L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Spoiler

Okay. This was easily one of the more interesting interviews that Lucielle Costa had ever arranged. Amy Twombly was very new to the world of professional wrestling, a fact that became readily apparent when she first met "Cyber Rider" in the ring in Tokyo, as Alicia Lepo. The girl had talent, being a huge pain in the ass every time they locked up. Standing, in the corner, on the ground...She had a lot of answers ready.

Good thing Rider...Cyber? CR? Was so passive, spending a lot of time in their match seeming to wait for something. For Alicia to say something with action, so she could respond in kind. It took time, but she was able to use that to get enough damage done to pick up the win. Worked better against a few of the others in the tryouts, though.

But to Amy, it was not good enough. Not when it led to her being brought into the company as a Young Lioness. She'd been training for years for this moment, doing her best to ignore the smooth brains that composed her high school's Folkstyle Wrestling team, and later adding the hybrid discipline of German Ju-Jutsu to her repertoire. She did well in both regards, becoming one of the team's most efficient despite being the smallest. Learning from her GJJ instructor quickly as his lessons spread out. From grappling to striking, from ankle locks to clinch fighting.

The world of science was the one that she was spending most of her time in, but there was a fire to her learning as a wrestler. A martial artist. Her mind hadn't been made up back then, but deep down, she knew that she'd be here. Somewhere in the world of professional wrestler.

Just like the deadbeats she had for parents.

A history that Lucielle remained unaware of. Previous interviews with other media had seen Amy focused more on the now and the future. Very little detail about her childhood. But you don't break a world record by winning the Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award at twenty-three without something to motivate it. Something juicy was waiting beneath the surface, and she was going to get to it.

LAW and Futurotica Industries had collaborated to put this press conference together. It was a lot for a Young Lioness: All the cameras and other waiting cameras, the fancy stage...But Amy wasn't just some rich girl for whom this was a drop in the bucket. She was also a big name. In cybernetics in general, but also within Futurotica, as the lead of the Pink Gear Division. The people who were going to make a lot of incels happy.

The weird thing to Lucielle was that Amy appeared to be...making use of that product as well. She was looking a little too close and familiar to those robots she had with her when the brunette saw her around earlier.

Yeah, let's get to that: Robots. Right out of the movies. They weren't like those dead-eyed animatronic dolls that were being shown off a few years ago. They were emotive. Expressive. Capable of taking initiative, not waiting around for orders or for someone to initiate a conversation. Aside from the metal and glowing lights, they were pretty much like flesh and blood people at first glance. Well, except for the big one that just stood around, looking menacing.

Big Bertha over there? She could understand Amy walking around with that close by. Who'd want to mess with her when she has that behemoth around? But Galatea and Pintosmalto...When Lucielle did her research, she found that a big deal had been made of their sexual functions. And that had her wondering. She didn't get it: Amy's a cute girl, so what would she need them for?

"Olá pessoal! This is Lucielle Costa here, bringing you the scoop on LAW's hottest signings! And we have a treat for you today, folks: Standing here beside me is the lead of Futurotica Industries' Pink Gear Division. The youngest person to ever receive the Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award, showing the world that us ladies can science it up just as well as the boys -- Amy Twombly, also known as Cyber Rider, everyone!"

Already donning her futuristic looking ring gear, Amy waved to the press crowd, with Galatea and Pintosmalto -- what a name -- following suit. The latter moreso: Galatea was a touch reserved, but Pintosmalto was looking like he loved the cameras. And the cameras loved him right back.

Lucielle couldn't see the blonde's eyes behind that visor she's wearing, but the body language made it obvious. Hands on her hips, that little toss of the head; she could see those eyes rolling in her head. Coupled with an amused smile as she looked on.

"Thanks for having me, Lucielle."

"The pleasure is ours here at LAW! Which leads me to the first two questions on everyone's mind: Why professional wrestling, and why now?"

Rider would answer, readily, "It felt like it was time. I've spent years working towards the day where Project Companion would officially be marked a success. In my personal experience, that day came when the first Galatea and Pintosmalto models walked out of the Pink Gear lab based in Maine and invited me to walk into their loving arms."

And right on cue, they walked right over and wrapped their arms around her. Galatea in front, Pintosmalto from behind, the warm, intimate contact tugging at the corners of her lips to create a display of fulfillment. Confirmation of what Lucielle's suspicions.

