06-20-2024, 11:22 PM
Being the center of attention could be both a blessing and a curse.
Luz and Amelia would certainly argue in favor of the latter more often than not.
Taking Hold of the Flame was now in the rearview mirror, and for as good as it felt to be back on the soil where she'd grown up, Amelia was a little relieved to be out of the UK. It had been cathartic to be able to wrestle in front of a crowd that had followed most of her career and seen her development firsthand into the woman she was today, but being out of England meant she and Luz were once again away from any games her parents were looking to play to get her back under their control.
The thought of being away from any lingering remnants of The Empire that may have been looking to strike was also an appealing thought... just because none of them had surfaced to try anything didn't mean they felt safe enough to let their guards down just yet, not until they were absolutely sure the far-reaching machinations of Caleb White were well and truly snuffed out for good.
The couple were still left with a bad taste in their mouths thinking back to the date they'd tried to have that Aleister and Ophelia Blythe had decided to crash along with their scummy lawyer. Amelia had hoped they could somehow avoid that whole mess since London was a big enough city, but she'd had that feeling nagging in the back of her head that such a confrontation was going to be inevitable and it was going to leave her and Luz feeling annoyed and frustrated in the aftermath, as dealing with her mother and father always seemed to do. She at least took solace in the fact that the ruined date had been the only time they'd crossed paths during that entire trip, but Ophelia's implications regarding the other issue that hung over their heads had stuck in her craw ever since.
The couple wouldn't deny that they had basically been at the center of The Empire's schemes in one form or another, as much as they wished that wasn't the case and would've preferred having nothing to do with the wrestling faction-turned-religious cult seeking a holy world war of some kind if they were given the choice. The fact that some wannabe wrestling reporter was trying to make some YouTube money off of that very fact while dragging their names through the mud in the process had been the kind of attention they would gladly do without if, again, they had a choice in the matter. The fact that Jacob had consistently brought up a 'trusted insider source' that was fueling all of his misinformation, a source who not only had the finances to keep him out of jail and consistently harassing them but also the knowledge to tempt the most powerful people in their corner into letting him be, had been a constant headache they'd been trying to solve.
It was easy to accuse Ophelia of being that source since she ticked all the boxes and had the perfect fallout to exploit for her and her husband's own ends, but something about putting her face to that role still felt way too obvious that it didn't quite feel right.
Aside from being the center of attention outside the ring for all manner of people they honestly wanted nothing to do with in any form, Luz and Amelia had finally become the center of attention regarding the SCW tag division again it felt like. They considered that a blessing mostly in the sense that they were the champions and it was only right if, for that reason alone, they were always seen as the primary goal for every other team to strive for, fighting to dethrone them and hopefully continue their work in elevating the art of tag team wrestling. It also didn't hurt that knowing everyone was gunning for them provided plenty of reason and motivation to keep pushing themselves to get better and better as well to keep rising to that challenge.
The road to Taking Hold of the Flame had been a bizarre and turbulent one with most of the attention seemingly on Twisted & Sadistic instead of them, all because of the fallout of Glory and Brittany's actions and the prevalent desire for several teams to try and still take them out of the equation so their number one contender status they had rightfully earned meant nothing. The argument had been made for The Light In The Darkness to just stay out of it and let it run its course, but ultimately they had been the ones to shut it all down, working surprisingly well with their future challengers en route to Luz pinning Chris Dumont and closing the book on what they'd thought were any distractions or excuses that would hopefully lead to them finally proving they'd come far enough since the last encounter to actually beat Twisted & Sadistic in a straight-up 2v2 contest.
The spotlight shifting back to them, however, had come with an unexpected twist that they honestly should have seen coming, in retrospect. Considering the nature of the pay-per-view because of the battle royal, it was unsurprising that most of SCW's titles hadn't been defended with most of the champions opting to try their hand at earning a World Title opportunity for Rise to Greatness. They hadn't been among them, making it clear their undivided attention was on being the best World Tag Team Champions they could possibly be to do their part in elevating the division, but they also hadn't defended their titles because of their decision to involve themselves in the mess their next rightful challengers had created to put that fire out. That left the door open for management to justify title defenses for all the champions who hadn't put their belts on the line at Taking Hold of the Flame, and this next Breakdown in Miami would be their turn.
What they hadn't expected, however, was to be called out and challenged because of it by Katie Steward, who had been actively seeking their titles for quite some time due to it being the one thing missing for her to call herself Supreme Champion... a story that Luz and Amelia had become all too familiar with by now. At the very least, the guarantee was in place that Glory and Brittany would still get their title match no matter what happened, but knowing that Katie and Gigi were stepping up to try and prevent them from defending those titles on the Rise to Greatness card and testing themselves against the one team they've been wanting to overcome above all else had ignited a fire within them. The last thing they wanted was to become a footnote in someone else's history twice in the same year, and while they had turned back the challenge of the Stewards on a handful of occasions in the past, knowing that the gold was on the line this time was all they needed to know Katie especially would be hellbent on leaving with it by any means necessary.
While that Breakdown was set to take place in Miami, The Light In The Darkness and their found family had stopped in Atlanta, Georgia on their way down, the main reason being that Ivy was booked for her first World Title opportunity with the promotion she'd been competing for, and Luz and especially Amelia wanted to be present to watch their friend ascend to a level they knew she belonged at after all the hard work she'd put in. Amelia couldn't help but think back with shame on all the things she'd said to Ivy to break off their friendship when they were little instead of just coming clean about why it was truly happening, especially knowing how much it affected the woman and fueled her desire to get to this moment just to shove it down her throat how wrong she'd been about her. Things between them had long since improved now that they'd finally talked things out and Amelia didn't have the threat of her parents hanging over her head—at least in regards to Ivy's future—but she still felt she owed it to her oldest friend to watch her become a World Champion and stomp out any lingering traces of that old mindset of hers that she feared might rear its ugly head again.
Luz and Ivy had both picked up on this guilt after the latter had revealed her impending World Title opportunity and they had a pretty good hunch on why it was all resurfacing again.
“Amelia, I'm glad that you and Luz are here to watch me hopefully pull this off, but you don't need to keep trying to punish yourself for something that wasn't entirely your fault,” Ivy said as the three of them were changing into their workout clothes, having headed out to one of the local gyms to train for their respective matches on the horizon. “I've long since forgiven you, I feel sick at the thought of wanting to rub this potential title win in your face now... we've talked through this, we've made amends, and it's honestly hard to blame you for what happened now that I know the full story.”
“Seriously Ames,” Luz chimed in while pulling a tanktop on over her head. “You guys were seven... it's hard to blame a seven-year-old for doing what they thought was best in a situation that no seven-year-old should ever be in.”
“I know, and I tell myself that anytime the memory enters my head, but...” Amelia trailed off, knowing that trying to justify this feeling to them would be as much of a struggle as trying to keep justifying it to herself.
Thankfully, her best friend and fiancée both understood where this was coming from, and Luz was quick to close the distance and plant a reassuring kiss on Amelia's cheek.
“Hey,” she softly said. “We get it... whenever your parents rear their ugly heads and try to pull you back, you always worry about returning to the terrible person they made you be. It's a perfectly valid fear, but you're not that person and you never will be again, not so long as I'm here to be your fearless champion and defend your brain from those dumb intrusive thoughts and anything else they try to pull.”
Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable and dorky that sounded, but that was just one of the reasons she fell in love with this woman in the first place. “You mean it?”
“Of course!” Luz beamed with all the brightness and warmth of the sun itself.
“I may not be able to agree with the same tooth-rotting fluff that your future wife can,” Ivy chimed in, grinning as she saw the blushes her statement caused, “but take it from me, someone who lost my best friend out of that whole ordeal. We've both moved on and become better people, and we all know how much your parents suck and should honestly be in jail right now. You don't have to keep mentally torturing yourself Amelia... your parents can play their games, we'll just let it go in one ear and out the other before doing what we all do best: kicking some ass.”
As an exclamation point on her statement, Ivy turned around and smacked her ass, knowing she'd get a laugh and amused cry of her name from her old friend to help lighten the mood. Amelia truly did appreciate where was in her life now, having so much support all around her to remind her of who she truly wanted to be and how hard she'd fought to not only get to this point, but the fight she'd have to keep putting forward to stay here. In one form or another, they were all fighting a battle like that right alongside the battles they fought in the ring, and the thought of a future set in stone where things could continue like this and hopefully get even better was enough of a spark to keep pushing forward towards that future.
