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Post by Ada Pierce on Jan 29, 2022 23:52:43 GMT
First Class: Purge - Aftermath
It’s been no longer than 30 minutes since Ada Pierce pinned Stephanie LaCroix to end the inaugural Evolution champion’s dominant reign. The Karateka’s music hit, the fans all flew off their seats to cheer and applaud the new champion and everything seemed right. All the weight on Ada’s chest, her concern for Sensei Sam Burke seemed to fade away when she finally realized her destiny of becoming a champion. In a single month, the once unknown Karateka, the five-month rookie, climbed the mountain of IIW when she captured the Ice Crown, and in the very first edition of First Class in 2022, she now finds herself as the Evolution champion. Everything’s happening fast. Maybe too fast. Now, Ada finds herself sat on the ground in her locker room, holding the Evolution championship. She finds herself lost in her thoughts as she simply gazes at the title, thinking of everything it represents. Everything she wants it to represent. After declining her former wrestling mentor’s offer in the way she knows best, Pierce realized that this title can give her the platform she needs to spread her message. The message that’s brought people like Kelsey Frost to the world of First Class. The message that can give her Sensei the strength he needs to get back on his own two feet as fast as possible. Despite the success, the glitz and glamour that comes with becoming a champion, the Karateka couldn’t possibly care any less about any of that. All she wants to do at this very moment is make sure that her Sensei is okay. But in the days leading up to the show, Ada was informed that Sam was scheduled for a surgery on this very day. Right now, all Ada is hoping for is to get a text, a call, anything from either the hospital or Vickie to let her know that he’s okay. That he saw what she was able to accomplish against Steph. But reassurance doesn’t come. All Ada can do right now is give herself the pat on the back she’s earned and simply wait for good news…“Sensei… please be okay…”
Trafford General Hospital - One Day Later
A day after his surgery, Sam Burke sleeps peacefully in his room. Directly next to him, passed out on a chair is his student, Ada Pierce. After not being able to get a second’s sleep after the hectic and very eventful day prior, the Karateka beelined to the hospital the second she could before passing out next to her Sensei. Eventually, Sam wakes up, and upon seeing the sleeping Ada next to him, he cannot help but smile, happy to see his closest student there for him in his moment of weakness. His smile grows wider when he spots the Evolution championship in her lap, proud to get confirmation that Ada was successful in capturing her first professional wrestling title belt. Sam weakly reaches out for her head, softly patting it before she finally wakes up. It takes her a moment to register the fact that Sam has awakened with a bright smile on his face. Filled with joy, Ada quickly hugs Sam as the Evolution title hits the ground without her even realizing that it did. All she cares about is that her mentor and father figure is okay. “Whoah, easy there, kid! Your belt!” the Sensei exclaims through his laughter.“You’re okay!” the Karateka shakily responds, fighting through her tears. “I told you I’d be fine, champ.” Ada pulls away before retrieving her championship title and placing it right on Sam’s chest with a giant smirk on her face. “I… DID IT!!!” she exclaims at the top of her lungs as Sam jolts out of his bed.“Quiet!” Ada quickly covers her mouth with her hand, giggling like a child as Sam cannot help but laugh.“So… how does it feel to become a champ? Not that you didn’t see it coming.”
