A lot of water has flowed since Charlotte, after a series of crushing failures, decided to isolate herself from the outside world, including from her closest people in the faces of Astrid, Nerissa and Victoria. She probably would still be sitting alone at her martial arts school if it weren't for a recent event.
By coincidence Charlotte's private school was visited by a very unusual black-haired woman named Hana. That chance encounter and Hana's excessive persistence helped the Frenchwoman to open her eyes to a large extent. She realized that even though she tried to ignore it, but in fact, after all the shit she had to go through, she literally lost herself, she no longer had the spark that used to lead her forward.
So, following Hana's advice, the pink-haired woman decided to start moving step by step towards becoming herself again, and perhaps even a better version of herself. Her first step was to find the strength to leave her closed martial arts school and visit LAW main gym. This not only helped her get used to the fact that she would be surrounded by people in everyday life, but it also helped her meet a personable Japanese man named Ryu.
After that Charlotte decided to take the second step. And with this second step, Charlotte decided to try to reconnect her with the people most dear to her, whom she herself had pushed away. She had to gather her courage, but in the end she gathered her courage and called Nerissa. It's hard to say what exactly prompted her to contact the Native American woman in the first place, perhaps somewhere deep in her soul she just knew that Nerissa would be able to understand her and the reasons for her recent actions.
And she turned out to be right, Nerissa really showed understanding to Charlotte's problems. However, before that she literally yelled at the Frenchwoman for ten minutes in a row, reminding her of all the stupid things the pink-haired woman had done. Well, Charlotte deserved it, so she swallowed her pride and gave Nerissa the opportunity to express everything she thinks about the martial arts master.
When Nerissa finally calmed down, Charlotte suggested that her friend not just meet, but train together. She found it a much more productive pastime than the usual trip to the bar or a banal walk. Unfortunately, even though the Frenchwoman had missed out on a lot, she was well aware that Nerissa's career was also going through hard times, and therefore it would not hurt for both of them to improve their physical fitness.
During her time as a hermit, her martial arts school had been covered in a fair amount of dust, and so Charlotte didn't want Nerissa to see it. So she suggested to her friend to have a workout in the fresh air, as a result of which they went to the stadium with a sports ground.
When they met… it was awkward for both of them. They both remembered well what had happened before their paths parted for almost two months. In a sense, they traveled the same road, only at different time intervals. First, Nerissa suffered a crushing defeat in a rivalry with one notorious black-haired woman, then she flew out of a major tournament like a champagne cork. All this brought the Native American woman to the brink of despair.
However, then she at least tried to find the strength and begin to rebuild her career, while Charlotte plunged into despair with her head and did not see any way out for herself.
At first, it was difficult for them to even talk to each other, but the longer they trained, the faster the connection between them was restored. Thus, after an hour of training, they were no longer shy about looking into each other's eyes and talking freely with each other. The two women approached a bench, first wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and then took a bottle of water each to take a few greedy sips.
“I'm glad to see that you were able to stay in good physical shape,” Nerissa said, giving Charlotte a look. “I thought that in these two months you would turn into an old junk.”
Nerissa Labong
“Pfft... thanks for the support...” Charlotte laughed bitterly. “You know, even these two months I continued to train, so my muscles remained the same...” the Frenchwoman sighed heavily and closed the bottle. “The problem is not in my body, the problem is here...”
Charlotte Ravel'
With the last words, she pressed her index finger to her temple. Nerissa looked away. She knew exactly what her friend meant. After what happened between her and Clara, the Native American woman felt about the same way. A month in a hospital bed had weakened her body slightly, but she quickly returned to good physical shape. However, it did not help her in the subsequent matches. Her thoughts were not focused on victory, but on Clara and her great failure.
“And what's next?" Nerissa asked. “Are you going to return to the ring?” She tilted her head slightly to the side, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “I can't believe that an outstanding fighter like you is ready to end her career now.”
“I...” Charlotte stammered.
The Frenchwoman has really been thinking about it a lot lately. She would like to return to the federation tomorrow for the next match. But…
“Not now,” she said openly. “If I enter the ring tomorrow, then nothing awaits me but defeat.” Charlotte put her outstretched palm to her forehead and raised her head, looking at the bright sun. “First I need to figure out why I want to get back in the ring.”
Nerissa raised her eyebrows. It was amazing to hear that, especially from Charlotte. She's used to the fact that the Frenchwoman always knows exactly what she wants. Literally from the first meeting, Charlotte has not stopped saying that she wants to become the best fighter in the world, who will be an example for all future generations of fighters. And it was hard for the Native American woman to believe that anything had changed.
“You don't want to be the strongest fighter in the world anymore?” She asked with undisguised disbelief.
