First Class: September 19th, 2021
The muffled sounds of a crowd become clearer. A hazy vision follows suit as the fans, distant and tiny, clear up. Confusion sets in as Ada Pierce attempts to shake it off, succeeding only for a fleeting moment as she realizes she’s on Casie Debonair’s shoulders. Ada looks down and finds Mercedes-Jane Debonair looking up at her with a cheshire-cat-like grin on her face. Before Pierce can react, she’s sent crashing down on a table as it explodes into many, many pieces. And with that, the haze takes over again as the crowd become muffled once more and what follows is nothing but darkness. The Coven have came for Ada Pierce.. Was it personal? Most likely not. Ada was simply a tool for them to make a statement and not much else. A tool used to display how vicious they can be, in case anyone forgot. Despite her heart refusing to give out, her body is unresponsive as everything fades to black.
London, England, at a Local Arcade: September 1st, 2014
Having spent the first day of the weekend gaming it away with her friend, a teenage Ada Pierce discusses the strategy they must apply when facing stronger opponents in Street Fighter IV.
Ada Pierce | “I’m proud of you, Vick! You didn’t win the set, but you were one win away!”
Vickie Burke | “I’d be prouder of myself if I had actually, y’know, won the bloody thing!”
Ada Pierce | “Patience, young one.”
Vickie Burke | “…I’m a year older than you.”
Ada does her best to bite her tongue to avoid cracking, but a well-timed smack to the back of her head by Vickie causes her to break as they laugh it off. With the arcade closing for the night, people file out of it as they separate into their groups.
Ada Pierce | “I’m really sorry about burdening you with the tall task of dropping me off my place, by the way.”
Vickie Burke | “Ahh, it’s nothing. Dad’s late anyway.”
Ada Pierce | “Rough day at the dojo, eh?”
Vickie Burke | “Oh piss off. When’re you gonna get off your lazy ass and check the place out anyway?”
Ada Pierce | “Ehh, dunno. I’m plenty content with kicking ass in virtual form. It’s not like I’m ever going to-”
Cutting through Ada’s sentence, Vickie blurts out a few obscenities as she darts across the parking lot towards a group comprised of fellow students in her class. Confused, Ada follows her.
Vickie Burke | “Would you idiots leave him alone?!”
The tallest jock of the group, surrounded by smaller minions, has a much smaller and weaker-looking kid pinned against a car. The big one turns to face Vickie only to flip her off before turning his attention back to his prey.
Vickie Burke | “HEY!!!”
Big Jock | “Lord, would you just piss off already?”
Vickie Burke | “I’ll consider it if you leave him alone.”
The big one turns and looks at his minions who sheepishly laugh at Vickie while Ada stands behind her.
Big Jock | “This right here? This doesn’t involve you. It’s between me and this little shit who won’t pay me back for playing all night with my money.”
Weak Kid | “I- I didn’t even ask for it! I thought you were just offering to-”
The jock pushes the kid’s face, causing the back of his head to bounce off the car as his legs give out. This is all Vickie needs to see as she rushes in, but before she can do anything, one of the minions blindsides her as he boots her in the gut, causing her to hit the ground as she falls to the ground.
Big Jock | “Ayy, nice one!”
As the smaller jock turns to the big one for approval, Ada stomps her way over to him before decking him right in the jaw, knocking his butt down to the ground.
Big Jock | “What the HELL!”
Ada Pierce | “Run!”
The jocks are confused by Ada’s instruction before realizing that she had successfully given their target the chance to run off. This, of course, doesn’t sit well with them.
Big Jock | “That’s IT! GET HER!”
With one of them down, the remaining two minions rush Ada as her eyes widen. Yet somehow, with zero training to her name, Ada instinctively ducks down to avoid the first jock, tripping him in the process as he stumbles forward and hits the ground, before rising up and throwing a roundhouse kick, terrible form and all but successfully catching the second one in the side of his head, knocking him down too. Ada almost disassociates due to the adrenaline high, but the first thing she can think of is to check on Vickie. She turns around to see her best friend getting back up to her feet, but unfortunately, this creates the opening the big jock needed to deck Ada in the back of her head as she hits the ground.
Big Jock | “You STAY out of our business, you little bitc-”
Before this idiot can finish his sentence, a man grabs the same arm he used to hit Ada with before twisting it behind his back before forcing him against the same car the weaker kid was against.
? | “Apologize.”
