Light in the Darkness vs. Twisted & Sadistic vs. Team Desire
#1
Light in the Darkness vs. Twisted & Sadistic vs. Team Desire
SCW World Tag Team Championship
Elimination Rules
Rise to Greatness XXI

4 RP Limit per team, no word limits
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Sunday, July 28, 2024
#2
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July 11th, 2024
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Off Camera
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With Rise To Greatness and their opportunity at regaining the SCW World Tag Team Championship just a little over two weeks away, Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan had hoped things would just be a simple, smooth path to the big stage and their big opportunity. After all, they have had enough surprises and change of plans lately. First they were expecting to challenge Light in the Darkness until Luz and Amelia lost the gold to Team Desire. Then just when they thought it would it be against Team Desire, Braddock and Lohan learned that they would be part of a three way dance against both Team Desire and Light in the Darkness for the tag gold. This time triple threat rules, one fall to a finish, isn’t the case. This time it’s elimination rules. This time Twisted & Sadistic have to be beaten in order to lose their opportunity at the tag titles. Glory was ok with this and as for Lohan, well, she just wants to crack some skulls no matter who it is. Twisted & Sadistic were satisfied with this compromise and were prepared for Rise To Greatness. They hoped that there would be no further surprises. Unfortunately things did not go as they had hoped. In the middle of their match against The Shining Maidens, a new group interfered. A new trio of wrestlers involved themselves in Twisted & Sadistic business by assaulting The Shining Maidens, drawing a disqualification and costing Glory and Brittany some much needed momentum as they head into Rise To Greatness. The last thing they need right now is another group eying to involve themselves in the tag team championship picture. If Glory and Brittany become champions at Rise To Greatness, they may end up confronting this new trio sooner than expected. Still, as annoying as it is that yet another group got involved in their business, as annoying as it is that they lost the match against the Maidens via disqualification, Glory and Brittany must now try and ignore it all, they must try to forget about that and focus only on the task at hand; defeating Light in the Darkness, defeating Team Desire, regaining the SCW World Tag Team Championship, and cementing themselves as the best tag team in SCW.

Now that Breakdown has come to a close, Glory and Brittany see no reason to stick around and are looking to get out as soon as they can, collect themselves, and plan their next move. They walk through the backstage area of the Scotiabank Arena which is buzzing and humming with activity as many officials get ready to shut everything down for the night. Glory and Brittany ignore the noise and activity as they walk the halls. Braddock is wearing a flowing, pastel-colored blouse that fluttered slightly with each step, paired with fitted jeans that hugged her figure comfortably. Her feet were adorned with stylish yet practical flats, allowing her to move with ease through the bustling environment. Her long blonde hair cascaded in loose waves over her shoulders. Lohan, meanwhile, wore a simple, well-fitted black t-shirt that revealed toned arms, and a pair of dark jeans that hung low on her hips. Completing her outfit were sturdy, worn-in boots. Neither seem to be in a very pleasant mood right at this moment. Then again, can you blame them? Their paths to Rise To Greatness seem to constantly be changing and evolving. Nothing ever seems certain and more and more people keep getting involved in their business. It’s as if they have no control over their own destiny.

“This is NOT how I had envisioned it…” Brittany gripes. Glory sighs and nods her head in agreement.

“Yeah, I know.”

“We had that match won. We were well on our way to beating The Shining Maidens. But then those idiots stuck their nose into OUR business! Whatever momentum we might have had is gone!”

“I know you’re frustrated, I get it.” Glory remarks quietly. “I agree, we might have beaten the Maidens…” she shrugs her shoulders “...now we’ll never know.”

“Who the hell do they think they are?!” Lohan growls. “We should find them and…”

“No.” Glory shakes her head.

“No?!”

“No, we shouldn’t do anything about them. Not now. Not to the Maidens, either. Besides, do we have much room to complain? Those guys just did to us what we were doing to others in SCW.”

“So you want to just let them get away with this?!” Lohan exclaims. Glory just shakes her head.

“I’m not saying that at all. I’m just saying we should maintain our focus on what IS important right now. We fought like hell and raised a lot of hell to earn this opportunity at the SCW World Tag Team Title, to earn our rematch…”

“That’s another thing!” Lohan shakes her head. “We earned a one on one shot! Yet again we’re up against two other teams!”

“But so what?” Glory asks. “Unlike the last time, unlike Retribution, this time we will not be screwed over. This time if Team Desire or Light in the Darkness hope to leave with the tag titles, they HAVE TO BEAT US, they have to actually pin or submit one of us. Besides…” Glory smirks “...didn’t we just beat a bunch of teams at Taking the Leap to earn this shot? Haven’t we beat BOTH Light in the Darkness and Team Desire already? I think our chances at Rise To Greatness are high.”

“Maybe you’re right…” Lohan just sighs and shakes her head “...I just think we’re getting soft. Y’know? We used to be feared. Now what?”

“Feared? How about respected? Trust me on this, we will be respected and maybe even feared again when we get the championships back. But first we HAVE to get the belts back. That is priority number one. Everything else is secondary.”

“I get it.” Lohan nods her head. “Don’t worry about me, Glory. I am committed to getting the job done, finishing what we started, whatever you want to call it. I’m committed to this team.”

Commitment. That word hits Glory hard, it hits her like a ton of bricks. The British Bombshell sighs and nods her head. “Yeah…committed…that’s uh, that’s good…” obviously Braddock is not exactly feeling good right now. She has had her own commitment questioned lately, she has questioned her own commitment lately, and thus she doesn’t feel good about this right now. Lohan immediately notices this and tilts her head, studying her closely.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You’re lying.” Brittany says with a smirk of her own. “I know when you’re lying. You’re lying.”

“Seriously, Britt, I’m good.” Glory insists.

“You say that, but I know you better than that. Now we’re partners. I got your back. If there’s something bothering you, maybe you should tell me? We are a team. We’re committed to having each other’s back.”

