>>20718461A man cuts in half
Just like he snaps a pencil.
Ash Romero felt the wind be driven out of her as she took a spear on the hot sand ringside. Her chest was tight and her midsection burned with the lingering aches of the impact. As the pain subsided, she was rolled into the ring and covered. The white noise of the crowd washed away the ringing in her ear. This was different.
This was so different.
This wasn't like the Dojo.
Had she forgotten?
>[1!]She should kick out. This fight. This was her comeback. This was everything she wanted.
>[2!]Romero drew strength and prepared to tense... But stopped. She was going to lose.
If she continued fighting, she might win. But was that worth the risk of losing this? Of making this her last fight?
No.
She would concede to the ego monster that latched itself onto a once good woman.
All so she could wrestle another night.
>[3!]This pain. This aching. This weakness. This disappointment.
She would rather feel that temporarily than regret trading a lifetime of it for a fleeting accomplishment. As she's rolled out of the ring and taken to the back by medical personnel, she would internally repeat the mantra she'd been beating into her students this past half-year.
Survive.
Learn.
Win.