“Greetings and salutations to all my true believers out there! Jacob Harrison, your true hero and bastion of truth in the wrestling community, here to give you all the facts both known and hidden that the people need to know about your favorite wrestlers! SCW's Taking Hold of the Flame pay-per-view is now in the books and I know my thoughts about the event are coming out much later than usual. Being under house arrest for simply trying to uncover the truth you all deserve has unfortunately hampered a lot of my work, but I am committed to doing my duty and getting this out to the YouTube masses who support me in this endeavor because that's what a true hero does! Starting with the biggest thing coming out of this show, Selena Frost and Josh Hudson main eventing Rise to Greatness for the World Title, and I can't help but feel like Selena's politicking to make herself seem unbeatable is starting to get out of hand if she talked the homewrecker of Bree Lancaster's marriage into coming out of retirement just to give her the rub on the biggest stage of the year.”
As the girls emerged from the locker room out into the gym to begin their workout, the grating sound of Jacob Harrison's voice filled their ears. They all glanced over to the source and were surprised that the YouTube conspiracy theorist's latest video was being played on Gage's phone as he just shook his head and jotted something down on a notepad he'd brought with him.
“Any particular reason you're giving that creep's nonsense a view it really doesn't deserve?” Amelia couldn't help but ask as the trio walked over to him, which actually resulted in him doing one of those nervous laughs at getting caught.
“Seriously Gage, you pride yourself on your wrestling knowledge and that's why you make such a great commentator,” Ivy noted. “Why give his slop the time of day?”
“You're right that I'm a proud wrestling historian and know how to get all my facts the right way,” Gage stated, “and guys like this spit in the face of everything I try to be. Doesn't mean I can't pass the time by listening to whatever dumb things he thinks are 'the truth' so I can refute them and hopefully get people to stop buying into his crap.”
“You'd consider trolling him or starting some sort of YouTube feud just to get him off our backs?” Luz couldn't help but ask.
“If it comes to it,” Gage replied with a shrug. “Maybe it's really petty and honestly not my style at all, especially since I have a career doing what I love I might be risking in the process, but I'm getting real tired of this guy trying to drag the good names of my friends through the mud just to get clickbait views. Even if he's only doing it because someone's supplying this B.S. to him to try and screw with you ladies for whatever reason, he's still playing along because of what he gets out of it... maybe if that's taken away from him, he'll give up, maybe even cough up the name of his 'trusted insider source' if we're lucky enough.”
“And I thought I was the only one who was mentally walking that road today,” Amelia sheepishly admitted.
“Wanting to keep beating yourself up over the past isn't the same thing Amelia,” Ivy scolded her.
“Gage, we really do appreciate the thought and we know you're a good friend,” Luz told him, “but please don't risk your career just to help us. I'd feel awful knowing I had anything to do, even indirectly like that, with you no longer being able to do something you love. Besides, this guy's not worth it. Let him keep rambling, because we'll just keep proving in the ring that we're the real deal and the fans know it.”
Gage sighs. “You're right... I just hate the idea of this guy causing us all sorts of problems even when we think he's not supposed to be a threat anymore because of Avery. Even under house arrest, the fact that he still gets to make videos trying to discredit my friends just bugs me and makes me wish there was something I could do to make him stop. You don't deserve any of this, especially after everything with The Empire. You two deserve a chance to just relax and not worry about anyone sticking their noses where they don't belong, planning your wedding, kicking ass and proving to teams like the Stewards and Twisted & Sadistic that you truly are the best tag team in SCW today and maybe even the best tag team in the entire world.”
“We know Gage, and we really do appreciate the thought and the compliments,” Amelia said as she placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. “Thank you so much for looking out for us, and the same goes for you too Ivy. I think Luz will agree with me when I say we probably wouldn't be where we are now without the two of you and everyone else supporting us now. That's more than enough, and if the pep talks today have helped remind me of anything, it's that no matter what comes our way, we can handle it together.”
“Juntos,” Luz echoed in Spanish.
Gage nodded, seeming to understand as a smile began to grace his lips, and even Ivy was grinning at the turnaround Amelia had just shown. There was truth in those words, after all. Luz and Amelia had fought together for so long to establish their own legacies and prove they were more than just the next generation of their respective families, and when the two of them hadn't been enough, they'd surrounded themselves with others who cared enough about them to step up and fight alongside them when the situation called for it or even just support them and keep them looking up when the skies started to darken. Sometimes it was easy to forget that drastic action wasn't always necessary when the people you cared about were under fire, especially for Gage considering he wasn't a wrestler despite having the kind of build that implied it was very much an option. At the end of the day, they were all a family in a sense... they were far from a traditional family, but they cared enough about one another that blood was irrelevant.
With everyone in better spirits and knowing that work needed to be done, the ladies started to figure out what workouts they wanted to get in while Gage went to close the video. Right before his finger could tap the screen, though, they all heard something from Jacob's ramblings that actually caught their attention.
”And now, my true believers, we have to discuss the other big story relating to Taking Hold of the Flame, especially since I'm sure you're all tired of me further exposing the poor quality of the main event scene that SCW has been running with since CHBK took charge. You all know I've been following leads from a trusted source regarding SCW's Tag Team Champions, The Light In The Darkness, being phonies from this cult known as The Empire who have replaced the real Luz and Amelia. I've been surprised at some of the pushback I've gotten from this truth, which has me concerned for many of you who I thought were loyal fans of mine. But! In this case, I am truly right about what I have to say about those imposters, because my sources have provided me proof that while they had everyone distracted with their match at the show, as if them working together with the likes of Glory and Brittany wasn't suspicious enough, there was an attempt by remnants of the cult to break their leader, Caleb White, out of prison! Coincidence? I think not!”
The urge to argue against this latest attempt to sling mud at everything Luz and Amelia truly were quickly took over the four of them, even if they knew it was ridiculous considering they'd be arguing with a video that wouldn't directly respond. The desire to just ignore it as more propaganda to score clickbait views was equally as strong because they all knew this nutjob was full of shit. But as Jacob made this claim, his video cut away from him and to what looked like grainy security footage of exactly what he said it was: a small handful of people, wearing the familiar cloaks and sigils of The Empire, attempting to break into one of the NCA's most heavily guarded prisons, the kind of modern day stronghold specifically designed to lock up people like Caleb whose mere existence was a threat to everyone around them in one form or another. Judging by the angle of the video, it also looked like security footage Jacob really shouldn't have had, and considering he couldn't even leave his house barring a few approved locations, let alone get anywhere close to a prison when NCA agents in their corner knew about his misdeeds and would not hesitate to shut him down on what would be his third and final strike, it only raised more questions and concerns regarding who his mysterious source truly was. Jacob's rant had continued, but by this point they'd all tuned it out from the sheer shock of this news before Gage ultimately stopped the video at long last.
“...someone attempted to actually break Caleb out?” Luz finally mumbled in disbelief. “And we didn't know about it?”
“It was perfectly timed too,” Gage noted, albeit with a shaky voice. “Almost as if the intent was to actually give credibility to this wacko's claims even if they failed.”
“Maybe there's a good reason we were kept out of the loop about it?” Ivy nervously pondered. “I mean... Caleb's still locked up at least, so maybe it was better if we didn't know this even happened so we wouldn't worry about it?”
“Well, we know about it now and we have reasons to be worried even if they're not directed related to Caleb and The Empire,” Amelia lamented as she pulled out her phone. Before she could do anything with it, however, it started to ring as Darius's contact came up on the caller ID. “And maybe we can get some answers. Hello?”
“Good afternoon Amelia, as weird as that is for me to be saying over here in England,” Darius's voice came through as Amelia answered the phone and put it on speaker so they all could hear.
“Hello Darius,” Amelia responded. “I was actually just about to call you, or Avery, or... anybody I guess who might be able to fill us in on something we just found out about.”
“What are you talking about?” Darius replied, clearly trying to keep a neutral tone even when they couldn't actually see him.
“You know our little 'reporter' who's been bugging us lately?” Luz chimed in, struggling to hide the irritation in her voice. “Apparently his latest YouTube video claiming Ames and I are Empire imposters replacing the real us is how we found out someone tried to break Caleb out back while we were in London.”
“Complete with security footage that looks like it came from the prison itself,” Gage added.
Darius seemed to go deathly quiet at that, the tense silence only interrupted by the sound of active gym goers around the friend group and mumblings of activity on the other end of the line. After what felt like an eternity, they finally heard Darius sigh in defeat.