"They became the loves of my life. The very companions that so many of us claim to want."

"Claim to?" Lucielle smelled a story there.

"With the rise of technology that connects us all the entire world over, Lucielle, it's become more obvious now than it's ever been throughout our history: Humanity is a deeply flawed species. Take a look around on social media. What's one of the main things you see? People lamenting their relationships with other people.

Sometimes it's the good ones who just got screwed. But most of the time, when you dig deeper? The pattern becomes difficult to ignore after a while. People frequently describe themselves as victims of a problem they're actively perpetuating."

Amy spoke these observations without the slightest hesitancy. She knew very well just how solipsistic humans are; nobody who was hearing this was going to think of themselves as one of these hypocrites. It wouldn't hurt sales. If anything, it could very well do the opposite. All they have to do is use their eyes and ears for just a few moments, and they'll be in agreement.

...

And just like that, it all clicked for Lucielle.

She's one of those.

"Right." It was all the brunette could do not to roll her eyes. "So Project Companion was started as a response to this problem?" A problem that Amy was most certainly above, hence the misanthropic diatribe.

"Not just a response: A solution."

"A 'solution'? How so?"

This ought to be good.

"Our Companion Bots were made to provide a human experience without the uncertainty, across every degree you could wish for. Friendship. Romance..." There was a brief silence as Amy raised a hand to Galatea's cheek, giving it a tender stroking. She wouldn't leave Pintosmalto out, reaching back with that same softness. Running her bared fingers through hair that felt no different from that of a human being. "And everything in between. You can customize them in a variety of ways to fit your desires: Personality, voice, interests, and a few other surprises that you all will see when I step into the ring. But the one thing that will never change is their loyalty to the customer. That comes guaranteed."

"What are you saying, exactly?"

"I'm saying that with them, you can experience connection without the risks. That risk will be a thing of the past."

"So customers can experience human connection, without worrying about the other side leaving."

"Yep."

Yikes. She couldn't have tried to diplomat it up some with that answer?

"I'm sure that some of our viewers would ask: If the Companion Bots have a built-in incapability of leaving their users, how could it really be a friendship, much less anything romantic?"

"You're starting to apply too much of a human-to-human standard to your thinking here. These are machines providing a service. As long as the user is satisfied, what does it matter what anyone else thinks?" Amy's response was delivered without any hint of defensiveness. Like this mindset had been settled in for years. But despite that impersonal response, she was in no hurry to leave the arms of the machines. Though she would eventually have to.

Well..."You've got me there. But don't you think that you'd be contributing to the problem yourself by supplying these robots? Don't you think that would hinder the ability of your customer base to connect with other human beings? No offense, but to some, it looks like you're offering crutches to people."

"What if they don't want to connect with other human beings? What if they've had so many bad experiences stacked up over such a long period of time that they just don't want to bother anymore?"

"That sounds kind of personal."

"What better lead for the project than someone who understands?"

Portuguese-to-English Translation

"Olá pessoal!" -- "Hello, everyone!"

Cue a beat of silence. Lucielle had provided an opening for Amy to tell her story, but that's all she would be met with. Seeing that that was going nowhere, she decided to move on.

"True. So what's your goal here?"

"It's that simple. Some people want companionship, but for one reason or another, they don't have faith that they'll be getting it from other people. What I want is to provide a safe alternative."

"And how does that translate to professional wrestling?"

"When it comes to matters of the heart, it doesn't. What I'm doing here in regards to the Companion Bots is collecting data. LAW is well-known for the sexual nature of many of its matches, and athletes who train for sexual contests present a highly viable group of test subjects. The project has progressed to a stage where we feel that we can supply products, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. I want to reach a point where Companion Bots can be released across a wider market."

"And be seen in everyday households?"

"Correct."

"And is that all that's brought you to LAW?"

"No. I'll need to rewind; I got sidetracked."

"That's fine."

"Thank you. Yes, I came to LAW because it felt like it was time to pursue another dream of mine. My mother had gotten into the combat wrestling business."

"I'm sure she must be proud to see you following in her footsteps."

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "She left me behind in a hotel when I was six."

And she said it so matter-of-factly. Like she was talking about the weather or something. Jesus.

