Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 1:41:39 GMT -6
Valora rolled over and coughed, spitting up blood and watching as it hit the floor of the medical rooms in the back of the NEW Arena. Ignite 202 had just ended and the crowd was still cheering and buzzing. Valora had done what she promised she would do. In one night she had taken care of the arrogant little shit that had insulted her cultural heritage by calling himself a Luchadore. It didn’t matter to Valora in the least that she had ended the man’s career if not his life. In fact, it was just another name for her list. Another person whose career she had ended. She had then followed that up by showcasing her skills once more and defeating the World Champ Nathan O’Connell, giving Nathan his first loss since NEW came back from it’s hiatus. Sure every part of her body was screaming in agony and her ribs had taken a beating from the high risk Shooting Star Press she had tried and missed, landing ribs first on the steel steps, but winning had a nice habit of dulling the pain and besides, Valora was no stranger to pain and got off on it, so either way you cut it, it was a good night for her.
One of the Medical staff came in and looked at Valora. “Alright, Val.. the ambulance is here, time to get you checked out.” Valora shook her head. “I’m fine.” The doctor looked at Valora and sighed. “Jesse Styles ordered you to go to the hospital and get checked out. You need an MRI or CT scan at least to make sure you didn’t break any ribs.” Valora sighs. “I didn’t. I’ve broken ribs before.. I know what they feel like. I” Valora is cut off as she doubles over and coughs up more blood. The doctor raises his eyebrow. “That’s a sign of internal bleeding and injuries, Valora. You’re going to get checked out.” Valora narrowed her eyes. “I sent one man to the hospital and ended his career if not his life.. I left the World Champ of this fed in the ring, wondering what the hell hit him, so the question you all have to ask is how good is your insurance? Cause I’ll send at least 3 of you to the hospital. I don’t care which three it happens to be, either.”
The doctor sighs and shakes his head. “Valora.. what the hell are we supposed to do?” Valora nods. “Just give me a damn pain shot. The ribs will heal.. they’re bruised at best.”
There was, of course, another, much more important reason that Valora was so dead set against going to the hospital, besides personal and professional pride. Hospitals meant records,, a detailed accounting of the exact injuries, where they were, how serious they were and the expected recovery time, as well as any medicines prescribed to help deal with pain or help said injuries or sickness heal faster. With the name of the drug, all one needed was internet access and a google search would lead you to all the info you needed. In the hands of a skilled fighter, a list of injuries told you everything you needed to ensure a win with minimal effort.
Granted, hospital records were supposed to be confidential, but with the right skillset and access, they weren’t too hard to obtain and Valora didn’t feel like risking Ryan Elias getting a hold of them. Let him see her fight. Let him see her walk out of the arena same as usual, seemingly unphased. Let him suspect and guess the injuries, he wouldn’t be sure, in the end, he’d be making a wager, taking a gamble. It was something Valora had a feeling Ryan Elias wouldn’t want to do. She may not know the man, but she knew the type, he could not and did not try to hide it. The way he walked, the way he carried himself, his efficiency in the ring. It all said military, probably special forces. Which meant he was a control freak, anal retentive. A man of strict habits and used to a routine. It was a trait all soldiers shared to a degree, the question and the trick was learning the degree. Kronin was the same but had shown ability to adapt. at times.
Valora was brought back to reality by the doctor advancing towards her with the syringe and she nodded, raising her shirt a bit, not showing any reaction as the needle went in. A short time later, as she planned, she walked out of the arena and seemed, for the most part, fine. Making her way outside, she stowed her gearbag in the saddlebag compartment of her motorcycle and was soon on her way to the apartment registered to her name over on the South side of Chicago. Walking into the apartment, her first move was to drop her gearbag in the corner, her second move was to grab her favorite painkiller, a bottle of tequila and take a long drink, closing her eyes as she felt the the familiar taste make its way down her throat with the liquid. It had been too long since she had been able to take up her ‘normal’ self and thus indulge in her usual habits and her body hadn’t let her forget it either.
Her drink was interrupted by her phone ringing. Sighing, she picked it up and took a breath as she saw who was calling, flipping the phone open and speaking into it. “Whatcha got, Sam?”
