but I always take it seriously."

Charlotte had nothing to hide about it. She had her own code, which she followed unconditionally. Martial arts were not just a way for her to become famous or rich. Martial arts were essentially her life. And she didn't want another life. Just as Akari was sincerely devoted to DJ culture, so Charlotte was sincerely devoted to martial arts.

"Oh, I..." The pink-haired woman stumbled, almost completely speechless after Akari said about the match and that they shouldn't give it for free. "Well... amm..."

Even though the Frenchwoman behaved more than openly thanks to Akari's unusual aura, she still remained far from the most social person. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out if it was a joke, a hint, or even an offer. In a sense, Akari's words unsettled Charlotte with their surprise. The situation became too awkward, but apparently the brunette noticed it and decided to head to the locker room.

"Of course, be my guest!" Charlotte said with some relief, pointing her palm at the locker room door.

The Japanese woman walked briskly towards the locker room and Charlotte smiled softly after her. Being sure that it was time to inform the students about the opportunity they had, she almost took a step aside. But she didn't have time to do that because before going into the locker room, Akari turned around and winked at her. The Frenchwoman seemed to freeze in place, feeling her ears begin to turn red. She was not used to such things because these things took up too little space in her life.

She defrosted only after the brunette closed the locker room door behind her. Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She had already tried several times to force herself to stop reacting in this way to such things, but so far she had been very bad at it. She tried to stay away from any relationship. In most cases, she explained this by saying that it only distracts her from her goals and dreams, but in fact she was just afraid of ending up overboard, as it had happened to her all her life.

"Focus..." she muttered, shaking her head.

When Charlotte came to her senses, she walked straight to her students. Despite the fact that this particular group was a boxing one, she was sure that it would be very useful for them to see two much more experienced fighters sparring.

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari had departed from the lobby, unknowingly leaving Charlotte a little frozen and flustered after her passing remark. Or perhaps...it was completely intentional? A curious thing, to say the least. It's not like the Sea Turtle wasn't openly a flirt, but was it her intention to give the pink-haired gym owner a little emotional grief in the form of some passing banter in a more flirtatious manner? Maybe. Maybe not. Who's to say, really? All one needs to know is that Akari was a passionate woman with a boundless amount of energy coursing through her, and she was about to give Charlotte a small preview of what she was capable of. This wouldn't be a massive performance in front of a crowd of thousands, but it would be a performance nonetheless, which means that Akari had to put on her very best efforts, even if the spar called for the two of them to take things in stride with a slightly reserved atmosphere. This wasn't for glory or some twisted thrill of battle. It was for practice and demonstration...and, as always, for fun!!! However, if Akari couldn't put one-hundred-and-ten percent into fighting, she'd simply amp up the theatrics, and with a partner like Charlotte, the Sea Turtle was CERTAIN that she'd be able to throw quite the extravagant show for any curious onlookers along with Charlotte's students.

Once inside the locker room, Akari would undress in a stall and change into her standard gym wear for the spar...a skintight leotard that hugged her body nicely, accentuating all of the dips and curves, pointing out the lows in every 'valley' and the highs of every 'mountain' as it stretched across the Japanese woman's athletic, toned form, sculpted after years of hard work, dedication, and intense passion. Accompanied with this lovely-looking leotard was a pair of matching sweatbands for her wrists along with kneepads and boots, standard stuff. Despite the ensemble's simple look, Akari made it look like a million-dollar outfit with the way she worked it, strutting out of the locker room with a fiery confidence that left heads turning in her wake as she approached Charlotte with her semi-buxom chest perked up by the leotard's tight-fitting material. "Ready to rumble?" She asked coyly before moving toward the ring, climbing up to the apron and opening up the ropes. "After you~..." She offered, allowing Charlotte to enter first.

Spoiler

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"Therefore, I urge you to carefully follow every movement," Charlotte said seriously. "Pro wrestling is much more diverse than boxing, but the ability to notice details is important for any fighter, regardless of the martial art." After running her gaze over each student, the Frenchwoman flashed her eyes. "Is everything clear to everyone?"

"That's right!" sounded in unison.

"Great!" The pink-haired woman smiled slightly, being pleased with this answer.

As a coach, she did her best to let them know how unique an opportunity they had. To see two experienced fighters sparring from as close a distance as possible is not something you can to see every day. As she expected, her students took the news of the sparring with great enthusiasm. In addition, almost all of them were big fans of pro wrestling and they were well aware of who Akari Ito was. So, as Akari aptly joked, they were very tempted by the opportunity to see a match between two professionals without having to pay for tickets.

How did Charlotte feel?

She didn't show it, but she was damn excited. The pink-haired woman had no doubt that sooner or later she and Akari would have met in the ring, because this is the fate of all outstanding fighters from the same division. However, the opportunity to personally see what Akari was capable of literally made her soul sing. Yes, it will only be sparring, but in a sense it will be a preparation for a real match, where both of them will be able to give their best more than one hundred percent.