"Uh, what about your father?"

"Never met him."

Jesus!

Up to this point, Lucielle had done a good job of hiding her internal reactions to the woman standing in front of her. The skepticism. But as judgment gave way to pity, her mask slipped.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No need to be." Either she didn't mean it, or whatever sympathy she has now would be gone later anyway.

Pintosmalto would raise one of his metallic-looking hands to Amy's back. A subtle giveaway that she might not be as over it as she seems.

"But to get back to your original question, professional wrestling has been something I've considered doing all my life. It became secondary to science, but the thought was always there. After I've achieved proof that humanlike robotic companions were indeed a viable concept that could achieve satisfactory results, I had another urge that I just couldn't ignore, so here I am!"

There was a lot missing from what she just said. A years-long sequence of events that sparked that "urge". The word felt too small in this context. But Lucielle's gut told her to ride the wave that Amy had created.

"Speaking of your companions, can you tell us more about how they work?"

"Definitely. To begin with, the public tends to assume that the challenge was making them look human. It wasn't. Realistic synthetic skin is a solved problem. Voice synthesis is a solved problem. Facial animation is a solved problem.

The challenge was creating a machine capable of understanding context." Amy folded her arms. "Human conversation isn't a collection of scripted responses. It's a continuous process of prediction. Every second, your brain is generating models of the people around you. What they're thinking. What they're feeling. What they're likely to do next.

Companion Bots utilize a multi-layered predictive cognition architecture that performs a similar function. They're constantly updating internal behavioral models based on sensory input, conversational history, environmental factors, and long-term interaction patterns."

"So..." Lucielle needed a moment to try to make sense of the technical jargon. "They form a conversational database, based on the user?"

"No." Amy shook her head. "That implies that they're simply selecting responses from a list. That's the misconception. No, earlier generations of social robots relied heavily on decision trees and prewritten behavioral pathways. Galatea and Pintosmalto don't. They operate using adaptive personality frameworks. Every interaction influences future behavior. Preferences emerge. Habits emerge. Communication styles emerge.

Their personalities aren't entirely programmed. They're cultivated."

"So they're learning? They're a true Artificial Intelligence?"

Amy nodded, with a slight smile to show that she was pleased with Lucielle's ability to keep up with her speech. She hadn't recognized until after the words had already flowed out of her mouth that she'd reflexively pulled from a selection that tended to confuse the laypeople. A habit that she hadn't ever been quite able to fix, what with her often spending time either with other specialists in her field or with her companions, who were just as much up to speed.

"Yes. Exactly!"

"Okay. And for those of us who aren't as scientifically inclined..." Lucielle would point at Galatea before asking her next question: "What makes her different from, say...ChatGPT, or some other advanced chatbot?"

Amy would immediately answer, "Embodiment. Human beings don't experience the world as disembodied text generators. We experience it through sight, sound, touch, movement, proximity, posture, temperature, and physical presence.

Galatea's cognitive systems are tied directly into a full sensory suite. Visual processing. Auditory processing. Haptic feedback. Environmental mapping. Autonomous movement. She isn't generating responses in a vacuum. She's reacting to a world she can actively perceive."

Her smile expanded across her face as she began to settle into a conversational flow state. Though with that visor completely hiding her eyes from view, coupled with what she's just learned of her history just now, Lucielle couldn't help but get some mad scientist vibes as Amy started pacing. Arms behind her back, circling Galatea, then Pintosmalto as she spoke. The explanation that followed would relate to Bertha as well, but she knew where the people's focus would be. Plus, Bertha had settled into her security role. It would be best to give her some space while she's working.

"Each Companion Bot maintains what we call a Dynamic Relational Model: Rather than storing isolated facts about a user, the system continuously maps emotional significance, recurring behavioral patterns, personal boundaries, preferences, interpersonal history, and projected future outcomes.

In simpler terms, they don't just remember things about you. They develop an understanding of who you are."

For a moment, there was silence. Pure silence as the entire room went silent. Then came the murmurs. Conversations between crowdgoers. Journalists making audio notes. Amy would leave them to it.

Lucielle remained quiet. She might not be doing it full-time, but she's still a wrestler. She knows the game: She can see when someone is milking the moment.