She listened as Samantha relayed the details. So Ryan Elias was a former Navy SEAL and had served with Kronin. Interesting tidbit to know there. It was also nice to know her guess had been correct. This would require some careful planning as a SEAL was no small task to deal with. Valora knew enough about them to know they were not to be taken lightly and Elias in particular seemed to have something about him. More research would definitely be needed with him. She thanked Samantha for the information and decided to meet with her later, to discuss next moves, ending the call before finishing her bottle of tequila and calling it a night. It had been an eventful night and tomorrow began the next phase, training.
A few days later, Valora was up with the sun and made her way to the gym where she continued through her rigorous training method, beginning with a run around the part of the gym that was fairly open and could be used for a variety of activities, it didn’t matter that each time Valora’s foot touched the floor, a shockwave of pain went through her, she kept running as if everything was normal. As she ran, she rounded a corner and came across Brandi Boss, who smiled a bit nervously and cleared her throat. “Umm Valora.. I was wondering if I could maybe get a few questions with you?”
Valora sighed and looked over the woman reporter and, if rumor was to be believed, future ring announcer of the Lights Out brand and nodded. “Go ahead.. I have a few moments to kill, I guess.”
Brandi smiled a bit and nodded. “First off… you’ve never competed on any show but Ignite, you missed the era of Collision and the like, so what are your thoughts being on the Lights Out brand?”
Valora shrugged. “I could give a shit about the name of the show I’m on. Kronin put together top tier talent and was smart enough to drop that arrogant, disrespectful puta Sasha Foote for Ricky Cassels. Cassels might be some dumb redneck from the trailer parks, but the fucker at least has talent and is a proven commodity. Hell, I can’t stand Hunter Valentyne, but picking Sasha Foote over Hunter? That was a fuckin’ insult to the veterans. Course, maybe Kronin did it because he knew Jesse wouldn’t be in a rush to pick Hunter either, who knows. All I know is that there’s a shit ton of talent on Lights Out and it’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Brandi nodded as she considered her next question and moved into it. “And your thoughts on Sasha? You seem to take the recent influx of rookies very personally…”
Valora smirks. “I don’t have a problem with the new talent. That Ricky Maroni? Been showing the proper respect… Sasha? Well, I could go on all day about her, but let’s just say I can’t remember the last time someone stepped into a ring, got knocked the fuck out and all of a sudden people treated them like they were the best thing ever in Wrestling. The puta has disrespected me and other veterans that built this fuckin’ company and she’ll pay for that in blood.”
Brandi nodded. “On twitter, you’ve made some threats towards her daughter and comments about Hardcore fans that advocate killing children as being quote, ‘your kind of peeps’ Is that really the message you think you should be sending?”
Valora smirks. “Bonecrusher said that. He’s like every other elitist fuck that looks down on hardcore wrestling. I’ve heard this shit since day one of my career. ‘Oh it’s garbage wrestling. Oh it’s what people who can’t do REAL wrestling do, Oh it’s just for sadistic fucks and bloodthirsty people..’ It’s B.S. I proved against Nathan I can wrestle just as good as anyone else fuckin’ can. Hardcore wrestling fans are just as smart, just as passionate about their shit as so called regular wrestling fans are and Bonecrusher better learn this is New Edge. We run hardcore here. Get fuckin’ used to it. You see Brandi.. I’m smart.. I know you need new talent to grow, but there has to be a mix.. this company is forgetting about those of us who built this place and looking towards people that MIGHT turn out to be assets. What about proven assets? As for Sasha’s daughter? She’s made the mistake of parading the girl all over twitter and mentioning her every chance she can get… there are people in this business who will get ahead by any means necessary Maybe I’m one of those people, maybe I’m not. But Sasha should be careful how much ammo she gives her opponents if she plans to survive in this business.”
Brandi nods. “At Demented, you’re facing Ryan Elias.. winner goes to Terrordome, You’ve been in Terrordome before and know how brutal it is, how important is it for you to get back there?”
Valora cracks her neck and nods. “”Well Terrordome is always a fun match.. it’s designed for someone like me.. if I have to go through Ryan Elias to get there, then it’s just going to be a bad fuckin’ day to be Ryan Elias when I beat his ass bloody. Next question.”
Brandi gulps a bit and nods. “Okay then… the draft. You made it known you expected to be number 1 overall, but ended up Lights Out’s number 2 pick, making you 3rd overall. What are your thoughts about your pick? You spoke about the draft earlier but neglected to mention how you felt about your draft spot.”