“I want to,” Charlotte said. “More than anything, but...” she blinked slowly and sighed heavily. “This is my goal, but I want to understand why I strive for this goal." Charlotte looked down at her hands and clenched her fists. “I used to think that this was the only way to escape far enough from my past, but now... now I'm not sure why I want it...”
“Wow...” Nerissa said in surprise. “Well... no matter how much I want to, I can hardly help you with this... I can't figure out my moral problems either, so it would be hypocritical of me to try to start digging into your soul...”
“No, no, I didn't mean that you should help me with the answer,” Charlotte shook her head. “I know that I have to answer this question myself.”
“Huh, I'm sure you can handle it, you're one of the strongest bitches I know, so if anyone can find the answer, it's you!” Nerissa smiled broadly and then got to her feet. “Well, shall we finish the training?”
“No, not yet,” Charlotte shook her head again, after which she smiled slightly mysteriously. “You should know better than anyone that training can only be considered good if you've pushed your body to the limit, so... there's one more thing left for us to do.”
“What do you mean?” Nerissa sincerely did not understand, because they actually completed all the exercises available to them here.
Instead of answering, Charlotte turned her head to the side. Nerissa raised her left eyebrow and did the same. At first she didn't understand exactly where her friend was looking at, and then something clicked in her brain and she understood everything. Charlotte was looking straight at the starting line. Nerissa blinked rapidly several times, while her heart began to beat a little faster.
“A race?” She asked Charlotte.
“Exactly!" The Frenchwoman smiled slightly.
Nerissa's face instantly changed. Her lips stretched into a wide smile from ear to ear. She wasn't going to lie, she missed their little competitions a lot. Even if it wasn't sparring or even belly punching, she couldn't wait to kick this Frenchwoman's ass.
“The distance?” She asked, keeping a big smile on her face.
“Let's see...” Charlotte put her hand to her chin. “If it's a sprint, you'll definitely lose, it's a fact that I'm the fastest.” The Frenchwoman noticed that sincere indignation began to appear on her friend's face, so she hurried on. “At the same time, if it's a long enough distance, say fifteen hundred meters or more, then it will be me who will definitely lose, you have a lot more stamina than me.” The Native American woman liked this argument much more. “So...”
Nerissa and Charlotte exchanged glances and they realized exactly what they needed. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time and problems had accumulated between them during that time, they were still best friends who were able to understand each other even without words. They smiled at each other, and then…
“Seven hundred meters!” They said at the same time.
It was not a standard Olympic distance, but they wanted to start from the same line and have a straight line as the final of this race, so seven hundred meters was the ideal solution in this case. Also…
“Exactly,” Charlotte nodded. “At this distance...”
“Your speed and my stamina will be equal!" Nerissa finished her friend's thought.
“And the victory will really go to the best of us!” Confirmed Charlotte.
Nerissa's smile became much more provocative. She seems completely taken by the competitive spirit. Charlotte raised her head slightly, looking down at the Native American woman. If she didn't want to win, she would never have suggested such a competition. She could feel Nerissa's willpower, but she wasn't going to give in to her best friend. Charlotte thrust her right fist forward.
“I hope you're ready to swallow my dust, Sand Lizard!” Nerissa said sharply, also thrusting her right fist forward.
“Don't think about blinking during the race, Echidna, because the next moment you might see me at the finish line!” Charlotte replied no less audaciously than she surprised her friend.
The two women grinned, after which they bumped their fists.
Charlotte and Nerissa headed for the starting line. Although they no longer looked into each other's eyes, they both felt as if the air around them had become heavier. They both knew this feeling well. A sense of uncompromising rivalry. They were both definitely best friends, but at the same time they were both outstanding fighters. And that, in turn, only meant that they would never stop competing with each other.
When they got to the start, they took a few minutes to warm up. Even though their bodies were already warmed up enough and their skin was covered with beads of sweat after intense training, they both knew that they had to approach this race with maximum readiness, because neither of them was ready to lose.
“Seven hundred meters on rubber,” said Charlotte, taking the third starting spot.
“Clear weather,” Nerissa added, taking the second starting spot. “Track condition, good.”
They both took their starting positions. Charlotte and Nerissa exchanged glances one last time, after which the Frenchwoman took out a coin. Both women's gazes shot forward. Each of them felt a powerful heartbeat, reflecting their anticipation of the upcoming competition.
“Ready...” said Charlotte.
“Set...” said Nerissa.
Charlotte flipped the coin. The rapidly rotating metal glittered in the sunlight. And finally it fell onto the track with a clang.
Both women rushed forward, showing a great start. If there had been an audience around them, they would have surely felt the shockwave, since neither Charlotte nor Nerissa spared any effort to make the most powerful start. Knowing how important the first straight stretch was, they both tried to take the lead, but in the first seconds of the race it seemed like they were running nose to nose.