"Hmm?" Lost in thought, Charlotte was momentarily distracted and therefore missed the moment when Akari came out of the locker room.

Hearing the Japanese woman's question, Charlotte turned to her. She even opened her mouth to reply, but when she saw Akari, she seemed speechless. The eyes of almost all the visitors to her school were directed at the brunette. The reason, of course, was her workout suit, which emphasized both her beauty and her great athletic form. To her shame, Charlotte felt like an outsider. Not so long ago, she ordered a new workout suit for herself, but so far it was not ready, which the Frenchwoman now regretted very much.

"You..."

The pink-haired woman wanted to make a compliment, but an inner voice reminded her of the need to keep her cool. So, barely having time to stop herself, Charlotte cleared her throat, and then turned to her students.

"Allow me to introduce you my LAW colleague Akari Ito, I ask you to greet her warmly and treat her with the same respect as me!" Charlotte said.

All the students silently bowed to the Japanese woman, demonstrating the discipline that Charlotte had instilled in them. The martial arts master nodded approvingly at this, and then followed the brunette to the ring. She caught herself thinking that her heart was beating faster than usual. It was strange, considering that she was usually in a state of absolute calm before the match. Is it really the attractiveness of this brunette?..

"How nice of you..." Charlotte said with a slight chuckle.

Taking advantage of Akari's invitation, she slipped between the top and middle ropes. Once in the ring, Charlotte wiggled her toes. It became a kind of tradition for her because being in the ring was a real pleasure for her. While students and even some other visitors to the school began to take up positions around the battlefield, Charlotte stretched her right arm to the left side and bent her left arm at the elbow, thereby stretching her triceps.

"A few minutes of warm-up, I suppose?" She asked her sparring partner.

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari admired the way Charlotte was able to command so much attention and respect. It wasn't from a group of dedicated fans or spectators, it was from your everyday gym-goer looking for help, a mentor, a figure they could look toward for some semblance of guidance. Everyone looked to Charlotte like a crowd in a church, hanging on every single one of her words like gospel as they took the information of their coach in. The Sea Turtle liked that, she liked it a lot...However, once she stepped out, all eyes shifted onto her, with Charlotte's gaze following suit as the woman turned to face her. Just then, for the briefest of moments, Akari saw the pink-haired woman lose her composure for a moment, seeing the red on her face, the twinkle in her eyes, and the faintest look at her chest revealing her heart pounding just a little bit harder and faster perhaps...how peculiar~...Akari didn't press her on what she was about to say before she moved on, she smiled and went along with Charlotte, stifling a giggle of hers as she quietly mused over how she left the woman speechless. 'Twas a pleasant thought...to say the least...Making the other gym-goers swoon was commonplace for Akari wherever she went. She knew what she had and flaunted it as such...she was very proud of the body she sculpted. She made that apparent with how she showed it off...but with Charlotte-...well, she wanted to see how far she could push those buttons of hers, see if she could make her face turn a shade of pink that rivaled or even exceeded the gorgeous color of her hair~...

"Sounds like a plan to me." Akari replied cheerfully, flashing another bright and eager smile towards the pink-haired woman as the two began to run through their individual warm-up routines, stretches to get their bodies loose and limber, a few minor exercises to get the blood pumping, and perhaps a breathing technique or two to get their hearts steady. Akari's routine showed off her figure even more...those curves, that ample bust, those toned muscles...those legs especially...everything about the Sea Turtle was refined to a splendid degree, years of hard work in the making, but this was far from the end of the Sea Turtle's journey, of course. She had much to improve on, hoping to discover something new about herself by going head-to-head with Charlotte. Once they were properly prepared and suitably 'warmed up', Akari let a question slip from her lips as she turned toward Charlotte, brushing her raven-colored hair out of the way after that last set of stretches. "Any particular rules I need to abide by? I may be the 'challenger' here, but it's your gym so I figured you'd set the rules, it only seems fair, no?" She said.

[skip-stop]

As she was warming up, Charlotte had to fight the urge to glance at Akari every second. Perhaps no one would blame her for this, because the brunette without exaggeration looked gorgeous. However, being honest with herself, the martial arts master understood that it wasn't just about looks. There was something attractive about this woman, like a hidden magnet. There is one woman among Charlotte's acquaintances who has a similar effect on people around her. But while Lunara's charms had no effect on her at all, well, or almost no effect, Charlotte felt a little dizzy in Akari's presence.

"No," she replied to the Japanese woman's question about the rules. "We've already talked through the rules, so you can feel free as a bird, well, or a turtle."