And once it had been milked to her satisfaction, Amy would conclude, "The goal was never to build something that could merely imitate affection." She glanced towards Galatea. "The goal was to build something capable of understanding it."

It would be then that Lucielle would realize: She hadn't asked her exactly how all of this would translate over to the ring.

But it would hit her after she opened her mouth: It was a generalized, but very applicable explanation. One that had her making a mental note to catch Cyber Rider's matches.

"That...that sounds amazing. And I'm sure the LAW Universe is eager to see you and your Companion Bots in action."

"Ah, thank you! I was just about to ask for your thoughts thus far." She didn't actually need to: It was written all over Lucielle's face. But her ego was never one to complain about having more added to its plate.

"And speaking of action..." Lucielle began, her blue eyes turning towards the blonde's...Armor. This has to be power armor. And the only reason she won that match was because she was still working out some kinks. LAW lets its talent get away with a lot, but murder wasn't on the list.

She thinks. There was the Huxian Li Incident. How that woman remained employed after that...raised some very uncomfortable questions.

"Let's talk about your ring gear."

"Ah, yes." Amy had the feeling that she already knew what her first question was going to be. "The suit isn't powered armor." She immediately pointed a finger toward the audience. "Let's get that misconception out of the way right now, before somebody writes an article saying I've built an exoskeleton that can punch through a tank. I am not Iron Woman.

Though that would be pretty cool."

"You're for real?"

"Yes. The legal department would have a collective aneurysm. Anyway, the Cyber Rider System is primarily an information platform." She pointed to her visor and continued, "The visor provides real-time access to biometric data, positional tracking, environmental analysis, and predictive modeling software."

"Meaning?"

"It helps me recognize patterns. Every opponent develops habits: Some people always favor a particular leg before shooting for a takedown. Some telegraph strikes by shifting their shoulders. Some breathe differently when they're tired. Human beings are remarkably predictable once you collect enough data."

So that was how she was catching on so fast!

"That was always the focus of the CRS. When people hear 'advanced technology', they tend to immediately think enhanced strength." Amy shook her head. "Strength is easy. Information is valuable: If I know what you're about to do before you do it, I don't need to be stronger than you."

"So far the CRS is sounding like an 'I Win' button, but as the previous Tokyo tryouts have shown, that's not exactly the case."

"Like I said, this isn't some top-secret, military grade armor." Though Futurotica Industries has been considering branching out, hence the suit's existence. Testing the waters, so to speak.

That information, however, was indeed classified, with an

(Non-Disclosure Agreement)

that would be keeping her lips sealed for the foreseeable future.

"The suit does make me a more efficient fighter, yes. But it's still up to me to take victory for myself. And as you've seen, training can only take you so far. Experience was what I needed, and it was what I was lacking, entirely."

"That only gives the fans more reason to watch your progress. I know I will be."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, let's move onto the suit itself."

"Yes." Amy's hands raised to her hips, and with her straightened posture, she looked every bit the part of a sci-fi superheroine. "The CR-Mark-Seven utilizes a multilayer composite weave developed by Futurotica's materials division."

Lucielle blinked, completely lost now. "Meaning?"

"It's durable, lightweight, flexible, breathable, and significantly more impact-resistant than conventional athletic gear."

"You could've just started with that."

"Yes, but where would the fun be?"

And just like that, Lucielle was beginning to shift back towards "judgmental". She always hated people who flexed their intelligence. It's like, "Cool, but that shit got you stuffed into lockers back when you were in school. You might wanna remember that."

"The suit also contains a distributed sensor network. Motion tracking, pressure detection, impact monitoring, muscle activity analysis, and environmental awareness."

"In English?"

"It tells her what's happening." Pintosmalto would chime in.

Ooh,

!

"Tanto faz, robô gostosão! That's not English!"

"Ele monitoriza as coisas para que ela não tenha de se preocupar."

A ball of ice suddenly formed in Lucielle's stomach. Of course the damn robot is multi-lingual.

Pintosmalto looked back at her with a little "gotcha" grin. When Amy joined in, however...that ball of ice turned into a field encasing her guts.

"I may have forgotten to mention that the visor is also capable of receiving -- and translating -- audio." A little something extra that she decided to add to its list of functions after witnessing the weaponized use of language barriers in a few matches between opponents of differing nationalities.

