Fighter Ch. 02

"What?"

"I was just thinking of you when you first started out with us," he replied with a grin still on his face.

"Oh coach!" she exclaimed like she had when he would make her tackle the difficult tasks back in the day.

They both broke out into laughter at that and it helped resettle Anna's nerves. She rolled on the ground doing her leg stretches. Marcus came over to push one of her legs back for her. He noticed that the strength in her legs was improving as he pushed down and she didn't as much as whimper when the top of her thighs met her chest. She had always been able to do the splits and her flexibility was now becoming more apparent.

"You could have been on the Rockettes, you know that?" he joked and she only smiled at that.

He let go and she straightened. They repeated the process with the other leg and she pulled her knees to her chest. The popping sounds and the tingling resulted in much of the stress being released. She rolled backwards hearing her lower back crack in a satisfying way. She rolled back a bit to her shoulders and kicked to her feet. Marcus had shown her how to do that early on and it took a bit for her to get it, but she did and was very graceful as she sprung from her back to her feet like a cat. She snapped her head back and the braids on the side of her head flowed behind her and down her back. The sight of it made him shift uncomfortably.

They both looked up and saw the clock. One hour till show time, so she went for her shower. He readied the tape and when she came out she was in her trunks and athletic bra. She had tied her two thick braids behind her head. Figuring she would be grappling she decided against having something that her opponent could grip onto. Marcus looked at her and she looked very feral, almost like a warrior of old. He smiled at that as she bounced up onto the table.

As he approached she shocked him when she suddenly wrapped her legs around his body and pulled him to her. His eyes fluttered and when he was close she wrapped her arms around him as well, hugging him close. He rubbed her back and then pulled back so he could begin. He wrapped each ankle and fist tight. He knew she was on a timer now. One hour and the circulation would start to cut off. He was thankful she only had at most forty five in it. He would wrap her just before each fight so he wasn't concerned for her well being in that regard. He put the gloves on her hands and had her bounce from foot to foot to test the wraps. She shook her head and did a jab drill going in a full circuit. She bounced high into the air to make sure she could move her ankles properly in the wraps. He put on a pair of punching pads and did a few simple reflex drills with her. She was ready. He opened the door and Christian came in. He rubbed her back and neck with the ointment. She tilted forward so he could get her lower back while Marcus spoke to her of strategy and as he did he finally saw her mind focusing on the upcoming battle. She was in her zone but he knew her subconscious would pick up his words.

The official didn't have to usher them out as she nearly ran out of the locker room towards the ring. When she entered the floor, she saw the ring and noted that it was different than normal. She had seen the Octagon in many fight videos, but it looked smaller. The tall fenced in area with six sides was imposing and she knew this was it. She saw her opponent already in the ring and shook her head to get into the groove. She went through the pre-fight instructions with the referee outside of the ring and heard Marcus give her last instructions after wards. But her mind was focused on one thing: her opponent. She heard the bell ring and it was show time!

Her opponent was a stand up fighter she quickly realized so they traded jabs and low kicks for a minute or so. Each felt the range of the other and it was Anna that made the first mistake. She kicked low and the woman bounced into it and threw a punch that caught her in the face. Anna hopped back as the woman pressed her advantage. She threw a series of punches at Anna who did as coach had taught her and grabbed her body then fell backwards taking her opponent with her. When they hit the floor Anna was the first to react. She spun to her belly and got the woman's back. She heard her coach and Christian yelling at her to do the snake. She pounced on the woman's back and before she could register what she had done, her training took over. Anna got her left arm under the woman's chin and cinched her right arm behind the back of her head. She wrapped her legs tight around the woman's body and fell backwards. The added torque of the move got her arm deeper under the woman's neck and in a few seconds the referee was breaking them up as the woman tapped out rapidly.