It was only when there were about twenty meters left before the first turn that Charlotte, showing her amazing speed, pulled ahead. Nerissa clenched her teeth involuntarily and snorted in annoyance.
The distance between them was no more than a meter, but it was more than enough that as soon as they entered the first turn, Charlotte managed to be the first to move to the inside of the lap, thereby occupying the most advantageous position possible.
Realizing that now it makes no sense to waste energy trying to overtake the Frenchwoman, Nerissa was forced to get right behind her friend. After completing the first turn, they were back on the straight stretch. None of them slowed down, and it seemed that each of them had secured their position.
But by the end of the second straight stretch, Nerissa noticed that the distance between them had shortened. Now it was not one meter, but not more than half a meter. She was literally treading on the pink-haired woman's heels, and that meant only one thing.
“She's slowed down a little bit…" Nerissa mentally concluded.
The realization made the Native American woman grin. They were rapidly approaching the second turn line, which meant that they would only have one lap left after that line. The Native American woman knew exactly what she needed to do.
As soon as they entered the second turn, Nerissa pushed off the rubber with force and shifted to the next lane, accelerating significantly at the same time. As soon as Charlotte saw her friend on the right, she gritted her teeth and tried to speed up. But it was too late. By the end of the second corner, Nerissa had not only overtaken the Frenchwoman, they had also taken a place on the inside of the lap.
“Merde...” flashed through Charlotte's mind, who was now forced to pursue her friend.
While they were running the third straight stretch, each of them began to feel both muscle pain and a burning sensation in their lungs. Now, their bodies weren't just covered in beads of sweat, but sweat was literally streaming down their skin. By the middle of the straight stretch, the distance between them remained stable, no one slowed down or increased their speed.
“I have to overtake her before the last turn...” Charlotte mentally told herself.
What was in the Frenchwoman's soul at that moment? The desire to win. Maybe she hasn't found a new reason to move forward yet as she always has. But she knew for sure that if she wanted to return to the ring, then today she has to take her first small victory. A victory that would give her a reason to believe in her own strength again. She's willing to do anything for that.
“Phhhhhhh...” the Frenchwoman took the deepest possible breath.
Everything around her seemed to fall silent, she could only hear the sounds of her own footsteps. A shudder ran through her body. She closed her eyes for a second. And when she opened them, it was as if pink lightning began to sparkle in them. Lightning that completely engulfed her body in the next second. Her right foot landed heavily on the track and she pushed forward with force.
Shifting to the right, she swiftly overtook Nerissa at the very moment when they entered the last turn. At that moment, Nerissa seemed to feel electric impulses rolling over her skin. Charlotte shot forward by a full two meters. The Frenchwoman took the lead in the race and the Native American woman caught herself thinking that…
“She can't occupy the inside of the lap during the turn, it's too dangerous...” sounded in her head. “But if she does it when we get to the last straight stretch, then I will almost certainly lose because I won't have enough time to overtake her from outside...”
Her reasoning was as truthful as possible. And Nerissa understood that she had only one option to defeat her friend. If she wants to keep her chances of winning, she must catch up with the Frenchwoman by the end of the turn.
Nerissa closed her eyes. Just for a moment. But that moment was enough. Right now she wanted to win so much that it wasn't difficult for her to remember who she once was. Before that match against Clara. She was an indomitable beast who was ready to bathe in the blood of her enemies with a smile on her face. A beast ready to do anything to win.
When she opened her eyes, her body seemed to be engulfed in clouds of poisonous green smoke. Taking a deep breath, Nerissa pushed off from the rubber surface with force. When she rushed forward, it was surprising that she did not tear off the rubber coating of the track.
Barely restraining the urge to scream, the Native American woman began to rapidly catch up with Charlotte. Moving outside, the pink-haired woman sensed her friend's poisonous aura. She felt it, but there was nothing she could do about it, because Nerissa was absolutely right, it was too dangerous to try to move to the inside of the lap during the turn. And therefore…
When they crossed the line of the last turn, they both caught up. Nerissa is from inside. Charlotte is from outside. Nose to nose.
Their final spurt has begun.
Both women were in the zone this moment.
Running parallel to each other, they could hear each other's catastrophically heavy breathing. None of them were ready to admit it, but their muscles were burning with hellish flames, and their bodies had become incredibly heavy. From the very start, they decided to give their best so that they would have nothing to regret after the finish.
Nerissa involuntarily turned her head slightly to the right.
Charlotte involuntarily turned her head slightly to the left.
Their eyes met.
At that moment, they both had the same thought.
“I won't lose!”
