Street Fighter

Back to Business

"Rogue, Rogue, ROGUE!!" Ash's powerful rang out and aroused me from my daydream. "Off with the fairies were we?" she asked me, chuckling at her own joke. I slowly turned around, still deeply quietened from the flashback from my past.
Coming to my senses I quickly ducked my head and stood up straighter, desperately hoping that she wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
It was too late though, I watched as her face distorted into a look of horror. "Rogue! What on earth happened to you?" Ash exclaimed, "you look the same as the day you first stumbled in here."
Not hearing a response from me she stopped, "that's what you were thinking about, weren't you?" she asked softly. Realising I had no inclination to want to talk about it she changed tack.
"Come on, lets got get you patched up eh? Can't have you looking like you lost a fight" she snickered at the little joke she had made.

Sitting in the little first aid office in the gym as Ash stitched up my face I tried hard not to laugh as i thought of how many disapproving looks I would get from people over this.
It was normal to me now, where I would get injured and my trainer would patch me up. Whether that meant stitching up cuts so they stopped bleeding, putting a dislocated shoulder back in place or anything required to get me or any fighter back into the ring again.
Sure it still hurt but mostly, if it was in the middle of a fight, you were so pumped up on adrenaline that you didn't really feel much at all and therefore it wasn't that bad.

As much as I hate to admit it, I really felt it this time, of course it being on my cheek and right underneath my eye I could see what was happening and even though I wasn't squeamish it wasn't exactly the best experience of my career.
"Now you will have a faint scar after the stitches have done their work" she told me as she finished up and tied off the last stitch. "I would have glued it but it is too deep and more likely to come apart in your next fight or the next time you crack a joke."
I just shrugged my shoulders, I didn't care. It was not as if I was one of those girl who spent all day looking in the mirror and fussing over hair and make up.
"Now I know you only have about seven and a half weeks left of school but the season starts in three weeks, is that okay?" she questioned of me even though she already knew what my answer would be.
"Nobody, let alone my school, is going to stop me from getting in the ring and kicking some butt" I said emphatically, and with a firm nod of my head.
Ash just looked at me and smiled, "gosh I love that spirit of yours." I managed to maintain my serious look for another couple of seconds before cracking up laughing as Ash's face.

"Alright, to business then" she said bringing out a timetable and a leaderboard. "You are at the top of the leaderboard from last season but I have looked into the competitors for this season and you may have some competition."
I nodded my head knowingly, every season you would get a couple of newbies who came in with great bravado and naivety and the know alls thought that they had found a new champion or a new underdog.
That was my story, except I defied the odds, I survived my first season and came out second. From there I had a foothold into that world.
I gained a lot of experience in those first couple of seasons, that is what people do not understand. Experience cannot be taught, only learnt. Hence why many new comers don't last past their first one or two seasons.
"What do they call themselves?" I asked of Ash, referring to the new competition. "There are three, two boys of ages twenty and twenty four and one girl who is twenty one.
The average age range for competitors in our region was anywhere from thirteen to thirty eight. Anything past that age and you are out of your prime fitness and that can be dangerous.

"Their names are unknown, to be announced upon the day of their first fight" she stated simply, I knew what she was thinking. Usually anonymous fighters are either transfers from another district who already have a reputation or someone with a history who doesn't want their name getting out.
Either situation meant trouble and since all three were coming in together they were probably all linked in some way which left a bad taste in my mouth.
"Anyway, your first fight is in three weeks, I am stepping up your training to get you back in condition in time" she said getting back into her role of trainer again.
She quickly glanced at my now strapped up ankle, the swelling had gone down after using an ice pack. She gave it a sharp nod before looking back at me again. That was her way of saying, that should be fine and I don't want to hear any more about it.
"I expect to see you here at 5am sharp tomorrow morning, no excuses" and with that she walked off, leaving me standing there trying to figure out what had happened and how I was going to be awake and down here at that god forsaken hour.