“Honestly… I didn’t. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull this off, especially with everything you were going through. You were everything I thought about. But that’s what pushed me to give LaCroix everything I had. I had to do this for you.” Ada continues with a glimmer in her eye and pride in her voice.“Well… I’m proud of you. I knew you could do it. And you did.” “Yeah… and I already know who I have to face next up. Edda Wilcox.” “Edda… she’s the one who lost to Alessia Capello in the tournament, right?” “That’s right. But let me show you what I saw when I got here before you woke up…” Grabbing her phone, Ada opens the Netflix app before handing the phone over to Sam, making him watch Edda Wilcox face-off against Lauren Edwards in a match to determine who would face the winner of Ada Pierce vs. Steph LaCroix for the Evolution championship. As Ada and her Sensei watch Edda’s brutal and dominant performance against Lauren, Sams soon furrows his brows as his concern grows. Edda… isn’t the same woman that lost to Alessia in the Ice Crown Tournament. This Edda Wilcox was angrier. Meaner. She had something to prove and boy did she ever prove it as she made quick work out of Edwards. She could’ve pinned Edwards after dropping her with the Burning Hammer, yet she didn’t. She wanted to make a point, make a victim out of her opponent when she sucked the life out of her with the Tequila Sunrise. This alone is enough to make Sam worry for Ada. He knows that the Karateka would never tap out and submit to her opponents, but that wouldn’t be a problem for Wilcox. She’d just keep Pierce locked in until she fades. As the match ends, Sam hands the phone back to Ada with a worried expression on his face.“Kid… be careful.” “I will be. I’m guessing you saw what I saw, right?” “I did. Wilcox fought like a woman possessed. Like someone with nothing to lose. And that’s why I need you to be careful.” Ada loses herself in her thoughts for a moment before shaking it off. Edda’s time will come. The time to prepare is soon, and she’s going to want to do it with Sam Burke by her side.“Well… sounds like I’m going to need you for this, aren’t I?” Sam laughs, flattered by Ada’s words.“Heh… I don’t think you do… but I’ll be back in the dojo in no time.” “You’re leaving today?” “Yeah. Doc said they’ll just run some more tests after the surgery to make sure I’m good then I’ll be free. I’ll call you, yeah? Just make sure you get some rest. I know you didn’t sleep at all since last night. I can see it all over your face.” Ada stands, grabbing her Evolution title as she places her hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ll be there. Just let me know and I’ll pick you up. Anything you need, I’ll come running.” “I know you will, kid.” the Sensei responds with a bright smile on his face.Ada finally heads out of the room and out of the hospital, all while repeating Edda’s victory over Lauren in her head. This was a more dangerous version of Wilcox. Angrier. Meaner. To make sure her reign doesn’t come to a premature end, Ada must prepare appropriately for this fight.Upon reaching her car, Ada enters it before placing the title in the passenger seat. After starting the engine, Pierce, for some reason, remembers the night she made her unofficial debut at an IIW Combat live event. Opening the Netflix app once more, Ada heads over to the Combat episode list before selecting the episode she debuted on. She watches the innocent, naive version of herself get tossed around in the ring similar to how Edda Wilcox handled a newcomer in Lauren Edwards. Smirking, the Karateka glances over at the Evolution title as her smile grows wider. Ada knows what she needs to do next…
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Post by Ada Pierce on Feb 5, 2022 23:57:54 GMT
The Return(s) Burke’s Dojo - February 2nd, 2022 “OSU!” the Karateka yells out upon entering her trademark Cat Stance, ending her training routine in the dojo as Sensei Sam Burke, having fully recovered and is back in the dojo, watches on with a smile on his face. Filled with pride for Ada, he applauds her hard work as she bows to him. “So… how was… that..?” the breathless Ada asks, only for the Sensei to throw his hands up, finding himself at a loss for words.
“Perfect. Just perfect. Couldn’t have done it any better myself. You’re somethin’ else, kid.” A smile forms on the face of the Evolution Champion, happy to be doing this again. Training in front of the man who, at this point, has been a father to her ever since she became his student. “Surprised it took this much out of you, though. You alright, kid?” asks the Sensei out of concern for his pupil as she sits down, crossing her legs. “Yeah… just… y’know. Had to juggle the routine and keep my eyes on you at the same time.”
Sam chuckles as he sits directly in front of Ada. “Told you, Ada. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. The surgery was a success. I’m back. Everything’s fine.” he assures her, leaning in with a smile. “Yeah… well… you’re still gonna have to earn my trust again. Coughing up blood and keeping it to yourself… bloody hell…” Pierce trails off, pouting as she looks away.