“I apologize,” he said. “I informed Avery after we thwarted the attempt but asked them to keep you lot out of it. Maybe it was wrong of me to do so, but Caleb is still securely imprisoned and we truly thought it was best not to worry you. I'm sure you'll agree with me that this man and his minions have put you all through far too much already and you deserve to be able to just move on from it all. Even still, perhaps we should have been upfront about the incident happening in the first place... especially since it seems like we have a very concerning security breach we need to address now because something is floating around the public space that's not supposed to be.”
“This Jacob Harrison creep claimed in his video he got it from whatever 'trusted inside source' has been feeding him this absurd garbage about Luz and Amelia being fakes who replaced the real deal,” Ivy informed the agent.
“You think my parents might have anything to do with it?” Amelia found herself asking before she could really think through it. Everyone else glanced at her, having pondered the possibility themselves after what Ophelia had implied during their confrontation in London.
Darius, however, couldn't resist chuckling from the other end of the line.
“Doubtful,” he firmly stated. “Amelia, your parents may have a lot of wealth, influence and resources, but not even they would be able to get the kind of footage we're now confirming is from one of our cameras at that facility. Especially not when we still have them tied up in court over their role in everything pertaining to The Empire. That is actually why I was calling, although I do appreciate knowing of this troubling news that we need to investigate... my apologies again.”
“Honestly?” Luz said with a shrug, forgetting this was a phone call and he couldn't see her do it. “It sucks that we found out about it this way, but I can't really fault you guys for feeling we were better off not knowing. You're not wrong about us just trying to move on, and hopefully we actually can if we can get this YouTuber off our backs and our names out of the mud because of him.”
“Now... what's this about my parents?” Amelia followed up, both confused and concerned.
“Their lawyer is a real piece of work, though I'm sure you know that already,” Darius growled in response, earning noises of confirmation from both Amelia and Luz. “Just when we think he's finally out of tricks and we can put your parents away for all they've done just regarding their positions in The Empire, he claims he has one last ace up his sleeve to prove, once and for all, that Aleister and Ophelia should be allowed to walk because they were victims of Caleb's manipulation and not willing accomplices... Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz.”
“¿Qué?” both women responded simultaneously, this turn of events coming from so far out of the blue that Luz defaulted to her native tongue and Amelia mimicked her out of sheer force of habit over the years.
“I'm pretty sure that guy hasn't actually told either of them that,” Ivy pointed out.
“I had a feeling...” Darius groaned. “Honestly, at this point he might be using this as a ploy to try and drag out the case until he comes up with something better because it's been firmly established by now that you ladies have a busy schedule regarding SCW and trying to get you to actually miss a scheduled appearance to fly back here isn't feasible.”
“Especially during this time of the year,” Luz pointed out. “If last year taught us anything, the road to Rise to Greatness, SCW's biggest show of the year, is a huge deal all the way through.”
“Even still,” Amelia added, “surely Adrian knows there's absolutely no way we'd ever vouch for my parents, not when we know full well they actively plotted with Caleb against us to drag me back in line and force me into a marriage I did not want or consent to. Right?”
“If he's actually banking on this hail mary and not just trying to stall, he may seek to twist whatever you'd have to say into proof that Aleister and Ophelia are exactly like the two of you in this situation,” Darius laid out. “That said... if this is his plan, then assuming your parents are in any way responsible for this YouTube conspiracy pest, any belief in those theories and rumors would actually work against this effort because, supposedly, you two aren't the real Luz and Amelia.”
“That's... actually a very valid point,” Gage noted as that realization sunk in.
“My parents are many things,” Amelia thought out loud, “but mom especially would never let him try to pull something that actively went against something she was up to.”
“What's the gameplan regarding any of this, though?” Luz had to ask.
“Well...” Darius opened up. “Regarding Mr. Harrison, we'll have to see what we can do to make him talk regarding how he got that footage and who gave it to him, because this is a serious security breach that could have drastic consequences if Caleb ever does get free. As for the court battle with your parents Amelia... for the moment, we're going to see what Adrian's game is with this, and we want any of you to inform us right away if he actually tries to negotiate your presence as witnesses. Pending how this goes and what your availability is looking like, however... if it means putting the nail in the proverbial coffin and bringing Aleister and Ophelia Blythe to justice, we might seek to beat them to the punch and have the both of you testify as witnesses on our end... only if that's alright with the both of you, of course. If you'd prefer not to, we would completely understand and we're certain at this point it wouldn't even be needed, if that helps give you peace of mind.”
Luz and Amelia glanced at one another before glancing at Gage and Ivy, all four of them looking intrigued by this idea. Granted, if they were to go through with it, they knew they would need to be careful with what they said because they could not allow Adrian to twist their words in any way that would get the Blythe parents off the hook, but if it finally brought them down for the lifetime of injustices they'd committed in the name of trying to have a strong family legacy to hold over everyone else's heads, maybe it would be worth it.
“You have time to think it over,” Darius reassured them. “As I said, we may not need it at this point and we're certain if he hasn't already contacted you about it that Adrian and the Blythes are bluffing about wanting you to testify in their defense, but the option is on the table if you'd like to assist us.”
“Thank you Darius, we'll certainly consider it and keep you posted,” Amelia told him.
“And we'll see what we can do about this Jacob fellow to finally put a stop to that for you guys,” he replied, “especially now that it's becoming a security concern on our end that we need to nip in the bud before anything else happens.”
The call finished up shortly after, and while everyone was able to go about their business of training for the matches that lie ahead, Luz and Amelia knew they'd need help refocusing their efforts with this latest wrinkle in everything going on around them outside the squared circle. It was a lot to think about, that much was for sure, but they were hopeful that they could weather these storms and rise above it all, from retaining their titles against Team Desire to silencing Jacob's conspiracies and finally being free of the Blythe parents' machinations once and for all.
Maybe hope was all they had to keep pushing forward, but they knew better than anybody that hope was a powerful weapon in the right hands, and they would do their best to embody everything it stood for to make that brighter future on both fronts a reality, no matter what it took.
As we see Glory begin to get to her feet, the scene pauses, left frozen in time as we begin to pull back and fully realize that we were re-watching a moment in SCW history from earlier this year. As we pull back, we find that we've been focused in on a TV that looks like it's set up in a gym, having been brought out as a reminder to motivate the women we're here to see. Panning just a little farther back, we find Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz flanking either side of the TV, dressed in workout clothes and very clearly taking a short break in preparing for what lies ahead if the sweat rolling down their skin in the scorching Miami heat despite the air conditioning we hear running in this gym is any indication. Even still, they stand tall with their SCW World Tag Team Championship belts proudly resting over their shoulders and a determined focus in their gaze. They both turn to glance at the memory displayed on the TV, taking it in once more, before looking back to us as Luz kicks things off.
“February 1, 2024... on that night, in front of all the fans of Charlotte, North Carolina for Breakdown, Amelia and I saw our first run as your World Tag Team Champions come to an end. Twisted & Sadistic planted me with the Hell on Earth and Glory scored the three count while Brittany made sure Amelia wasn't able to prevent it from happening. That night has stuck in our memories for a lot of reasons, and not just the one I already mentioned. On that night, despite our best efforts, we fell short against someone we've admittedly struggled to defeat straight-up anytime our paths have crossed, giving us a goal to work towards if we want to truly prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we may very well be the best tag team in SCW today... an acknowledgment that would mean so much to us on a personal level. More importantly, however... on that night, Glory Braddock reached the fabled status of Supreme Champion, joining an elite list of those who can claim to have held every single title SCW has to offer in some capacity at least once. History was made... at our expense.”
“Don't get us wrong, we still stand by what we said all those months ago about being genuinely happy for Glory even if the moment was tainted right after the bell rang. Still, though, I think anyone who's been in our position, being the last obstacle cleared so that you become that final footnote in arguably the greatest achievement of someone else's SCW career, will tell you how much that reminder sticks with you, no matter what you achieve after the fact. We could go on to hold these titles for years, break the seemingly unbreakable record held by Dark Fantasy for longest World Tag Title reign in SCW history, maybe even forever define ourselves as the greatest tag team to ever set foot in an SCW ring... and there will still be a reminder hanging over our heads that at one point in time, our defeat meant that someone else got to make history and define themselves as one of the all-time best in this business by using us as the stepping stone to get there. Luz and I have said often that we don't mind losing because there's always something we can learn from it to improve for next time. We've preached the virtues of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring where the result is all the concrete proof you need that, at least at that point in time, you are the better wrestler and pushed yourself that much farther to back that up.
We're also human, and even we can admit that we've lost matches where that result has really lingered with us in ways that are probably not healthy.”