Valora smirked a bit and shrugged. “I was picked third overall, 2nd pick for Lights Out, The two people picked above me were the World Champion and the TA Champion. All in all, I’ve got no problem with where I was drafted and am confident I’ll continue to be one of the top stars in this company.Now, if we’re done here.. I have a busy day ahead of me.” Brandi nodded as she looked Valora over and smiled a bit. “Uh sure, thank you for time Valora.. maybe we can talk again some time?” For once, Valora smiled and nodded. After all, she knew Brandi had to work twice as hard to get noticed half as much so she nodded. “Sure, we’ll sit down again some time. No problem, but I gotta go right now.”
With that, Valora was on her way again… the run had been the start, she had training to do and then other events that demanded her attention, First things, first though… she had a visit to make. Taking a moment to leave the training gym area, she made her way upstairs to where Kronin was. She knew he’d be leaving for Arizona soon but she had words for him, opening the door and walking into the office of the president of NEW and GM of Lights Out, closing the door behind her. “We need to talk.”
Kronin looked up from his desk and raised an eyebrow. “I obviously need an assistant or secretary… that’s going on my to do list, but by all means, Valora, let me clear off my schedule for you and see what I can do for you.”
Valora narrows her eyes. “You need me, pendejo. Don’t forget that.You also drafted Rob Riot. You need him too. I need him out of that mental hospital before they do permanent psychological and physical harm to him.” She says, laying a folder down in front of Kronin. “And by the way, your buddy Ryan Elias… is trying to injure him.”
Kronin took a deep breath as he looked over the medical records and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, forgetting that it’s illegal for you to have these, you’re making a baseless accusation against a man I’ve fought and bled with, who happens to be your opponent at a big ppv match and you’re also asking me to challenge Jesse’s order directly of ending a psych eval.. you’re aware I’d have to end it for both Riot and Hunter, right?”
Valora shrugs. “So let the fucker out… if one or both of them break they really aren’t any good to either you or Jesse, are they? I’ve heard you and Jesse say you’re about business and what’s best for NEW. Prove it. Btw, did I mention someone in that hospital is running an underground fight club? And that Hunter and Riot are being forced to fight in it? That’s cutting into your bottom line.”
Kronin frowns and thinks for a second before nodding with a sigh. “I’ll.. talk to Jesse… no promises though, we might not even be able to get the eval lifted now that it’s begun.”
Valora smirks. “I can handle that, and just tell them you’ve noticed your fighters aren’t 100% physically fit when they’re coming to fight and threaten to use legal action. The hospital will back down.”
Kronin nods. “Well speaking of psych exams.. in order to keep you out of jail, we had to agree to send you and Al for ones after that attack on Kaupena Yoon and Matt Haven. So you’re going to do that, then you’re going to a charity event to try and convince people you’re not the damned sociopath I know you are.”
Valora smirked and nodded, giving Kronin a mock salute. “Why yes sir.. Just make sure you’re not planning to screw me over like you did Hunter and Rob Riot.” She said before turning and walking out of the office, making her way down, shaking her head. Her day had suddenly gotten a lot longer and much more annoying. It was easy for her to psychoanalyze people. She’d been doing all her adult life, but now the glare would once again be turned on her, and she faced the decision of just how to handle it. Total honesty was, of course, out of the question. She’d be locked up in a cell much like Hannibal Lector. Too clean however, and it would be obvious she was lying or hiding something. She would have to find the perfect mix…
Finding that perfect mix and preparing for what was to come would be the fun part, and Valora was already getting goosebumps.
An hour or so later, Valora walked into the doctor’s office, checking in and finding herself directed right to the office, which didn’t surprise her. God forbid someone as dangerous as her be allowed to mingle. Better she be treated like an animal. Hypocrites. Valora walked into the doctor’s office and sat down, looking at the female doctor across from her. A quick scan of the office said the doctor’s name was Lauren McKenzie and that Valora had more training and degrees in psychology than Dr. Lauren. That was good. The woman smiled. “Hello Valora. I’ve been apprised of your situation and saw the footage from the incident that led you here. After seeing it, I watched your match later that night and requested previous matches of yours. You seem to have a lot of anger issues, also amazingly reckless and fearless..”
Valora smirks. “You’re makin’ me blush. But I thought this was an evaluation.. Don’t we have questions you’re supposed to ask or something?”
She smiled. “We’ll get to that. I’m also told you’re something of a loner, deliberately cutting yourself off from people, isolating yourself… now see, fearless is usually a compliment, but courage is being afraid and doing what’s needed anyways.. when I looked into your eyes during those matches, I saw no fear at all. Why?”