“Look… I appreciate the concern. I really do. But I’m fine. And we need to focus on preparing for your match against Wilcox, Ada. You’ve been… phenomenal, to say the least. But you’re the champ now. And as sure as I am that you’re ready, mentally speaking, your body is going to go through hell. So stop worrying about me and start worrying about Wilcox. Instead of giving me an earful, do that to Wilcox. She needs to hear it after what she did to Lauren Edwards.” Pierce attempts and spectacularly fails to hide her shit-eating grin after hearing Sam claim that she’s given him an earful. Saying nothing while doing her best to hide her grin, the Sensei raises his eyebrow before pressing the issue. “...What’s so funny now?” he asks with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face that only causes Ada to giggle, no longer hiding anything as she turns to face him. “It’s just, uhh… funny that you think I’ve chewed you out.”
“Well what the hell would you call what you’ve been doing this past week? Inspiring me by threatening to make me choke on my blood every time I cough?” “No no no, it’s just… MY guilt-tripping is, honestly, nowhere near as harsh as the alternative.”
“Alternative?” Sam asks, looking more confused than ever as Ada’s phone goes off after receiving a text message. “Right on cue…” Pierce whispers to herself as she responds to the texts before Sam, now frustrated, interrupts her.
“Hello??? Over here??? What’s going on?” the Sensei asks seconds before turning around as he hears a car rolling up the entrance. “I swear to god, it better not be Coach. I’m gonna kill him.” Sam angrily mumbles before standing up, preparing to get into a fight to the death if it really is the Coach again. Ada, still grinning, places her phone back down before approaching the Sensei, standing directly next to him. Seconds pass, each one feeling like an eternity to Sam as he furrows his eyebrows. “...I swear I’m gonna whoop his ass this time.” “Mm. You know, I’m surprised you’re this eager to fight him after what happened the last time he was here.” responds the Karateka, basically doing everything she can to piss Sam off.
“Pfft. I ain’t scared. Dipshit was lucky I wasn’t a hundred percent. This time? This time… I’m gonna–” Suddenly, the entrance door is kicked wide open, causing Sam to instantly enter a stance as he prepares for a fight he’s been waiting for since ending up in the hospital… until none other than his daughter, Vickie Burke, enters the dojo with a murderous look in her eyes. It’s a scene directly out of a slasher movie and Sam Burke is forced to play the role of the Final Girl as Vickie stares a hole through his soul after dropping her luggage. “...YOU!” Vickie screams at the top of her lungs, sending Ada into a laughing fit. “oh god no” the Sensei mutters to himself before his daughter sprints directly at him, looking to dish out the beating of a lifetime to her father after his attempts at keeping her in the dark regarding his health. As promised, Ada dashes in for the save, grabbing onto Vickie’s arms as she holds her back. “LET ME AT HIM, A!!!” “Vickie, I can explain!” “You ain’t explaining shit before I kick your ass!!!” “HEY! You don’t talk to your father like that!!!” “Yeah, I do! I talk to my IDIOT father like that!!!” Vickie yells out, angrily swinging at the air as Ada easily holds back in the middle of her laughing fit. “How dare you!” responds the Sensei, attempting to maintain his exterior cool while fearing for his life. “Let me at him, A! Let me at the goddamned, son of a–”
Ten Minutes Later
After eating an elbow to her lip in her attempts to shield the Sensei from the beating of a lifetime, Ada succeeded in calming Vickie down. Now, the three silently sit in the middle of the dojo. Vickie, while no longer actively trying to murder her father, continues to stare at him with nothing but pure anger in her eyes. Ada, sitting directly next to her, has been biting her tongue since sitting down, doing everything in her power to not even chuckle in fear of setting Vickie off… “...”
“...” “...” Ada slowly touches the small cut on her lip caused by Vickie rampage, looking at her fingertip before noticing some light blood on it. “...worth it.” Ada mutters to herself, causing Vickie to face her.