Both ladies once again glance at the TV, their eyes fixated on the shot of Glory just after her historic victory and moments before Dark Fantasy would show up to ruin it. Luz is the first to react, letting out a sigh before turning back to us as Amelia leans down to shut the TV off, freeing them from the visual reminder of that defeat for the moment.
“As much as we probably shouldn't fixate on that failure, we have every reason to keep going back to it as motivation for the challenges that lie ahead of us. Sure, the obvious one is the rematch with Twisted & Sadistic that could very well happen at Rise to Greatness, giving us a long overdue chance to not only get that win back but also truly prove that we deserve to hold these titles resting on our shoulders. But... to focus on Glory and Brittany right now would mean looking past the challenge that awaits us on Breakdown this week right here in Miami, and even we know that would be a fatal mistake that would not only see our title reign come to an end once more, but also cause history to repeat itself.”
Luz looks like she's going to continue, but she pauses when Amelia steps up to join her, placing a hand on her back and seemingly trying to comfort her partner before her emotions get the better of her. The two of them look at one another in silent conversation before Luz nods and takes a deep breath, earning a kiss on the cheek from her fiancée before Amelia takes over.
“This Thursday night, Luz and I find ourselves having to defend our titles before any plans for Rise to Greatness are set in stone. And you know what? That's completely fair. After all, we didn't defend them at Taking Hold of the Flame like we probably should have, but we stuck by our guns of wanting to be the positive example of what tag team wrestling is all about and proved it by shutting down all the chaos that Twisted & Sadistic started. We haven't hidden the fact that we want to be fighting champions and inspire both existing teams and ones that may yet form to step up and give us their best shot... some might see that willingness to take on all comers as a bad thing, but we've always had that desire to step up and challenge ourselves however we could. That's how we set the example we want others to follow, after all, and pushing ourselves to rise to those challenges is how we keep getting better and moving one step closer to defining our own legacies both in SCW and in wrestling as a whole.”
“As the old saying goes: 'those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.' Those words couldn't be truer than this particular Breakdown for a number of reasons. If we want to even think about walking into Rise to Greatness to defend these titles, we first have to turn back the challenge of Team Desire... something we know from firsthand experience is easier said than done. Maybe that doesn't sound right to some of you considering history would seem to be on our side in this situation. After all, we've overcome the Stewards in tag team action on two previous occasions, not to mention my TV Title reign including a successful defense over Gigi. That's where it gets tricky, however... that very history on its own would be more than enough motivation for her and Katie to finally prove they're good enough to take us down and bring an end to our title run. But there's another layer to this that we've already kind of touched on... that quote about learning from history? It applies to us as well, because we're in the tough position of potentially being responsible for two different wrestlers ascending to Supreme Champion status at our expense. A victory for Team Desire grants that honor to Katie, who has every reason possible to come at us with all the force of a woman who could very well claim to be the single greatest SCW wrestler of all time if she obtains that one final piece of the puzzle that we're currently holding.”
“Katie, Gigi, make no mistake about it... if you want to make that history a reality, if you want to become World Tag Team Champions, then you had better be ready to treat this match like it's the main event of Rise to Greatness because for as badly as you may want this, we don't plan on being victims of history once again. These titles mean more to us than you might understand... being SCW World Tag Team Champions isn't just a symbol that defines us as the top tag team in this company, it's living proof that Luz and I have been able to carve out our own path in this sport and continue to do so instead of following a path that was laid out for us by our predecessors. Luz may love her father and honor his memory, may God rest his soul, and I may have made no secret about how strained my relationship is with my own parents, but when we first started our respective wrestling journeys all anybody saw in us was that next generation to continue those legacies. In each other, we not only found love and strength, we found something that was entirely our own and embraced it. These titles are a reminder of just how far we've come on that journey to forge our own destinies, become our own wrestlers, and challenge us to keep going so we can find out just how much farther that road goes and where it will lead us next.”
At this, Luz and Amelia both slide their title belts off their shoulders before holding them up for us to focus on, the two of them starting to smile at how much they've done so far and how much farther they want to go. Those smiles fade a bit, however, as they know there's still business to take care of.
“Amelia asked this question of the both of you the last time we faced off, and I'm going to rephrase mi amor's words right now because the time has come for you to give us your answer. What does being World Tag Team Champions mean to the both of you? We know that it's the last thing Katie needs to become a Supreme Champion, and she's made it clear that she has big plans for Rise to Greatness should she and Gigi dethrone us and go on to defend those titles on the biggest night of SCW's calendar year. But... what then? What happens beyond Rise to Greatness in this scenario, regardless of the outcome of your title match on that night? Katie, you talk about the big picture, but the more you try to answer these questions the more clear it becomes that these titles may very well be nothing more than the final credits to your life story as dictated by you. You get to make history, you get to have your Rise to Greatness moment... and that's it. Beyond that, nothing else matters because you'll have gotten everything you're looking for. These championships that mean everything to us, that define us as the driving force elevating the SCW tag team division night after night, show after show... they're nothing more than a prop for you to hold up for that all-important final shot to rub in everyone's faces as you lay claim to the title of greatest SCW wrestler of all time, aren't they?”
“We want to hope we're wrong in that assumption, but so far that's where the signs are pointing, and if there is any truth to that, then you'd better believe we will walk into Breakdown this Thursday night ready to fight like hell and prevent that from happening on our watch. We're sorry you two... we know how badly you want this moment Katie, we respect Gigi's desire to uphold a promise to a family member to make her dreams come true, but if we're going to talk about the bigger picture, then Luz and I have been fighting to make ours a reality since the moment we first signed on to this company. Everything that tag team wrestling means to us, every challenge we strive to overcome, every fight both in and out of the ring we have endured, all just to do our part in giving those fans a reason to believe not just in us, but in this great art of wrestling and everything it has to offer. We have fought our way back from serious injuries, rebuilt our confidence in ourselves, willingly locked ourselves out of contention for these titles and asked to start off gauntlets, all to prove just what tag team wrestling and being its champions means to us. If it didn't come with the caveat of Katie Steward being able to call herself Supreme Champion... would you and Gigi willingly challenge yourselves in that same fashion? Or do you see this as your golden ticket because you believe that Luz and I will be so fixated on having that rematch with Twisted & Sadistic on a stage worthy of that clash of the titans that we'll overlook you and allow for history to repeat itself?”
“We'll say this Katie: in a way, you are inspiring us. After all, if this is about you cementing your place as the greatest SCW talent of all time, then facing someone like that is the kind of challenge that fuels us to step up and prove ourselves even as the champions, to see if we're good enough to overcome someone of your caliber with everything to lose on our end.”
“And Gigi, if there's one thing we've learned throughout our own journey, it's this: never say never. Katie may need these titles, but you'd be selling yourself short if the only reason you want this is just because of what it means to her. Even then, as great as that moment would be for her... we'd have to argue that being in this position, motivating and inspiring every tag team both in and outside of SCW to step up and give us their best shot, to keep elevating both these titles and this division in that ring while defining ourselves and writing our own story together... in the bigger picture, we believe that means so much more for SCW as a whole.”
“Sorry to the both of you, but we said it before and we'll say it again: we will not be a footnote in someone else's history again.”
“And The Light In The Darkness going to Rise to Greatness to defend these titles is no fairy tale... it's the reality we choose to manifest on Breakdown.”
With that, Luz and Amelia pull the titles back and nod to us, an acknowledgment of the challenge they know Katie and Gigi will give them. As they begin to walk off to resume their training and leave us to fade out, we can tell they're feeling the pressure of the road to Rise to Greatness and everything it could throw at them, but that kind of pressure is where The Light In The Darkness has always shined the brightest, and they're hopeful that Breakdown will be the next chapter in the story of La Pequeña Luz and Amelia Blythe... a chapter that proves they are capable of learning from history and making their own as opposed to allowing it to repeat itself.
Luz and Amelia would certainly argue in favor of the latter more often than not.
Taking Hold of the Flame was now in the rearview mirror, and for as good as it felt to be back on the soil where she'd grown up, Amelia was a little relieved to be out of the UK. It had been cathartic to be able to wrestle in front of a crowd that had followed most of her career and seen her development firsthand into the woman she was today, but being out of England meant she and Luz were once again away from any games her parents were looking to play to get her back under their control.
The thought of being away from any lingering remnants of The Empire that may have been looking to strike was also an appealing thought... just because none of them had surfaced to try anything didn't mean they felt safe enough to let their guards down just yet, not until they were absolutely sure the far-reaching machinations of Caleb White were well and truly snuffed out for good.