When her muscles were warmed up, the Frenchwoman straightened to her full height and headed to the center of the ring. She managed to concentrate. Not only because of the realization that she had no right to fall face down in the dirt in front of her students, but also because adrenaline began to flow through her veins. Considering what she had heard about Akari, she was sure that this would not be a sparring match, but a real match, albeit with some restrictions.

When she found herself face to face with Akari, Charlotte couldn't resist running her eyes over this woman from heels to the top of her head once again. Damn. It was an extremely unusual feeling. Even now her heart was beating faster than usual. Charlotte smiled, and then pressed her right fist against her outstretched left palm.

"Now let's get started!" She said after bowing to her rival.

Taking a few steps back, the pink-haired woman took a fighting stance. Leaving her right foot half a step back, she turned slightly to Akari with her left side. Her right fist rose to the level of her chin, while her left fist remained at the level of the middle of her torso. Charlotte's students surrounded the ring in awe, waiting for the fight between these two outstanding women to begin.

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari grinned eagerly as she got loose and limber with a few pre-match stretches. She could tell there were a lot of eyes on her...not just as a new face in the gym, but one who was openly taking on the gym's owner in a spar. Not to mention, Akari knew she was drop-dead gorgeous...not to sound too conceited or anything. She did her best to look good and maintain a figure she was happy with. However, she could tell that so many people were gawking at her, entranced by her beauty and grace...even Charlotte herself. It was an interesting surprise, to be sure but Akari took that as a compliment. If she could get someone like Charlotte feeling a little warm and fuzzy on the inside, it made her feel pretty accomplished. Gaining the respect and adoration from any one fan was fairly straightforward, but that same thing from a fellow wrestler...especially one as talented as the 'Sand Lizard' herself? It was quite the task.

After the two had gone over their warm-up routines, Akari begged the question about rules, to which Charlotte responded simply and concisely. What surprised Akari was the little joke she threw in at the end. It garnered a little chuckle out of her as she took note that the woman had a bit of humor in her after all, much to her delight. Again, she could feel Charlotte's gaze dancing all across her body from head to toe, making her feel so warm inside as she knew that Charlotte was warming up to her bit by bit. In any other environment, especially one not as public, Akari would make a quick pass at her...nothing serious, just a little flirtatious tease to tug on her heartstrings and make her heart skip a beat...maybe a little caress and a warm smile? A gentle, soothing touch paired with a radiant grin could wonders for the soul after all~...However, Akari came here to train and that's what she was intent on doing, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about a few 'scenarios' involving herself and Charlotte. Her eyes glanced up and down at her figure as well, admiring her for her stunning beauty as she stood before her.

Shortly after that, the two would separate, with Charlotte giving Akari a respectful bow. In turn, Akari would do the same, but she'd add on a little extra just for Charlotte, raising one hand up to her lips and blowing her a kiss, foregoing the whole 'professionalism' just this once as she wished her good luck. Afterward, she'd get her stance and prepare herself, getting ready for what was sure to be one of her most intensive spars yet.

[skip-stop]

Charlotte had heard a lot about this woman, but now that she had the opportunity to personally see Akari in action, her heart literally fluttered. Of course, the Frenchwoman was far from the only one whose style was based on martial arts much more than on the usual pro wrestling. But the fact remained that there were few people like her in the federation. Akari was one of the few who was closest to Charlotte in terms of fighting style.

As she expected, Akari bowed back to her, which in itself was a rare occurrence among the LAW fighters. Many in the federation refused even such a thing as a handshake, let alone a bow. Charlotte believed that a fighter should have pride, but do not confuse pride and ego. So she liked the brunette's gesture... stop…

“Ah?” Came out of Charlotte's mouth while her eyes widened.

When she blew a kiss, it made the Frenchwoman's cheeks turn red. Why did Akari do this? Was it an attempt to distract her? Or maybe it was an open flirt? Or was it so common for the Japanese woman that she didn't see anything special about it? Charlotte is not used to such things. Even after the case with Jenner… they just don't know her, they don't know who she is, and even more so they don't know who she was... if they knew, they would never have decided to do such things to her.

Charlotte had to take as deep a breath as possible before clenching her fists again, although even after that there were slight red spots on her cheeks. This is sparring. Not something else. And considering that her students were looking at her, she had no right to be distracted by anything. Summoning all her willpower, Charlotte focused on the brunette in front of her.

“Ding-Ding-Ding, Akari!” She said.

After these words, she immediately rushed forward, rapidly closing the distance between them. In the first step, she shifted slightly to the left, and in the second step, she shifted slightly to the right, trying to confuse the Japanese woman. Charlotte understood that she needed to test Akari's style, but the best way to do it was a swift attack.

Accelerating on the last step, the pink-haired woman intended to throw a quick left jab at her opponent's chin, followed immediately by throwing a right uppercut aimed at the same chin. Given what she knew about this woman, she didn't count on the success of these attacks, but she counted on throwing her left leg up after the uppercut to catch Akari off guard with a roundhouse kick aimed at her head!