“...sorry about that, A.” “It’s okay.”
“...” “...”
“...” “...Ada’s looking even worse than me last week, heh–” Sam’s attempt at lightening the mood fails harder than anything has failed in the history of failing as Vickie instantly lunges at him. “YOU MOTHERF–”
The Ride Ada’s Car - Fifteen Minutes Later
After realizing that there was no way to salvage that situation, Ada Pierce aggressively dragged Vickie Burke out of the dojo and into the car before eventually driving off. Having been on the road for a few minutes, Vickie silently sits in the passenger seat as Ada drives, disappointed that Sam was more or less barred from going out with them. While upset about it, Ada figures this one-on-one time between her and her best friend is good. “Where’re we going?” asks the drained Vickie as she looks out the window. “I’m hungry. Been training all day, think we should grab something to eat. And drink.” responds Ada, keeping her eye on the road as Vickie silently stares out the window.
“I still think we should’ve brought Sam along with us for this.”
“So we can get into a car accident? I’m sure you wouldn’t wanna deal with us fighting in the car.” “Oh come on, Vicks. Listen, I get you’re mad and all, but you know how he is. He probably just thought about you and your career in New York and knew this would happen if he told you he wasn’t feeling well.”
“That’s no excuse, A. If he had actually told me how bad it was, I wouldn’t be here right now. But he just quietly dealt with everything and kept us in the dark until he landed in the hospital. I can’t believe him! Ugh!!!” As the traffic light turns red, Ada hits the brakes, slowing down before turning to face Vickie. “Weirdly enough, that was the happiest I’ve seen him since the day after his surgery. He was worried about you ghosting him ever since he got out of the hospital, and even though you came here to kill him, you still made his entire year.”
“God, he’s just so stubborn. He knows how much I respect his privacy. He knows that if he had just told me he wasn’t doing well but he wanted me to stay back home, I would’ve done it.” “Really? Easier said than done, Vicks. I doubt you would’ve just stayed behind. He knew you’d come here and that makes him worry about everything you’ve built in the States.”
“I do radio work, A. I can do that here too. Christ’s sake, I’m his daughter and I would’ve never found out about any of this if you hadn’t told me. And he still tried to keep you in the dark.” Ada scoffs. She understands where Vickie’s coming from, but she couldn’t help but think of her parents for a moment and almost laugh when comparing them to Sam. “What?” Vickie asks as Ada sighs before responding as the light turns green. “You just… you have no idea how much he cares for you. I know how you feel, really. But you know how much worse it can be. And I say this from experience.” Ada continues with a much more serious tone as she keeps driving. “Yeah… sorry.” “It’s fine.” “...you hear from them recently?” Vickie reluctantly asks, prepared to drop the subject if Ada doesn’t want to talk about it. “I’ve had their numbers blocked for a while now. They’ve made some attempts, but I’m good.” “...you don’t think you’ll eventually have to talk to them? You’ve had a helluva year.” “Yeah… dunno. I feel like with everything I’ve accomplished, no thanks to them, it makes me avoid them even more. I have an idea of how that conversation will go.” “I’m sorry…” “Eh, don’t be. I’ve come to terms with it for years now. I know how Sam can be, but he took me out of an incredibly shitty situation and I’ll never be able to repay him. I just hope to make him proud. As proud as he is of you.” Vickie laughs, shaking her head. “That’s not fair.” “What’s not fair?” “Expecting me to respond to that terribly inaccurate statement you just made.” “If it wasn’t the truth, Sam wouldn’t have thought twice about telling you what he was going through out of his concerns for you.” responds Ada with a light shrug, knowing that, as much as Vickie is justifiably upset, she needs to realize just how much Sam cared for her and her mental wellbeing that he went through hell and still preferred to deal with it by himself than risk affecting his daughter in any negative way. Pierce, especially, knows that feeling all too well. She’s guilty of it herself. “So where’re we going?” “You’ll see.” “Alright then, mystery lady. Been meanin’ to ask..” “Yeah?” “Got anything planned for your match against Edda Wilcox? Saw that promo she released. Figured you