She let go of the woman who slammed her fists into the ground, embarrassed that she had been caught, but there was no denying it as the nearly four thousand in attendance cheered their approval of the fight. Anna had just won her third fight in a row and was stoked as Marcus came rushing into the ring. She ran to him hugging him happily. Christian snatched her up after she let go of coach and he hugged her as well. She was so happy that she ran to the side of the ring and jumped to the lip. She pulled herself up, threw a leg over it and raised her hands to the crowd. They actually cheered louder as she did that. Marcus knew the roar of the crowd could energize a fighter. He just hoped she didn't showboat too much as she had a few fights left. She dropped down from the cage and was led to the center of the ring where she was announced winner of the fight. She went back to the locker room followed by the cheers of the fans—her fans, and she began to tingle inside.

The long hour between the fights was spent in readying herself with coach and the doctor. She had both sets of wraps changed. As she sat back against the locker room wall, shaking she saw Marcus sitting calmly reading a newspaper.

"Coach, how can you be so calm?" she asked him.

Marcus picked up the bottle of water, sipped it then looked to her. He set his paper on his lap and smiled as he spoke, "Fear profits a man nothing. If you want to succeed than you don't obsess on the moment ahead of you, but focus on the moment in front of you. The great ones always had a way of dealing with nerves. Some drank, others prayed, a few even had sex before the fight. But the best ones simply waited their turn and got over it as it came to them."

Anna sat back and thought of his words. She actually thought of what he said and the nervousness began to slowly abate. In her mind the last option was the best, but the one before it appealed to her urges better. She looked at him and wondered what it would be like to be in his arms as they made love. She truly wanted to know the answer to that and her arousal became a bit apparent as she began to breathe shallowly. She looked at him and he had resumed reading his paper. She suddenly got a bold idea in her mind and came to her feet. She calmly walked right up to him and slapped the paper from his hand. He looked up at her with narrowed eyes and was shocked when she straddled his legs. Before he could protest she locked her mouth on his and passionately kissed him.

Marcus' eyes widened as his hands went out wide. She threw her arms around his neck and her tongue slashed across his and into his mouth as she kissed him with the adrenaline of fight just won and the pent up frustrations of five years of wanting. The kiss continued on and on as Marcus' hands slowly went to her back. She moaned happily in his mouth as they did. She slowly broke off and his eyes opened to see that hers were still closed. She slowly opened her doe-like brown eyes and looked into his with such longing. She still had her arms around his neck and his eyes bore into hers. She saw confusion, which was fine, because she also saw satisfaction. She leaned in and pecked his lips one more time then got up. She smiled down at him and touched his face. As she sauntered off she dragged her fingertips lightly along the stubble on his jaw and smiled happily. She went to the bathroom and he was left to wonder what was happening to him.

Marcus was now more than a little aroused. She had done an unconscious grind against him and he had felt the blasting heat that had generated from between her legs. His erection was very solid and he knew he needed to handle it before she returned or it would be very uncomfortable to say the least. He went to stand up but he heard her coming out of the bathroom so he sat back down and crossed his leg. Anna padded up to him and smiled impishly as she walked right up to him kissed his lips then hopped up on the training table. The way she had grazed her lips across his was very teasing. Marcus looked back and she was sitting innocently on the table, kicking her feet playfully as she waited for him to wrap her up.

Marcus began the job of getting her wrapped up tight again. She winced as he got it in deep and she then whipped her head from side to side, causing her neck to crack several times. Marcus noticed she had a shiner forming under her eye. He touched it and she winced a bit. He stood up and went to the trainer's cabinet. After searching around he pulled out some ointment and lightly dabbed it into her cheek. It wouldn't stop the bruise, but it would stem it from swelling further. After he did the best he could for her he looked up to see the official was already there and they went to the ring. Christian was already there waiting and she saw her next opponent. The woman was bigger than her by a few inches and looked to be ten pounds heavier than her. The thing that unsettled Anna the most was her long arms. At five three, Anna was only able to reach out about three quarters of the way to her. The woman easily had six inches of reach on her.

"Anna, stay inside of her and keep the fight on the ground. Hold your chin down or this will not end well. You got this baby girl! YOU GOT THIS!" Marcus growled to her and she nodded her head.

