Within Shadows Part I - Enduring Pain (for RedShinigami)

[PrinceArjuna332]

Squeezing Harmonia's body in the bearhug, Dana would do so until she sensed that her student was on the verge of unconsciousness. And then, she tapped. Without delay, Dana let go of her body, putting her down before she stepped back, taking a look at Harmonia and how she was faring after having to suffer such powerful hold.

"Keep in mind that you should always know your limit..." Dana told her student, letting her recover from the bearhug. "All the training is useless if you end up destroying yourself. It's good to take risks, but you won't get a long wrestling career by destroying your body, so keep that in mind." She then smiled at Harmonia.

"Why don't we take a break?" Dana suggested.

[RedShinigami]

Harmonia looked up to Dana, figurativly and sunken down to her knees. They had just begun and the Ashford matriarch had'nt been lying when she told Harmonia that she would put her through hell and back.

The Blonde wiped the tears of pain away, ashamed of her sensei seeing her like this. She wanted to be strong, selfconcious, no more tears to stand in her way. She blushed and rubbed her eyes while her body ached and hurt all over. Was this the power a true legend possessed? And if so, could Harmonia even dreaming of coming close to this?

She hissed as she grabbed the ropes and pulled her upwards. "Y-yes, Ashford-Sensei.", Harmonia said and grabbed for her back, stretching a little to get her knoted vertabrae back into shape.

"Do you think I have talent?", she then asked shyly. "I... I want to become as strong as you are. No, even stronger. I want to be the best there is.", Harmonia added with a determined look and then smiled back at Dana. The Ashford Matriarch had been nothing then friendly and caring, almost motherly to her, something that Harmonia missed since her parents had died six years ago. Since then, Harmonia always looked for people to fill the holes that they left and she wondered if Dana would become one of those people for her...

[PrinceArjuna332]

Dana smiled kindly at Harmonia. "Of course, if you work hard enough." Dana nodded to her. It was good to have dreams. And ambitions. She didn't care much about which one to have. "I was the same like you when I started out. Bright-eyed and wanting to prove myself." She sighed. "I had lots of setbacks back in the day, but now, here I am, standing at the pinnacle of everything." It wasn't a boast. More like an observation from someone who had been in this industry for so long. "You can be just like me, or even greater, if you put your mind into it."

Then her face turned serious. "But be warned. This industry is a cutthroat one. One wrong step and you'll end up nothing but a fodder to the more vicious ones out there." Dana ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't care what you want to become. You can be a bad gal like me or one of those upstanding heroines who tell children to say their prayers and take their vitamins, as long as you be a larger-than-life figure who can be one of the giants in the industry."

She approaches Harmonia and pats her on her shoulders. "You're standing on the shoulder of giants right now, and perhaps, with some efforts, you can be one of the giants as well in the future." Then, she chuckled to herself. "Not that I'm telling you to bulk up and become big, okay? You're a lot cuter this size, you know?" She gave her a teasing smile.

[RedShinigami]

Harmonia took a sip from her bottle and listened to everything Dana said. It was true, she needed to think about her future. How did she want to portray herself as shining hero of the masses, as cunning and relentless heel? After all, her sensei was a legendary heel and nothing was wrong with that. Maybe there was something to be gathered when being the bad girl. Harmonia was'nt so sure yet.

"I have to thank you sensei, really. All the matches I had now were good ones and I managed to become friends with a lot of the girls but for every match I had two others would put down the request, they did'nt to want to face an ex-model...", she said with a bitter tone in her voice.

" They did'nt even bother to look a bit more into my bio, I wrestle since I am 17. Of course incognito, but it should'nt be a secret by now. And still they all look down at me.", the blonde sighed and looked down at her bottle, softly squeezing it.

Then she listened to Danas words again and a smile krept over her face as she looked up." You really believe in me, huh? Then I won't dissapoint you, Dana-sensei. ", she said with an eager tone in her voice. "I am ready to endure and go through everything to become stronger. I want to be a shining star at LAWs sky!"

But when Dana referred to her "cuteness", Harmonia blushed. Dana was a very beautiful woman herself and getting a compliment like this from a more matured lady made Harmonia blush. "What? Uhm, uh... Dankeschön... Dana-sensei...", she said and looked at the floor. She fumbled around with the waterbottle and looked up to change the subject. "What made you create all of this? Shadow Fortress I mean. I mean you obviously wanted to train your daughters but why others?", Harmonia asked.

[PrinceArjuna332]

That question got Dana thinking a little. "What made me create this Shadow Fortress, hmm?" Crossing her arms under her ample bust, Dana tilted her head as she tried to come up with a satisfying answer to Harmonia. "Well, let's just say I want to leave behind something for people to remember me by. As you can see, I'm not exactly young. I'm already in my fifties. Among wrestlers, that's already pretty ancient." Dana had a self-deprecating smile on her face as she said that.

"For me, LAW is my last stop before I go ahead and hang my boots for real." Dana continued. "While I still can wrestle and show the world what I'm made of, I will continue to be a menace in the ring. But someday, my body's going to fail me, and I will have no choice but to retire..." She looked at her protégé with a sad smile. "That's why I made Shadow Fortress. It's a place for me to teach the future generations once I retire. I think I enjoy being a teacher..."

Dana shook her head. "Of course, I'm not planning to retire so soon. I think I still have lots of years left in store for me. Maybe win a gold or two, something like that." She smiled wryly. "Maybe I can even share a ring with you or any of my students in the meantime. Just something to look forward to in the future." Dana said.

[RedShinigami]

Harmonia listened in awe, not even thinking of interrupting her new sensei. Everything Dana said was of meaning, Harmonia was sure of that, even if she just talked about her career and her life.

Harmonias heart had'nt stopped beating fast, this was one of her heroes, Finella and her watched her matches at home and decided that one day they would be in this very ring on themselves, meeting their idols. The Blonde got stuck on Danas lips and when she mentioned the desire to go up against her own students one day, Harmonia was ecstatic to say at least!

"Yes! That... That would be phenomenal!", she whispered and her eyes started to shine. The Blonde took another sip and cracked her neck again. "Alright Sensei, I am good to go!"

[PrinceArjuna332]

Dana nodded at her student, seeing her ready to go for another session of training. "Okay, let's continue with our training. This time, we'll do more endurance training, so prepare yourself, Harmonia..."

And so, Dana continued the training with Harmonia. She knew that the blonde had great potential to be a great wrestler, and all she needed was a pair of firm hands to shape her as well as to guide her to the path where she could achieve greatness.

End