may wanna respond to her.” “Nope.” the Karateka simply responds, clearly having much more to say but refraining from doing so. “That’s surprising. I even hit up my guy to let him know you might wanna record a promo of your own.” “I’m good. After the shitshow with the radio show I did, that DJ trying to get me to say some stuff I had no interest in saying to Steph, I think I wanna take a break from that side of this life. That’s not the kind of public figure I wanna be.” “So you have nothing you wanna say to Edda?” “Oh, I do. There’s a lot for me to say to her. I’ve had my eye on her for a while now, even before the Ice Crown. But I don’t have the energy for an artificial promo. I’ll just let my actions do the talking. I dread the thought of doing another media appearance after winning the Evolution championship. No thanks.” Vickie simply nods along, deciding against pressuring her best friend into responding to Wilcox when she clearly has so much on her mind. Ada continues driving, their destination now mere minutes away. In an effort to kill the silence in the car, Ada turns the radio on, only for… ‘How Do You Sleep?’ by John Lennon to play, causing Ada to smirk as she turns to face Vickie. “Wait… isn’t this Edda’s–” “Yyyyyyyyep.” “Life is one cruel mistress.” “That she is.”
Full Circle Bunny Jackson’s Dive Bar - 9:34 PM Entering the crowded bar, Ada turns back, smirking at Vickie, who is beyond ecstatic to be back in her favorite joint in Manchester. Before long, Ada and Vickie are spotted by a waiter before he immediately approaches both women. “You didn’t tell me Vickie was back in town, champ! How’re you two?!” “Doing okay, Chet! Banged up, getting ready for the next show.” “It’s really good to see you!” Vickie gives the waiter, Chet, a quick hug, excited to be back here for the first time in years. “Go on up, your favourite spot’s free. Guessing you’ll be having the usual, eh?” “You know it. Buffalo wings and Blue Moons.” “Gotcha. Kitchen’s closing up pretty soon, so I’ll double those wings knowing you two. Just in time for the set too. They’ll be finishing up halfway through Happy Hour.” Ada fistbumps Chet before heading up the stairs, taking her time in doing so as she watches the band on stage performing a cover of ‘Exits’ by Foals. The lead vocalist, during his performance, eyes both Ada and Vickie as they head up to the top floor before taking their seats just above the stage. Several locals who are very familiar with Ada shout her out, causing the Karateka to blush as she waves back at them. “Well well well, look at the hometown hero.” Vickie teases as she leans forward and nearly pokes through Ada’s leather jacket. “Ow!” “Heheh.” “They already know us because of your obsession with this place. This has NOTHING to do with my, urgh, “fame”. We always come here.” Ada sternly responds, crossing her arms at Vickie. “If you say so. God it feels good to be here. First time since the world went to shit. Thanks, A.” “Don’t mention it, Vicks.” Pierce responds with a warm smile. Vickie smiles back at her before leaning over, squinting as she takes a closer look at the local cover band’s vocalist. Before long, her eyes widen before she frantically turns to face Ada, her jaw dropping. “What!” “Oh my god, you know who that is?!” “No… who is it?” “It’s Harry! Harry White!” It takes a moment for Ada to realize who it is, but when she does, much like Vickie, her jaw drops. She is instantly transported back to her school days in 2016 as she cannot believe her eyes when she turns to watch him perform. “Get out… Harry White? The one Mike Wilson used to bully? THAT Harry?” “The very same! Remember when you saved him in the cafeteria? When you kicked Mike’s ass?” Ada laughs, burying her face in her hands as she shakes her head. “I can’t believe it. What.. an absolute… CHAD!” Pierce exclaims as she bangs the table with her hand, almost tearing up seeing someone who used to be so introverted performing in front of a crowd like it’s nothing. “RIGHT?!” Ada finds it almost impossible to look away after realizing who this confident singer is. In a way… she’s almost proud of him. She still remembers when he thanked her after she got chewed out by the headteacher after beating up his bully. They were in different classes, but she could never forget him after that. After a few moments, Harry looks up at Ada in the middle of his performance, widely smiling at her. Ada returns the smile, waving at him before turning to face Vickie. “Gosh, he was staring at me