The couple were still left with a bad taste in their mouths thinking back to the date they'd tried to have that Aleister and Ophelia Blythe had decided to crash along with their scummy lawyer. Amelia had hoped they could somehow avoid that whole mess since London was a big enough city, but she'd had that feeling nagging in the back of her head that such a confrontation was going to be inevitable and it was going to leave her and Luz feeling annoyed and frustrated in the aftermath, as dealing with her mother and father always seemed to do. She at least took solace in the fact that the ruined date had been the only time they'd crossed paths during that entire trip, but Ophelia's implications regarding the other issue that hung over their heads had stuck in her craw ever since.
The couple wouldn't deny that they had basically been at the center of The Empire's schemes in one form or another, as much as they wished that wasn't the case and would've preferred having nothing to do with the wrestling faction-turned-religious cult seeking a holy world war of some kind if they were given the choice. The fact that some wannabe wrestling reporter was trying to make some YouTube money off of that very fact while dragging their names through the mud in the process had been the kind of attention they would gladly do without if, again, they had a choice in the matter. The fact that Jacob had consistently brought up a 'trusted insider source' that was fueling all of his misinformation, a source who not only had the finances to keep him out of jail and consistently harassing them but also the knowledge to tempt the most powerful people in their corner into letting him be, had been a constant headache they'd been trying to solve.
It was easy to accuse Ophelia of being that source since she ticked all the boxes and had the perfect fallout to exploit for her and her husband's own ends, but something about putting her face to that role still felt way too obvious that it didn't quite feel right.
Aside from being the center of attention outside the ring for all manner of people they honestly wanted nothing to do with in any form, Luz and Amelia had finally become the center of attention regarding the SCW tag division again it felt like. They considered that a blessing mostly in the sense that they were the champions and it was only right if, for that reason alone, they were always seen as the primary goal for every other team to strive for, fighting to dethrone them and hopefully continue their work in elevating the art of tag team wrestling. It also didn't hurt that knowing everyone was gunning for them provided plenty of reason and motivation to keep pushing themselves to get better and better as well to keep rising to that challenge.
The road to Taking Hold of the Flame had been a bizarre and turbulent one with most of the attention seemingly on Twisted & Sadistic instead of them, all because of the fallout of Glory and Brittany's actions and the prevalent desire for several teams to try and still take them out of the equation so their number one contender status they had rightfully earned meant nothing. The argument had been made for The Light In The Darkness to just stay out of it and let it run its course, but ultimately they had been the ones to shut it all down, working surprisingly well with their future challengers en route to Luz pinning Chris Dumont and closing the book on what they'd thought were any distractions or excuses that would hopefully lead to them finally proving they'd come far enough since the last encounter to actually beat Twisted & Sadistic in a straight-up 2v2 contest.
The spotlight shifting back to them, however, had come with an unexpected twist that they honestly should have seen coming, in retrospect. Considering the nature of the pay-per-view because of the battle royal, it was unsurprising that most of SCW's titles hadn't been defended with most of the champions opting to try their hand at earning a World Title opportunity for Rise to Greatness. They hadn't been among them, making it clear their undivided attention was on being the best World Tag Team Champions they could possibly be to do their part in elevating the division, but they also hadn't defended their titles because of their decision to involve themselves in the mess their next rightful challengers had created to put that fire out. That left the door open for management to justify title defenses for all the champions who hadn't put their belts on the line at Taking Hold of the Flame, and this next Breakdown in Miami would be their turn.
What they hadn't expected, however, was to be called out and challenged because of it by Katie Steward, who had been actively seeking their titles for quite some time due to it being the one thing missing for her to call herself Supreme Champion... a story that Luz and Amelia had become all too familiar with by now. At the very least, the guarantee was in place that Glory and Brittany would still get their title match no matter what happened, but knowing that Katie and Gigi were stepping up to try and prevent them from defending those titles on the Rise to Greatness card and testing themselves against the one team they've been wanting to overcome above all else had ignited a fire within them. The last thing they wanted was to become a footnote in someone else's history twice in the same year, and while they had turned back the challenge of the Stewards on a handful of occasions in the past, knowing that the gold was on the line this time was all they needed to know Katie especially would be hellbent on leaving with it by any means necessary.
While that Breakdown was set to take place in Miami, The Light In The Darkness and their found family had stopped in Atlanta, Georgia on their way down, the main reason being that Ivy was booked for her first World Title opportunity with the promotion she'd been competing for, and Luz and especially Amelia wanted to be present to watch their friend ascend to a level they knew she belonged at after all the hard work she'd put in. Amelia couldn't help but think back with shame on all the things she'd said to Ivy to break off their friendship when they were little instead of just coming clean about why it was truly happening, especially knowing how much it affected the woman and fueled her desire to get to this moment just to shove it down her throat how wrong she'd been about her. Things between them had long since improved now that they'd finally talked things out and Amelia didn't have the threat of her parents hanging over her head—at least in regards to Ivy's future—but she still felt she owed it to her oldest friend to watch her become a World Champion and stomp out any lingering traces of that old mindset of hers that she feared might rear its ugly head again.
Luz and Ivy had both picked up on this guilt after the latter had revealed her impending World Title opportunity and they had a pretty good hunch on why it was all resurfacing again.
“Amelia, I'm glad that you and Luz are here to watch me hopefully pull this off, but you don't need to keep trying to punish yourself for something that wasn't entirely your fault,” Ivy said as the three of them were changing into their workout clothes, having headed out to one of the local gyms to train for their respective matches on the horizon. “I've long since forgiven you, I feel sick at the thought of wanting to rub this potential title win in your face now... we've talked through this, we've made amends, and it's honestly hard to blame you for what happened now that I know the full story.”
“Seriously Ames,” Luz chimed in while pulling a tanktop on over her head. “You guys were seven... it's hard to blame a seven-year-old for doing what they thought was best in a situation that no seven-year-old should ever be in.”
“I know, and I tell myself that anytime the memory enters my head, but...” Amelia trailed off, knowing that trying to justify this feeling to them would be as much of a struggle as trying to keep justifying it to herself.
Thankfully, her best friend and fiancée both understood where this was coming from, and Luz was quick to close the distance and plant a reassuring kiss on Amelia's cheek.
“Hey,” she softly said. “We get it... whenever your parents rear their ugly heads and try to pull you back, you always worry about returning to the terrible person they made you be. It's a perfectly valid fear, but you're not that person and you never will be again, not so long as I'm here to be your fearless champion and defend your brain from those dumb intrusive thoughts and anything else they try to pull.”
Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable and dorky that sounded, but that was just one of the reasons she fell in love with this woman in the first place. “You mean it?”
“Of course!” Luz beamed with all the brightness and warmth of the sun itself.
“I may not be able to agree with the same tooth-rotting fluff that your future wife can,” Ivy chimed in, grinning as she saw the blushes her statement caused, “but take it from me, someone who lost my best friend out of that whole ordeal. We've both moved on and become better people, and we all know how much your parents suck and should honestly be in jail right now. You don't have to keep mentally torturing yourself Amelia... your parents can play their games, we'll just let it go in one ear and out the other before doing what we all do best: kicking some ass.”
As an exclamation point on her statement, Ivy turned around and smacked her ass, knowing she'd get a laugh and amused cry of her name from her old friend to help lighten the mood. Amelia truly did appreciate where was in her life now, having so much support all around her to remind her of who she truly wanted to be and how hard she'd fought to not only get to this point, but the fight she'd have to keep putting forward to stay here. In one form or another, they were all fighting a battle like that right alongside the battles they fought in the ring, and the thought of a future set in stone where things could continue like this and hopefully get even better was enough of a spark to keep pushing forward towards that future.
“Greetings and salutations to all my true believers out there! Jacob Harrison, your true hero and bastion of truth in the wrestling community, here to give you all the facts both known and hidden that the people need to know about your favorite wrestlers! SCW's Taking Hold of the Flame pay-per-view is now in the books and I know my thoughts about the event are coming out much later than usual. Being under house arrest for simply trying to uncover the truth you all deserve has unfortunately hampered a lot of my work, but I am committed to doing my duty and getting this out to the YouTube masses who support me in this endeavor because that's what a true hero does! Starting with the biggest thing coming out of this show, Selena Frost and Josh Hudson main eventing Rise to Greatness for the World Title, and I can't help but feel like Selena's politicking to make herself seem unbeatable is starting to get out of hand if she talked the homewrecker of Bree Lancaster's marriage into coming out of retirement just to give her the rub on the biggest stage of the year.”