There’s that word again; commitment. It still stings. Glory realizes, however, that Brittany has a point. They are a team, they are Twisted & Sadistic. Perhaps she should trust Lohan enough to confide in her with what is troubling her?

“It’s nothing, really, just that…” she pauses as she tries to find the words “...it’s just that I question myself, my own commitment to this, to us, to everything really. So you talking about commitment, it kinda bothered me because I am worried about my own commitment.”

“Are you nuts?” Lohan asks. “Shit, if anything you are the most committed person I have personally ever met. After we lost the tag titles, YOU were the one who remained committed to this team and to regaining the tag titles when you had an excuse right then and there to move on. Where the hell did you get this notion that you lack commitment?”

“Kurt’s mother.”

“Seriously?” Lohan rolls her eyes. “Didn’t you just do a good deed by reuniting her family? And she repays you with criticism?”

“Yes but she makes a good point. I mean, she was complaining about the fact that I didn’t take his last name when we married, but that’s a small thing, and she is a bit old fashioned anyway. Still, though, I did cheat on him once.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Doesn’t that mean I lack commitment?”

“Your mother-in-law doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.” Brittany insists. “You and Kurt are rock solid and if she had bothered to take time to get to know you, she’d know that. And like I said, you have also proven that you are committed to this team, to Twisted & Sadistic, and to tag team wrestling. When Luz and Blythe beat us for the titles, you had an excuse to chase singles glory again, but you remained committed to this team and to rebuilding the tag team division in SCW. Anyone who questions your commitment just doesn’t know you. Period. End of story.”

“Those are good points, and thanks, it does make me feel a little better.” She sighs. “But still…” her voice trails off.

“What?”

“What about Aphrodite?”

“I don’t want to talk about her.” Lohan rolls her eyes.

“But this is another aspect of my life where I question my commitment. Only those closest to me…like you…know about mine and Aphrodite’s unique relationship. Outside of my closest friends and family, it is a private relationship. Why is that?” Braddock shrugs her shoulders. “Am I ashamed of her? Am I ashamed of my Mother?”

“First of all she’s not your mother.” Lohan snaps back. “Secondly, you should ditch her altogether.”

“You know I can’t do that.” Glory answers.

“Hence why I would rather not talk about her anyway.” Lohan points out. “I know it would just degenerate into an argument. So how about we just go to the car, drive back to the hotel, and forget about everything…forget about what happened tonight, forget about your lack of commitment nonsense, and focus on winning the tag titles at Rise To Greatness. How does that sound?”

“That sounds…that sounds good…” Glory nods her head.

That was that. Braddock agreed it was best to just leave. Lohan was grateful for this as she, too, was anxious to get out. Slowly but surely they exited the Scotiabank Arena, the transition from the dimly lit backstage to the nighttime light of the moon and the street lights did create for much of a contrast. They walked side by side across the expansive parking area, their footsteps echoing slightly in the open space. As they approached a designated spot, a sleek, black luxury car glided up to them. The car was immaculate, its polished exterior reflecting the afternoon sun in sharp, crisp lines. The windows were tinted, offering only a vague hint of the interior. The engine hummed quietly before shutting off with a smooth purr, and the driver’s door opened. Much to the surprise of both Braddock and Lohan, out steps Aphrodite Noel herself.

“Mother?” Glory is taken aback by this unexpected arrival. Brittany, however, is not exactly thrilled with this surprise.

“What are you doing here?” Lohan growls. “I thought you agreed to stay out of Twisted & Sadistic business?”

“I did. But just because I am not managing your team’s affairs does not mean I should just ignore my daughter’s career. She was competing tonight, I wanted to watch. And I am glad I did because I saw how you squandered the momentum my daughter had built up for you both.”

“Me?!” Lohan exclaims. “Right, so it’s my fault three random idiots decided to stick their nose in our business?”

“I’m glad you agree that it’s your fault.” Aphrodite states, acting as if she couldn’t detect Brittany’s sarcasm. “Come with me, Gloria. Get in the car. I am going to take you with me.” Glory starts to follow Aphrodite but Brittany grabs her by the arm.

“Don’t.” Lohan says sternly. “You don’t need her. We don’t need her.”

“Quit trying to corrupt her!” Aphrodite commands.

“You need to keep out of our business like you promised.”

“STOP!” Glory shouts, silencing both Brittany and Aphrodite. They turn and stare at Glory. This outburst was certainly unexpected. Glory rarely raises her voice at either of them, and definitely not at Noel. Finally, after an awkward silence, Braddock speaks. “I’m just going to get a taxi back to the hotel, or maybe uber…?” Braddock shrugs and walks away.

“Gloria! Wait!” Aphrodite tries to follow but Glory doesn’t stop. She just keeps walking. Brittany meanwhile watches on. She feels something must be done. Glory has never raised her voice to Aphrodite before. Perhaps the hold Noel has on her is about to break? Brittany must remind Glory of who she is, that she doesn’t need Aphrodite. Brittany knows what she needs to do next.

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July 15th, 2024
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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It has been several days since Breakdown, since the incident in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena. Brittany Lohan decided it would be wise not to leave her tag team partner alone for very long. Not only do they need to remain focused on Rise To Greatness, but Lohan knows that Glory could very well be mentally and emotionally vulnerable right now. She is questioning her own commitment and then the incident involving Aphrodite Noel certainly didn’t help matters. Thus Brittany and Glory have been hanging out these past few days, including this night in a bar in Miami, Florida. The vibrant nightlife of Miami pulsed through the bar, an eclectic mix of laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses.