Valora shrugged. “If you’ve seen my matches, you’ve seen what I’ve endured.. shit that should have killed me or crippled me I walk away from. The Samurai, the Vikings, the Spartans.. they all shared a common belief. If you’re meant to die, nothing can stop it. If you’re not meant to die, nothing can kill you. Either way, it’s pointless to fear. Modern science proves them right. We know that we will die, regardless of how cautious we are one day, so one might as well live a life worth living.”
Lauren smiled and nodded. “Better to Burn out than fade away, eh? I’ve heard that argument before. But your earlier description, you’re not seriously suggesting you’re some sort of immortal or something?”
Valora shook her head. “Simply stating a fact, 9 out of 10 people in my spot, of my size and build would have died or been severely injured in the spots I’ve been in. For some reason I survived. I no longer waste time trying to guess why. I go with it.”
“So what brought on the attack on Mr. Yoon?”
Valora shrugged. “He insulted my cultural heritage. The mask he wore, calling himself a luchadore.. in my country one earns the title of luchadore, one earns their mask and once they lose it, they can never wear another.. it’s a tradition revered and respected all over the world. Japan. Central and South America, Canada, Europe, Asia. The only place it’s not given the respect it deserves is here in the United States.”
Dr. Lauren scribbled down some notes. “So you felt this act of disrespect warranted a brutal attack that nearly crippled the man and ended his career? That’s a logical and appropriate response to you?”
Valora shrugged. “Terrorists used planes as missiles destroyed a couple of buildings and we used that as justification to invade two countries, attack two others in addition to that, and create a blanket excuse that would be later used to justify attacks in Libya and Syria bringing the total number of countries the U.S. attacked since 9/11 up to six. Only one of which was guilty of any real crimes, Afghanistan. One of which, Iraq, was totally innocent of any wrongdoing and Pakistan and Yemen were guilty only of being run by corrupt leaders unable to control religious fanatics, kinda like our government right now… and let’s not forget the torture we used to ‘gather intelligence.’ Judging from the times, I’d say my response to the situation was fairly tame. I could have killed the man if I wished.”
Dr. Lauren scribbled furiously and raised an eyebrow. “You’re honestly comparing the murder of 3,000 + people to a mask?”
Valora takes a deep breath. “I’m a luchadora. That mask is more than simple cloth.. it’s not some cheap gimmick. it’s the very fuckin’ essence of who I am, what I stand for, my country’s national pride… when you see some idiot burning an American flag on the news and chanting death to America? Doesn’t it piss you off? It does me.”
Lauren nodded a bit. “I suppose it does, yes.” Valora nods. “What Yoon did was an act of war and I responded as such. My actions may seem extreme, but every wrestler in New Edge signs a stipulation that makes it clear that New Edge will cover their medical expenses for all New Edge related injuries that may occur, something few other wrestling companies do, by the way, and one of the reasons New Edge does that is we also sign away our right to sue New Edge or other wrestlers for any damages or injuries that may occur. Jesse Styles blew up Kronin’s house in Germany. Kronin had to pay out of his own pocket to replace it. Law Enforcement in the U.S. and Germany took an interest in the case but Kronin couldn’t do anything.
Johnny Styles burned down Father Nathan’s pub in Ireland. Nathan had to pay out of his own pocket to rebuild it. He had no legal recourse to take… New Edge is full of people who will do whatever it takes to win. Kaupena Yoon can bitch and moan all his crippled neck will let him, but he can’t do shit to me or to New Edge. I’m here as a courtesy. And to help New Edge avoid legal trouble the authorities might want to press.”
Dr. Lauren nodded. “I can see we’re going to have to try something special for you. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for it today, so I’m going to order a longer, more in depth session with you for a later date. And these are mandatory. One note from me and you’re ineligible to perform legally for New Edge Wrestling or any other company.”
Valora leans back in her chair, seemingly unphased by this and nods. “Whatcha wanna try?” Dr. Lauren shrugs. “A more in depth chat, try to get to the root cause of all that anger.”
Valora stand sup. “Fair enough. Good luck with it.. many have tried, few have been able to make the trip. Am I clear for now, doc?” She nods. “Yes.. but I want to see you again in a couple of days.”