Big Jock | “Ugh, you let me go!!!”
The mysterious man turns the jock around before flicking him right in the nose, causing the supposed tough kid to wince like a child in a panic. Wanting to get out of this situation, he obliges.
Big Jock | “I’m sorry, alright?!”
The man releases the grip over the jock’s arm before booting him in his behind as the smaller jocks run off with their leader. Vickie grabs Ada’s arm and pulls her up to her feet.
? | “You girls okay?”
Vickie Burke | “Hell of an entrance, dad.”
Nursing her head, it takes a few seconds for Ada to realize what she just heard.
Ada Pierce | “…wait, “dad”?”
Vickie Burke | “The one and only Sensei.”
Ada is speechless for a few seconds. After all, she’d been avoiding checking the dojo out, but the same man who runs it just made the bullies who’ve given her and Vickie so much trouble look like the fools they’ve always been.
Ada Pierce | “….it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Burke!”
Vickie’s father smiles at Ada as he shakes her hand.
Sensei | “It’s Sensei to you and your terrible form.”
Pierce squints her eyes at Vickie’s dad, unamused.
Ada Pierce | “jeez, just say what’s on your mind”
Vickie Burke | “Give it a rest, dad. She ain’t interested in fixing that crappy form of hers.”
Ada Pierce | “okay now hold on-”
Sensei | “Not interested, hm. That’s a surprise considering I just saw with my own two eyes what my daughter’s been telling me since she started hanging out with you.”
Ada shoots daggers at Vickie as she gives her the patented squint.
Sensei | “A, uh, what was it?”
Vickie Burke | “Badass.”
Sensei | “That’s it. A Badass.”
Ada’s squinty, unamused face quickly turns red and very amused.
Sensei | “Right, we should be heading home.”
Vickie’s dad heads to the car as she and Ada follow him. Overwhelmed, Ada doesn’t have much to say as the eventful day comes to a close, but she feels she needs to express her gratitude to the Burkes.
Ada Pierce | “Thanks for, uh… all that back there. And sorry for bothering you with giving me a ride home.”
Sensei | “Oh, it’s nothing. But you owe me.”
Ada Pierce | “say what”
Burke unlocks the car and opens the door, but before entering, he winks at his daughter.
Sensei | “I’ll see you in my dojo tomorrow, Miss Pierce. Vickie will see to your timely arrival.”
Vickie Burke | “Now you’re punctual with time all of a sudden?”
Sensei | “No, I- I just- …get in the car.”
Vickie laughs as she turns to Ada before smacking her in the arm.
Vickie Burke | “We’ll make a Karate Girl out of you!”
Ada Pierce | “ow!”
Ada smiles as she hops into the car. Weirdly, she’s excited to check the place out. This wasn’t the first time this has happened where she was forced to step in and right a wrong, but this was the first time she’d been blindsided like this. However, it certainly wouldn’t be the last…[/div]
First Class: October 3rd, 2021
Pierce sits alone in the medical room backstage, her karate gi covered in her own blood. She’s on the verge of breaking down. After she was attacked by The Coven for absolutely no reason, she wanted to make this night a memorable one by standing up to a bully and proving that you don’t have to play dirty in order to rise to the top. But sadly, she couldn’t even get the chance to do that. A skeleton in the closest in the form of Jamie Riott decided to interject and ruin Ada’s night, damn near ending her career. And again, all Ada can ask herself is “why”. Why do some of these women do these terrible things? Isn’t this supposed to be a sport where we determine who the best is based on their skills? Based on their will and heart? Her head just won’t stop. Her thoughts won’t stop flooding the spaces in her brain she usually reserves for the wisdom she’s accrued under Burke’s tutelage. But this… all of this… it just doesn’t make sense. Thankfully, these thoughts are temporarily halted as a result of a few knocks on the door. Ada turns to the door and sees Burke, her Sensei, entering the doctor’s office.
Sensei | “I, uh… I just wanted to check in on you. I got here as fast as I could after seeing what happened.”
Ada has nothing to say. She simply looks down on the floor as she holds a bag filled with ice, pressing it against her bandaged, stitched-up temple.
Sensei | “Vickie messaged me. She basically demanded I update her as fast as I can. She’s really sorry she couldn’t be here. She wanted to book the first flight from the States but I told her you’d probably, uh, kick both our asses if she did that, heh.”
Nothing. Still quiet. With nothing but concern on his face, Ada’s Sensei notices her hand, balled up in a fist.
