Chris Cannon vs. Amelia Nevado

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: Just as a note to avoid any confusion, any CD parts between my efforts for both Amelia and Luz that look very similar are intentional. This is because their CDs basically take place at roughly the same exact time and there is a bit of overlap between them at least in the beginning, but I did my best to line everything up while still making each part feel like its own.
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Standing under her own spotlight...

Being seen as the woman she truly wants to be...

For the longest time, that was all Amelia Nevado truly wanted, even back in the days when her last name was still Blythe.

She never thought that day would come, and her parents were to blame. They suffocated and smothered her with their desire to have a family legacy, shattering her just so they could rebuild her in their own image. If they had their way, the only thing everyone would know Amelia for would be the latest and greatest link in the Blythe family, the prodigy who carried the name to heights it had never reached before, even through her father's legendary resume. That was her destiny... they had told her so countless times growing up, to the point where it became a madness mantra she would repeat to herself whenever she needed a reminder of why she suffered the way she did.

That was what made this particular Rise to Greatness such a big deal to her. It was going to be the first time she had that spotlight all to herself... nothing against sharing it with Luz the past two years or the memories they had created one way or another at the biggest event of SCW's calendar year. As important as those moments were to her, this year she would find herself wrestling alone, booked in her own match while her wife had her own battle to focus on. In that regard, this felt like the biggest match of her entire career. She could hear the arguments now, claiming that Luz had a far more important match because she was challenging for the U.S. Title while Amelia was just wrestling a recently returned Chris Cannon, but she knew, deep in her heart and mind, that this was, to date, her most important wrestling match ever... her chance to silence her critics once and for all who believed that she didn't have what it took to stand on her own in SCW like Luz had proven capable of, despite how equal they were in terms of their ever-evolving skill level.

As much as she would love nothing more than to completely focus on the match at hand to guarantee she put nothing but her best foot forward to show the world what Amelia Nevado was truly capable of standing on her own, there was a nasty little problem that she had to deal with first before she could give this match her absolute and undivided attention... and for the second year in a row, it just had to involve her parents and their increasingly desperate and deranged attempts to “reclaim control” of the legacy none of their children asked to be shackled to in the first place.

Somehow, the splinter cell of The Empire that was led by Stephen Crane had succeeded in getting past NCA agents that had been acting as their security detail ever since the attempt on Amelia's life a little over a month ago, and while Luz was going to have her own problems spawning from that to deal with, Amelia had felt her blood boiling at the thought of her siblings once again being literally held hostage by their mom and dad all just to try and force her compliance, though knowing that this time said compliance was going to result in all three of their deaths if Aleister and Ophelia Blythe had their way had Amelia on the verge of choking on her own bile from his disgusted she was that this was where things had come to.

Just when she thought she couldn't be any more disgusted or resentful of her parents, especially since she was, by all accounts, supposed to be completely free from them, they somehow proceed to top their self-centered and inhumane actions once again.

The revelation had clearly impacted Amelia and Luz during their tag team match on Breakdown in Seattle just days prior. It would've been hard to tell because they were both far too good at hiding their problems, for better or worse, but they knew in the back of their heads and from watching back tapes after the fact that they had been a step or two behind at several points when they knew they shouldn't have been... when Syren and Chris Cannon deserved better.

Then again, Amelia had picked up on things being a bit off from Syren and Chris in that match as well, which evened things out a bit. She couldn't rightfully say she blamed them... Syren had constantly been looking over her shoulder, just waiting for the Straders to try and make their move in that little feud, and it hadn't been a surprise when chaos ultimately reigned as both they and Jordan Majors (going after her wife) had attempted to interfere and led to the tag match as a whole being thrown out. Chris at least had a more tactical reason in the brief time he and Amelia had shared the ring. They were doing this dance again, one-on-one, at Rise to Greatness after all, so it made sense to try and hold back against one another out of risk of tipping their hands and giving one another valuable information to work with for the biggest show of the year.

That said, Amelia was glad that she was more cautiously optimistic when compared to her wife, because now that she knew Chris's true intentions with this match, she had subtly expected the C4 he tried to catch her with on the apron to gain any sort of advantage over her before they met in Houston, and as a result, she had thankfully avoided it. She was also glad that Chris hadn't impacted the ringpost and destroyed his shoulder in the process... if she was going to beat him in that ring and earn his undivided respect, she wanted to do so without any excuses he could fall back on.

Just two wrestlers at their very best fighting to see who was better on this night, the way she preferred it, but to truly be at that point herself, she needed to save Edward and Emily.

Needless to say, Amelia and Luz had quite a long conversation once they got back to their hotel room that night, reassuring one another that everything was alright and they were going to get their loved ones back, safe and sound, and free themselves from this latest burden The Empire was trying to bury them under to ruin such a monumental night for their careers. That had led to a conversation with Darius and Evie the very next morning to try and figure out what happened... surprise, surprise, Stephen Crane had apparently used Caleb's preaching tactics to “save” a few NCA members who had acted as double agents in the moment and struck when the opportunity presented itself, explaining how the carefully crafted security measures of the UK's equivalent of the FBI had been breached so easily.