Valora nods and heads out of the office. One annoyance out of the way, now onto the second thing she had been told to do. Charity work. Valora didn’t have a problem with giving back, she hated doing so in front of cameras and such the hypocrisy of it.. It wasn’t about the charitable cause, it was all a dog and pony show to showcase how great the organization doing the charity thing was and how amazing it’s people were. Valora preferred her charity work to be done behind the scenes, where no cameras would record it. She liked her good deeds to be done because they were good deeds, not because it painted a certain image of her.
And all of these hoops to jump through when all she wanted to do was focus on beating Ryan Elias into another incarnation ...
One of the Medical staff came in and looked at Valora. “Alright, Val.. the ambulance is here, time to get you checked out.” Valora shook her head. “I’m fine.” The doctor looked at Valora and sighed. “Jesse Styles ordered you to go to the hospital and get checked out. You need an MRI or CT scan at least to make sure you didn’t break any ribs.” Valora sighs. “I didn’t. I’ve broken ribs before.. I know what they feel like. I” Valora is cut off as she doubles over and coughs up more blood. The doctor raises his eyebrow. “That’s a sign of internal bleeding and injuries, Valora. You’re going to get checked out.” Valora narrowed her eyes. “I sent one man to the hospital and ended his career if not his life.. I left the World Champ of this fed in the ring, wondering what the hell hit him, so the question you all have to ask is how good is your insurance? Cause I’ll send at least 3 of you to the hospital. I don’t care which three it happens to be, either.”
The doctor sighs and shakes his head. “Valora.. what the hell are we supposed to do?” Valora nods. “Just give me a damn pain shot. The ribs will heal.. they’re bruised at best.”
There was, of course, another, much more important reason that Valora was so dead set against going to the hospital, besides personal and professional pride. Hospitals meant records,, a detailed accounting of the exact injuries, where they were, how serious they were and the expected recovery time, as well as any medicines prescribed to help deal with pain or help said injuries or sickness heal faster. With the name of the drug, all one needed was internet access and a google search would lead you to all the info you needed. In the hands of a skilled fighter, a list of injuries told you everything you needed to ensure a win with minimal effort.
Granted, hospital records were supposed to be confidential, but with the right skillset and access, they weren’t too hard to obtain and Valora didn’t feel like risking Ryan Elias getting a hold of them. Let him see her fight. Let him see her walk out of the arena same as usual, seemingly unphased. Let him suspect and guess the injuries, he wouldn’t be sure, in the end, he’d be making a wager, taking a gamble. It was something Valora had a feeling Ryan Elias wouldn’t want to do. She may not know the man, but she knew the type, he could not and did not try to hide it. The way he walked, the way he carried himself, his efficiency in the ring. It all said military, probably special forces. Which meant he was a control freak, anal retentive. A man of strict habits and used to a routine. It was a trait all soldiers shared to a degree, the question and the trick was learning the degree. Kronin was the same but had shown ability to adapt. at times.
Valora was brought back to reality by the doctor advancing towards her with the syringe and she nodded, raising her shirt a bit, not showing any reaction as the needle went in. A short time later, as she planned, she walked out of the arena and seemed, for the most part, fine. Making her way outside, she stowed her gearbag in the saddlebag compartment of her motorcycle and was soon on her way to the apartment registered to her name over on the South side of Chicago. Walking into the apartment, her first move was to drop her gearbag in the corner, her second move was to grab her favorite painkiller, a bottle of tequila and take a long drink, closing her eyes as she felt the the familiar taste make its way down her throat with the liquid. It had been too long since she had been able to take up her ‘normal’ self and thus indulge in her usual habits and her body hadn’t let her forget it either.
Her drink was interrupted by her phone ringing. Sighing, she picked it up and took a breath as she saw who was calling, flipping the phone open and speaking into it. “Whatcha got, Sam?”
She listened as Samantha relayed the details. So Ryan Elias was a former Navy SEAL and had served with Kronin. Interesting tidbit to know there. It was also nice to know her guess had been correct. This would require some careful planning as a SEAL was no small task to deal with. Valora knew enough about them to know they were not to be taken lightly and Elias in particular seemed to have something about him. More research would definitely be needed with him. She thanked Samantha for the information and decided to meet with her later, to discuss next moves, ending the call before finishing her bottle of tequila and calling it a night. It had been an eventful night and tomorrow began the next phase, training.