when we got here too. I thought he just recognized me because of IIW and all. Wow…” “I’m sure he still remembers you very well. He added me on Instagram a while ago, we caught up a bit in DMs and he was asking about you. Thought it was really sweet.” “I’m surprised he recognized me.” “What? Because you’re no longer sporting your patented teen-rebel-Ada blue hair?” “DON’T YOU START WITH THE BLUE HAIR!” Ada yells out, causing a few people to look at her as Vickie dies laughing. Despite Ada’s attempts at maintaining her angry pout, she eventually cracks and laughs as well as the waiter returns with the glasses of beer and wings, placing them on the table before heading off. For the next few minutes, Ada and Vickie silently demolish their food as Harry continues to perform on the stage with his band. After a hectic start to the year, between the Ice Crown Tournament, the Sensei’s health scare and winning the Evolution championship, Ada feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest as she takes a moment to just chill with her best friend. It almost feels like it used to before the Karateka decided to jump into the world of professional wrestling to test herself against the best of the best. As loud and packed as the bar is, this is the most at peace Ada has felt in months. As she silently drinks her beer, Ada watches Harry’s band as they conclude their song, prompting her to passionately applaud his performance. “It’s funny, isn’t it? That the ones who get picked on almost always end up achieving great things. Harmless as they may seem, they have so much inside them. So much in their hearts…” “...Heh, sounds familiar.” Vickie responds as she places her hand on Ada’s, smiling at her. “Listen… I’m sorry for bringing up your folks in the car. I know it’s a touchy subject.” “It’s alright. I just wanted you to cool down with Sam. It was funny, and I was really happy to have you chew him out, but take it easy on the guy. He really loves you.” With Harry and his band now bringing the energy down with a cover of Local Natives’ “Mt. Washington”, Vickie loses herself in her thoughts. She knows that Ada is right, but she also cannot possibly put her fears into words when she found out about Sam ending up in the hospital. She almost instantly booked a plane ticket straight back to Manchester. “I just… couldn’t stop worrying about him. And to make matters worse, I watched Edda’s video on the plane, and I was selfishly hoping you’d have a response for her when I got here. I was excited to let out all this pent up frustration through our own response to her.” “Vicks… I wouldn’t even know where to begin with Edda. She was way off when she claimed that you and I were looking to become influencers or whatever, but I couldn’t help but think of how… exploitative it felt when I did that radio show before my match with Steph. It didn’t come off like they wanted me there to talk about my journey or who I am. They just wanted to claim that they had the “Ice Queen” on the show and move right along. It wasn’t genuine.” continues Ada, finally airing out her frustrations to Vickie in person. “Look… I know that stuff isn’t your scene. I get it. Now that you’re the friggin’ Evolution champion, you may have to fulfill some media obligations for IIW as one of the primary faces of First Class, but you can decide who you want to be. The kind of champion you want to be.” “Dunno, Vicks… some of her words cut deep for me. Started to doubt myself. Maybe I’ll just end up becoming another wrestler doing this for money. For fame. Maybe I’ll get caught up in all that.” “Oh stop, A. You’ll never stop being the rebel you’ve always been. Blue hair or not–” “I swear to god, Vickie.” “No, listen! I’m serious! Who you are, the message you’re trying to spread… that’s all in your DNA. Hell, you still go out there in your karate gi. You walk into that ring with your bare feet and you show no fear no matter who they put in front of you. That’s what makes people connect with you. Look around. Everyone here knows you. And you were right. They don’t know because of the person you’ve become. They’ve always known you. Karate girl Ada Pierce. You’re never gonna lose that authenticity. So screw what Edda said. Whether it’s in a highly-produced promo or a video you can record on your phone, you need to respond. Speak your truth. Your truth is what’ll give you more of the strength you already have. The strength that’s helped you crush everyone that has stood between you and your goals, A.” Ada smiles