That left the burning question: what was the plan?

Given that both Amelia and Luz were informed that they'd both be contacted prior to Rise to Greatness for their respective “private meetings” regarding their kidnapped family members, Avery had joined Darius and Evie in immediately weaving together an extremely detailed plan, starting with getting members of the NCA as well as MI5, and any fragments of the FBI who were willing to help and weren't just going to keep ignoring this because the President said so, to do arguably the most thorough combing of Houston and the surrounding areas that's probably ever been conducted to try and pinpoint exactly where this splinter cell was hiding out with their hostages. Unfortunately, it seemed like the rogue Empire members either anticipated this or were playing very cautiously all of a sudden as the entire city was turned upside-down and there was no sign of anything pertaining to The Empire at all.

“It's possible they could not be in Houston yet as a precaution,” Avery had theorized, and Amelia could believe it. Her parents, at the very least, may be arrogant as all hell, but when they took something seriously, they always played as smart as they possibly could, trying to account for every little mistake that could cost them dearly.

Given that was probably the best assumption they could make right now if no hint of this splinter cell was turning up, Amelia and Luz had proposed the idea of everyone simply heading into Houston fairly early. They were certain the city would be spending the whole week celebrating how imminent Rise to Greatness was, but that didn't mean SCW performers themselves needed to be in the city until closer to the end of the week to be ready for the pre-show and the fan expo. By arriving fairly early, it was their hope that they could have time to settle in and scope things out so they could be ready for anything once this rogue faction of The Empire finally did contact them.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Stephen, and Amelia's parents, were really bringing their A-game to try and keep everyone off-balance and get whatever they wanted out of this whole effort... which was likely the couple's lives.

Once Amelia, Luz, and their found family had arrived in Houston, they had wasted no time in getting checked into their hotel. As soon as Amelia and Luz were settled into their room, however, they each received text messages from burner numbers, revealing the locations they were expected to have their respective meetings at, and it was no surprise that they were on opposite ends of the city to make absolutely sure they couldn't help one another this time. They had tried to go inform the others, but found a pair of men who you would never know were part of The Empire if you didn't recognize the cult's emblem pinned to their shirts waiting for them the second they opened the door, having anticipated the tactic and been ordered to personally escort the two to their respective meetings so that they could truly come alone as requested. That was how the two had found themselves being led down to the hotel parking lot, noticing that others who also had to be plain clothes members of this Empire splinter cell had been strategically positioned outside of the rooms of the others to prevent any immediate interference until the girls couldn't be tracked.

If that didn't at least confirm that Stephen Crane was every bit as intelligent and dangerous as Caleb White, then nothing would at this point.

It wasn't long before the couple were led outside, where more plain clothes religious cultists hoping to ultimately see them dead were waiting with a pair of red SUVs to get them to where they were expected. Before they separated, however, Luz had grabbed Amelia's hand.

“You've got this, mi amor,” Luz gave her the cheesiest, most confident grin she could muster in this situation.

“You do too, sweetheart,” Amelia gave a shaky yet determined smile back.

“I'll see you at NRG Stadium on Sunday night, proving yourself against Chris Cannon,” Luz chuckled.

“And I'll see you there, holding that U.S. Title above your head once again,” Amelia replied.

With that, the two had sealed their promise to survive whatever was in store for them with a kiss. It didn't last too long before they were forced apart by their “private escort” and herded into the separate SUVs, which is how Amelia found herself where she was at right now.

“Your phone,” one of the Empire members demanded, holding out his hand once Amelia was settled into the back seat.

“You really don't trust that I can handle my parents on my own?” Amelia raised an eyebrow.

“We were told not to take any chances,” another Empire member said as he got buckled up in the driver's seat. “That's not an order from your parents, but a precaution our leader wants.”

“So hand it over or I can take it by force,” the one still beside her said more sternly.

Amelia just sighed and reluctantly pulled her phone out of her pocket, deciding not to take any chances as she handed it over, with the goon who took it making sure it was powered off to be absolutely sure it couldn't be tracked somehow before they hit the road, leaving Amelia glancing out the back window and locking eyes with Luz briefly before they were shepherded off to their respective meetings. Amelia stayed quiet for most of the ride, her brain working on a plan as she knew this was going to be nothing like any other time she'd ever dealt with her parents. They had all but made it clear that this time they were intending to kill, but given how much they had beaten and broken her throughout her entire life just to mold her in their ideal image... that thought didn't seem to affect her as much anymore. As sad as it sounded, this almost felt inevitable, which meant there was a good chance she could keep enough of a level head to hopefully force some sort of mistake on their part.

Getting Edward and Emily free was definitely her top priority once she got there and assessed the situation firsthand.

“You nervous about seeing your parents again?” the driver suddenly asked.

“Hm?” Amelia snapped out of her thoughts and glanced up at her two Empire escorts. “Why are you asking?”

“Just trying to make conversation,” the guy shrugged. “Seeing you sitting back there all quiet as we're pretty much driving you to your end... it's unnerving. I'd have thought you'd be raising more of a fuss.”