As the girls emerged from the locker room out into the gym to begin their workout, the grating sound of Jacob Harrison's voice filled their ears. They all glanced over to the source and were surprised that the YouTube conspiracy theorist's latest video was being played on Gage's phone as he just shook his head and jotted something down on a notepad he'd brought with him.
“Any particular reason you're giving that creep's nonsense a view it really doesn't deserve?” Amelia couldn't help but ask as the trio walked over to him, which actually resulted in him doing one of those nervous laughs at getting caught.
“Seriously Gage, you pride yourself on your wrestling knowledge and that's why you make such a great commentator,” Ivy noted. “Why give his slop the time of day?”
“You're right that I'm a proud wrestling historian and know how to get all my facts the right way,” Gage stated, “and guys like this spit in the face of everything I try to be. Doesn't mean I can't pass the time by listening to whatever dumb things he thinks are 'the truth' so I can refute them and hopefully get people to stop buying into his crap.”
“You'd consider trolling him or starting some sort of YouTube feud just to get him off our backs?” Luz couldn't help but ask.
“If it comes to it,” Gage replied with a shrug. “Maybe it's really petty and honestly not my style at all, especially since I have a career doing what I love I might be risking in the process, but I'm getting real tired of this guy trying to drag the good names of my friends through the mud just to get clickbait views. Even if he's only doing it because someone's supplying this B.S. to him to try and screw with you ladies for whatever reason, he's still playing along because of what he gets out of it... maybe if that's taken away from him, he'll give up, maybe even cough up the name of his 'trusted insider source' if we're lucky enough.”
“And I thought I was the only one who was mentally walking that road today,” Amelia sheepishly admitted.
“Wanting to keep beating yourself up over the past isn't the same thing Amelia,” Ivy scolded her.
“Gage, we really do appreciate the thought and we know you're a good friend,” Luz told him, “but please don't risk your career just to help us. I'd feel awful knowing I had anything to do, even indirectly like that, with you no longer being able to do something you love. Besides, this guy's not worth it. Let him keep rambling, because we'll just keep proving in the ring that we're the real deal and the fans know it.”
Gage sighs. “You're right... I just hate the idea of this guy causing us all sorts of problems even when we think he's not supposed to be a threat anymore because of Avery. Even under house arrest, the fact that he still gets to make videos trying to discredit my friends just bugs me and makes me wish there was something I could do to make him stop. You don't deserve any of this, especially after everything with The Empire. You two deserve a chance to just relax and not worry about anyone sticking their noses where they don't belong, planning your wedding, kicking ass and proving to teams like the Stewards and Twisted & Sadistic that you truly are the best tag team in SCW today and maybe even the best tag team in the entire world.”
“We know Gage, and we really do appreciate the thought and the compliments,” Amelia said as she placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. “Thank you so much for looking out for us, and the same goes for you too Ivy. I think Luz will agree with me when I say we probably wouldn't be where we are now without the two of you and everyone else supporting us now. That's more than enough, and if the pep talks today have helped remind me of anything, it's that no matter what comes our way, we can handle it together.”
“Juntos,” Luz echoed in Spanish.
Gage nodded, seeming to understand as a smile began to grace his lips, and even Ivy was grinning at the turnaround Amelia had just shown. There was truth in those words, after all. Luz and Amelia had fought together for so long to establish their own legacies and prove they were more than just the next generation of their respective families, and when the two of them hadn't been enough, they'd surrounded themselves with others who cared enough about them to step up and fight alongside them when the situation called for it or even just support them and keep them looking up when the skies started to darken. Sometimes it was easy to forget that drastic action wasn't always necessary when the people you cared about were under fire, especially for Gage considering he wasn't a wrestler despite having the kind of build that implied it was very much an option. At the end of the day, they were all a family in a sense... they were far from a traditional family, but they cared enough about one another that blood was irrelevant.
With everyone in better spirits and knowing that work needed to be done, the ladies started to figure out what workouts they wanted to get in while Gage went to close the video. Right before his finger could tap the screen, though, they all heard something from Jacob's ramblings that actually caught their attention.
”And now, my true believers, we have to discuss the other big story relating to Taking Hold of the Flame, especially since I'm sure you're all tired of me further exposing the poor quality of the main event scene that SCW has been running with since CHBK took charge. You all know I've been following leads from a trusted source regarding SCW's Tag Team Champions, The Light In The Darkness, being phonies from this cult known as The Empire who have replaced the real Luz and Amelia. I've been surprised at some of the pushback I've gotten from this truth, which has me concerned for many of you who I thought were loyal fans of mine. But! In this case, I am truly right about what I have to say about those imposters, because my sources have provided me proof that while they had everyone distracted with their match at the show, as if them working together with the likes of Glory and Brittany wasn't suspicious enough, there was an attempt by remnants of the cult to break their leader, Caleb White, out of prison! Coincidence? I think not!”
The urge to argue against this latest attempt to sling mud at everything Luz and Amelia truly were quickly took over the four of them, even if they knew it was ridiculous considering they'd be arguing with a video that wouldn't directly respond. The desire to just ignore it as more propaganda to score clickbait views was equally as strong because they all knew this nutjob was full of shit. But as Jacob made this claim, his video cut away from him and to what looked like grainy security footage of exactly what he said it was: a small handful of people, wearing the familiar cloaks and sigils of The Empire, attempting to break into one of the NCA's most heavily guarded prisons, the kind of modern day stronghold specifically designed to lock up people like Caleb whose mere existence was a threat to everyone around them in one form or another. Judging by the angle of the video, it also looked like security footage Jacob really shouldn't have had, and considering he couldn't even leave his house barring a few approved locations, let alone get anywhere close to a prison when NCA agents in their corner knew about his misdeeds and would not hesitate to shut him down on what would be his third and final strike, it only raised more questions and concerns regarding who his mysterious source truly was. Jacob's rant had continued, but by this point they'd all tuned it out from the sheer shock of this news before Gage ultimately stopped the video at long last.
“...someone attempted to actually break Caleb out?” Luz finally mumbled in disbelief. “And we didn't know about it?”
“It was perfectly timed too,” Gage noted, albeit with a shaky voice. “Almost as if the intent was to actually give credibility to this wacko's claims even if they failed.”
“Maybe there's a good reason we were kept out of the loop about it?” Ivy nervously pondered. “I mean... Caleb's still locked up at least, so maybe it was better if we didn't know this even happened so we wouldn't worry about it?”
“Well, we know about it now and we have reasons to be worried even if they're not directed related to Caleb and The Empire,” Amelia lamented as she pulled out her phone. Before she could do anything with it, however, it started to ring as Darius's contact came up on the caller ID. “And maybe we can get some answers. Hello?”
“Good afternoon Amelia, as weird as that is for me to be saying over here in England,” Darius's voice came through as Amelia answered the phone and put it on speaker so they all could hear.
“Hello Darius,” Amelia responded. “I was actually just about to call you, or Avery, or... anybody I guess who might be able to fill us in on something we just found out about.”
“What are you talking about?” Darius replied, clearly trying to keep a neutral tone even when they couldn't actually see him.
“You know our little 'reporter' who's been bugging us lately?” Luz chimed in, struggling to hide the irritation in her voice. “Apparently his latest YouTube video claiming Ames and I are Empire imposters replacing the real us is how we found out someone tried to break Caleb out back while we were in London.”
“Complete with security footage that looks like it came from the prison itself,” Gage added.
Darius seemed to go deathly quiet at that, the tense silence only interrupted by the sound of active gym goers around the friend group and mumblings of activity on the other end of the line. After what felt like an eternity, they finally heard Darius sigh in defeat.
“I apologize,” he said. “I informed Avery after we thwarted the attempt but asked them to keep you lot out of it. Maybe it was wrong of me to do so, but Caleb is still securely imprisoned and we truly thought it was best not to worry you. I'm sure you'll agree with me that this man and his minions have put you all through far too much already and you deserve to be able to just move on from it all. Even still, perhaps we should have been upfront about the incident happening in the first place... especially since it seems like we have a very concerning security breach we need to address now because something is floating around the public space that's not supposed to be.”
“This Jacob Harrison creep claimed in his video he got it from whatever 'trusted inside source' has been feeding him this absurd garbage about Luz and Amelia being fakes who replaced the real deal,” Ivy informed the agent.
“You think my parents might have anything to do with it?” Amelia found herself asking before she could really think through it. Everyone else glanced at her, having pondered the possibility themselves after what Ophelia had implied during their confrontation in London.
Darius, however, couldn't resist chuckling from the other end of the line.