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari's flirtatious gesture hit its mark, rocking the redhead a little as the Sea Turtle caught a bit of that reddish tinge forming on Charlotte's face, making her snicker a bit. It wasn't out of malice, just amusement. She had that effect on people and she was glad to see that the Frenchwoman wasn't too uptight to enjoy something like that. Or perhaps she was so uptight that it caught her off guard even MORE. Either way, it wouldn't delay the inevitable as Charlotte calmly spoke to signal the start of their little spar, rocketing forward with a quick combination of strikes...right up Akari's alley~

The jab was parried by the Japanese woman who battered it away with her wrist and forearm, quickly deflecting Charlotte's fist, knocking it away in order to return focus on the next strike, an uppercut chasing after the same target. Akari was swift enough on her feet to narrowly dodge backward, avoiding eating the rugged ridges of Charlotte's knuckles as her hand sailed by in front of her. She took a quick breath before ducking beneath the roundhouse kick, a DANGEROUS maneuver that would've knocked anyone into next week given how sharp and refined the Frenchwoman's form was. Akari kept a loose stance, opting to pull back following the kick, not chasing after Charlotte just yet as she was anticipating some kind of bait-and-switch where the redhead would counter-attack should the Sea Turtle try and punish her kick with a grapple or strike of her own. Instead, Akari would remain just out of Charlotte's striking range after taking note of how far and fast those legs could swing, keeping all these details in mind as she danced around the edges of the Frenchwoman's grasp, smiling with a bright look in her eyes, eager to see what came next.

"Gosh-...you're quick~! If I wasn't already a member at my usual gym, I think you would've sold me on this place already." She chimed, tossing a bit of praise toward the gym owner's way, complimenting her form and the quality of her facility. If Charlotte was fighting like THIS, then certainly her students were receiving top-notch instruction with all the facilities to help facilitate their growth.

[skip-stop]

It was difficult, but Charlotte focused on her sparring partner, deciding that this time she should scout by fighting. Rushing forward, the pink-haired woman immediately shifted into second gear, despite the fact that she usually tried to increase her pace in a much smoother manner. She might have only heard about what Akari was capable of, but it seemed to her that in this case she should treat what was happening with the utmost seriousness.

And as it turned out, she was right. Even though Charlotte used much more speed than at the beginning of any other match, the Japanese woman consistently dodged all attacks. This couldn't help but surprise the martial arts master. She couldn't even touch Akari, and after the brunette dodged the kick, she created a distance between them.

Returning her attacking leg back to the mat, Charlotte involuntarily thought about it. Did Akari start their sparring immediately from the third gear, or was such amazing speed and naturalness in dodging completely ordinary to her? If this was the first case, then everything is fine, because in that case, the brunette probably spent a lot of energy moving at such an impressive speed. But if it was the second case… well, then Charlotte had obvious problems.

“Hm!” Charlotte snorted. “Not quick enough I guess if you have time for talking...”

Unclenching and clenching her fists again, she rushed forward and as soon as the distance allowed her, she threw her left fist forward, sending a quick left jab to Akari's chin as if she wanted to try the combination again and see if the brunette could keep up that speed all the time.

However, if Akari decided to parry it with her hand and forearm again, Charlotte's eyes would sparkle. Because in this case, the Frenchwoman, abruptly changing tactics, would try to grab the Japanese woman's wrist hard, and then pull her down, while simultaneously throwing up her right knee in an attempt to test Akari's chest with a powerful knee strike to knock her breath away!

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari felt great! The blood pumping through her veins, her heart beating like a drum. This was a bona fide FIGHT happening here and now, and Akari was ALL for it. For the time being, the jubilant Japanese woman kept things light and easy, zipping around and evading Charlotte's many precise punches, narrowly evading them while making it look easy. Truth be told, they were near misses, with each strike threatening to knock any average fighter into a daze. Akari considered herself tough, but she didn't want to risk finding out just how dangerous the Sand Lizard was in person. She had tons of footage online to review if she wanted to know that. "Consider me a multi-tasker~...What's a fight without a bit of banter to fill the dull silence? That's what makes this far more thrilling, y'know~..." She exclaimed, focusing back on the redhead's incoming strike and parrying it swiftly as she did before-...

However, this time around, Charlotte would switch up tactics, catching the Sea Turtle off-guard following that defensive maneuver and pulling her back into range before the slippery Turtle could move back to safety, nailing Akari with a sudden knee strike that caught her right in the chest, knocking her back a few steps as she stumbled into the ropes, hissing and wincing from the sudden pain beginning to flare up in her upper body. "...Tch-gh-..sss-, hohh-, that stings-..." She said quietly under her breath, keeping her gloves up as her back was now to the ropes.