at Vickie, appreciating her words. But it wasn’t just what Edda said about her that raised some red flags. It’s what she was saying about herself. That she was doing this for money. Business. Claiming that she almost joined the Left Hand. Those are the words that worried Ada. Before that, Ada saw Edda much like she sees Kelsey Frost. A warrior looking to prove herself against the best of the best, someone who got into wrestling for the love of it. Not for money. Before Ada can respond, however, her attention is drawn to the crowd in front of the stage applauding Harry and his band after another wonderful performance. With the microphone in his hand, Harry addresses his audience. “We havin’ a good time?” he asks before the audience hoot and holler, cheering him on. “Before we move onto our final song for the night, I just wanted to thank you for being a badass crowd as always, AND… I wanted to give a huge shout-out to none other than First Class’ Evolution Champion! There she is up there!” he yells out as points at Ada Pierce, causing her entire face to go red as she waves at the cheering crowd on the ground floor. “I don’t wanna put pressure on you, but champ… it would be an honour if you joined me on this stage.” Flustered, Ada covers her mouth with her hand, shaking her head before the crowd below will her on to do exactly what Harry just said. Turning to face her best friend, Vickie, predictably, excitedly nods at Pierce to accept Harry’s invitation. Fighting through the anxiety, Ada decides to go ahead and do it before making her way down the stairs and to the stage. She gracefully climbs the stage before giving Harry a quick hug, standing directly next to him as he brings the microphone back up his mouth. “In front of everyone here, I just wanted to thank you once more for everything you did for me when we were in school. You all may not know this, but we went to the same school years ago. And the Ada Pierce we all see on TV is exactly who she’s always been. She’s always looked out for people in need, always had your back whenever you were down. So Ada, from the bottom of my heart… thank you.” Ada wipes a tear off her cheek before tightly hugging Harry on stage as the crowd loudly cheer them both on, applauding the wholesome moment they’re witnessing. “Now! For our final song… Ada… the request is all yours…” Pierce laughs in response, honoured to be given this opportunity. She looks up at Vickie, who simply raises her hand, giving Ada a thumbs-up while holding her phone with her other hand, recording this moment on her phone. Taken aback, Ada realizes that several phones are out, all recording her as she stands on stage next to Harry White. She thinks back to Vickie’s words earlier about her speaking her truth, deciding the kind of public figure she wants to be. Seeing the smiles in the crowd, standing next to Harry… She decides to give these people a show they’ll never forget as she grabs the microphone. “Who here is familiar with Edda Wilcox?” asks the Karateka, prompting a mixed reaction from the regulars. While they do appreciate Wilcox, it appears that this is a very pro-Ada Pierce crowd. “Well… this one’s for her.” Ada places the microphone back on the stand before whispering a few words in Harry’s ears. He smirks in response before grabbing his guitar… …before performing an acoustic cover of John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?”. Edda Wilcox’s entrance theme. Getting into the groove of things, Ada clutches the microphone as Harry does the same, singing the song with him as her mind races, thinking of the kind of woman she’s going to be stepping into the ring with on the 6th. “The one mistake you made was in your head” sings Ada as Edda’s words echo in her mind. Business, money… to Ada, this isn’t what wrestling is about. It isn’t what she thought Edda Wilcox represented. “Ohhhhh… how do you sleep?” sings the Karateka as the crowd watches in silence. In her mind, Ada thinks of the brutal display Edda Wilcox put on against Lauren Edwards. The unfiltered beating she dished out… and all Ada can think of is what the Coven did to her months ago. They looked to make an example of Ada to send a message to the locker room. To see a woman like Edda Wilcox, a woman Ada had a lot of respect for, follow in those footsteps… It disappointed her. For the next three minutes, Ada and Harry perform the cover, concluding it to the loudest applause of the night thus far. Harry tightly hugs Ada as the crowd shower them with love