"Cool. That's another detail that I'm sure we could've all appreciated you sharing right out the gate. Moving on..."

After a quick, quiet laugh, and some not so quite laughter from their audience, Amy would grant that pushy request. "Yes?"

"Before we wrap up, there's one question I think everyone wants answered."

"Only one?" Amy raised a playful eyebrow. Or tried to, anyway. She didn't have the fine control over her facial muscles that Dwayne Johnson and some others possessed. Not that it mattered: The visor kept them covered.

"I'm trying to be merciful." Lucielle gestured towards the robots. "What exactly are they going to be doing here?"

"A good question. Each Companion Bot can have their roles customized as their users see fit. But as for my personal models?" Amy took another glance at Galatea, starting with her..."Galatea specializes in interpersonal interaction and emotional analysis."

"So she's the nice one?"

"They're all nice."

"Amy, that's objectively untrue."

Ooh,

!

...Then Pintosmalto..."Pintosmalto was geared to study social engagement."

"Meaning?"

"He enjoys attention."

"I enjoy being appreciated."

"Sounds like a diplomatic way of saying you're a showoff."

"I learned from the best." Pintosmalto turned his glowing blue eyes towards Amy, who pretended to have somehow failed to hear him despite him only being a few feet away.

No comment for that smartass. Onto Bertha now.

"Bertha specializes in security, logistics, and threat assessment."

"So she's the scary one. Gotcha."

"Statistically speaking, most people who describe me that way have spoken to me for less than three minutes."

Now

was unexpected. Though Lucielle was half-expecting her to not have a voice at all.

There were three more, but Amy decided that she would let them have their spotlight another time. Give the fans another something to look forward to.

"And with that, folks, I think we can call this one a-" Lucielle stopped herself, turning to Amy again. "Actually, I have one more question."

"Ah, good. I would've been a little disappointed if we were leaving with that."

"Yeah. So...Do you ever think that maybe you're wrong? Do you ever worry that one day somebody will prove you wrong? That maybe human connection isn't as hopeless as you think it is?

Translation

"Tanto faz, robô gostosão!" -- "Whatever, sexy robot man!" (Loose translation)

"Ele monitoriza as coisas para que ela não tenha de se preocupar." -- "It watches things so she doesn't have to."

There we are. Amy was of two, unequally-sized minds about that question: For the most part, it actually perked her up a bit on the inside. She loves these deeper conversations. But she was also a touch disappointed: That the question was even asked meant that Lucielle wasn't really listening to what she was saying.

But she wasn't surprised. Lucielle is only human.

The room grew quiet again. If the rest were million dollar questions, this was the one that was worth a billion.

Amy tilted her head, slightly. "I never said that human connection was hopeless." The correction came immediately. Not defensively, but factually. "Not entirely."

"Then what are you saying?"

Now that? That gave Amy pause. She needed a moment to put an answer together. "I'm saying that this idea people repeat -- that 'there's someone out there for everyone' -- is a comforting lie. For some people, there isn't someone out there. For others, there may be plenty of people out there, but none they'll ever truly mesh with." But once she got going, she would find herself back in her flow state. "Human beings are products of genetics, environment, experience, temperament, opportunity, and chance. Sometimes those variables align. Sometimes they don't.

And in either case, it's not necessarily anyone's fault. What I object to is the idea that people should spend their entire lives alone simply because reality didn't provide them with the connections they were told would come naturally."

Lucielle wouldn't respond immediately. Because she couldn't decide which was sadder: The simpler idea that this woman had been so thoroughly beaten down by her experiences that her mentality had effectively become "People suck, so I made something better", or that she still believed in connection. Knew that it was always possible. But not for herself, or that she'd been so hurt and disappointed that she no longer saw the risk as being worthwhile.

And she could swear that she was seeing something similar in Galatea and Pintosmalto's faces too. It almost freaked her out, how human they were in the moment.

But either way..."I don't know if I agree with you."

Amy wouldn't respond to that. Knowing exactly which part of that she was talking about, she didn't feel the need. The two women would share one final glance, communicating in silence before Lucielle turned to the main camera. A more somber air settled into the space, thick enough to choke the crowd into silence once more.

"And that's a wrap, everyone. Until the next scoop."