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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 15, 2011 20:10:06 GMT -5
SKOOL OF HARDKORE
Wrestling Academy
Queens, New York
Much of the XWA's roster had held themselves up in New York City this offseason. In truth though, much of the XWA's roster had held themselves up in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.
No, NYC was comprised of five boroughs. One of which, regarded as being the largest of them all was the one known as Queens. And in Queens was one of the most storied locales in pro wrestling, the "Skool of Hardkore". This was the warehouse turned wrestling academy that berthed the likes of superstars Jon Payne and Xander Xavier Luther among countless others.
Since then, the school has become more than just an academy for would be grapplers, but a state-of-the art training facility for current ones as well. It was a frequent place of training for many wrestlers and the occasional MMA fighter when they visited New York, and today it was being visited by two more.
Jamie had been at the free weights for some time. It's what she liked the most about training. She was particularly about maintaining not just her strength, but her form as well...a side effect of life as a bodybuilder before she got into wrestling. She was doing curls with a dumbbell in each hand, and nobody around seemed to have noticed that there was a certain look in her eyes as she performed this normally minuscule exercise. She was trying to block something out. What?
Pain.
A nagging one that had been nagging every since she and Justice got into the city. She had been checked, examined, double checked and re-examined by the doctors after being attacked by the woman known as Titanisha, and they all said that she was fine. Fit for competition. But something was off. Something was awkward.
Her back felt cramped, especially low under her shoulder blades. She did after all take two chair shots from a 250 pound woman. Not even a body as fine chiseled as hers could recover that quickly from such a thing. The doctor's believed she did, but her back was aching for a second opinion. She soldiered on though. She was going to get through this. She would recover, and nobody would ever notice.
Except, one certain person did. |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 15, 2011 22:22:14 GMT -5
"Are you okay?"
Justice and Jamie had spent enough time together for Justice to realize that all was not completely well. Justice put down her own set of smaller dumbbells on the nearby rack. She had seen the slight grimace of pain cross her friends face. It wasn't the first time either. Jamie's full range of motion obviously had not returned since the Troop Tribute. They had all been a little stiff afterward, but even Justice was back to normal now and she had no where near the conditioning of Jamie Fury.
"You should stop?"
That's what the doctors always said. If it hurts, stops. Athletes rarely listened. They always say, if it hurts then push through it. Unfortunately the doctors are usually right.
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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 15, 2011 23:32:53 GMT -5
Athletes in this predicament will usually answer the same way also when they're asked the question Justice did to Jamie.
"I'm fine."
"I'm okay."
But nothing could be further from the truth, and there really wasn't any use trying to lie to one as perceptive as Asuka. Besides, they had been pretty candid up until that point, so Jamie confirms what nobody else actually knew.
My back is still sore. I don't know why...they put me in a CAT-scan and said they didn't see anything wrong, nothing broken. But it's still bothering me.
It could have been a number of things even the finest medical technology couldn't find, but one thing was certain. It was the very spot she was struck from behind on that afternoon in Fort Bragg.
Maybe it's bruised or something, I'm not sure.
She'd been hurt before. Everyone gets bumps and bruises, especially in their chosen profession...but this was different. She really didn't know what was the best course of action to remedy it. Work through it? Rest it? Deep down, she was afraid either or would make her lose that edge that's carried her for so long.
I don't know what I should do, Justice... |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 15, 2011 23:53:29 GMT -5
Justice looked sympathetic, but that was about the only thing she could do. She had zero knowledge of sports medicine. When Justice had a problem, she did the same thing Jamie had done; gone to a doctor and done what she said. The most important thing a Joshi Puro wrestler learned was how to land. But when you were attacked without warning? You couldn't prepare. That's when real damage could occur.
"I... I don't know Jamie. But you should talk to someone who does know."
Justice didn't know anyone outside of the XWA trainers, and she thankfully had not even needed their services. But she had seen enough of her friends to know that ignoring it never worked out very well in the long run.
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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 16, 2011 0:52:43 GMT -5
I guess I should probably get a second check-up before the season starts. That's a good idea. I know what's really going to make me feel better though...
She paused and thought of exactly what that was. What had happened at Fort Bragg wasn't going to be enough, as spectacular as that was. She knew that wherever Titanisha was, that she was going to be coming after her again. Something about the woman suggested she was the relentless type. She would either destroy all she said she would, or she'd be destroyed by someone who's brave enough to withstand her relentlessness.
...I suppose I'm going to have to wait for that chance.
To the rest of the world, she was still "The Mighty Jamie Fury". But to her, and Justice as well, there was a crack in her once thought to be impregnable armor. She knew it. Justice knew it. Titanisha more than likely knew it too. All the more reason to be wary of this new nemesis.
The thought of it all was motivation, enough to ignite the flames in her soul, but the stiffness in her back was enough to bring her back to reality. She was going to have to handle this situation cautiously. She shakes her head, a futile attempt at getting the thoughts out of her head, and smiles at Justice.