“Doubtful,” he firmly stated. “Amelia, your parents may have a lot of wealth, influence and resources, but not even they would be able to get the kind of footage we're now confirming is from one of our cameras at that facility. Especially not when we still have them tied up in court over their role in everything pertaining to The Empire. That is actually why I was calling, although I do appreciate knowing of this troubling news that we need to investigate... my apologies again.”
“Honestly?” Luz said with a shrug, forgetting this was a phone call and he couldn't see her do it. “It sucks that we found out about it this way, but I can't really fault you guys for feeling we were better off not knowing. You're not wrong about us just trying to move on, and hopefully we actually can if we can get this YouTuber off our backs and our names out of the mud because of him.”
“Now... what's this about my parents?” Amelia followed up, both confused and concerned.
“Their lawyer is a real piece of work, though I'm sure you know that already,” Darius growled in response, earning noises of confirmation from both Amelia and Luz. “Just when we think he's finally out of tricks and we can put your parents away for all they've done just regarding their positions in The Empire, he claims he has one last ace up his sleeve to prove, once and for all, that Aleister and Ophelia should be allowed to walk because they were victims of Caleb's manipulation and not willing accomplices... Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz.”
“¿Qué?” both women responded simultaneously, this turn of events coming from so far out of the blue that Luz defaulted to her native tongue and Amelia mimicked her out of sheer force of habit over the years.
“I'm pretty sure that guy hasn't actually told either of them that,” Ivy pointed out.
“I had a feeling...” Darius groaned. “Honestly, at this point he might be using this as a ploy to try and drag out the case until he comes up with something better because it's been firmly established by now that you ladies have a busy schedule regarding SCW and trying to get you to actually miss a scheduled appearance to fly back here isn't feasible.”
“Especially during this time of the year,” Luz pointed out. “If last year taught us anything, the road to Rise to Greatness, SCW's biggest show of the year, is a huge deal all the way through.”
“Even still,” Amelia added, “surely Adrian knows there's absolutely no way we'd ever vouch for my parents, not when we know full well they actively plotted with Caleb against us to drag me back in line and force me into a marriage I did not want or consent to. Right?”
“If he's actually banking on this hail mary and not just trying to stall, he may seek to twist whatever you'd have to say into proof that Aleister and Ophelia are exactly like the two of you in this situation,” Darius laid out. “That said... if this is his plan, then assuming your parents are in any way responsible for this YouTube conspiracy pest, any belief in those theories and rumors would actually work against this effort because, supposedly, you two aren't the real Luz and Amelia.”
“That's... actually a very valid point,” Gage noted as that realization sunk in.
“My parents are many things,” Amelia thought out loud, “but mom especially would never let him try to pull something that actively went against something she was up to.”
“What's the gameplan regarding any of this, though?” Luz had to ask.
“Well...” Darius opened up. “Regarding Mr. Harrison, we'll have to see what we can do to make him talk regarding how he got that footage and who gave it to him, because this is a serious security breach that could have drastic consequences if Caleb ever does get free. As for the court battle with your parents Amelia... for the moment, we're going to see what Adrian's game is with this, and we want any of you to inform us right away if he actually tries to negotiate your presence as witnesses. Pending how this goes and what your availability is looking like, however... if it means putting the nail in the proverbial coffin and bringing Aleister and Ophelia Blythe to justice, we might seek to beat them to the punch and have the both of you testify as witnesses on our end... only if that's alright with the both of you, of course. If you'd prefer not to, we would completely understand and we're certain at this point it wouldn't even be needed, if that helps give you peace of mind.”
Luz and Amelia glanced at one another before glancing at Gage and Ivy, all four of them looking intrigued by this idea. Granted, if they were to go through with it, they knew they would need to be careful with what they said because they could not allow Adrian to twist their words in any way that would get the Blythe parents off the hook, but if it finally brought them down for the lifetime of injustices they'd committed in the name of trying to have a strong family legacy to hold over everyone else's heads, maybe it would be worth it.
“You have time to think it over,” Darius reassured them. “As I said, we may not need it at this point and we're certain if he hasn't already contacted you about it that Adrian and the Blythes are bluffing about wanting you to testify in their defense, but the option is on the table if you'd like to assist us.”
“Thank you Darius, we'll certainly consider it and keep you posted,” Amelia told him.
“And we'll see what we can do about this Jacob fellow to finally put a stop to that for you guys,” he replied, “especially now that it's becoming a security concern on our end that we need to nip in the bud before anything else happens.”
The call finished up shortly after, and while everyone was able to go about their business of training for the matches that lie ahead, Luz and Amelia knew they'd need help refocusing their efforts with this latest wrinkle in everything going on around them outside the squared circle. It was a lot to think about, that much was for sure, but they were hopeful that they could weather these storms and rise above it all, from retaining their titles against Team Desire to silencing Jacob's conspiracies and finally being free of the Blythe parents' machinations once and for all.
Maybe hope was all they had to keep pushing forward, but they knew better than anybody that hope was a powerful weapon in the right hands, and they would do their best to embody everything it stood for to make that brighter future on both fronts a reality, no matter what it took.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Braddock turns around and Luz runs at her and forearms her and then again before spinning her around. Luz looks at her and then jumps up and goes for the Lights Out, but Lohan runs up behind her and hooks her arms. Glory stumbles forward and into the corner. Lohan hoists Luz up. The crowd erupts as Glory then turns and springboards to the top rope and dives off, with Twisted & Sadistic hitting Luz with the Hell on Earth. The crowd ohs. Braddock turns and dives onto Luz.
Sharper: “Hell on Earth! Hell on Earth!”
Lohan turns as Blythe tries to breaks it up, but Lohan dives onto her.
1!
2!
3!
The crowd erupts and Braddock rolls off of Luz, ecstatic. The bell sounds.
Phillips: “Here are your winners, via pinfall, and NEW SCW World Tag Team Champions…Brittany Lohan and the newest Supreme Champion, Glory Braddock, Twisted and Sadistic!”
Sharper: “Hell on Earth! Hell on Earth!”
Lohan turns as Blythe tries to breaks it up, but Lohan dives onto her.
1!
2!
3!
The crowd erupts and Braddock rolls off of Luz, ecstatic. The bell sounds.
Phillips: “Here are your winners, via pinfall, and NEW SCW World Tag Team Champions…Brittany Lohan and the newest Supreme Champion, Glory Braddock, Twisted and Sadistic!”
As we see Glory begin to get to her feet, the scene pauses, left frozen in time as we begin to pull back and fully realize that we were re-watching a moment in SCW history from earlier this year. As we pull back, we find that we've been focused in on a TV that looks like it's set up in a gym, having been brought out as a reminder to motivate the women we're here to see. Panning just a little farther back, we find Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz flanking either side of the TV, dressed in workout clothes and very clearly taking a short break in preparing for what lies ahead if the sweat rolling down their skin in the scorching Miami heat despite the air conditioning we hear running in this gym is any indication. Even still, they stand tall with their SCW World Tag Team Championship belts proudly resting over their shoulders and a determined focus in their gaze. They both turn to glance at the memory displayed on the TV, taking it in once more, before looking back to us as Luz kicks things off.
“February 1, 2024... on that night, in front of all the fans of Charlotte, North Carolina for Breakdown, Amelia and I saw our first run as your World Tag Team Champions come to an end. Twisted & Sadistic planted me with the Hell on Earth and Glory scored the three count while Brittany made sure Amelia wasn't able to prevent it from happening. That night has stuck in our memories for a lot of reasons, and not just the one I already mentioned. On that night, despite our best efforts, we fell short against someone we've admittedly struggled to defeat straight-up anytime our paths have crossed, giving us a goal to work towards if we want to truly prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we may very well be the best tag team in SCW today... an acknowledgment that would mean so much to us on a personal level. More importantly, however... on that night, Glory Braddock reached the fabled status of Supreme Champion, joining an elite list of those who can claim to have held every single title SCW has to offer in some capacity at least once. History was made... at our expense.”
“Don't get us wrong, we still stand by what we said all those months ago about being genuinely happy for Glory even if the moment was tainted right after the bell rang. Still, though, I think anyone who's been in our position, being the last obstacle cleared so that you become that final footnote in arguably the greatest achievement of someone else's SCW career, will tell you how much that reminder sticks with you, no matter what you achieve after the fact. We could go on to hold these titles for years, break the seemingly unbreakable record held by Dark Fantasy for longest World Tag Title reign in SCW history, maybe even forever define ourselves as the greatest tag team to ever set foot in an SCW ring... and there will still be a reminder hanging over our heads that at one point in time, our defeat meant that someone else got to make history and define themselves as one of the all-time best in this business by using us as the stepping stone to get there. Luz and I have said often that we don't mind losing because there's always something we can learn from it to improve for next time. We've preached the virtues of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring where the result is all the concrete proof you need that, at least at that point in time, you are the better wrestler and pushed yourself that much farther to back that up.