The gate closed and the announcer left. The referee stepped to the middle and started the fight. Anna rushed her opponent and got inside of her fast. She slammed her opponent's back into the cage and did a double arm bridge that took her down. They grappled on the ground for a long while until the ref broke them up and had them reset. The woman expended a lot of energy trying to hold Anna off her during the ground exchange, but Anna used her leverage to keep her own body going. As they traded a few jabs Anna ducked one shot in and got both of her legs. Using a basic technique, she turned and lifted, taking the woman down in a double leg take down. She scrambled on top of the woman, but she got her legs around Anna and got her in a tight half guard. They each tried to gain footing over the other, but it was moot and the bell rang on a quiet round.

Anna made it to her corner as Christian and Marcus came in. They wiped her face as Marcus barked instructions to her. He was pleased she scored two very impressive take downs and had held the dominant position throughout the round. He told her to keep at her legs and try to keep the stand up to a minimum as that was the woman's strong suit. She nodded her head and spit out the small gulp of water that she'd taken to wet her mouth. She then gulped down two small swallows as Coach checked her bruise. It was there, but not threatening her eyes. He wiped it down of the sweat so he could apply a fresh coat of ointment. Finally, Marcus had her bite down on her mouth guard as he and Christian climbed out of the ring.

The second round began and her opponent took the initiative. The woman lunged in and almost scored a knee to Anna who barely managed to get out of the way. The woman spun around with a wild high kick that Anna got under. Using a move she had seen in an old fight video she grabbed one leg from under the woman who was immediately thrown off balance. Anna lifted the woman off the ground and inverted her. As she did she got air under her and slammed the woman on her shoulder into the ground. She felt the impact in her shoulder and the woman suddenly went limp as the side of her head hit the mat hard, jarring her into unconsciousness. The crowd saw the move and let out a collective "OHHH!" as she hit the mat. The ref saw it and rushed into break it up. He checked the woman over and she was alright, just severely dazed. The fight was over and Anna was the winner by stoppage. The crowd began to hoot and holler their approval of that awesome slam. As Anna got to her corner a chant began in the crowd.

"ANNABELLE ANNABELLE!" The crowd chanted her name loudly as they were madly impressed by the way this fight, as well as the previous one had ended. Marcus came into the ring smiling proudly. She jumped into his arms and squealed thinking, 'I did it again!' This time the crowd let out an even louder roar as she hopped down and jumped to the top of the cage again. The crowd showed their reaction when she screamed loudly almost primordially to them.

When the announcer declared her the winner the crowd let out a collective roar and started to chant her name again. She went back to the locker room with a huge smile on her face. As she got there Christian slapped her back. She hugged him tight and laughed loudly.

"Did you hear that coach?! Omigod, they were chanting my name!" she yelled in excitement.

"Was there any doubt they wouldn't, honey?" he asked her as she crushed him with a tight bear hug.

"But coach they chanted for me!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Marcus knew that this moment in her life was probably the greatest feeling she had ever known. He was very proud that she'd held her own in the ring, then won a match in such dramatic fashion. He thought of the fight ending up on YouTube, and the thought of that happening was actually very appealing. He decided to go out to the guy that was filming it as the doctor came in to check on the wrappings. After talking with the camera guy he got a clip of the slam. Marcus and the camera guy took it to a computer and uploaded the footage. He selected a song to play in the back ground that he knew she loved. The sounds of 'Going Under' by Evanescence played as the two engaged. It got to the hard intro as the girl's punch missed and Anna picked her up. The hard thriving music was actually perfectly timed for when Anna drove her into the ground with the devastating slam. The cameraman repeated the slam then played it in slow motion plus a few seconds of her running to the cage. After Marcus was satisfied with the results, the two of them uploaded it to YouTube. It was approved quickly and he smiled as he went back to the locker room.

Anna and Christian were doing post fight cool downs as he walked up with a smile on his face. He pulled out his I-Pad from his satchel and sat down like he was doing nothing, but he pulled up his YouTube clips.