“Maybe you should've switched with one of the guys taking Luz,” the other guy said. “I'm sure she's an absolute wreck right now... would've probably made for a more entertaining ride.”

“You underestimate Luz,” Amelia stated with as neutral a tone as she could manage, trying to hide how annoyed she was by their comments. “She's a lot stronger than any of you give her credit for. I made that mistake once... my parents have made that mistake countless times, underestimating the both of us. It's why they ended up in jail last year, where they should've stayed.”

“You really think you know better than your parents, don't you?” the driver chuckled.

“Considering they thought they knew better than me for my entire life and I know firsthand how that turned out... yeah, I think I can safely say I know what's best for myself better than they ever did,” Amelia smiled. It wasn't a smile of confidence or thinking way too highly of herself, but a genuine smile that made it clear how happy she was with where her life had gone since working to cut ties with her mom and dad, and not even this situation could change that.

“You really are foolish and stubborn, just like they always said,” the other guy laughed. “Honestly? The Empire could've really used someone like you... too bad we'll never know how that could've turned out.”

“Yeah, too bad...” Amelia mused, though she gave the actual idea no real thought. The only world she could ever imagine where she was part of The Empire and served Caleb's religious insanity was one she knew would never have been worth living in anyway. Any world where she was nothing but a puppet dancing to whoever pulled her strings sounded like hell on earth to her, and she refused to even think about how miserable she would be or how different things would've ended up for Luz and her family, for Ivy, for Henry... everyone affected in one form or another by her parents and The Empire and all of this lunacy.

As she fell back into silence and worked out a plan in her head, she noticed the SUV taking some very specific and winding turns as it headed into what looked like a forest, though it wasn't one she was familiar with as it seemed too out of the way to be one of the publicly owned ones that was run by the city. As the vehicle slowly pulled to a stop, things started to make a little more sense as she saw what looked like a huge mansion just hidden deep in these woods. It all gave off the vibe of a haunted house so far off the beaten path that you knew you were in for a trap and a fright if you dared to venture inside.

Somehow, it didn't surprise her that her parents managed to find a mansion to hole up in for this. For as dilapidated as the place looked, likely not having been owned or visited by anyone in at least decades, if not centuries, it still looked as though it would've been the peak of elegance and sophistication in its prime, and it just made too much sense for how “high class” her parents always insisted they were. Even now, when they had nothing to prove to anybody they could truly lord their status over, they just couldn't resist doing it anyway.

“Some things really don't ever change,” Amelia shook her head as the Empire members stepped out and opened the door for her to do the same so they could lead her inside. A quick glance at the surrounding forest made it clear that whatever pathway may have led to this hidden mansion had long since been overgrown and hidden, making the SUV make more sense now as the transport vehicle of choice to smoothly handle whatever off-roading had been done to get here. If her parents had just been sitting inside waiting for her this whole time, then she wouldn't have been surprised as to why nobody from the NCA, MI5 or FBI would've probably found this place, let alone searched through it. Heck, she doubted that they would've been able to easily get out here even if she'd kept her phone to be tracked or any of their initial plans had been allowed to fall into place.

Aside from whatever other Empire splinter cell members would be lurking around as a sort of security, this was truly going to be purely a Blythe family affair, and Amelia steeled herself for how this was going to play out.

As the door was opened and she was led inside, the very first thing she noticed were Edward and Emily, right there in the dusty old foyer, bound and gagged back-to-back in chairs right in front of the grand staircase that led to the upper floors of this place. At least two other Empire members, donning the usual red cloaks of the splinter cell to suit Stephen Crane's aesthetic, loomed over them, clearly armed and shooting her looks that almost dared her to try and approach her siblings. The two who had escorted her here closed the door and proceeded to stand guard in front of it, just in case.

The moment Amelia locked eyes with the twins, she could see that they were hurt, and she highly doubted it was a result of the wrestling match they'd returned to England for before being kidnapped. They made some frantic noises that Amelia vaguely interpreted as begging for her to run while she still could, but she knew that would only accomplish one thing: getting them killed trying to protect her. As touched as she was by the thought of her older siblings trying to protect her, this time it was her turn to truly protect them. After all, there were only two people to truly blame for how things even got to this point in the first place...

“Alright Aleister, Ophelia,” Amelia called out, surprising the Empire goons a little bit. “Here I am, like you wanted. Tell your fanatical friends here to get lost and show yourselves so we can have this 'family discussion' properly!”

“Aw... NOW you care about doing things the proper way?”

Amelia bit her tongue at the cold, cruel, condescending voice she'd grown to hate a long time ago. That familiar twinge of sickening sweetness that lured you in with sugary lies before burning you to your very core. Still, she followed where the voice had come from, and sure enough, Ophelia Blythe was appearing from a nearby hallway, her husband Aleister not too far behind. Neither one of them looked dressed for a confrontation, but she doubted they were really expecting one to happen. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if they thought this would be as simple as she showed up, they gloated for a bit and then her and her siblings were all gunned down or something far too simple. She doubted her mother would've ever settled for something like that under normal circumstances, but her father was always straight to the point and getting the job done however it needed to. It had been how he operated in the ring, how he trained her, and it would end everything without too much issue if they pulled it off.