The British Bombshell, now dressed in a stunning, feminine ensemble, sat at a high-top table near the bar. Her dress was a deep shade of emerald green, hugging her curves and shimmering subtly under the dim, ambient lighting. The neckline was elegantly cut, and the fabric flowed gracefully when she moved, giving her an air of sophistication and grace. She sipped on a glass of red wine, the glass delicate in her manicured hand. A short distance away was Brittany Lohan, who was engaged in a game of pool. She wore a fitted black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing toned forearms. Her dark jeans, slightly faded and worn in just the right places, hung low on her hips. She moved around the pool table with practiced ease, her focus intense as she lined up her shots. The clack of the billiard balls echoed softly as she executed a particularly skillful shot, sinking the eight ball into the corner pocket. This was Brittany’s second game and she has grown bored and frustrated, frustrated with the fact that her tag partner and friend Glory Braddock has still not involved herself. Lohan decides to put her pool stick down and walk over to Braddock’s place at the bar. The British Bombshell had saved Lohan a stool, so Lohan sits down in that stool next to Glory.

“This was a great idea, mate.” Glory says smiling. “The music, the drinks, it’s all been great!”

“Has it?” She motions for the bartender to bring her a drink. The bartender quickly grabs a bottle of Budweiser and hands it to Lohan. She quickly takes a drink.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it?” Glory smiles. “This is just the thing we both needed to loosen up after Breakdown.”

“Yeah, I agree, WE need to loosen up.” She points a finger at Glory. “But YOU are not loosening up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to be real with you.” Brittany begins rather bluntly. “I’ve known you for almost fourteen years. Do you remember what I was like when I first met you?”

“Yeah…” Glory chuckles “...you hated my bloody guts.”

“The feeling was mutual, if I recall.” Lohan smirks. “You were a smart ass, you played practical jokes, and I just wanted to hurt you. You were the type of person who beating someone in the ring wasn’t enough, you enjoyed embarrassing people.”

“And if I recall, I only embarrassed those who deserved it.” Glory winks playfully. “The cruel, the so-called ‘evil-doers’ so to speak.”

“I admit, back then I probably deserved every bit of that humiliation and embarrassment you sent my way.”

“Good to hear that you’re finally doing some introspection, mate.” Glory smirks. “But, uh, as much fun as this trip down memory lane has been, I gotta ask…is there a point to all of this?”

“The point is that I have had fourteen years to get to know you and I know that this isn’t you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Where to begin?” Brittany shrugs. “I mean, the Glory Braddock I know never once questioned herself or doubted herself, because she had a strong moral compass. Now you doubt your commitment?

“We already talked about this…” Glory begins but before she can finish Brittany cuts her off.

“You were also not like all of the other cookie cutter princesses that run around the wrestling business nowadays. Yet these past few years you have been behaving just like the biggest one there is, Aphrodite.”

“I really don’t think…” again Glory is cut off by Lohan.

“And where has your smart ass prankster attitude gone? The woman who used to get a thrill out of humiliating and embarrassing bad people, where did she go?” She points at Glory. “You are a good pool player.” She points towards the pool tables where there are many individuals, mostly men, playing games of pool. “And I just got through playing a few games myself. I know for a fact that in that group there are more than a few bad characters in that group…nearly all are male chauvinist assholes, a few I suspect are abusing their significant others…why aren’t you hustling them right now?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Go up there. Play dumb, play the part of a naive girl who knows nothing about pool, then take all their money.” Lohan smirks. “That’s what the Glory I met fourteen years ago would do.”

“I don’t know.” Braddock shrugs her shoulders. “Isn’t it just easier and just as satisfying to let those idiots drool over me and spend their money on me by buying me drinks?”

“You learned that from Aphrodite.” Brittany points out.

“I’d rather not talk about her.”

“Good answer.” Brittany smirks. “That proves to me that the Glory Braddock I knew from fourteen years ago is still there. You didn’t like how pushy Aphrodite has been lately? You didn’t like the stunt she pulled a few days ago in Toronto? You don’t lack commitment when it comes to Aphrodite. You just don’t want her running your life.”

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about her.” Glory states more definitively.

“If you don’t want to talk about her then let’s talk about your ridiculous belief that you lack commitment. Like I said it’s ridiculous, but you have been inconsistent. The Glory I met fourteen years ago had a strong moral compass and never broke the rules, always played fair, and always did what was right even if what was right was unpopular. Now you’re different.”

“How do you figure that?” Glory demands.

“After we lost the tag titles, you threw the rules out the window. Hell, you threw your entire moral compass out the damn window. I didn’t notice it at first because I enjoyed raising hell. But I quickly figured out you were different. Now suddenly you’re back to playing fair?” She shrugs her shoulders. “What gives? What Glory am I getting at Rise To Greatness?”

“Look, you’re right, maybe I am different.” She sighs and shakes her head. “It’s just that…” her voice trails off.

“What?”

“I’m torn. I’m torn between doing what is right and wrong, and…uh…” Glory cannot finish her sentence. Brittany does it for her.

“...torn between following the rules and doing what you thought Aphrodite wanted you to do, right?”

“Yeah.” Glory admits quietly.

“You know, I thought I wanted a more ruthless and aggressive Glory Braddock. Shit, when I first met you, I thought if only you were more like me, we would be great friends. But after teaming with you I realize that what makes us a great team and great friends is the fact that we are different. Our differences complement each other. I bring the brute force, the power, and the fight. You bring the speed, the wrestling prowess, and the strategy. Hell, people call me The War Machine for a reason, but you need someone who can properly use that machine otherwise complete chaos can be created.”

“Like what happened following Retribution.” Glory says. Brittany nods her head.

“Right. You and that moral compass that sometimes annoys the ever loving crap out of me is what we need as a team to guide us to victory at Rise To Greatness.”

“Maybe…” Glory shrugs her shoulders “...maybe you’re right…but you just pointed out that I am following the rules again, doesn’t that mean my moral compass is back? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“You’ve been inconsistent. I need to know that you’re here to stay. Besides, I don’t just want your annoying moral compass back, I need every bit of the wise ass Glory Braddock I met fourteen years ago.”

“So what do I do?” Glory asks.

“I think you know what you should do.” Lohan motions to the pool tables across the room. She smirks and Glory smiles in kind.

“You think I can still hustle?”

“I know you can.”

