L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

It had been a month since Ambre became the new LAW champion, and despite now having a title to defend and new responsibilities, the Frenchwoman remained the same as before. Still as solitary and determined as ever in her training, which she continued to take seriously, and above all, on her way to achieving a new goal: to become a memorable champion!

...But this goal was far more difficult than she had imagined! What makes a good champion? What does it mean to be interesting? What makes a wrestler a memorable champion? These were questions she had been searching for answers to for weeks, even debating some of them with other wrestlers, but the answer was far more complicated than she had thought.

But today wasn't the right day to reflect on such things, the new champion had a Q&A session with her fans and interviewers today! It was a first for the Black Pearl, who wasn't used to speaking in front of so many people except in the ring, but it was one of her roles now that she was the champion. So she arrived in an open room at LAW headquarters in the middle of the afternoon, sitting down at a desk facing about twenty other seats... It was rather nerve-wracking, especially seeing people come and sit down or watch while she was alone, accompanied only by her championship belt, which she placed on the desk.

Ambre

After a few minutes, the interview began, and Ambre started introducing herself, giving her first and last name, her weight class, and of course, emphasizing that she had been the champion of that weight division for a year. The first few minutes felt like a job interview, but after a few seconds, the Frenchwoman felt at ease and quickly answered the questions she was being asked.

-"What do you think of the other wrestlers you've faced?"

"I've only faced heavyweights, but they've all been exceptional and different. They've helped me become stronger, whether in victory or defeat."

-"What do you do when you don't have a match?"

"I train... I often spend my life at the gym, whether it's to maintain my muscle mass or improve my endurance. If I'm not at the gym, I'm sparring or running."

-"Now that you're champion, will you participate in more LAW events? Like the upcoming We Are LAW 8?"

"I certainly hope so! The previous heavyweight champion, Alaina, has an incredible winning streak! I don't think I can beat her in that arena, but I hope to at least participate in all the upcoming events. That's the least I can do."

-"Do you have an opponent in mind for We Are LAW 8?"

"Unfortunately, none... Not that I don't have any ideas, after all, I've challenged every wrestler in this division for this title... But so far, none of them have wanted to challenge me..."

-"Do you have any idea why?"

"Nope... I was able to defend my title for the first time in an official match, but so far I haven't had a new challenger."

-"Do you think you're too strong or intimidating for the other wrestlers?"

"Definitely not! I'm still new, quite the opposite! I think I still have a lot to prove as champion, and that's precisely why many people doubt my ability to hold the title as long as the previous champion."

-"Is this a reference to what the Yses might have said about you? I don't think it's legitimate, you did manage to end Alaina Sanders' reign, after all."

"Thank you... Perhaps. After all, it was a tough match, and luck was definitely on my side... Still, I have to prove my worth and show myself worthy."

Then, after these words, Ambre stood up, raising her championship belt in her hand to show it off and pose for everyone.

"I fought for years to achieve a goal : to become champion of my weight division... But now that I've achieved that goal, I don't intend to leave thinking I've accomplished everything I set out to do. My goal now is to become a memorable champion. I want to be as iconic as Alaina, Astrid, or Linda !"

At these words, the spectators and interviewers also rose to their feet, making noise and taking pictures of the French woman. Questions continued to pour in, but everyone was talking at once, Ambre was struggling to calm the crowd and listen to the questions being asked of her.

"Not all at once... Please...!"

Many things annoyed Ashley.

Obnoxious people
Overly enthusiastic babyfaces
Public meetings
Private meetings
Meetings in general

And yet, somehow, she kept running into each and every one of them constantly; the fact that it all happened while she was part of one of the most recognized wrestling promotions was quite a conundrum for the Brit. Ashley felt a deep passion and connection for the sport. And of course, that passion translated into the redhead slamming poor souls as hard as she could onto the canvas every time she set foot in the ring. However, she had to endure the hardships of incredibly boring production meetings and such, and deal with backstage bureaucracy while keeping her papers and any contractual obligations in order. The redhead had already resigned herself to the fact that this was part of her profession.

However, there was one thing that she definitely could not stand... regardless of how many times she had tried to get over it: -Crowded places.

And that's exactly what Ashley ran into one fateful evening at the LAW main building.

Ashley -Casual Clothing

"What... THE HELL... is happening?" Ashley had been caught completely by surprise, dropping her bag to the floor as soon as she laid eyes on the sea of people present. She was used to seeing staff members and other personnel running up and down in the backstage area; she even expected it, as it was something normal during shows and tapings...

But this... this...

"This is madness!" Ashley shouted out loud. The heelish redhead wasn't booked in any matches that night; her sole purpose in being in the building was getting to the gym area and having a peaceful and unbothered training session all by herself... And she was damn sure she was gonna have it! No matter if she had to push every person on her path. The main hallway was brimming with paparazzi, journalists, and other media people, and the gym was on the other side.