Fortunately, Amelia had no plans of making it that simple as she watched her parents slowly descend the staircase, clearly taking their sweet time and milking it for all it was worth. If they truly believed this was going to be the last time they would ever see or put up with their “disgraceful” children, then it made sense they would be smug about drawing this out.

“Amelia Blythe...” her mother sneered. “If I hadn't seen you in that video call just last week, I wouldn't be able to believe how much of a disappointment you've become.”

“Disappointment?” Amelia shot back. “Just because I'm actually happy with my life now? Because I'm not being choked to death by the chains of our family legacy you two care so much about?”

“Are you happy, though?” Aleister chimed in as he and Ophelia reached the bottom of the stairs, and while her mom was more than happy to 'check up' on her other two children that were tied up because of her, her father ignored them entirely and moved to stand not too far away from Amelia. “As far as I can tell, Amelia, you have achieved nothing of note on your own since joining one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world. Instead, you've been nothing but an embarrassment to this family-”

“Embarrassment?” Amelia tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse you, but Luz and I helped breathe new life into SCW's tag team division-”

“Doesn't count because you needed the help of that Mexican whore,” Aleister cut in, which caused Amelia to flare her nostrils a bit but she refused to take the bait.

“-I'm a former Television Champion-” she continued.

“A pathetic reign that made a mockery of what a Blythe is capable of,” Aleister again shrugged her off.

“-and let's not forget that I won last year's Trios Tournament and have a contract I can use for literally anything I want,” Amelia forged ahead.

“Also doesn't count because you needed help from a man well past his prime and a buffoon who's been as much of an embarrassment to his own father as you've been to us,” Ophelia chimed in this time, practically grinning from ear to ear. “Still better company than Luz, though.”

“Plus, that contract means nothing,” Aleister added as he folded his arms across his chest. “You should have never needed it to amount to anything because the Amelia Blythe I raised and trained would have been World Champion by now, making a joke out of every single so-called talent that SCW believes is worthy of carrying its main event mantle.”

“Nevado,” Amelia replied, barely fazed by the exchange that had just taken place. “Amelia Nevado... I cut all ties with the Blythe name when I married Luz and I never want anything to do with it ever again.”

“Well then... it's a good thing we would have cut those ties for you here today regardless, isn't it?” Ophelia practically sang as she extended her arm, where one of the cloaked Empire thugs standing behind her handed over the gun they'd been brandishing. She then proceeded to hang it to her husband, who checked to make sure it was locked and loaded as he shook his head in disappointment.

“It truly is a shame it had to come to this, Amelia,” he lamented, showing the first sign of emotion he'd probably ever shared with her that wasn't anger, though she didn't doubt for a second that it was genuine. “When your mother and I told the world you were our perfect prodigy, we weren't lying. You genuinely had the potential to become the greatest pure wrestler who ever graced that ring... that's why I was so hard on you, why I pushed you to greater and greater heights...”

“Oh, spare me the false regrets!” Amelia cut him off, boldly taking a step forward to the shock of everyone in the room, although Aleister seemed to be the only one unfazed by this move. “You and mom never once cared for ME, only what I could BE for the family name! Yeah, you were too hard on me, but it wasn't because you 'hoped' it would push me to be the best. You gave me no say in the matter... I HAD to be a wrestler, I HAD to be the best, and even the tiniest mistake that any wrestler would make—mistakes I KNOW you've made in your own career, same with mom—weren't tolerated because I could never be good enough. That's why you set unreasonably high expectations for me, why you kept moving the goalposts when I actually did close in on them, why you actually encouraged Ed and Em to try and sabotage me and keep grinding down my confidence whenever they could, even when they truly were no better off than I was! You two never wanted a daughter, or any child, for that matter... you wanted a doll you could dress up to be anything you wanted it to be for the whole world to admire and believe it was exactly as you claimed it was.”

“Your point?” Ophelia scoffed as she leaned an elbow on Edward's head, ignoring his attempts to try and shake her off while still tied up.

“Answer something for me... honestly, for once in your lives,” Amelia continued, a dangerous edge to her voice now. “Would God truly approve of what you were hoping for in a 'child'? Because I think the fact that he gave you Emily, Edward, and then me is a pretty good sign that even if you kill us and try again, the fourth time won't be the charm either. Even God knows the two of you aren't worthy of bringing life into this world because you won't properly take care of it.”

The silence that overtook the foyer was deafening at that point. Edward and Emily, despite their predicament, looked at their younger sister in amazement for actually having the guts to say that. The members of the Empire splinter cell that were present all looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden, as if they were really thinking over the truth she had just dropped. Any amusement that Ophelia had in controlling this situation was long gone now as she looked appalled at her daughter even daring to speak such words, especially since it was a truth she would never admit to despite being the one who actually carried all three of her children.

