Collaboration
John trailed after Jane and casually struck up a conversation.
"Even for rookies, there's barely anything public about them..."
"We postponed releasing all their information until after Emergency."
"A mystery concept, then?"
"It's less about that and more that we didn't want the fans forming fixed ideas about the wrestlers. Emergency is right around the corner, after all."
It wasn't unheard of—WWO had done it occasionally before. Just never on this scale with four people at once.
"I can see that working for their styles. Especially Charina. That kid's style is hard to pin down. Looking at her build you'd never guess it, but the moves she uses are pure powerhouse. But what about the gimmicks? Did those really need to stay under wraps too? I get the Inquisitors, but Selma and Charina... I still can't figure out what their gimmicks even are."
John had clearly been doing a lot of guessing on his own. Jane let out a short sigh and pressed her fingers to her temple as if her head were already aching.
"Selma's gimmick is something like an Amazonian jaguar. As you've probably heard, her promo skills are a bit lacking, so it's hard to slap any other gimmick on her. That's why we've been making her keep quiet and practice haughty expressions and body language instead."
"And Rina's is a carefree Gen Z gimmick. The type who just does whatever she wants."
"That's not an easy gimmick to pull off."
"They're still rookies. We'll watch them a little longer and change the gimmicks if we have to."
"True enough. Changing them multiple times is basically standard."
With that, they reached the practice facility.
Thud.
Clang.
From the continuous sounds ringing out, it was clear a lot of wrestlers were training hard. Through the glass doors, the place was packed.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yeah."
The chill of the air conditioning mixed with the heat pouring off the athletes filled the practice hall. Of the three rings, the men had claimed the one right by the entrance and the one tucked in the far corner. Surprisingly, the women had taken over the center ring.
If this had been NEXT, the women almost never got the center ring.
"It's John Michaels."
"It's John. John's here."
"Whoa."
"Wow. First time seeing him in person."
The wrestlers outside the rings spotted John immediately and looked stunned. A few familiar faces among them, along with Coach Anthony and the others, came over to greet him.
"Hello, sir."
"It's been a while."
"How have you been?"
John waved them off with a simple greeting. Aside from Jane Kim, none of them had ever shared a ring with him. Even Coaches Anthony and Sophia had only briefly passed through WWO after his retirement; he barely knew them. And Jane Kim, being a women's wrestler, hadn't had much crossover with him either. Just a workplace colleague, really.
If the Dudley Boyz or Hardy Boyz or Tom Dreamer had been around, it would have been a completely different story.
"Everyone get back to work. I'm only here for a quick look."
Once John drew that line, they all kept their distance and simply watched him. With Jane leading the way, he headed straight for the center ring.
"Coach Vanini."
"It's been a while, Team Leader Michaels."
"Yeah. Long time. Hmm. Working hard, I see."
On one side of the ring, Taina and Selma were teaming up to practice lifting Olivia into a suplex. On the other, Anne and Charina were running chain wrestling.
"Those ones are always working hard."
"No. I mean all of them."
John glanced around at the men's side as he spoke.
"Ah, those guys? They're here to watch Selma and Charina. They're always here first thing in the morning for practice. I don't love the motive, but since they're putting in the effort to look good out here, I can let it slide."
"They're acting like high school kids."
"Exactly. That's precisely what it is."
Even knowing he was there—even though it would have been natural to stop—the five women in the ring didn't pause. Only after finishing a solid run of the sequence they were drilling did they finally stop.
"Want to climb up into the ring?"
"Why not?"
Charina's expression stayed calm, but the other four looked deeply moved the moment John stepped inside the ropes.
"Olivia, your hammering's improved a lot. Looked good."
"Th-thank you."
John offered each of them a few words of encouragement.
"Taina Styles. If you can just maintain the level you showed in your debut match with Selma, you'll climb even higher..."
"Thank you."
"Anne, I hear you're doing a hardcore match this time? I'll make sure to come watch that one in person."
"Hmm. I'll give you my family seats for the night."
"Heh. That works too. Those'll be good seats."
"Selma. That jumping elbow drop of yours is excellent. Best among the women's division."
"Y-yes. Thank you."
"While you're at it, why not try a flying forearm too? And if your skill's there, Sweet Chin Music as well."
At the suggestion that she try his signature move or finisher, Selma bowed her head deeply.
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me. I'll try the flying forearm, but Sweet Chin Music just doesn't suit me."
"That so? Fair enough. But you speak clearly and cleanly. The mic work will come with a little more time. Practice in front of a mirror at home. Film yourself on your phone too."
"Yes. Thank you."
And finally it was Rina's turn. Without warning, John held out his hand.
"Let's shake on it."
"Huh? Oh—yes."
The moment their hands met, John began squeezing with everything he had. He kept the pressure on until his own face flushed red, but Charina only furrowed her brow slightly.
"Haa. Enough. My blood pressure's going to spike."
With that, they released each other.
"Ha. Wrists that look like they'd snap if you gripped them hard, yet the strength is insane."
"I've always been pretty strong, even as a kid."
"That so? Well, looking at how fine you are after yesterday's match, recovery and durability don't seem to be issues either."
With nothing more to say, John turned and climbed out of the ring.
"Jane. I've seen enough."