A few days later, Valora was up with the sun and made her way to the gym where she continued through her rigorous training method, beginning with a run around the part of the gym that was fairly open and could be used for a variety of activities, it didn’t matter that each time Valora’s foot touched the floor, a shockwave of pain went through her, she kept running as if everything was normal. As she ran, she rounded a corner and came across Brandi Boss, who smiled a bit nervously and cleared her throat. “Umm Valora.. I was wondering if I could maybe get a few questions with you?”
Valora sighed and looked over the woman reporter and, if rumor was to be believed, future ring announcer of the Lights Out brand and nodded. “Go ahead.. I have a few moments to kill, I guess.”
Brandi smiled a bit and nodded. “First off… you’ve never competed on any show but Ignite, you missed the era of Collision and the like, so what are your thoughts being on the Lights Out brand?”
Valora shrugged. “I could give a shit about the name of the show I’m on. Kronin put together top tier talent and was smart enough to drop that arrogant, disrespectful puta Sasha Foote for Ricky Cassels. Cassels might be some dumb redneck from the trailer parks, but the fucker at least has talent and is a proven commodity. Hell, I can’t stand Hunter Valentyne, but picking Sasha Foote over Hunter? That was a fuckin’ insult to the veterans. Course, maybe Kronin did it because he knew Jesse wouldn’t be in a rush to pick Hunter either, who knows. All I know is that there’s a shit ton of talent on Lights Out and it’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Brandi nodded as she considered her next question and moved into it. “And your thoughts on Sasha? You seem to take the recent influx of rookies very personally…”
Valora smirks. “I don’t have a problem with the new talent. That Ricky Maroni? Been showing the proper respect… Sasha? Well, I could go on all day about her, but let’s just say I can’t remember the last time someone stepped into a ring, got knocked the fuck out and all of a sudden people treated them like they were the best thing ever in Wrestling. The puta has disrespected me and other veterans that built this fuckin’ company and she’ll pay for that in blood.”
Brandi nodded. “On twitter, you’ve made some threats towards her daughter and comments about Hardcore fans that advocate killing children as being quote, ‘your kind of peeps’ Is that really the message you think you should be sending?”
Valora smirks. “Bonecrusher said that. He’s like every other elitist fuck that looks down on hardcore wrestling. I’ve heard this shit since day one of my career. ‘Oh it’s garbage wrestling. Oh it’s what people who can’t do REAL wrestling do, Oh it’s just for sadistic fucks and bloodthirsty people..’ It’s B.S. I proved against Nathan I can wrestle just as good as anyone else fuckin’ can. Hardcore wrestling fans are just as smart, just as passionate about their shit as so called regular wrestling fans are and Bonecrusher better learn this is New Edge. We run hardcore here. Get fuckin’ used to it. You see Brandi.. I’m smart.. I know you need new talent to grow, but there has to be a mix.. this company is forgetting about those of us who built this place and looking towards people that MIGHT turn out to be assets. What about proven assets? As for Sasha’s daughter? She’s made the mistake of parading the girl all over twitter and mentioning her every chance she can get… there are people in this business who will get ahead by any means necessary Maybe I’m one of those people, maybe I’m not. But Sasha should be careful how much ammo she gives her opponents if she plans to survive in this business.”
Brandi nods. “At Demented, you’re facing Ryan Elias.. winner goes to Terrordome, You’ve been in Terrordome before and know how brutal it is, how important is it for you to get back there?”
Valora cracks her neck and nods. “”Well Terrordome is always a fun match.. it’s designed for someone like me.. if I have to go through Ryan Elias to get there, then it’s just going to be a bad fuckin’ day to be Ryan Elias when I beat his ass bloody. Next question.”
Brandi gulps a bit and nods. “Okay then… the draft. You made it known you expected to be number 1 overall, but ended up Lights Out’s number 2 pick, making you 3rd overall. What are your thoughts about your pick? You spoke about the draft earlier but neglected to mention how you felt about your draft spot.”
Valora smirked a bit and shrugged. “I was picked third overall, 2nd pick for Lights Out, The two people picked above me were the World Champion and the TA Champion. All in all, I’ve got no problem with where I was drafted and am confident I’ll continue to be one of the top stars in this company.Now, if we’re done here.. I have a busy day ahead of me.” Brandi nodded as she looked Valora over and smiled a bit. “Uh sure, thank you for time Valora.. maybe we can talk again some time?” For once, Valora smiled and nodded. After all, she knew Brandi had to work twice as hard to get noticed half as much so she nodded. “Sure, we’ll sit down again some time. No problem, but I gotta go right now.”