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July 18th, 2024
Detroit, Michigan
Off Camera
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The final Breakdown before Rise To Greatness has just concluded. No more surprises, no more games, and all of the cards have been dealt. It is now or never as Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan, the duo known as Twisted & Sadistic, march towards the biggest event of the SCW calendar year in hopes of defeating Light in the Darkness and Team Desire and regain the SCW World Tag Team Championship. This Twisted & Sadistic reunion started out as a quest to help Braddock become Supreme Champion but now everything has changed. Glory Braddock is full on committed to this tag team and to give it and her friend Brittany Lohan one more shot at regaining the gold and one more shot at a proper reign as tag team champion. She is committed to doing whatever it takes to help Twisted & Sadistic become champions. This commitment for Glory Braddock means doing whatever it takes to ensure that she and Brittany are on the same page heading into Rise To Greatness. For Brittany Lohan, that commitment means making sure Glory Braddock is ready for this challenge. The War Machine believes that this current version of Glory Braddock won’t be enough to get the job done at Rise To Greatness. She wants the Glory of old, her friend that gave her hell fourteen years ago. She wants to remind Glory of who she is and what she is capable of when her mind is right. Lohan started by taking Braddock to a bar hoping she could convince her to hustle a game of pool like she used to do. Now, in another step on this trip down memory lane, Lohan has brought her best friend to a bar where they are hosting karaoke.

This bar in Detroit, the city that played host to Breakdown earlier tonight, had a gritty charm, its dim lighting casting a cozy glow over the patrons. The atmosphere buzzed with a mix of anticipation and camaraderie as people prepared for a night of karaoke.

Braddock, radiant in her elegant, feminine attire, was perched on a barstool near the small stage. She wore tight form fitting denim jeans that hugged her curves and a lavender t-shirt. Her golden hair was styled in soft waves that framed her face, and she had paired her outfit with delicate jewelry. Nearby, Brittany Lohan, with her more rugged attire, was leaning casually against the bar, a beer in hand. She wore her fitted black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark, well-worn jeans. Her stance was relaxed, yet there was an air of quiet strength about her. She watched the performances without a care for whether the singers were good or bad. That’s not the purpose for this evening. The purpose is to take yet another step closer towards bringing back the Glory Braddock of old. The War Machine recalls how her friend enjoys karaoke nights, especially after a night of wrestling. Karaoke is one of the few times that seems to force Braddock to loosen up and be herself. So far Lohan’s plan is working. Braddock has been singing all night.

“So when are you getting up there, mate?” Glory asks jokingly. Brittany shakes her head.

“No way, not tonight.”

“Oh come on! Am I going to have to pull the weight for us tonight?”

“The karaoke weight, yes. I’ll make it up to you by winning the tag titles for us at Rise To Greatness.”

“Fair enough.” Glory smirks. She sips on her glass of wine. “So what should I sing next?”

“Doesn’t matter to me.” Lohan shrugs. “As long as you keep singing.”

“Well let me think…” her voice trails off “...I sang Rolling Stones, then Pat Benetar, and my most recent was Black Sabbath. Should I sing some country?”

“God no!” Lohan exclaims. “Unless you’re singing some traditional country. Not any of this new pop country or bro country crap.”

“Is Martina McBride traditional enough?” Glory asks. Lohan nods her head.

“Good enough.”

“Great.” Glory smiles from ear to ear. “I sometimes forget how much I enjoy karaoke nights.”

“I remember how you would search high and low in whatever city you were wrestling in that particular night for a bar that hosted karaoke. It didn’t matter what promotion you wrestled for, you did that. It was like a ritual for you.”

“I know.” Glory nods her head. “It was a fun ritual. I wonder why I quit?”

“Do you really wanna know?” Lohan asks.

“Sure.”

“Aphrodite.”

“Not this again.” Glory rolls her eyes.

“Seriously. Its her influence. I mean, you still would sing karaoke once in awhile but nowhere near as much. I think your so-called ‘Mother’ doesn’t view karaoke as very ladylike.”

“You’re nuts, Britt.” Glory smirks.

“And you’re brainwashed.” Brittany counters. “Aphrodite has you brainwashed.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Think about it, Glory. This is the first time in several days that we spoke about her. The past few nights from Miami to here in Detroit, we have played pool, done karaoke, and all of this whilst ignoring the subject of Aphrodite. Admit it, you’re enjoying yourself. You’re having a blast.”

“Well of course. But…”

“You don’t look like Aphrodite’s Glory. You don’t behave like Aphrodite’s Glory. You haven’t in weeks. You are clinging onto that relationship by a string and you’re afraid to let go because you are afraid, you are brainwashed.” She places a hand on Glory’s shoulder. “This is the Glory Braddock I want by my side at Rise To Greatness.”

There is a tense pause as Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan lock eyes. The British Bombshell then finally lets out a small, quiet laugh and nods her head.

“I admit, it has been fun running together as Twisted & Sadistic again. It has been fun hanging out and doing some of our old post match rituals like bar hopping for pool and karaoke and drinks.” Glory shakes her head. “But I am still fond of her, Britt.”

“Glory…” Brittany begins “...if she truly was as fond of you as you apparently believe she is, she wouldn’t care about whatever life decisions you choose to make. She would respect you for who you want to be.”

Braddock sighs and nods her head. “I suppose you have a point. Mother…Aphrodite, I mean, she should respect my decisions.” Glory points a finger at Brittany. “But you know, one could argue that you have been pressuring me lately.”

“I am.” Lohan nods her head. “But I have my reasons and, more importantly, I am honest about it.”

“Fair enough. But Britt, if I were to decide to remain committed to Aphrodite, in other words be this new version of myself that she helped mold as opposed to the version that you clearly want back. If I were to make that decision, would you respect it?”

“I would.” Brittany nods her head.

“Seriously?”

“Yes. I would respect it. Would I like it? No. But I would respect it.”

“That’s all I ask.” Braddock says as she sips on more of her wine.

“You know, Glory. I legit have been enjoying this trip down memory lane. But I got to thinking, we were in Detroit for Breakdown. This gives us a unique opportunity for one final stop on our trip down memory lane.”

