Post by Danielle Basch on Jan 13, 2018 15:49:26 GMT -5
NGW Training Center
El Segundo, CA
Thursday, January 11, 2018
In the corner of one of the rings inside the newly-opened training facility, Danielle Basch leans against the turnbuckles, her arms draped over the top ropes as she stares across the ring at the gargantuan form of her trainer, Jason “Devastator” Perry. Danielle’s hair is damp from sweat, with the ends of a few strands clinging to her face like tiny, spidery fingers. She grits her teeth as her chest heaves with each breath. With a growl, she pushes herself out of the corner, running full-speed at her trainer. Jason readies a clothesline, but Danielle ducks it, running to the other side of the ring to the ropes. She rebounds, and just as Jason turns around, she dives low, sending her shoulder into the raven-haired titan’s shin. As the big man falls down to the mat, Danielle rolls to her knees and assesses the situation.
Donovan: Danielle!
Danielle turns to shoot a quick glance at her husband Donovan, who is standing at ringside with a towel draped over his shoulder, watching every move that goes on in the ring. He doesn’t say a word; the look in his eyes as he nods his head is all that Danielle needs to quickly latch onto her trainer, wrapping him into a triangle choke/armbar combination. She cinches the hold as tightly as she can, gritting her teeth as Jason taps a hand on her leg, signaling for her to release the hold. As she does, and the pair get back to their feet, Jason looks at Danielle and chuckles.
Jason: I see you’ve been doing more than just consummating your marriage while you were on vacation....
He crosses his arms, smiling in approval as Donovan makes his way into the ring to stand beside his wife. He drapes an arm around her shoulders and smiles as they both look at Jason.
Danielle: Told you we’d been working on a little something new....
Jason: You know, that could be taken the wrong way. You ARE newlyweds, after all. So, you gonna try that out at Ascension?
Danielle: I just might. You never know. It’s certainly never a bad idea to change things up from time to time, you know?
Donovan clears his throat as he glances off innocently to the side. Danielle catches this, and playfully pokes him in the ribs with her elbow.
Donovan: What? I didn’t say anything!
Danielle: No, but I know that look on your face. You were thinking something naughty, Mr. Basch....
Donovan: Touché...
The three of them share a laugh as Jason moves toward the ropes to leave the ring.
Jason: Alright, after all that, I think we’ve earned a little break. I don’t know about you, but I certainly could use some liquid refreshment...
Danielle: Doesn’t sound like a bad idea, boss. Lead the way.
Jason steps out of the ring, followed by Danielle and Donovan. As they head for the locker rooms, the doors leading from the weight room swing open and the three of them stop dead in their tracks. As the trio turn their eyes toward the source of the sound, Jason and Danielle stare in shock.
Jason: What the...?
Polly’s on the Pier
Redondo Beach, CA
Friday, January 12, 2018
Clad in jeans and a black fleece jacket to keep the cool ocean air at bay, with the South Bay Championship draped over her shoulder, Danielle Basch walks along the sportfishing pier out in front of the empty shell of what had once been one of the more popular eateries in the area, a small sign in the window heralding the closure of the restaurant, and its eventual reopening on the nearby boardwalk. The fixtures inside the restaurant still remain, but the interior is shrouded in darkness. The outdoor dining tables were still there, despite the fact that the umbrellas that had shielded many diners from the sun had been removed.
Danielle: I had hoped to be able to eat here one last time before they closed this place, but I guess that since they’re merely changing location, not vanishing altogether, I guess I can wait until they reopen. In any event, this place still holds a lot of fond memories from back when I was a child. My mother used to bring me here, to this very spot, where we’d sit outside with our meatloaf sandwiches and watch the people as they stood along the railings, hoping to score a big catch. Granted, it was usually catch-and-release, which I didn’t really care for. I mean, would you want to be yanked by the mouth by a hook and dragged to where you can’t breathe, all for someone’s amusement? Then again, most of the fish you would catch out here, you wouldn’t want to eat anyway, but that’s beside the point. I suppose a few seconds of oxygen deprivation beats needless killing the poor things.
She shrugs as she takes up residence at one of the tables. A few yards from where she’s sitting, one such angler stands vigil beneath the shade of his own dark blue umbrella, a fishing pole in his hands.
Danielle: While I’ve never been one for fishing, period, let alone merely for sport, I can understand the thrill of the catch... the careful selection of tackle and bait, all in the hopes of making a catch that will wow everyone around you, and perhaps even make some of the other anglers jealous.
She giggles just a little bit before she continues.
Danielle: It’s not unlike the thrill I felt when the South Bay Championship was first placed in my hands. I knew that the eyes of everyone else in the division would have their eyes locked on me, looking for the opportunity to take what I’ve spent the last five years busting my ass to achieve. But I can take all of that in stride, since it all comes with the territory of being a champion. I knew that coming into my match against Ruby Lance.
But as the saying goes, heavy is the head that wears the crown, and being champion means that I have to accept all challenges as they come, even if it means defending my title against a friend. And while admittedly, Jack, we aren’t as close as say, you and Austen Blackwell, but nevertheless, you know I have no beef with you, apart from the fact that tomorrow night, you’ll be standing across the ring from me, hoping to take what’s mine. Well, friend or not, Jack, I have to make sure that that doesn’t happen.
Tomorrow night, Jack, I will come out and face you, just as I would any other challenger, and I will fight until my last breath to hold onto the privilege of representing the region where I grew up as its champion, and I will keep doing this for as long as I possibly can. Do I expect to stay at the top of the division forever? No, I don’t. I’m not that egotistical, unlike some other so-called “champions” who shall remain nameless.
She scoffs, then watches as the angler reel in his line, the end of his fishing rod bent at such an angle that it seems like either it or the line attached to it could snap at any moment. As he continues to fight with the object at the other end of the line, Danielle looks on, sharing in the nearby spectators’ anticipation as they ponder what could be on the other end. Finally, the angler pulls up a massive Calico bass, which from where Danielle sits, could easily measure two and a half feet in length. As the angler poses for pictures with his prize, Danielle smiles before turning back to the camera.
Danielle: Well, it looks like his persistence has paid off, just like mine did. Unfortunately for you, Jack, as persistent as I’d been in pushing forward in my journey to finally get my hands on championship gold. And now that I’m finally getting the chance to prove that I deserve to be champion, you can bet your ass that I’ll be fighting to make sure that you pull an empty line out of the water. Sorry, Jack, but as long as the South Bay Siren has anything to say about it, the South Bay Championship is one big fish you won’t be reeling in.
Danielle gets up from her seat, takes a moment to readjust her championship, and heads off down the pier.