"Move!"; "Get out of my way!" Ashley began shoving people left and right. As she got closer to the middle of the hallway, she laid eyes upon the entrance to the main conference room. The door was slightly ajar, offering only a small glimpse of what was happening inside.

For a brief moment, Ashley got curious about what was going on. That was until one of the journalists who couldn't get inside recognized her. "Hey, Ms. Morgan!" The man approached her, and soon several others followed, swarming the redhead instantly. A multitude of flashes bathed her out of nowhere.

"Miss, Ashley- Are you here to see the champion?"

"The what?" the redhead replied, annoyed, covering her eyes from the flashing lights of the cameras.

"Will you challenge for the title?"

"No, I'm..." she was assaulted by a myriad of sudden questions.

"Who's your next opponent?"
"What are your next plans?"
"What do you think of the current heavyweight division?"

"Stop! I just want to..." Ashley was starting to lose her patience, what little she had left.

"Are you worried about your record?"
"Are you single, Miss. Ashley?"

"FUCK OFF!" The redhead just exploded with anger, pushing the people in front of her and causing a domino effect within the confined hallway that ended up bursting the door to the conference room wide open. The loud noise caused almost everyone in the room to turn around immediately, their eyes fixed on Ashley, the only person still standing right outside the doorway after the sudden commotion.

The interview seemed to be going well, which greatly reassured the Frenchwoman! She certainly would have messed up this simple meeting if she'd done it years ago, when she was less confident and more reserved... She admired her belt with a proud smile; perhaps it was this belt that was helping boost her confidence?

But Ambre looked away from her belt when she heard someone shout angrily. Quickly glancing up in the direction of the noise, she recognized a familiar face... Ashley Morgan. She didn't know this redhead personally, but she knew she was one of the most dominant wrestlers in her division, despite being new... A woman as fierce as she was powerful, someone you definitely didn't want to mess with.

But Ambre was the champion now. She had a lot to prove as such, and not being intimidated by other wrestlers in her division was part of it! She slung her belt over her shoulder and walked toward the redhead, confronting her directly face to face... These were going to be their first interactions, and the journalists didn't hesitate to photograph the two heavyweights.

"Can I help you?"

Once the dust finally settled, Ashley saw a bunch of paparazzi lying on the floor in front of her, with the doors to the main conference room wide open.

"Finally... some fucking personal space!" she yelled out loud. Clenching her fists. Staring at the people around her, before finally looking up and noticing at least a hundred confused glances pointing in her direction. For a brief moment, she was speechless, certainly not imagining herself as the sole focus of an entire room so suddenly, before she went back to being her ever-raging self.

"What the hell are you all looking at?!" She was ready to drop a few more people when, seemingly out of the main stage, a notorious figure started to approach her.

Ashley stopped her tantrum, fixing all her attention on the person coming in her direction. Camera flashes started to go off, suddenly blinding Ashley for a few instants, with the redhead having to use her hand to cover herself. By the time she was able to see clearly again, the person was standing in front of her.

It was a muscular woman with long brown hair. Thick arms and a well-defined physique. She was a bit smaller than herself but she walked with an air of confidence that made her seem bigger than she actually was. The woman was carrying a shining belt on her shoulder: The LAW Heavyweight Championship.

Ashley didn't care much about other women in her division, for they all looked the same when lying broken under the heel of her boot. But even The Red Menace knew who this person was: Ambre Brault, the title holder and current "talk of the town." It was impossible not to have heard about her at this point.

Ashley felt silent for a few moments, not because she was nervous... but because she was processing what her eyes were seeing...

"You..." Ashley ignored Ambre's question, once again consumed by her anger and sheer annoyance with the whole situation.

"All this damn fuzz... is because of you?!" were her first words for the champion, coated with her rage.

The encounter between the Black Pearl and the Red Menace was quite... unique, and above all, unpredictable. Ambre stood straight in front of the redhead, waiting for a response, while Ashley also seemed confused and nervous.

A long silence hung in the room, broken only by the flashing of cameras... until Ashley finally spoke!

Ambre recognized the irritation in the redhead's words, and it seemed the reason was the crowd blocking the way... so, her fault! She didn't want to start an argument, or worse, a brawl between the two heavyweights. But she certainly didn't want to be pushed around; it would discredit her as champion!

She had no choice but to respond firmly to Ashley while looking her straight in the eyes.

"I guess it is, it's my interview after all. I'm sorry if it bothered you, but now you can move on, no need to be so aggressive towards journalists or my fans."