With that, Valora was on her way again… the run had been the start, she had training to do and then other events that demanded her attention, First things, first though… she had a visit to make. Taking a moment to leave the training gym area, she made her way upstairs to where Kronin was. She knew he’d be leaving for Arizona soon but she had words for him, opening the door and walking into the office of the president of NEW and GM of Lights Out, closing the door behind her. “We need to talk.”
Kronin looked up from his desk and raised an eyebrow. “I obviously need an assistant or secretary… that’s going on my to do list, but by all means, Valora, let me clear off my schedule for you and see what I can do for you.”
Valora narrows her eyes. “You need me, pendejo. Don’t forget that.You also drafted Rob Riot. You need him too. I need him out of that mental hospital before they do permanent psychological and physical harm to him.” She says, laying a folder down in front of Kronin. “And by the way, your buddy Ryan Elias… is trying to injure him.”
Kronin took a deep breath as he looked over the medical records and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, forgetting that it’s illegal for you to have these, you’re making a baseless accusation against a man I’ve fought and bled with, who happens to be your opponent at a big ppv match and you’re also asking me to challenge Jesse’s order directly of ending a psych eval.. you’re aware I’d have to end it for both Riot and Hunter, right?”
Valora shrugs. “So let the fucker out… if one or both of them break they really aren’t any good to either you or Jesse, are they? I’ve heard you and Jesse say you’re about business and what’s best for NEW. Prove it. Btw, did I mention someone in that hospital is running an underground fight club? And that Hunter and Riot are being forced to fight in it? That’s cutting into your bottom line.”
Kronin frowns and thinks for a second before nodding with a sigh. “I’ll.. talk to Jesse… no promises though, we might not even be able to get the eval lifted now that it’s begun.”
Valora smirks. “I can handle that, and just tell them you’ve noticed your fighters aren’t 100% physically fit when they’re coming to fight and threaten to use legal action. The hospital will back down.”
Kronin nods. “Well speaking of psych exams.. in order to keep you out of jail, we had to agree to send you and Al for ones after that attack on Kaupena Yoon and Matt Haven. So you’re going to do that, then you’re going to a charity event to try and convince people you’re not the damned sociopath I know you are.”
Valora smirked and nodded, giving Kronin a mock salute. “Why yes sir.. Just make sure you’re not planning to screw me over like you did Hunter and Rob Riot.” She said before turning and walking out of the office, making her way down, shaking her head. Her day had suddenly gotten a lot longer and much more annoying. It was easy for her to psychoanalyze people. She’d been doing all her adult life, but now the glare would once again be turned on her, and she faced the decision of just how to handle it. Total honesty was, of course, out of the question. She’d be locked up in a cell much like Hannibal Lector. Too clean however, and it would be obvious she was lying or hiding something. She would have to find the perfect mix…
Finding that perfect mix and preparing for what was to come would be the fun part, and Valora was already getting goosebumps.
An hour or so later, Valora walked into the doctor’s office, checking in and finding herself directed right to the office, which didn’t surprise her. God forbid someone as dangerous as her be allowed to mingle. Better she be treated like an animal. Hypocrites. Valora walked into the doctor’s office and sat down, looking at the female doctor across from her. A quick scan of the office said the doctor’s name was Lauren McKenzie and that Valora had more training and degrees in psychology than Dr. Lauren. That was good. The woman smiled. “Hello Valora. I’ve been apprised of your situation and saw the footage from the incident that led you here. After seeing it, I watched your match later that night and requested previous matches of yours. You seem to have a lot of anger issues, also amazingly reckless and fearless..”
Valora smirks. “You’re makin’ me blush. But I thought this was an evaluation.. Don’t we have questions you’re supposed to ask or something?”
She smiled. “We’ll get to that. I’m also told you’re something of a loner, deliberately cutting yourself off from people, isolating yourself… now see, fearless is usually a compliment, but courage is being afraid and doing what’s needed anyways.. when I looked into your eyes during those matches, I saw no fear at all. Why?”
Valora shrugged. “If you’ve seen my matches, you’ve seen what I’ve endured.. shit that should have killed me or crippled me I walk away from. The Samurai, the Vikings, the Spartans.. they all shared a common belief. If you’re meant to die, nothing can stop it. If you’re not meant to die, nothing can kill you. Either way, it’s pointless to fear. Modern science proves them right. We know that we will die, regardless of how cautious we are one day, so one might as well live a life worth living.”