while Vickie is blown away by the fact that Ada… didn’t sound terrible! As the applause dies down, Harry hands the microphone over to the Karateka before taking a step back, allowing her to address them. “Whew… how was I?” Ada asks before the regulars, as well as the staff, applaud her with giant smiles on their faces. Humbled, Ada takes in the moment, smiling back at the regulars before looking back up at Vickie to notice her continuing to record. Many more regulars hold their phones up, recording Ada on stage… which leads her to decide that the time to respond to Wilcox… is now. Knowing that this will undoubtedly end up on social media, she clutches the microphone, removing it from the stand as she paces back and forth on the stage. “Who here’s got tickets to the next First Class?” the EVO champion asks before a sizable portion of the people in the bar raise their hands, cheering as they do so. “Well.. I’m seeing a lot of phones out. I’m seeing a lot of people recording this right now. So you know what? You guys are gonna get my response to Edda Wilcox right here, right now!!!” she screams, bringing everyone to their feet in the bar as Vickie watches on with a huge smile on her face. “Edda… she had a lot to say in that video she released, standing in that alley. So screw it. I’ve had some stuff to say back to her, and I’ll do it right now. I know that when all of you post this, she’s gonna see it. So let’s talk, Edda.” continues the Karateka as she takes a seat in the middle of the stage. “Edda… not everything you said was a load of bollocks. That I’ll give you. But most of it was just… so misguided. You claimed that you wanted us to team up at some point? If you’d said that before what you did to Lauren Edwards on the last First Class… I would’ve been happy to take you up on that offer. Hell, I would’ve been honoured. But you made a proclamation that you were gonna unleash the beast within. I was excited. And then you started talking about joining the Left Hand and frankly… you lost me. You lost everybody when you said that. I’m sure Grimjack ain’t none too pleased with you saying that, right?” she asks as the crowd cheers her on. “Everything you’ve said over this past month… It only tells me one thing, Edda. You’re lost. I’m sure you fear letting your mentor down. All that talk about business, IIW’s Netflix deal, making money… it’s all a defense mechanism. You’re afraid. Afraid of letting a man who was tossed off a cage back in 1999 by Zack Tyler and lived to tell the tale. What will a guy who’s survived something like that, something that at the very least would end people’s careers if not worse, think if you failed to capture my title? If you failed to beat a glorified Karate girl? I know those thoughts all too well, Ed’. That voice in your head that makes you doubt yourself. It took me a long time to make that voice go away. I still struggle with it. But I can see you’re many, many steps behind me in that regard. I know that when I step into the ring, I’m doing this for my Sensei. I’m doing it for him. His legacy. That’s what I’m shouldering.” continues Ada, her tone slowly becoming more and more serious as she sternly speaks her truth. “How do you avoid that pressure? How do you still go on to achieve greatness despite it all? Easy… truth. You speak your truth. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now. See, despite all the crap you said about money and business and things I know you don’t care about… you’re all too familiar with expressing your truth through your art. Whether it be fighting or music. I just felt the latter myself. And I know you played in a band for years. You know the pain of the metal strings digging into your fingers. But you kept playing because you heart told you to. Your desire to express yourself through an axe is what numbed you to that pain. I’m sure the calluses you got out of it were a worthy trade for the power chords, just like the broken bones, the bruises, blood, sweat and tears are worth it when you hear the wrestling crowds roar for you. You needed them. Mosh pits weren’t enough. You needed to fight. That kind of passion… isn’t something you can just learn. It’s embedded in you. But you’re a nomad. You go from one thing to another. And right now… you’re lost, Wilcox.” Ada stands up, staring into the many cameras pointed at her. “You wanna hype up our match? Well here it is. Come next First Class... I'll help you down the right path."
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