Ada Pierce | “I’m sorry…”
The look of concern is now mixed with one of confusion from Burke as he’s at a loss for words. Just what in the hell could Ada be apologizing for?
Ada Pierce | “I… I can’t do this anymore.”
Sensei | “What, uh… what do you mean?”
Ada Pierce | “It doesn’t work here. The honour, the principles… not when people like The Coven and Jamie Riott are around.”
Burke, despite his need to give another speech on why Ada must not abandon the principles that got her to where she is, decides to keep his mouth shut and listen.
Ada Pierce | “A few weeks ago… Mercedes and her group hijacked the entire show. She almost ended me, she almost ended Robin and she almost ended Ichiko. For what?”
The Sensei has nothing to say.
Ada Pierce | “For what reason?”
Nothing. Moments of silence pass… until Ada stands up and smashes the ice bag against the wall, yelling in pure anger.
Ada Pierce | “For what fucking reason?!”
Sensei | “….”
Ada Pierce | “I woke up in this room only to watch Mercedes win that bloody match while the doctors stitched me up. I trained, trained and trained only to not even get the CHANCE to do something about The Coven’s bullshit! Why? Because Jamie was too upset with me for winning? For beating her fair and square? But this is what life is, innit?”
Sensei | “No. No it’s not.”
Ada Pierce | “Then what in hell is it?!”
Burke paces back and forth, attempting to gather his thoughts as Ada sheds a tear. Finally, he decides he just needs to speak his mind. To hell with the robotic, stoic speeches.
Sensei | “I understand. I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been there. And if you decide that you’ve had it with this place, I’ll understand that too. Because this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. But with that said, the first time we met, it was due to the circumstances much like this. You remember those idiots you and Vickie dealt with.”
Ada breathes in as deeply as she can as the memories come flooding back. The same memories that came back to her after The Coven destroyed her weeks ago.
Sensei | “I know you remember them. Was that fair? Of course it wasn’t. But that single encounter is what turned you into my greatest student and one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. But I’m not here to butter you up. I’ll be honest with you. You’ve forgotten what it feels like to go up against an illogical, raging monster. You’ve forgotten what it takes to topple that monster. And after all these years, you’re facing quite possibly the strongest of them all. I did my research. How couldn’t I when you went up against her? I tried to keep a straight face and tell you stick to basics, and because of that, you got the win. Your principles and fundamentals are what aided you. But most of all, your heart. Your will to fight is what bulldozed the obstacles in your path.”
Burke begins to approach Ada as she balls both of her hands into fists, knowing full well where her Sensei is going with this despite her never expecting him to cross this line.
Sensei | “But these two last shows… they’re different. And they’ve made me realize that I was wrong, and that you were right. You can’t just stick to the basics when you’re faced with a woman who’s willing to wrap freakin’ barbed wire around her hand just to make sure you can’t fight anymore.”
The dejection within Ada slowly forms into nothing but pure, unbridled rage. A rage she’s going to direct at none other than Jamie Riott.
Ada Pierce | “The one mistake she made… is that she didn’t finish the job. She should’ve slit my bloody throat with that barbed wire. But she didn’t… and much like every single piece of crap I’ve ever dealt with in my life, the same pieces of crap who hurt Vickie years ago… Mercedes… Jamie… they’re no different, Sensei. The only reason I apologized earlier…”
Ada looks down at her bloodied fist as she gnashes her teeth, visualizing exactly what she’s going to do to Jamie Riott for interfering with her business.
Ada Pierce | “…is because I’m gonna have to leave my principles at the door for a while. I’m gonna have to do something I haven’t done in a long time, and that’s teach a bunch of self-absorbed, evil pieces of shit a lesson in humility. A lesson in some goddamned respect. I’ve already talked to Jolie Vexx… and I want Jamie at Malevolence. But make no mistake. She wants me too. She just doesn’t know what the fuck she asked for.”
The same fire in Ada’s eyes burn bright in Burke’s as he places his hand on her shoulder. The battle lines have been drawn as they were crossed, and this is the opportunity for master and student to come together to take down the evil forces that lurk in First Class.
Sensei | “Then I guess the time for talking is done. We’ve got work to do.”
Bloodied, bruised and broken, Ada still finds it within herself to smile at her Sensei as she truly finds her resolve in this foreign environment. Come Malevolence… the world is going to bear witness to a side of Ada Pierce they never knew existed…