Lauren smiled and nodded. “Better to Burn out than fade away, eh? I’ve heard that argument before. But your earlier description, you’re not seriously suggesting you’re some sort of immortal or something?”
Valora shook her head. “Simply stating a fact, 9 out of 10 people in my spot, of my size and build would have died or been severely injured in the spots I’ve been in. For some reason I survived. I no longer waste time trying to guess why. I go with it.”
“So what brought on the attack on Mr. Yoon?”
Valora shrugged. “He insulted my cultural heritage. The mask he wore, calling himself a luchadore.. in my country one earns the title of luchadore, one earns their mask and once they lose it, they can never wear another.. it’s a tradition revered and respected all over the world. Japan. Central and South America, Canada, Europe, Asia. The only place it’s not given the respect it deserves is here in the United States.”
Dr. Lauren scribbled down some notes. “So you felt this act of disrespect warranted a brutal attack that nearly crippled the man and ended his career? That’s a logical and appropriate response to you?”
Valora shrugged. “Terrorists used planes as missiles destroyed a couple of buildings and we used that as justification to invade two countries, attack two others in addition to that, and create a blanket excuse that would be later used to justify attacks in Libya and Syria bringing the total number of countries the U.S. attacked since 9/11 up to six. Only one of which was guilty of any real crimes, Afghanistan. One of which, Iraq, was totally innocent of any wrongdoing and Pakistan and Yemen were guilty only of being run by corrupt leaders unable to control religious fanatics, kinda like our government right now… and let’s not forget the torture we used to ‘gather intelligence.’ Judging from the times, I’d say my response to the situation was fairly tame. I could have killed the man if I wished.”
Dr. Lauren scribbled furiously and raised an eyebrow. “You’re honestly comparing the murder of 3,000 + people to a mask?”
Valora takes a deep breath. “I’m a luchadora. That mask is more than simple cloth.. it’s not some cheap gimmick. it’s the very fuckin’ essence of who I am, what I stand for, my country’s national pride… when you see some idiot burning an American flag on the news and chanting death to America? Doesn’t it piss you off? It does me.”
Lauren nodded a bit. “I suppose it does, yes.” Valora nods. “What Yoon did was an act of war and I responded as such. My actions may seem extreme, but every wrestler in New Edge signs a stipulation that makes it clear that New Edge will cover their medical expenses for all New Edge related injuries that may occur, something few other wrestling companies do, by the way, and one of the reasons New Edge does that is we also sign away our right to sue New Edge or other wrestlers for any damages or injuries that may occur. Jesse Styles blew up Kronin’s house in Germany. Kronin had to pay out of his own pocket to replace it. Law Enforcement in the U.S. and Germany took an interest in the case but Kronin couldn’t do anything.
Johnny Styles burned down Father Nathan’s pub in Ireland. Nathan had to pay out of his own pocket to rebuild it. He had no legal recourse to take… New Edge is full of people who will do whatever it takes to win. Kaupena Yoon can bitch and moan all his crippled neck will let him, but he can’t do shit to me or to New Edge. I’m here as a courtesy. And to help New Edge avoid legal trouble the authorities might want to press.”
Dr. Lauren nodded. “I can see we’re going to have to try something special for you. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for it today, so I’m going to order a longer, more in depth session with you for a later date. And these are mandatory. One note from me and you’re ineligible to perform legally for New Edge Wrestling or any other company.”
Valora leans back in her chair, seemingly unphased by this and nods. “Whatcha wanna try?” Dr. Lauren shrugs. “A more in depth chat, try to get to the root cause of all that anger.”
Valora stand sup. “Fair enough. Good luck with it.. many have tried, few have been able to make the trip. Am I clear for now, doc?” She nods. “Yes.. but I want to see you again in a couple of days.”
Valora nods and heads out of the office. One annoyance out of the way, now onto the second thing she had been told to do. Charity work. Valora didn’t have a problem with giving back, she hated doing so in front of cameras and such the hypocrisy of it.. It wasn’t about the charitable cause, it was all a dog and pony show to showcase how great the organization doing the charity thing was and how amazing it’s people were. Valora preferred her charity work to be done behind the scenes, where no cameras would record it. She liked her good deeds to be done because they were good deeds, not because it painted a certain image of her.
And all of these hoops to jump through when all she wanted to do was focus on beating Ryan Elias into another incarnation ...