As for Aleister, the mask he'd been carefully maintaining was starting to slip finally, and Amelia could see it clear as day. Her words had truly impacted him as he stopped fiddling with the gun and now stared a hole straight through his child, clearly in disbelief. It was hard to tell if he was growing furious over her daring to say such a thing or if he was struggling to comprehend the harsh truth in her words, but they had definitely impacted him. Considering her father had always been a true God-fearing man for as long as she could remember (unlike her mother, who was definitely religious so long as it suited her needs and bolstered her status among others), she had just spoken words that definitely cut straight to his very soul and destroyed a significant chunk of it.

“You... you... how dare you...” he trembled, struggling to form words as he seemed to be consumed by a mixture of raw fury and sheer refusal to accept that her words held any truth to them at all.

This was Amelia's best chance to strike, and she knew exactly what she needed to do.

“You wanted to make this a family discussion,” she firmly said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the hair tie Ivy had gifted her all the way back when they were children, before her parents had forced her to cut all ties with her first and best friend. “Then I say we settle this in a way that proves that just because I refuse to be a Blythe any more, that doesn't mean I haven't become the wrestler you always demanded I become and then some. Put the gun down, dad... you and me, one-on-one, first to make the other tap out loses.”

“Oh please,” Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Do you really think you have any right to make such a ridiculous request of your father, Amelia? Of all the-”

“Name your terms,” Aleister cut his wife off, his tone struggling to maintain his composure.

“Aleister!” Ophelia looked at her husband like he'd lost his mind. “You can't be serious!”

“If she wants to spit in the face of our family name and still claim to be more worthy of it than she deserves to be,” he spoke with a tone that left no room for argument as he watched his youngest child tie her hair back into its familiar ponytail, “then I will remind her of why this is MY family and MY name she dares to disgrace.” As an exclamation point on that declaration, he tossed the gun towards the other side of the room, guaranteeing that it was well out of the way of what was about to happen. “Now... name your terms, Amelia.”

“If you win, you and mom are free to do to us as you see fit,” Amelia stated without hesitation, stunning and horrifying her brother and sister. “I won't put up any more of a fight. I win, though? You finally acknowledge that I've always been good enough, more than you ever thought I could become, and you free Ed and Em and we walk out that door with no resistance. An agreement sworn on the Blythe name itself.”

“If you truly believe that your masked whore has helped you more than I ever could, then prove it,” Aleister snarled. “I accept the terms and swear to them on my family name.”

“Now, hold on a minute...” Ophelia tried to interject, but Aleister ignored his wife and extended his hand, and Amelia shook on it without hesitation.

“You know he's not going to be happy about this...” one of the armed Empire goons tried to throw out.

“If you're talking about Stephen Crane,” Amelia stated, further shocking everyone that she knew the identity of their mysterious ringleader, “then he's hopefully getting his butt kicked by my amazing wife as we speak.”

That comment seemed to sow enough doubt that both of the men who had escorted her here were now frantically trying to make some calls, but they didn't seem to be getting a hold of anybody. The atmosphere in the entire mansion had shifted, but Amelia and Aleister were the only two who refused to let it affect them as they lowered their stances, preparing for a battle that no one had expected.

“Ophelia, give the signal,” Aleister ordered.

“As if!” his wife exclaimed. “I do not agree to any of this! Knock off this nonsense now Aleister and-”

“Ophelia!” he demanded again, no longer in any mood to hear her continue onward with her disgust.

“Ugh... fine!” she huffed as she shook her head, but at least she moved away from the twins a bit. “Begin!”

The moment Ophelia had actually kicked this off, father and daughter lunged for each other. Aleister, with his vast experience, immediately lowered his base to a point where he had the advantage, but Amelia didn't shoot in right away, instead slipping around him and turning his much lower base into a detriment as she picked his ankle and took him to the floor before immediately rolling into a position where she could pull back on her father's leg while hyperextending the knee as she laid across his back, ready to let go and shift into a new position at a moment's notice. Aleister grunted before he reached back and managed to get an arm around her throat, choking her enough to force a break before he tried to use his size advantage to drag her into a proper chinlock. Amelia, however, simply bided her time until she felt the smallest gap in her father's hold from trying to reposition, using it to slip free as she quickly got back to her feet.

“Not bad...” Aleister couldn't help but mumble to himself as he rose as well.

He slowly reached forward, intending to lock up, and Amelia locked fingers with him before he pulled her in and tried to take her down with a fireman's carry, but Amelia just flipped through it and landed on her feet before wrapping her legs around her father's ankle, tripping him up again before floating over into a side headlock. He slipped free before she could get it fully applied, however, and forced Amelia to her stomach before trying to apply a wristlock armbar. She quickly rolled to her back and kicked him off before rolling back to her feet, but Aleister rushed in and slammed her to the floor with a double leg takedown.

“Not good enough, though!” he snarled. Amelia tried to reach up and hook her left hand around the back of his head, but he grabbed it and slammed her arm against the wood beneath them. “You forget, Amelia... I trained you, I know every hold you can use against me because I taught you every single one of them. You are NOTHING compared to me!”