We're also human, and even we can admit that we've lost matches where that result has really lingered with us in ways that are probably not healthy.”
Both ladies once again glance at the TV, their eyes fixated on the shot of Glory just after her historic victory and moments before Dark Fantasy would show up to ruin it. Luz is the first to react, letting out a sigh before turning back to us as Amelia leans down to shut the TV off, freeing them from the visual reminder of that defeat for the moment.
“As much as we probably shouldn't fixate on that failure, we have every reason to keep going back to it as motivation for the challenges that lie ahead of us. Sure, the obvious one is the rematch with Twisted & Sadistic that could very well happen at Rise to Greatness, giving us a long overdue chance to not only get that win back but also truly prove that we deserve to hold these titles resting on our shoulders. But... to focus on Glory and Brittany right now would mean looking past the challenge that awaits us on Breakdown this week right here in Miami, and even we know that would be a fatal mistake that would not only see our title reign come to an end once more, but also cause history to repeat itself.”
Luz looks like she's going to continue, but she pauses when Amelia steps up to join her, placing a hand on her back and seemingly trying to comfort her partner before her emotions get the better of her. The two of them look at one another in silent conversation before Luz nods and takes a deep breath, earning a kiss on the cheek from her fiancée before Amelia takes over.
“This Thursday night, Luz and I find ourselves having to defend our titles before any plans for Rise to Greatness are set in stone. And you know what? That's completely fair. After all, we didn't defend them at Taking Hold of the Flame like we probably should have, but we stuck by our guns of wanting to be the positive example of what tag team wrestling is all about and proved it by shutting down all the chaos that Twisted & Sadistic started. We haven't hidden the fact that we want to be fighting champions and inspire both existing teams and ones that may yet form to step up and give us their best shot... some might see that willingness to take on all comers as a bad thing, but we've always had that desire to step up and challenge ourselves however we could. That's how we set the example we want others to follow, after all, and pushing ourselves to rise to those challenges is how we keep getting better and moving one step closer to defining our own legacies both in SCW and in wrestling as a whole.”
“As the old saying goes: 'those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.' Those words couldn't be truer than this particular Breakdown for a number of reasons. If we want to even think about walking into Rise to Greatness to defend these titles, we first have to turn back the challenge of Team Desire... something we know from firsthand experience is easier said than done. Maybe that doesn't sound right to some of you considering history would seem to be on our side in this situation. After all, we've overcome the Stewards in tag team action on two previous occasions, not to mention my TV Title reign including a successful defense over Gigi. That's where it gets tricky, however... that very history on its own would be more than enough motivation for her and Katie to finally prove they're good enough to take us down and bring an end to our title run. But there's another layer to this that we've already kind of touched on... that quote about learning from history? It applies to us as well, because we're in the tough position of potentially being responsible for two different wrestlers ascending to Supreme Champion status at our expense. A victory for Team Desire grants that honor to Katie, who has every reason possible to come at us with all the force of a woman who could very well claim to be the single greatest SCW wrestler of all time if she obtains that one final piece of the puzzle that we're currently holding.”
“Katie, Gigi, make no mistake about it... if you want to make that history a reality, if you want to become World Tag Team Champions, then you had better be ready to treat this match like it's the main event of Rise to Greatness because for as badly as you may want this, we don't plan on being victims of history once again. These titles mean more to us than you might understand... being SCW World Tag Team Champions isn't just a symbol that defines us as the top tag team in this company, it's living proof that Luz and I have been able to carve out our own path in this sport and continue to do so instead of following a path that was laid out for us by our predecessors. Luz may love her father and honor his memory, may God rest his soul, and I may have made no secret about how strained my relationship is with my own parents, but when we first started our respective wrestling journeys all anybody saw in us was that next generation to continue those legacies. In each other, we not only found love and strength, we found something that was entirely our own and embraced it. These titles are a reminder of just how far we've come on that journey to forge our own destinies, become our own wrestlers, and challenge us to keep going so we can find out just how much farther that road goes and where it will lead us next.”
At this, Luz and Amelia both slide their title belts off their shoulders before holding them up for us to focus on, the two of them starting to smile at how much they've done so far and how much farther they want to go. Those smiles fade a bit, however, as they know there's still business to take care of.
“Amelia asked this question of the both of you the last time we faced off, and I'm going to rephrase mi amor's words right now because the time has come for you to give us your answer. What does being World Tag Team Champions mean to the both of you? We know that it's the last thing Katie needs to become a Supreme Champion, and she's made it clear that she has big plans for Rise to Greatness should she and Gigi dethrone us and go on to defend those titles on the biggest night of SCW's calendar year. But... what then? What happens beyond Rise to Greatness in this scenario, regardless of the outcome of your title match on that night? Katie, you talk about the big picture, but the more you try to answer these questions the more clear it becomes that these titles may very well be nothing more than the final credits to your life story as dictated by you. You get to make history, you get to have your Rise to Greatness moment... and that's it. Beyond that, nothing else matters because you'll have gotten everything you're looking for. These championships that mean everything to us, that define us as the driving force elevating the SCW tag team division night after night, show after show... they're nothing more than a prop for you to hold up for that all-important final shot to rub in everyone's faces as you lay claim to the title of greatest SCW wrestler of all time, aren't they?”
“We want to hope we're wrong in that assumption, but so far that's where the signs are pointing, and if there is any truth to that, then you'd better believe we will walk into Breakdown this Thursday night ready to fight like hell and prevent that from happening on our watch. We're sorry you two... we know how badly you want this moment Katie, we respect Gigi's desire to uphold a promise to a family member to make her dreams come true, but if we're going to talk about the bigger picture, then Luz and I have been fighting to make ours a reality since the moment we first signed on to this company. Everything that tag team wrestling means to us, every challenge we strive to overcome, every fight both in and out of the ring we have endured, all just to do our part in giving those fans a reason to believe not just in us, but in this great art of wrestling and everything it has to offer. We have fought our way back from serious injuries, rebuilt our confidence in ourselves, willingly locked ourselves out of contention for these titles and asked to start off gauntlets, all to prove just what tag team wrestling and being its champions means to us. If it didn't come with the caveat of Katie Steward being able to call herself Supreme Champion... would you and Gigi willingly challenge yourselves in that same fashion? Or do you see this as your golden ticket because you believe that Luz and I will be so fixated on having that rematch with Twisted & Sadistic on a stage worthy of that clash of the titans that we'll overlook you and allow for history to repeat itself?”
“We'll say this Katie: in a way, you are inspiring us. After all, if this is about you cementing your place as the greatest SCW talent of all time, then facing someone like that is the kind of challenge that fuels us to step up and prove ourselves even as the champions, to see if we're good enough to overcome someone of your caliber with everything to lose on our end.”
“And Gigi, if there's one thing we've learned throughout our own journey, it's this: never say never. Katie may need these titles, but you'd be selling yourself short if the only reason you want this is just because of what it means to her. Even then, as great as that moment would be for her... we'd have to argue that being in this position, motivating and inspiring every tag team both in and outside of SCW to step up and give us their best shot, to keep elevating both these titles and this division in that ring while defining ourselves and writing our own story together... in the bigger picture, we believe that means so much more for SCW as a whole.”
“Sorry to the both of you, but we said it before and we'll say it again: we will not be a footnote in someone else's history again.”
“And The Light In The Darkness going to Rise to Greatness to defend these titles is no fairy tale... it's the reality we choose to manifest on Breakdown.”
With that, Luz and Amelia pull the titles back and nod to us, an acknowledgment of the challenge they know Katie and Gigi will give them. As they begin to walk off to resume their training and leave us to fade out, we can tell they're feeling the pressure of the road to Rise to Greatness and everything it could throw at them, but that kind of pressure is where The Light In The Darkness has always shined the brightest, and they're hopeful that Breakdown will be the next chapter in the story of La Pequeña Luz and Amelia Blythe... a chapter that proves they are capable of learning from history and making their own as opposed to allowing it to repeat itself.
![[Image: VU13RwA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/VU13RwA.png)
Tag Team Record: 20-8*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 9-5
Amelia Blythe Solo Record: 5-5-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [2] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)