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#Post#: 810--------------------------------------------------
A Chosen Leader - Chapter 4 - Time to Regroup
By: RampageSports Date: December 2, 2014, 8:17 pm
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Note: Sorry this took so long to get out. Life... ya know? As
far as timeline is concerned, I've been lagging way behind. In
an effort to catch things up, I positioned this story just prior
to the Raging Rumble ESL event. I realize that this timing
means Danni is also caught up in the early events of The
Friendship Test story still playing out over on the Backstage
board. That kind of duplicitous behavior doesn't seem quite
right for her, but eh... I don't know how to go about fixing it.
C'est la vie. :P
[hr]
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Richelle_100x120.jpg
Name: Richelle Winterfeld
Nickname(s):
Background: Owner of the RSI stable, former underground fighter
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Danni_100x120.jpg
Name: Danneel Harris
Nickname(s): Danni
Background: RSI stable leader, reigning DEF welterweight
champion
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Britney_100x120.jpg
Name: Britney Spears
Nickname(s): Brit, Queen B
Background: Team leader of Britney's Brutal Beauties, DEF
middleweight contender, training partner and close friend of
Elisha Cuthbert
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Elisha_100x120.jpg
Name: Elisha Cuthbert
Nickname(s): Leesh
Background: Team leader of Leesh's Lethal Ladies, DEF
middleweight contender, training partner and close friend of
Britney Spears
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Aly_100x120.jpg
Name: Alyson Michalka
Nickname(s): Aly, Hellcat
Background: Team leader of The Aly Cats, FAC light heavyweight
contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Emma_100x120.jpg
Name: Emma Watson
Nickname(s):
Background: Reigning FAC featherweight champion, training
partner and lover of Tiffany Mulheron
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Ashley_100x120.jpg
Name: Ashley Tisdale
Nickname(s): Ash, Tiz, Blondie Girl, Sharpay
Background: ESL bantamweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Jennifer_Stano_100x120.jpg
Name: Jennifer Stano
Nickname(s):
Background: ESL middleweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Krystal_100x120.jpg
Name: Krystal Forscutt
Nickname(s):
Background: ESL light heavyweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Julianne_100x120.jpg
Name: Julianne Hough
Nickname(s):
Background: past FAC bantamweight champion, current FAC
bantamweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Cobie_100x120.jpg
Name: Cobie Smulders
Nickname(s):
Background: DEF welterweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Danica_100x120.jpg
Name: Danica Patrick
Nickname(s):
Background: DEF bantamweight contender
HTML https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjMxOhMMXhVcF82aG5SXzA/Jennifer_Lawrence_100x120.jpg
Name: Jennifer Lawrence
Nickname(s): Jen, J-Law
Background: FAC middleweight contender
[hr]
A Chosen Leader - Chapter 4 - Time to Regroup
As predicted, Britney and Leesh were not happy about having
their teams broken up. Not happy at all.
"We're winning!" Britney said. "Why would you screw that up?"
"I'm not..."
"My team is finally coming together," Elisha said.
"Guys, this isn't..."
"I think this is a mistake," Britney said.
"If you would just..."
"Maybe your biggest one yet," Elisha added.
"HEY!" I yelled. I slammed my fist down so hard, it actually
made the assorted junk on my desk jump. "I know you guys
sometimes forget, but I'm still in charge around here! Now, SIT
DOWN and SHUT UP!"
Both women froze and stared at me, unsure of what to do next.
That made three of us, since I had no clue, myself. I hadn't
intended to yell like that. Though it made them stop yapping,
it had also ratcheted up the tension in the room. The goal of
this meeting was to get Britney and Elisha on board with the
idea of changing up the teams. What I'd just done hadn't
helped.
"Do I need to come over there and separate you three?" Danni
called from the neighboring office.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my face. "Shut up, Danni," I called
back. "I'm trying to assert my authority over here."
"Oh wow," she said. "That should be exciting. Can I come over
and watch?"
What choice did I have but to smile? I opened my eyes and saw
that Britney and Elisha were smiling, too. I gestured them
toward the open chairs as I said, "Sorry. This is a private
performance."
"Damn," Danni said.
She actually sounded disappointed.
Britney and Elisha sat down, and I tried a less forceful
approach.
"We're going to start this third team. I know it's going to
stir things up a little, but I think it's the right move. We
have a lot of talent on the roster that we're not putting out
there."
They both went to speak, but I put my hands up and gently
motioned them to hold on.
"I know," I said. "You hadn't expected this to have a big
impact on the existing teams. Neither did I. But, when you
think about it, it makes sense to take a look at everything. I
want to put together the best teams we can, across the board."
They didn't look happy, but they were quiet. I took that as a
win.
"Britney," I said, "Aly is going to be the new team leader.