Amelia grit her teeth as she felt her father attempt to put her arm in some sort of hold, but she found her opening and slid across the floor underneath him, grabbing his arms and flipping him to his back before she twisted around and began to apply a hold she knew for a fact her father had not taught her. The Abomination was painful, it was unique, and it was inspired by silly comments Luz had made a long time ago that had given her some serious ideas and led to her combining holds to form brand new ones.

“You didn't teach me everything I know, dad!” she yelled out as she bent her father back in the excruciating hold, stretching out every single limb while putting immense pressure on the one area of his body that, as far as she was concerned, was better off never getting used ever again, at least not to try and bring another child into this world to be used and abused by the worst parents to ever exist. She glanced over to her mother, who looked horrified and was struggling to respect her husband's wishes to let him do this, especially after he swore on the Blythe name. She wanted so badly to shoot Ophelia a smirk, but she knew better than to let herself get distracted while dealing with her father in a straight-up grappling contest.

She did, however, lock eyes with her sister, and Emily nodded to her, which was all Amelia needed in this moment.

This did, however, give Aleister enough leeway to rock his body back as best as he could, until he managed to roll back over Amelia and forced her to release his legs. His arms, which were still trapped by her legs, became the base he used to flip her onto her back and free them before he immediately wasted no time in going for the killshot. Amelia knew this hold all too well... she'd perfected it, she'd been put into it by her father as 'punishment' far too often, and she knew she was in the clutches of the man who had made it famous throughout Europe.

“It's over, Amelia,” Aleister declared as he got the bodyscissors in, trapping her deep in the fabled Blight Choke. “We knew... it was going to end this way. Admit defeat... and say goodbye to your siblings... unless you want me to choke you out so you don't have to face death like a coward.”

Amelia didn't panic, she didn't waste precious energy, she just did her best to keep her limited breathing steady as she carefully took note of every detail of how her father had this hold applied. It was that old lesson growing up all over again, the very one he piled on with her 'punishments' just so he could claim he was teaching her. It was his sick and twisted way of making her perfect his submission hold so he could truly pass it on to her, and she had to reluctantly admit... he had this pretty airtight. There were no obvious ways out, there was no rope break that could save her in this situation, and everyone else in the foyer watched as she slowly started to fade.

“She's done,” Aleister declared with finality.

Unfortunately, he'd perhaps gotten a little too confident in that assessment, because the moment he loosened his grip even the tiniest bit, Amelia had managed to throw her arms underneath his, forcing separation so she could breathe again.

“Impossible!” her father yelled as he tried to overpower her to reapply the hold, but Amelia wiggled her body enough to start sliding herself out of his bodyscissors, and when he released them to try and stick with her, Edward extended his foot and Amelia used it like a platform to kick off from as she flipped over her father, and in the brief window where he rose to try and catch her, she turned the tables on him, doing something she had never succeeded in doing before:

Putting her father in his own hold.

Aleister's eyes went wide as his arms flailed before he tried to brute force his way out, but Amelia held tight., He tried every counter and escape he knew of, including ones he invented himself just in case this scenario ever arose, but Amelia stuck with him like glue and gave him no opening to exploit. He even tried to slow down his breathing, but Amelia knew the stunt he was trying to pull and refused to give even an inch. Confidence that a win was secure was how Luz had become the first and only person to truly escape her Blight Choke a long time ago, and she had learned so much from that defeat that was now playing a crucial role in ending her oldest conflict once and for all.

“No!” Ophelia shrieked, clearly not having expected her husband to actually be losing to her youngest daughter in this exchange and confirming her fears of letting this happen at all. “No, no, no! Unacceptable! This ends now!”

She turned to the Empire member who was still armed with a rifle and ripped it from his hands, wasting no time in trying to line up a headshot on her daughter. No one from the splinter cell knew if she would care if she hit her husband as well or instead, and they were all afraid to try and stop her at this point.

Thankfully, someone else wasn't.

Just as Ophelia opened her mouth, needing to make one last remark to bid her daughter's life goodbye, Edward and Emily suddenly sprang up from their chairs, the chain that bound them now clattering to the floor, and they wasted no time in sucker punching their mom in a way that caused her head to hit the railing of the staircase as she fell, knocking her out cold.

Because everyone had been focused on Amelia's grappling contest with Aleister, no one had noticed that when he'd slammed her arm to the floor after taking her down, she had intentionally tossed a bobby pin she'd kept in her pocket to her sister, who had worked with her brother to maneuver it to the lock that kept them chained up so they could pick it and free themselves.

“I've always wanted to do that,” Emily admitted.

“Same,” Edward added with a grin, “and it felt as good as I always imagined it would!”

With that, the Blythe twins turned their attention to the four Empire goons who sought to swarm them, but since all of them were now unarmed for one reason or another, the twins managed to use some trickery to keep them off balance before some well-placed strikes put all of them down, leaving Aleister as the only Empire member left conscious in this situation, though not for much longer as he felt himself fading, struggling to come to terms with how badly all of this had slipped through his fingers... especially the fact that Amelia had him, and he had no choice but to admit that she had finally gotten him.