“Oh really?” Glory asks, arching her brow curiously. “What’s your plan?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” Lohan smirks knowingly. “All I am going to say is that this will be far more interesting than the billiards or the karaoke.”
[Image: qyA5u6K.png]
SCW World Champion 1x
SCW United States Champion 1x
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)
#3
2 of 2
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July 19th, 2024
Detroit, Michigan
Off Camera
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Rise To Greatness is fast approaching. The biggest event on SCW’s calendar year is now just a little over a week away and Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan, the pair known as Twisted & Sadistic, are hoping that they can finally reclaim the SCW World Tag Team Championship that they lost at Retribution. Once again it will be a three way dance against two other teams; Light in the Darkness and the champions Team Desire. Except this time it is an elimination format. In other words, each team must be beaten before the match can end. This is exactly what Glory and Brittany wanted from the beginning. They want no excuses and no question marks remaining as to which team really is the best team in SCW. Glory Braddock is certain that this is their moment. She is certain that Rise To Greatness is going to be the night they recapture the tag team titles. Brittany Lohan is also certain of this but she wants to leave no stone unturned. After all, this journey has been a long one. The War Machine also recognizes what this means for The British Bombshell. It first meant just a means to achieving the Supreme Championship. Now Glory has in turn committed herself to Twisted & Sadistic and giving this team, and Lohan, a proper run with the titles. Brittany knows that they cannot risk anything. She believes that as good as they are together, that maybe they need something else. She believes she needs to tap into the past and some of the energy that brought these two unique individuals together in the first place. Lohan has tried to help Braddock remember the past by taking her to some of her favorite rituals; namely billiards and karaoke. Slowly but surely, over the course of these unique team building exercises, Lohan has noticed the reemergence of her best friend, the woman she first met and went to war with and against as part of Twisted & Sadistic. More and more the confidence is building and both Braddock and Lohan believe that their second tag team title reign is near. Still, Brittany has another idea, one final plan to strike a nerve with her tag team partner and friend Glory Braddock.

This is why the pair are still in Detroit, Michigan whilst most everyone else from SCW has already left, either for their respective homes or straight for the sight of Rise To Greatness itself. Braddock and Lohan have stayed behind because The War Machine wants to make one final stop before leaving the area. Currently The British Bombshell finds herself in the passenger’s seat of a rental car being driven by Brittany Lohan. Glory’s golden blonde locks of hair now pulled back in a casual ponytail. She wore a pair of stylish, dark-wash jeans that accentuated her figure, paired with a soft, fitted sweater in a shade of purple, her favorite color. Sitting behind the wheel of the rental car was Brittany Lohan. She wore loose fitting jeans, boots, and a worn t-shirt.

“The Shinigami Foundation, huh?” Lohan snarled. “So those are the clowns that decided to get involved in our business?”

“Britt…” Glory attempts to chime in but Lohan is already on a tear.

“And they call us complainers?! Next time we see them, we need to put them in a damn ground and…”

“Britt!” Glory exclaims.

“What?!”

“Look, I get it, they cost us a match, but they are not our problem right now. They are The Shining Maidens’s problem. Going after them now would just create too much chaos and you see what the chaos WE created did.”

“Yes, we got a tag title shot at Rise To Greatness.”

“Again TWO teams, not just the one which is what we would have preferred.” Braddock remarks. “All because the chaos we created caused a delay in our title shot, due to Amelia and Luz having to help us fight off all the people we pissed off.”

“We never asked for their help.”

“No, but it was necessary if we were to finally move on.” Braddock sighs. “In any event, my point is that Rise To Greatness is our immediate concern. Fighting and defeating Amelia, Luz, and Team Desire to recapture the SCW World Tag Team Championship should be our immediate concern.” She turns to look at Lohan. “We are on the same page on this, right?”

“Yeah…” she sighs “...but when we win the titles, we go and get our pound of flesh.”

“Fair enough.” Braddock smirks. “After we win the tag titles we can get some revenge.”

“Good.” Brittany says. Braddock nods her head and turns her attention back to the road, looking out at the sights and features of Detroit as they drive on down the road. After a few seconds of silence, The British Bombshell turns her attention back to Lohan.

“Hey, Britt?”

“Yeah?”

“Where exactly are we going?” She asks curiously. “I know you mentioned something last night, one last stop on this trip down memory lane or something like that. But you never said what.”

“I know.”

“Ok…” Glory shrugs “...so where are we going?”

“Don’t worry.” Lohan says. “We’re almost there.”

Braddock wishes she knew where they were going but she trusts Lohan’s judgment. So she turns her attention back to the road, watching as Lohan drives along. Eventually they turned off the main road and into a unique car lot. Glory looks up out her window to see a sign that indicates that this is not just a used car lot but also a car repair shop. The lot was a mix of vehicles in various states of repair, their hoods open and tools scattered about, while rows of used cars sat waiting for new owners. The scene was a blend of industry and opportunity, the scent of motor oil and rubber hanging in the air. Lohan maneuvered the car smoothly into a parking space, the gravel crunching under the tires as they came to a stop. She cut the engine, and the hum of the city was replaced by the sounds of the lot: the clank of tools, the murmur of mechanics, and the occasional burst of laughter or conversation. Glory exits the passenger’s side door. She takes a moment to stretch as she scans the lot with a curious interest. Lohan walks around the side of the vehicle and joins Braddock.

“What are we doing here, mate?” Glory asks curiously.

“You’ll see.”

The British Bombshell still wants to know what is going on but she just sighs and decides to go with the flow. Brittany motions for her to follow her as she approaches what appears to be the main office; a small building with large windows showcasing the activity within. They step inside and are immediately greeted by a middle-aged man with grease-stained overalls, graying hair, and a friendly smile. He recognized the dark-haired woman immediately, extending a hand in a gesture of familiarity.

“Hey there!” He says. “Nice seeing you again, Ms. Lohan!”

“Yeah, back at you.” Brittany responded.