No need to think about all that just yet. There's still time for me to get a little better. It's funny though, just a couple of months ago, everything was so...simpler.
Months ago, things were exactly that. It was all competition. It was all putting on the best show for the XWA's fans. Now, things have gotten complex. Very complex...and very aggressively so.
All the media and the magazines are saying that XWA's in a "new era". It really is. Everything's changed. After that Tribute show...to be honest with you...it doesn't even feel like the same company anymore.
Whether that was a good or a bad thing in Jamie's mind was still under discussion. |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 16, 2011 2:18:08 GMT -5
Justice knew what Jamie wanted. It was what anybody would want in her position. She wanted to get even with, and then pass by Titanisha. It was the competitor in Jamie and it was very strong. But Justice was worried too. How much would that cost Jamie. Her title? Her career?? Both if she pushed ahead without thinking clearly. In the very back of Justice's mind, she had a small plan. She had promised to pay back Jamie for all her help and kindness...
"I know you want to fight her. But you should watch her first. You do not know anything about her. If you could watch her fight, it would give you more time to heal. You could find her weakness too."
Justice wasn't very deceptive or tricky. It was obvious what she was thinking about doing. She was thinking of challenging Titanisha at the first show. Then she could help Jamie, because right now she wasn't being very helpful. In her mind it was a perfect plan. But back on the planet Earth it was called a suicide mission. The risks were not great. They were impossible. But Justice didn't think about that. She just knew she had found a way to be useful. That meant a lot to her.
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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 16, 2011 3:21:45 GMT -5
You mean scout her? That's actually a very good idea there, Justice.Seeing just who she'd be dealing with without actually having to deal with her...yet. Certainly a great idea. Considering there's a lot of new competition this year, that's a great idea! Good thinking Justice.  I just wonder who she might face though... |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 16, 2011 6:21:37 GMT -5
"That is not important."
Justice was very excited, but she tried her best to play it 'cool'. This would help Jamie out a lot, just like she had thought. She made a mental note to meet her boss, Ms. Blackheart, to get everything together without Jamie knowing about it.
"I'm sure who ever it is will be happy to talk to you. I don't think Titanisha will have many friends here."
Isn't that how things worked out? Evil used tricks and deception, while Good had help from their friends. Justice was going to be that friend. Her mind was made up.
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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 17, 2011 1:21:56 GMT -5
Yeah. That's a pretty safe bet to make.
It was funny how that worked. She was no shrink, but Jamie thought to her herself that there was no way that kind of thinking that the likes of Titanisha or Lilith had was healthy. Destructive, dangerous? Very much so, but for for them...let alone others? No.
Besides, why should I have all the fun? She said she wanted to take out every Diamond. As if that's even possible. I don't think it'll be long before she sees that it's going to take more than blindside attacks to pull that off.
Gonna be really interesting to see her realize that her plan isn't as simple as she thinks.
There was truth in that. It was going to be a long season, and Jamie wasn't going to be the only person Titanisha had to contend with. Was the woman confident that she could dominate the entire division? Even with as extreme of tactics that she was apparently willing to employ, that was not going to be an easy feat.
I just know one thing, at least we'll be busy. I suppose that's a good thing, huh? |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 17, 2011 21:42:08 GMT -5
It looked like Jamie was going to have a very long season. It was all the more reason she had to be sure her back was 100%. The XWA didn't seem like a company that was going to protect their Diamond Champion. She was going to have to protect herself. Justice's task was far simpler. Survive. Adapt. Grow. Well, simple when compared to Jamie's list.
"Yes and that is why you have to be in good health, Jamie. Why don't we stop playing with the weights until you see someone."
Justice hated weights. She knew she needed the lifting power. Especially now that her next opponent was decided her mind. But weights were tricky things when someone was injured. They could do more harm than good.
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Post by Jamie Fury on Feb 18, 2011 1:34:17 GMT -5
Jamie took a deep breath and set the dumbbell back onto it's rack. Justice was right.
I guess we could call it a day here. I think what I really need is a warm bath and a cold glass of wine.
She laughs. She could definitely go for some quiet time though. They were out and about quite a bit during their stay in New York, but it was looking more and more like the best course of action for these final days before the new season was some simple rest and relaxation. Calm before the storm.
Guess we can go hit the showers? |
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Post by Justice Asuka on Feb 18, 2011 2:00:27 GMT -5
"You go ahead. I'll meet you in there."
Justice slowly gathered up her towel, her water and gear. She was a sweaty, hungry mess and wanted nothing more than a shower. But she took her time because she hated changing in front of people, even her friends. It probably came from her school days, two whole years ago. She looked so different from the other girls. Her height. Her dimensions. Her face. While many girls in Japan would have killed to look different, Justice had found it more of a hassle than a benefit. Everyone always stared at her. So she started to change alone, or in a corner. Old habits died hard.
She waited a few more minutes before she finally stood up, and headed for the showers as well while she wrapped a white towel around her neck. She still had so many things to work out. She didn't know that stepping out of her safe little world was going to force her to deal with them all now.
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I just wonder who she might face though...