It was bittersweet in his mind... mostly because this wasn't how she was supposed to finally pull this off, but if Aleister tried to cling to anything he had left in this world, it was his word when he swore it on his own name.

“You... win...” he gasped out as his vision began to darken. “You... are worthy... Amelia... Blythe... Nevado...”

It was at that moment that Aleister finally passed out, unable to fight his own hold any longer. Amelia kept it on for a few seconds longer, just to be sure, before she finally let go and rolled his unconscious body over, gasping for breath as she got her bearings.

She had done it...

She had outgrappled her father, the great Aleister Blythe, and made him submit to his own hold he'd built his legacy around.

She tried to pull herself up, but was almost immediately tackled back to the floor by her siblings.

“Baby sister!” they both cried, and as much as she wanted to be annoyed by it... she let them have this one.

“That was crazy!” Edward admitted.

“You actually beat dad!” Emily added, clearly still in disbelief. “You talked him into a battle of wit and skill and you actually beat him!”

“Yeah... I did...” she chuckled, still catching her breath as the twins got off of her and helped her to her feet. “And if we're done here, I'm thinking we should probably leave before any of them wake up and go back on the word dad swore.”

There were no arguments from her siblings as Amelia moved over to retrieve her phone from the guy who had taken it from her earlier. To her surprise, she found several messages from Luz begging to know if she was alright, revealing that she was not only safe and sound as well, but had succeeded in taking down who she assumed was Stephen Crane. Her heart soared at the relief flooding her system as she texted her back to let her know that everything had turned out alright on her end as well and she and the twins needed a ride.

As the siblings took their leave from the old mansion, Amelia couldn't help but glance back at her father one more time, nodding in contentment that she had finally proven that she could outgrapple the legend and earned his acknowledgment. Maybe it was fleeting and he would conveniently forget or ignore this if they ever crossed paths again, but as Amelia finally headed back to the hotel while agents arrested the six individuals who had caused this string of events in the first place, she let her mind replay her father's words on a loop as she looked forward to her match with Chris Cannon come Rise to Greatness...

Where she would prove, once again, that she was, in fact, good enough to stand on her own if need be.

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Perhaps it's no surprise that as we open up, we find ourselves looking at a training ring in a local gym in Houston. This close to Rise to Greatness, it would make perfect sense for those competing on that major show to try and stay at the top of their game as much as possible to give those fans the best show possible on a night where only the best would own that spotlight for themselves. Sitting in the middle of this ring, cross-legged and seemingly in the middle of meditation, is Amelia Nevado, dressed in her singlet as though she's ready for the bell to ring right this second. Her eyes may be closed, but we can almost feel in the air like some sort of weight has been lifted off her shoulders recently, and the fact that she looks at peace in her meditation speaks volumes, especially compared to the last time we saw her in front of a camera. Still, she knows that she has work to do, and with one last deep breath, her eyes open. She makes no move to stand up quite yet, however, instead remaining seated as she gets started.

“Rise to Greatness... hard to believe that at this point in my career, this is a familiar stage to me. The grandest one SCW has to offer every year, and for the past two years, I have competed upon it with the love of my life by my side, supporting one another as we fought with everything we had to make ourselves be seen, to prove that we belonged here in the greatest wrestling company in the world today. This stage last year is where Luz and I began our most recent run as World Tag Team Champions together, carving an impressive page for ourselves in the history books in the process with everything we accomplished during that reign. Of course, that night was all about respect and resolving wrestling issues in a wrestling ring, no question. It's a philosophy I've had even long before I got the chance to actually be myself... that's been the thing with the Blythe family, the desire to claim superiority in the ring through nothing but our pure skill, because anything less proves nothing.

I've never been a fan of how my father worded it, but to be fair, there's a lot I've made clear about my family that I don't like, and I will bear those scars for the rest of my life.

That said, it's still a lofty shadow I've been trying to escape from, even just to prove myself. That seems to be the common trend lately when it comes to how people view me... the burning question of whether or not I have what it takes to stand on my own two feet when necessary. I've proven it time and time again, but there are some people out there who just love their comparisons and won't let go of them. On my own, without Luz by my side, I'm a former Television Champion, I made the finals of a tournament to crown a new United States Champion, and I was part of last year's winning Trios team... of course, that's not enough. It's never enough. Not when people insist on comparing me to my wife as proof that she's the 'superior half' of our tandem, citing her longer run as Television Champion and her reign as interim U.S. Champion... and potential reign as undisputed U.S. Champion if things go her way on this same show.

I always have to prove myself in the eyes of others, always chasing a bar that keeps moving the closer I get to it... trust me when I say this is far from the first time I've had people doing that to me. When the bare minimum expected of you by your own parents is nothing less than absolute perfection in the ring, after all... it becomes a challenge to believe that you can reach those lofty heights that people want to see from you.

There's a big difference between then and now, however... the people who keep moving the goalposts on me this time don't dictate my career or my life, and I keep striving for greater and greater heights because it's what I wish to do, not what's expected or demanded of me.”