She's the one for the job. I think we can agree on that."
Britney nodded grudgingly. Aly was currently the light
heavyweight competitor for Britney's team, and the move meant
the less experienced Krystal Forscutt would be her replacement.
Krystal was developing nicely, though, and I was confident
Britney could live with the change.
"So now, we need to look at what we can do to give her a strong
team, without leaving you guys hung out to dry. I don't intend
to tear the teams apart. We just need to look and see where
changes make sense."
The two team leaders looked at each other and shrugged in silent
agreement. Then, they looked back at me.
"How do we do this?" Elisha asked.
"Get with Aly," I said. "Look over the roster and see what you
come up with. Then, bring it to me."
They looked at each other again, then started to get up.
"Still not happy," Britney chirped.
"You don't have to be happy," I replied. "Just have to be
willing."
Two days later, they were back in my office and Aly was with
them.
"How'd it go?" I asked.
"Turns out," Britney said as she gestured toward Aly, "the new
girl's not half bad at this."
"Yeah," Elisha said, "and she feels the same way about you as we
do."
I dared not ask for an explanation on that, so I simply said,
"Glad to hear you're all getting along."
Britney and Elisha sat down in my guest chairs. I looked to
Aly, who was carrying a small bundle of papers with her.
"Whatchya got there?"
She handed the bundle to me and said, "These are the rosters we
came up with." Then, she turned and half-sat on the arm of the
chair Britney was in.
I'm gonna need more chairs, I thought to myself.
The bundle was comprised of three sheets of paper... a proposed
roster for each team.
On my desk, I have a blue rubber ball. I keep it there because
I have a weird habit of holding it in my hand and rolling it
between my fingers when I'm thinking. As I looked over the
rosters, I unconsciously picked it up and did just that.
As it turned out, Britney and Elisha had little to fear. The
original rosters were almost completely intact. Aside from the
Krystal substitution, there was only one other change.
"Why switch Danica and Jules?" I asked.
Britney fielded the question. "We were just trying to balance
out the talent. I think Danica is ready to turn the corner, but
Jules is already highly ranked. Leesh's team needed a boost, so
this seemed to make sense."
I nodded, and perused the lists again.
"Not a lot of experience on Aly's team," I said. Almost none,
actually.
"That's my fault," Aly said. "I kind of like the idea of
bringing up my own team from scratch. Besides, Emma and Ashley
bring a lot to the team."
I looked at her, and nodded approvingly. Spoken like a real
leader. But I still had a monkey wrench to throw in the works.
"I can't let you have Jen Stano," I said.
The minor uproar that followed my statement was about what I
expected.
"WHAT?" Aly asked incredulously.
"You can't be serious," Elisha said.
"I am," I said.
Britney tried the reasoned approach. "Richelle, she's the
hottest younger fighter we have. You can't leave her on the
bench."
In a stable with thirty-two fighters, a little less than half
were rookies or slightly better. Of those, Jennifer Stano has
been rising the fastest by a wide margin. I had no doubt Aly
was counting on her to help form the backbone of the new team.
It was a hard call to keep Stano out of team competition. But,
I had my own reasoning.
"Jen's been fighting out of her mind, and she's near the top of
the division. But, she's still young," I said.
They started to protest, but I cut them off.
"I know," I said, "that I've doubted her in the past...
expecting that her bubble would burst at some point. I'm past
that, I think. But, if she keeps this up, she's going to find
herself wedged between Laura Vandervoort and Doutzen Kroes."
"She's already beaten Doutzen twice," Elisha said.
"You don't think Doutzen's adjusted her game?" I asked. "I'd be
shocked if Doutzen isn't holding that belt again after this next
event. And she'd love nothing more than for Jen to try and take
it from her, just so she could stop her and prove that
everything that came before was a fluke."
I looked back to Aly. "I need Stano focused on what's in front
of her. Besides, J-Law can give you what you need."
Britney and Elisha continued to argue with me, as Aly quietly
studied the rosters, again.
"This changes everything," Elisha said.
"Stano may be young," Britney said, "but she would have brought
a lot to Aly's team. This really means we need to start over."
I started to respond, but Aly spoke first.
"Maybe not," she said.
"What do you mean?" Elisha asked.
"I think we can fix it with one move."
Britney and Elisha looked doubtful, and I motioned Aly to
continue. She set the three rosters side-by-side on the desk.
Then, she pointed to a name on Britney's page.
Predictably, Britney wasn't thrilled. "Oh sure," she said.
"First I lose Aly. Then Jules. Now, this!"
She had a point, and I looked to Elisha.
"I actually think we need to move the new fighter to your team,"
I said.
She started to protest, but I kept going. "You have Julianne,
now. And, you've already had success with Cobie as an injury
substitute."