“So…” Glory looks at the man and then back at Brittany “...what are we here for, Britt?”

“Sorry.” Brittany smirks. “This is Hugh. He runs this place. Hugh, meet my friend…”

“Glory Braddock.” Hugh answers, finishing Brittany’s own statement. “I am a big fan of you, of both of you.”

“Really?” Glory furrows her brow. “You’re a wrestling fan?”

“I’ve been a big fan all of my life, since the golden age of wrestling. And you two, wow, imagine my surprise when you two got back together and reformed Twisted & Sadistic? That was some fun stuff.” He winks. “I am cheering for you at Rise To Greatness.”

“Nice…thanks…” Glory turns her attention back to Lohan “...this is nice and all, mate, but did we really spend an extra night in Detroit just to make a fan’s dreams come true? That sounds more like something I would do than some idea of yours.”

“Trust me, Glory.” Brittany says confidently. “There’s much more to it than that.” Lohan turns to face Hugh. “Why don’t you show us the goods.”

“It’ll be my pleasure, Ms. Lohan.”

Hugh walks past them and motions for them to follow. Brittany immediately follows and Glory reluctantly follows along as well. They exit the office and return to the lot. They walk past the main repair shop area and walk up a small hill towards another building that resembles a car repair building except it seems mostly abandoned. In fact, the closer she gets, Glory notices that this building seems to only contain one vehicle.

“What’s in there?” Glory asks.

“You’ll see.” Hugh says. “It’s my special item.”

“I’m really getting tired of hearing those words.” Glory says with a roll of her eyes.

“What’s that?” Brittany asks.

“You’ll see”

Brittany chuckles. She, Glory, and Hugh approach the abandoned building and step inside. Hugh approaches the vehicle that is being stored inside. Braddock and Brittany look at it. Lohan seems unphased by this, as if she already knows what the significance of it is. Braddock studies it closely trying to figure it out.

“Do you know what this is?” Hugh asks.

“Ford Fusion.” Glory says. “Maybe a 2010?”

“That’s correct.” Hugh nods his head. “But this is a very special car.” He motions to a very noticeable dent on the hood of the car as well as some cracks in the window. “And that damage right there is the main reason why I will never get rid of it.”

“I’m sure you could fix it up and sell it.” Glory says.

“Oh I could. But that’s not the point.” Hugh says. “These damages make the car far more valuable.”

“Wait, what?” Braddock is now thoroughly confused. “I don’t get it.”

“Do you know the show Pawn Stars? Most Wanted Treasures?” Brittany asks.

“Yes, I’m familiar with it but…” she pauses and looks again at the car “...wait a sec, is that…” her voice trails off.

“It is.” Brittany nods her head. “That is the car that I power bombed you on during our first fight.” She points to the dent. “See? That Glory Braddock Ass Print is probably worth millions.”

“That’s not my ass…” Glory chuckles “...but, seriously, how the hell did you find it?!”

“People collect the strangest of items. Especially fans, fans will collect celebrity memorabilia all the time. It wasn’t difficult to track this down. I was going to spring it on you as a surprise after we won back the tag titles but then I figured, why not show you now? Maybe it could serve as an inspiration as we go into Rise To Greatness?

“I’m surprised.” Glory smirks. “You aren’t usually known for being this deep.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“This is incredible.” Glory says. “It marks our very first confrontation.”

“That’s not all I have.” Hugh says. “Stay right there.” Hugh walks over to the driver’s side of the car. He opens it up and reaches inside. He produces a photograph of a man and he hands it to Glory. She looks at it and notices that this is a photo of none other than the late Orlando Cruze.

“It’s Cruze…” she shows it to Lohan “...see? It’s Orlando.”

“Yeah, sure.” Brittany rolls her eyes. “Do we really need to see his mug, though?”

“You wanted me to see the car, to remind me of our first encounter.” She points to Cruze. “But this guy, he played a big role in Twisted & Sadistic.”

“Yeah…” Lohan sighs “...it was his idea of a sick joke to put two enemies together as a team.”

“And what happened?” Glory asks. “We learned to get along. We learned to complement each other. What might have started out as his idea of a joke turned into one of the most dominant teams in tag team wrestling. Now we are on the precipice of becoming two time SCW World Tag Team Champions at Rise To Greatness and Britt, like him or not, you do have him to thank for at least part of this coming to be.”

“I suppose we did make the most of it.” Lohan says.

“We did. And thanks, Britt. Thanks for all of this! I needed this trip down memory lane to remind me of who we are and what we need to be.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” Brittany smirks. “Now let’s get the hell out of here. We have to work get done.”

==========
July 23rd, 2024
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

The trip down memory lane is exactly what Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan needed. They needed this opportunity to remember the past and how they came together in the first place. They needed this opportunity to remind themselves what makes them great isn’t their similarities but their unique qualities, namely their differences. Brittany Lohan’s weaknesses happen to be Glory Braddock’s strengths. Glory Braddock’s weaknesses happen to be Brittany Lohan’s strengths. It is their differences that make Twisted & Sadistic a formidable duo and it is for this reason that they are confident that they will march into Rise To Greatness, defeat Light in the Darkness and Team Desire, and regain the SCW World Tag Team Championship. Most importantly, Brittany is satisfied that she has her friend back, the woman she truly wants to share the ring with. She is confident that she finally has the old Glory Braddock back.

Now that has been taken care of, the real hard work can begin. Lohan has traveled with Braddock back to her home in Miami, Florida where training and preparation will begin in earnest for the three way dance at Rise To Greatness. Luckily Glory Braddock has a private gym of her own in the basement of her luxurious Miami home. The floor is covered with thick, black rubber mats to ensure safety and comfort during intense training sessions. To the left, there's a full-sized regulation wrestling ring, complete with red and blue corner pads, ropes, and an overhead light system for evening practice. Around the ring, several heavy bags hang from sturdy beams, including traditional heavy bags, speed bags, and a couple of double-end bags for precision training. Adjacent to this includes a variety of free weights, kettlebells, medicine balls, and resistance bands. There’s also a squat rack, a bench press, and a selection of cardio machines like treadmills and rowing machines. The equipment is arranged in a way that allows for circuit training, blending strength, agility, and endurance workouts. In one corner of the gym, a small lounge area provides a place for relaxation and recovery.