At this, Amelia rolls onto her back for a moment before she kips up in a manner that reminds us an awful lot of Luz, showing off some of the positive influence that her wife has clearly had on her over the years as she's evolved beyond the 'cold, perfect wrestling machine' most would've known prior to SCW. She moves towards the ropes, leaning on them a bit as we move back to allow her enough space to stretch as she keeps going.

“I think that's what I truly find the most fascinating about this challenge you made to me, Chris. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you want to share that ring with me and it's given me the opportunity to prove myself once more, especially as I march into battle on the Rise to Greatness stage solo for the very first time. But, that said, I also know you've made it very clear that this was just as much about trying to get yourself a solid win on such a big show, at my expense, to prove yourself right that I'm beneath you as you seek to climb back into a position to pursue the World Championship. The respect, while genuine, was also bait... not the first time I've found myself in this position, believe me. But I can't help but wonder... how much of yourself do you see in me? How much do you recognize the image of Superman, as everyone used to call you, when you watch me in that ring? After all, you used to try and do things completely by the books as well, ready and willing to prove yourself the right way in that ring no matter how hard the fight or what was thrown at you. The fact that it earned you a reign as SCW World Champion speaks volumes to me.

Which then begs the question... what happened?

Now, I want to say it's none of my business, but it's gotten harder and harder for me to just ignore how similar we ultimately are Chris, and I'm not just talking about our similar training and technique because of where we came from. If anything, the fact that you acknowledged my family regardless of the fact that I've cut all ties with them for the sake of a healthy future for myself when you gave me that pep talk weeks ago is ironic in a sense, especially coming from the man who last Breakdown tried to blindside me with a C4 on the apron when our tag match unfortunately got thrown out. You, perhaps more than anybody I've encountered especially knowing I'm going to be facing a top tier technician in that ring, remind me an awful lot of who I used to be. The almost desperate desire to be World Champion again as soon as possible, no matter who you have to put down along the way, the fact that you feel the need to insult and belittle others at all just to try and prop yourself up that tiny bit more... it almost had me double-checking the card just to make sure the name across from mine was Chris Cannon and not Amelia Blythe.

That's it, isn't it? This isn't just about a battle of mutual respect between two great grapplers, or the belief that this might be an easy win for you because you've convinced yourself that I'm just a stepping stone for you and nothing more... I remind you too much of the Chris Cannon you abandoned all for the sake of being at the very top once more, while you remind me of the wrestling machine that always had to be perfect, no matter what, at the cost of my happiness and even my own identity. As far as you're concerned, this means you need this win not just to fuel your ascension back to the top, where you think you belong... but to justify to yourself that the change of attitude and the abandonment of your moral compass was worth it in that pursuit.”

Amelia just slowly shakes her head as she backs away from the ropes, stretching herself out more in preparation for the training she's likely going to resume as soon as she's done speaking her piece.

“You know what the sad truth is, Chris? If this had just stayed a battle of pure respect and a chance for two top tier British technicians to show the world what we can do together, then maybe this could've been an entirely different story. Unfortunately, now we've reached a point where, for as much as you already have a picture of me in your mind and you're determined to prove that it's reality, I now have more than enough reason to do more than just give you your toughest challenge to date since coming back and being content regardless of the result because I can take something away from this match either way.

No... now I have a reason to win, to rewrite that image of me in your mind and prove, firsthand, that Amelia Nevado is a stepping stone to nobody, especially not someone so desperate to return to the top that he's forgotten who he truly was along the way. So thank you, Chris, for challenging me to this match, for giving me an opportunity to send a message to those who still doubt me and believe that I am the weak link in a partnership that supports each other so thoroughly that there is no such thing as a weak link. Thank you for giving me the chance to look in the mirror at who I used to be and then prove to myself and to everyone that I truly have changed for the better and the wrestler I am now is a perfect reflection of that.

Yeah, maybe this isn't as big of a match as Luz's fourway for the United States Championship on the Rise to Greatness stage... and I'm alright with that. Maybe you aren't, Chris, but you are the one who challenged me in the first place, and you know the old saying: be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. And for me, a potential victory over a former World Champion not only proves so much on a personal level, but truly proves that the sky is the limit for me going forward.

So thank you once again Chris for challenging me to this match, even if you weren't entirely upfront about your reasons at first. And believe it or not, I do look forward to testing myself against you and proving just how far I've truly come to and for myself.

Just promise me that you won't take it personally when you realize that maybe, just maybe, you were better off being seen by everyone as Superman for a reason.”

Amelia smiles and winks to us before she turns away to talk to someone, a few familiar faces lingering on the edge of our screen outside the training ring that are all ready and willing to help Amelia prepare for such an intense and somewhat personal match now. As we fade out, it's hard to argue that Amelia feels confident but grounded, ready and willing to take on anything Chris Cannon has to throw at her, because she knows she can dish it right back and prove to everyone, especially herself, that despite popular belief, she IS, in fact, just as good on her own as she is teaming with the woman she loves.