Charlotte took a step forward. No. Nerissa took a step forward. Each was desperately trying to seize the lead. Charlotte's pink aura and Nerissa's green aura seemed to be fighting each other, trying to devour each other. And then, suddenly, Charlotte made a sound like a growl through her ragged breathing. Overcoming the pain in her muscles, she pushed off from the surface with force, rushing forward.
Only by half a meter, but now she was ahead.
Nerissa gritted her teeth, looking at her friend's back. It's the same thing every time. No matter how hard she tried, she always ended up behind Astrid and Charlotte. She had the fewest wins in their sparring matches. Each time she was one step away from victory, but this step was like a whole mile each time. And even now... there was only half a meter between them, but that distance seemed insurmountable to her.
“I've always worked no less hard than these two...” flashed through her mind. “So why do I have to look at their backs every time?” All the moments from the past came back to Nerissa's eyes. “What have I achieved compared to them?" She asked herself. “Astrid became the first openweight champion, turning the tide of history... Charlotte deserved the chance to fight for the middleweight title... and my biggest achievement was losing in a rivalry that I had no right to lose...” she clenched her teeth so hard that they creaked. “If I can't win now, how will I ever be able to fight Klara again and prove to her that I'm the best?” Nerissa's breathing became even faster. “If I can't win now, then how am I going to win in the ring?” Her heart seemed to be about to burst out of her chest. “If I can't win now, then how am I going to prove to them all that I'm not going to be behind them forever? I WANT TO WIN! I WANT TO WIN MORE THAN ANYONE IN THE FUCKING WORLD!!!”
Her muscles are burning. Her breathing is labored. Her body is heavy. But none of that mattered to her anymore. Her aura of poisonous green smoke first became much more dense, and then seemed to explode, expanding her zone several times. Nerissa pushed forward with unimaginable power and a moment later caught up with Charlotte.
“It can't be...” flashed through the Frenchwoman's mind.
The pink-haired woman tried to squeeze out at least a little more speed of herself. There were no more than twenty meters left to the finish line. She can't lose now. She's already gone beyond her limits, but if that's not enough, then she has to do even more. But…
Without restraining herself, Nerissa roared like a real wild animal. It was at this moment that her green aura began to overwhelm Charlotte's pink aura.
Nerissa took the lead.
Half a meter.
Meter.
One and a half meters.
Charlotte desperately tried to find the strength to catch up with her friend, but it was all in vain.
With a big smile on her face and a single tear running down her cheek, Nerissa crossed the finish line.
“I did it...” she said faintly.
Charlotte crossed the finish line less than a second after Nerissa, but that didn't mean anything anymore. The one and a half meters between them became a truly insurmountable distance for her. Both women started to slow down, but continued running forward. When they stopped, there were about ten meters between them.
The Frenchwoman leaned forward and put her palms on her knees. Lowering her head, she breathed heavily, it seemed to her that she was ready to literally spit out her lungs. She gave everything she had to this race, but it wasn't enough. Sweat was dripping from her face onto the rubber cover, and her body was visibly shaking.
“Putain...” she said, barely moving her lips.
She couldn't find any more strength to catch up with Nerissa. Today was not the day when she was destined to earn her first small victory on her way to gaining self-confidence. But even though she missed her small victory…
Charlotte raised her head and looked at Nerissa's back. The Native American woman threw her head back. Her breathing was incredibly heavy, but there was a smile on her face. The purest and brightest smile Charlotte had ever seen on her friend's face. Nerissa was enjoying the rays of the sun. It wasn't just a small victory for her. It was much more than that for her. Charlotte knew it too. And so she had nothing to regret.
“Nerissa...” said Charlotte, approaching her friend. “You got me…”
She might no longer be the noble fighter she had been considered not so long ago, but she still believed that a true fighter would never look for excuses for losing in a fair competition. The Frenchwoman thrust her right fist forward and smiled broadly at Nerissa, sincerely rejoicing at her friend's victory.
Nerissa turned to the pink-haired woman. Considering how much they both wanted to win, she was sure that Charlotte would either get angry or very upset. After all, they're both fighters, and neither of them will ever be happy about losing. However, seeing that smile on Charlotte's face... Nerissa realized that Charlotte was fully aware of how important this victory was to her.
Instead of thrusting her fist forward, Nerissa took a step forward and hugged her friend tightly. Charlotte, clearly shocked by this, first froze for a moment, and then raised her arms and hugged the Native American woman too.
“Thank you...” Nerissa said softly, showing rare warm feelings for her.
“Pf, don't get your hopes up…” not wanting her friend to start crying, Charlotte said. “You got me, but only today, next time I won't lose!”
Nerissa laughed loudly. Instead of letting go of Charlotte, she hugged her even tighter in a fit of emotion, and then…
“You stink of sweat...” said Nerissa.
“Idiot...” Charlotte sighed heavily.
The End.