Lohan finds herself in front of the heavy bag, throwing hard rights and lefts. Glory Braddock stands off to the side with some weights. Eventually Braddock puts the weights down and slowly approaches Lohan. She smirks as she watches The War Machine lay into the heavy bag with ruthless aggression. Braddock chuckles.

“So who are you picturing when you beat on that thing?” Glory asks. “Amelia? Luz? Katie? Gigi?”

“All of the above.” Lohan says quickly as she throws a rapid of combination punches.

“Don’t wear yourself out, mate.” Glory winks. “We need to save some of that aggression for Rise To Greatness.”

“Don’t worry.” Lohan stops her punching momentarily and turns to face Glory. “That was just half of the aggression I plan to unleash.”

“Half?” Glory arches her brow out of curiosity. “Damn. I’d hate to see one hundred percent.”

“I plan to leave a tag title and at least someone’s head on a platter.” Brittany remarks. Glory nods her head.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit alright, but temper the enthusiasm there, Wolverine, ok? This might be our last shot. We worked hard to get here and we are going to make the most of it.”

“Right.” Lohan nods her head in agreement. “So now what? Sparring?”

“I like that idea.” Glory smirks. “Just try not to power bomb me on any more vehicles, ok?”

“You got it.”

So far their training has gone quite well. They have had several workout sessions like this since returning from Detroit. This is the final stretch, the final leg of their road to Rise To Greatness. Glory and Brittany worked hard to get back into this situation where they can once again become tag team champions. They are not going to let anything or anyone get in their way to jeopardize their chances. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly, like a puzzle. But it seems as if when everything is going perfectly, that is when the rug is pulled out from underneath you. Sure enough, just when Braddock and Lohan start to approach the wrestling ring, they hear the door opening wildly and slamming shut. Both women turn around to see who it is that decided to interrupt their workout. At first they assume it would be Kurt, Glory’s husband. He does live here too. But then they see that it is someone who believes that they have a vested interest in this; Aphrodite Noel, Glory’s adoptive “mother.”

“Mother!” Glory’s face lights up upon seeing her. Lohan rolls her eyes. “What are you doing here?” Glory meets her and embraces her in a warm hug.

“I had to come see you, Gloria.” Aphrodite says. “It’s been far too long since I have seen or heard from you.”

“Well we do have more important things to do than babysit you.” Lohan remarks coldly. “Like, say, winning the tag titles at Rise To Greatness.”

“Silence!” Aphrodite points an accusatory finger at Brittany. “You do not speak! You have corrupted by daughter long enough! It’s your fault she has ignored me!”

“There’s really no need for this…” Glory says, trying to be the voice of reason. Unfortunately it is far too late for that as neither woman is paying attention to Braddock.

“If by ‘corrupted’ you mean making her realize she doesn’t need to be just like you then yeah, I did.” Brittany remarks. “I need Glory Braddock watching my back, not Aphrodite Jr watching my back.”

“I know what’s best for my daughter. I know what’s best for Twisted & Sadistic. I helped you win the tag titles in the first place. I helped you get back on the same page.” Aphrodite insists. “I helped Gloria become ruthless and aggressive, just like me, and just the way YOU wanted her.”

“Me and Glory are at our best when we complement each other. I do not need your twisted version of Glory. I need my friend.” Brittany counters. “All you did was brainwash her.”

“It isn’t true.” Aphrodite says. She turns to Glory. “Tell her it isn’t true.”

“Mother, please, don’t…”

“If you truly cared for Glory the way you claim you do then you would accept Glory for who she wants to be and not pressure her into becoming who you want her to be.” Brittany insists.

“Enough!” Glory shouts before turning and storming away. Glory finds a nearby door and opens it and exits, she slams it shut behind her. Lohan turns and shoves Aphrodite down on her ass.

“See what you did?!” Brittany exclaims. With that, Brittany quickly gives chase, following the path Glory just took. Lohan throws open the door and exits. Immediately she finds The British Bombshell there just outside the door. She isn’t crying, but she does look angry. Lohan frowns.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” Glory says quietly. “I’m just frustrated because once again all three of us are at odds. I thought we had dealt with this?”

“I thought so too.” Brittany sighs. “What do you see in her anyway? Don’t you see what she’s trying to do?”

“Yes, I know what she’s doing.” Glory nods her head. “Mother and I don’t have the same moral compass. I get that. That’s why I typically let most of what she says go in one ear and out the other. But she isn’t all bad, Britt. She taught me how to negotiate through the cutthroat business world. She was a mother figure when my own mother mostly stayed out of my life. So yes, I consider her my mother, I call her mother, because it makes her happy. But that doesn’t mean I have to be exactly like her, that doesn’t mean I have to do everything she says. It certainly doesn’t mean I have to throw my moral compass out the window. That’s what had me confused about commitment. I don’t have to do everything she says in order to be committed to having this close friendship with her.” Glory pats Brittany on the back. “Just like you and I do not have to be clones of one another in order to make Twisted & Sadistic work. Like you said, our differences make us stronger. Our different approaches make this team work. We are completely different people, Britt, but we are still committed to each other and to this team.”

“You’re right, of course.” Brittany sighs. “I suppose Aphrodite is something I’ll have to just learn to live with, along with your other annoying quirks.”

“That’s right.” Glory winks. “Although you do have my permission to punch her.”

“Seriously?” Brittany asks.

“Why not?” Glory smirks. “I think Mother could use a good humbling every once and awhile. I won’t mind.”

“What will Aphrodite think?”

“Oh I will take care of her. If I have to put on a show of pretending to lecture you about it, I’ll do it. If she doesn’t like it, she can get over it. Commitment is about more than living up to someone else’s standards. I am committed to her…to you…and to Twisted & Sadistic. And I am committed to winning back the tag titles.” She holds out a hand. “So are we good?”