"Anna come here. You gotta see this," he said smiling.

She walked over and looked as he turned it outwards for them to see. When he did Anna's eyes grew wide. She saw the slam and gasped. Christian laughed as he too watched the slam.

"Damn! You almost broke her neck Anna!" he said laughing loudly.

She laughed as she watched the slow motion. As the video ended she heard the crowd chanting her name as the song played off slowly. She looked at Marcus, her eyes showing confusion.

"Who uploaded this coach?" she asked.

"I dunno, but man they did a good job of it. Anyways one more fight today then if you win it's off to the finals. I just found out they are going to have two more fights tomorrow for the winner. If you win tonight you get to face off against two of the other tourneys winners. If you win that you go from five to possible seven wins," he said.

"But coach I thought it was only three fights then done?" she asked confused.

"That's what they said at first, but more girls showed up than they anticipated. The crowd here was a sellout so they decided to give all of them a shot. You do notice that the fights are going fast, yes?" he said and she nodded, "The reason being is they have a second gym filled like this one and they are making a tourney in there as well. The winners there will come here for two more fights. Kind of like a semi-final then a final. So you'll fight a winner of that tourney then the winner of the next pairing," he finished.

She was nodding her head, instantly liking the idea of increasing her record. She cracked her neck and went to get ready for her last fight. Christian left to get some drinks for them. As he did she walked up to Marcus and hugged him from behind. He looked back at her and she simply cuddled her head into the space between his shoulders. He got an idea to motivate her and he decided to play the trump card.

"Anna, if you win this whole thing I'll take you to the big mall and you get a shopping trip on me. What do you say?" he offered.

"You mean it?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup, any store you want and no limit on what you want, well to the tune of six grand." he said laughing.

"Oh coach no! You don't have to do that." she said when she heard the amount.

"Oh yes I do. Call it an incentive. You win we go shopping for you. You lose you get to run ten miles with the pack on for the next six weeks." he said with finality.

She nodded her head squeezing him tight to seal the deal. She went to the bathroom to wash her face. When she came out Marcus looked at the bruise. It had stopped swelling and he rubbed more ointment into it. He saw the time was near so he wrapped her hands and feet one last time. He snugged them up tight, causing her to wince a bit. He was reading the screen in the room and noticed her upcoming opponent was just now getting tied off. He saw that her fight had gone the distance. He knew she was likely to be worn out. Marcus grinned as an idea came to his mind.

"Anna honey, listen up. Your opponent has had two fights go the distance. She is going to try and turtle you. I want you to go after her. Stay on your feet and make her come at you. Don't go to the ground if you can help it. If you do, try and get her on the ground and you take a dominant posture. Above all be relentless in this one. She is likely to be sucking wind hard after her last two fights so keep her off balance and go into her hard," he ordered and she nodded her agreement.

She was lost in the moment as she heard the crowd chanting her name in her head. The smile that crossed her face was not a pleasant one. She wanted to make them remember her. Her mind formulated the fight in a thousand variants as she went deep into her own self and felt the energy inside of her begin to build. She was ready. She wanted to win this one. She was eager to go on to tomorrow and participate in the final tournaments, but for now one thing stood between her and that. She looked at Marcus who grabbed her head and pulled her forehead to his. They shared an intense look for a minute. She jumped down from the table and began to bounce from foot to foot. She was ready to go and make it happen. She was more than eager as she settled down and got to the entrance of the arena. She heard the crowd buzzing and when she emerged, they erupted into loud cheers for her. She walked down to the ring but kept her head low and focused on the cage. She saw her opponent already in there. Anna saw she was a tall blonde who looked tired and was already breathing hard. She kept her own breathing shallow and without emotion. She paced the ring sideways hoping from foot to foot to gauge the ring distance. She then got to her corner and waited for the pre-fight to commence. She was announced first and the crowd erupted into their chant of her name. She raised both hands to the sky as she danced from foot to foot. Her opponent was also announced to loud cheers.