Elisha opened her mouth, then thought better of it. With a nod,
she conceded my point. Britney nodded as well, and it appeared
all three were satisfied.
But, there was still one person who needed to weigh in.
I took the rubber ball I was holding and threw it at the wall
between my office and Danni's. The thud it made on impact was
impossible to ignore. I caught it on the rebound and resumed
rolling. A moment later, Danni appeared in my doorway.
"Did you just..." She paused, unsure of how to describe what
I'd done. After a second or two, she gave up and said, "What
the f*ck was THAT?"
"You seemed to have an issue the last time I called out for
you," I said.
"So, this is BETTER?"
"Just giving you options," I replied.
She smiled, likely already plotting her revenge.
"What do you want?" she said with some false attitude.
I gestured toward the trio already assembled in my office. "The
ladies have come up with a plan."
She stepped forward and looked at the pages on the desk. They
still showed the original plan the women had come up with, but I
figured it would be best to bring Danni through it the same way
the rest of us had done it.
After a moment, she nodded.
"This looks good," she said.
"I've pulled Stano back," I said.
Unlike the others, she didn't argue. "You want her focused on
Doutzen and Laura."
I nodded.
"Makes sense," she said.
She looked at the rosters some more.
"Leaves Aly's team a little weak, though."
"We've already discussed that. Another move has been proposed,"
I said.
"Oh?"
I leaned forward and set my finger down next to the welterweight
slot on Britney's roster.
The name in the slot read "Danneel Harris."
"Oh, sh*t," Danni said.
I smiled and waited.
She looked again at Aly's roster. I couldn't tell how much of
her expression was for show and how much was real. But, she
didn't look thrilled.
"These are almost all kids," she groaned.
Aly stood up and squared herself in front of Danni. Danni
pulled herself upright, and their eyes met.
"Come and help me make them into a team," Aly said. It sounded
less like a plea, and more like a challenge. Clearly, Aly knew
Danni better than I'd realized.
Danni seemed to know right away she was done for. She smiled
and agreed, as only Danni could.
"This is gonna suck," she said.
Aly threw her arms around her stable leader and new teammate,
and Danni responded in kind.
"Okay," I said after a few moments, "everybody out of my
office."
Britney and Elisha rose, and all four started to file out
through the door. Danni was last in line, and I simply couldn't
resist. I took the rubber ball that was still in my hand and
threw it at her, hitting her square in the ass. It made almost
no sound, so the other three didn't notice what I'd done. Danni
stood stock-still but didn't turn around. When Aly looked back,
Danni said, "I'll catch up." After the others were gone, she
slowly rolled her head around to me.
"How ya' doin'?" I asked with a big smile on my face.
"Better than you're gonna be in a minute." I think the
statement was supposed to sound threatening, but her smile said
otherwise.
"What are you thinking?" I asked. I didn't have to offer any
further explanation.
She picked the ball up as she meandered back toward my desk. "I
think Aly's got a lot of hard work ahead of her. And, I think
she's the perfect person to do it."
"And now she's got you to help," I said.
Danni gave a half-nod, half-shrug but said nothing.
"You two seem pretty close," I said.
"We've known each other a long time," she replied.
I just looked at her.
"We worked together on a movie a few years ago," she said. Then
she shook her head and added, "A really BAD movie."
"Why didn't I know this?" I said.
She spread her hands out in front of her. "Maybe because you
didn't ask."
Couldn't argue with that, so I let it go.
"You'd better watch yourself," she said as she flipped the ball
to me, "or I'm going to shove that ball up your ass."
I caught it and said, "I'd LOVE to see you try."
A wicked smile spread across her face.
"We'll see," she said as she turned and left.
Oh, boy...
#Post#: 812--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Chosen Leader - Chapter 4 - Time to Regroup
By: Dragons Den Date: December 3, 2014, 11:17 am
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Wowzers. Richelle's not going to rest 'til she has the top three
team rankings to her stable. Haha, that new team is looking
mighty good!
Nice work, and best of luck with the new team and the slight
reshuffling. Looking forward to seeing how they go. Nice work on
the RP, too! Always good fun reading your stories. :)
#Post#: 813--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Chosen Leader - Chapter 4 - Time to Regroup
By: RampageSports Date: December 3, 2014, 12:29 pm
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[quote author=Dragons Den link=topic=114.msg812#msg812
date=1417627059]
Wowzers. Richelle's not going to rest 'til she has the top three
team rankings to her stable. Haha, that new team is looking
mighty good!
[/quote]
We'll see about that. There are quite a few teams out there
that look pretty hard to beat. Not to mention that I've noticed
the women of Dragon's Den are showing marked improvement,
recently. I wonder just what the hell is going on there. :P
On top of that, I've noticed the newest UMMA stable has been
having a lot of early success. Apparently, the new girl came to
play. :)
Glad you liked the story. ;)
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