Ashley was a capable fighter; she was confident in her abilities as a wrestler, but at the same time, she was fully aware of her limitations... The Red Menace knew that "patience" was not one of her strongest attributes. She had many bruises and scars, collected throughout her career, that proved this to be true.

Suddenly standing in the middle of the conference room... surrounded by paparazzi and various media staff, on a press conference that had nothing to do with her... and in front of the LAW Heavyweight Champion...

For Ashley, this was a typical situation brought upon herself by her "lack of subtlety," so to speak.

Still, by the sheer unexpected nature of the context they all found themselves in, Ashley had to admit that she was expecting Ambre to respond in a more "angered manner." Instead, her response had been rather... respectful? Perhaps a bit condescending? It had caught Ashley by surprise...

"Yeah, well... whatever..." were the Brits' words for the champion, disregarding her comment. Ashley had had enough. The only thing she wanted was to get out of that damn place and move on with her day...

Still, the redhead couldn't help but fire a last verbal dart before she started heading toward the exit.

"All this buzzing for someone with a cheap prop!" speaking over her shoulder, not caring if she was heard or not. However, with the number of microphones and recording devices present in the crowd, there was no doubt that her words would be picked up by a considerable number of people.

This was perhaps one of the first times Ambre had stood up to someone outside the ring. Clearly, her recent work on her confidence was starting to pay off, even if she was somewhat forced into it by the current circumstances. What kind of wrestler wouldn't protect her fans and the journalists who had come for her interview? It would be undignified, especially coming from the champion!

But just when everything seemed to be settling down peacefully and without a fight, the redhead insulted what Ambre had fought for for years, an object that would give her the right to claim she was strong... The very object of her goal, which she had achieved a month ago: her championship belt! Ashley dared to insult the Heavyweight Championship belt, something Ambre couldn't let go unchallenged!

"Excuse me?!"

The Black Pearl's voice was firmer, more authoritative, and above all, louder. Everyone fell silent and turned towards the champion, who quickly stepped down to face the Red Menace, crossing her arms beneath her chest and narrowing her eyes slightly as their gazes met.

"You better put some respect on this belt. I may be the new champion and still a nobody in your eyes, but I won't allow you to insult this title that only four women, including myself, have ever held !"

The redhead already had enough of all these damn paparazzi and press people; she wanted to get out of there fast, before she ended up murdering someone. She turned around, immediately heading toward the exit, casting an annoyed glare at anyone crossing her path.

However, Ashley had barely taken two steps when a voice spoke to her in an authoritarian and scolding tone. Something she didn't appreciate in the least.

"What?!" The Red Menace suddenly stopped in her tracks, slowly turning back to the brunette. "What was that?!"

The Brit retraced her steps, eyes fixed on Ambre's, twisting her lips as if she could barely contain her anger. In mere moments, every single camera lens was pointing in their direction, recording the redhead's response for the champion. Ashley stood in front of the brunette, making the most of her slight height advantage.

"And who the hell do you think you are to be demanding anything from me?!" Ashley glanced at the championship hanging from Ambre's shoulder for a few moments before turning her attention back to the girl. "You think that holding that belt suddenly makes you better than everyone else?!" The Red Menace leaned down, getting closer to Ambre, "You don't demand respect... You earn it, darlin'!"

The tension had just risen, worse, it had just escalated several levels! The two heavyweights were starting to get irritated by each other's words; Ambre and Ashley seemed unable to get along. And the champion remained unfazed, despite facing a much taller opponent and despite Ashley's harsh words.

"I didn't say that! Just take that back!"

The Frenchwoman's face began to harden, her brows furrowed as Ambre kept her eyes fixed on Ashley. She even dared to step forward with a surge of confidence, pressing their chests together as the Black Pearl raised her title, higher than Ashley, to show that this championship belt was far more respectable and important than the two wrestlers below. Journalists and fans alike did not hesitate to immortalize this scene, dazzling the two heavyweights with their flashes for a brief second.

"I'll say it one last time, put some respect on this belt or there will be consequences."

Ashley sensed the shift in Ambre's attitude. She was slowly getting under her nerves, but rather than backing down, the Black Pearl decided to stand up to the Red Menace. And an image that would undoubtedly grace the first pages of several sports outlets through social media and the internet

Neither woman moved an inch as they stared daggers at each other. And what started as a simple misunderstanding was quickly becoming a full-on confrontation. Especially when Ambre raised the belt above both women. Ashley's eye twitched; she didn't even bother to look up, keeping her gaze fixed on the girl in front of her, her hands clenched into fists.

Their chests pressed together, wrestling for dominance in a silent battle amidst the face-off. None wanted to concede even a single inch to the other. The lingering tension was growing by the second.

"You better put that thing down..." The redhead uttered, between grinding teeth. "Or I'll make you do it..."