"You're leaving already?"
"I've got meetings to get back to. I'll be in touch by evening at the latest."
"Understood."
John adjusted his cowboy hat and strode quickly out of the practice hall. For all the friendly encouragement he'd handed out, his expression had hardened considerably, and his right hand kept flexing open and closed.
That kid... what the hell is that body? The strength is no joke. And she didn't even tense up looking at me. Her mental game looks rock solid too—makes me want her even more...
With those thoughts running through his head, he began organizing what he would report to Stacey.
"What was that? That's all?"
"Right? I thought he'd at least show us something before he left."
"What did he even come for?"
He had left so abruptly that everyone seemed a little thrown.
"Selma. He officially gave you permission to use Sweet Chin Music. Why'd you say no?"
"Olivia, I started out in lucha libre. I already gave that up—if I pile that on top of it, my style's going to turn into a mess. I'm not a shooter."
Once John was gone, everyone's mouths seemed to open at once.
"Hmm. I didn't even get any encouragement. Just a grip-strength test."
That earned a few comments from the others.
"Yeah, that was kind of awkward."
"John's gotten old. By the end his neck was bright red. It was kind of funny."
"Taina, if you try matching strength with her, even Alf ends up the same way. It's not about age. She's a complete monster."
Ugh. Practice had been going so well, and now the whole rhythm was shot. How irritating.
"Rina. Come talk to me for a minute."
Huh? Did I actually say "irritating" out loud?
I climbed straight out of the ring and followed Jane. We went into Coach Sophia's office and sat across from each other.
"You're going to need to drop by NEXT next Tuesday."
"What? For what? A match?"
"Not a match. Just run in once, cause some chaos, and leave. Think you can handle that? If it feels too much, you can just do a little promo to heat things up and come back."
Oh! This is actually perfect. It'll raise my profile, and it'll definitely help with the Star Quest too. Exactly what I was hoping for.
"No problem. I can do it well. What exactly do I need to do? Just go in and beat people up?"
Jane made a face like her head hurt.
"Ugh. Do you have to look so happy about causing chaos? One wrong move and you could turn every NEXT fan against you. Maybe even the wrestlers."
"Well, I can always do a helpful run-in later to balance it out, right? And that day I'll dress up nice, put real effort into the look. Change the wrestling gear too."
"Hmm..."
Apparently that made sense. Jane nodded.
"Fine. Either I'll go with you or I'll send Clint along—we'll figure it out. Once NEXT sends over the scenario, we'll talk details again. And secrecy is critical. Keep it secret from Selma until the day of."
"Got it. But what's my scenario for next week? Who am I wrestling?"
"No matches planned for now. We were supposed to have the meeting this morning to decide that, but someone showed up out of nowhere and we couldn't hold it."
That someone must have been John.
"We'll know for sure after the meeting, but for now you'll just do a promo to provoke Anne and get a match set up. Of course I'll give you a script, but the acting is going to be crucial."
"If you give me the script, I'll have it memorized cold that same day."
"Good. I'll get it to you by Monday."
"Understood."
"Go on. And tell Sophia I'm waiting for her in here."
With Jane's clear dismissal, I said my goodbyes and left immediately.
"Yes."
The moment I stepped out of the coach's office, Selma started grilling me with questions, but I brushed her off—saying it was an absolute secret I couldn't talk about, and that if she didn't want Jane marking her down she should stop asking.
My chemistry with Anne was already locked in, and with a free week opening up, I had a little extra time. So I did some light move exchanges with Taina—who I might end up wrestling with at any point—and with IC Champion Elizabeth Walker as well.
And of course there was still Vanessa, who kept glaring daggers at me and Selma like she wanted us dead. I also ran through some sequences with Isabel Basloni, who'd wrestled me last time.
"So that's why Olivia keeps covering for you."
"Dorothy liked it too. Easy to put moves in, easy to sell."
Yeah, those two did kind of like working with me. Olivia liked that she could use her moves without holding back, and Dorothy said wrestling me made her feel like a powerhouse.
"At your level, you could probably just call the spots and wrestle without a full rehearsal."
"The producer and the coaches told me not to even dream of that until I've got more experience..."
"I figure those restrictions will loosen up in about two months."
"I hope so."
I hope so too. This wrestling is literally my life on the line, but I need time to prepare other things besides practice—and right now I don't have any.
"After Emergency, I'm going to ask them to book a match with you."
"I'm first in line. Champions are out."
"But I hate mint chocolate with a passion—what am I supposed to do?"
Isabel, who had been listening quietly, dropped that line, and Elizabeth and Taina's expressions changed instantly.
Hmm. Way too many people hate it. Even more than back in Korea. Maybe I should just switch it to whipped cream.
"Just book a winning scenario. Then you won't have to eat it."
"You think the boss is going to put her on a three-loss streak? No—counting Emergency that would be four straight losses. No way. Somewhere in the middle someone's going to have to job. Heh. At least it won't be me. Hahaha."
IC Champion Elizabeth laughed with pure satisfaction.
Yeah, that tracks. Even as a secondary champion, if Elizabeth loses the title changes hands—there's no way she's taking a loss this early. Even for a secondary title, it'd probably take me at least a year to win that belt.