“We’re good.” Lohan says, shaking Glory’s hands.

==========
July 24th, 2024
Miami, Florida
On Camera
==========

The camera begins to roll. The scene is the private gym in the basement of Glory Braddock’s home in Miami, Florida. The British Bombshell herself sits on the apron of the regulation standard size wrestling ring. She is wearing denim jeans, sneakers, a royal purple t-shirt, and a black blazer. Her long blonde hair cascades down in waves to past the shoulders. A confident smiles is etched across her face. Standing next to her is her tag team partner and friend, “The War Machine” Brittany Lohan.

“This journey is nearly a year and a half in the making. It started after I became the SCW Television Champion, which meant I only needed the SCW World Tag Team Title to become Supreme Champion, one of the few brass rings that had eluded me in my SCW career. This was about me wanting to test myself. I wanted to challenge myself. Most importantly, I wanted to prove everyone wrong. Everyone who said I couldn’t hang in SCW when I first debuted, I wanted to win the Supreme Championship and rub it in their faces.” Glory pats Britany on the back. “My friend here loves rubbing things in people’s faces…namely fists…so she stepped up and volunteered to be my tag partner. She volunteered to help me get to where I wanted to go. There were certainly some doubts early on as to whether or not a Twisted & Sadistic reunion was the right path, but those doubts were quickly erased when we ran roughshod over the tag team division. The number of teams who actually pinned us, or made one of us submit, you can count it on one hand. We jumped through all the hoops, we beat every team placed in front of us, and there were many trials and tribulations, many controversies, many ups and downs, but we pressed forward through it all, we confronted every challenge and in the end we earned our opportunity. We took that opportunity and we ran with it. We became SCW World Tag Team Champions.” Braddock chuckles.

“Then Retribution happened. Triple threats are a bitch, huh? We lost the titles but we were never beaten. Light in the Darkness, Amelia and Luz, as good as you two ARE and yes, you two are really good, you have been the cornerstone of this tag team division for a long time now, but you have never beaten Twisted & Sadistic straight up. Now I could have let that be the end of the story. I became Supreme Champion. That’s what I wanted, right?” Braddock shakes her head. “No, not like that. I refused to let this dream team Brittany and I created end on THAT note. I was committed, not just to the tag team division but to Twisted & Sadistic. I was committed to trying to recapture the tag titles, I was committed to proving one way or another whether Light in the Darkness really was the best team or if, like Britt and I thought, it was all a fluke, brought about due to triple threat rules? So we went about making sure the match happened. Yes, we created some chaos. We created some carnage. What else do you expect from a team named Twisted & Sadistic? But in the end we forced the hand of CHBK. We once again EARNED our tag team title shot. Simple, right? Twisted & Sadistic against Light in the Darkness.” Braddock shakes her head.

“Nothing is ever simple. While we were causing chaos and carnage, wreaking havoc all over the tag team scene, Team Desire was waiting in the wings, biding their time, and look at what happened! New tag team champions!” Braddock applauds, though it is difficult to tell whether it is sincere or sarcastic. “Congrats, Katie! Congrats, Gigi! You finally did it! No longer are you the laughing stock of SCW. You took down the machine that is Light in the Darkness. Been there, done that. But you know what YOU haven’t done?” Glory pauses for a moment, as if waiting for an answer. She smirks. “You have never beaten Twisted & Sadistic. Hell, at least Light in the Darkness can claim to hold a victory over us, even if they never pinned us. You two have never beaten us in any manner, in any shape, in any form. And I hate to be this blunt, ladies, but your reign as champions, it is on borrowed time. Regardless of whether you get eliminated first or second, you will be eliminated and you will lose those championships. Your brief moment in the sun will be extremely brief. Bet on it.”

“And for anyone who thinks that we are going to gripe and complain about yet another three way for the tag titles,” Glory shakes her head “not this time. See, this is what I wanted. This is what I thrive upon. In this business you live or die on competition. You live or die based on who is the best and this tag team division deserves to know who is the best. The team that survives elimination will be the best, will be the tag team champions, and that tag team will be myself and Brittany Lohan. Light in the Darkness has yet to pin or submit us. Team Desire has yet to beat us. But we’ve beaten both of them before. Many times. We’ll beat both teams again at Rise To Greatness to cement our status as the unquestioned best tag team of the division.”

Glory looks at her tag team partner. Britt nods, getting her cue to speak. “Glory Braddock is the most driven woman I know...” Brittany Lohan finally chimes in. “... that is one of the reasons why she is my best friend and the best tag team partner I’ve ever had. Sorry to anyone else I had the pleasure of teaming with. I would not have come out of retirement a year ago for anyone else. Not my sisters. Not Harmony Fisher. Insert anyone else I have teamed with in the past. Not gonna run through the list of names. In fairness, a lot of people can’t stand me. The list of partners exists on one hand probably.”

Britt shrugs. “Anyway. Losing the tag titles would have been an excuse for me to say fuck it, I’m out. Could have told Glory, you got your Supreme Championship, I did my job. As Glory has said countless times, our reign wasn’t supposed to end that way in a triple threat where Light in the Darkness couldn’t even pin us. Being in the same room as this woman, feeling how passionate she is rivals how much of a twisted and sadistic mind I possess. Competition is nice and all. We all know what gets me going. Driving my fists into anyone’s skulls that stand in my way. Provoked or not. Deserved or not. Trust me, there have been people in this company who have grinded my gears.”

“Light in the Darkness.”

“Team Desire. You two fit the bill.”

“Lucky for me this triple threat elimination match affords me the chance to clobber the both of you. No, I am not going to spend the next five minutes explaining in great detail how much I plan on hurting both teams. People who ramble on about that are boring. Plus. At this point in my career, I know better than to bore you with the blood and guts malarky.”

Brittany takes a deep breath. She cracks her knuckles. “It wasn’t just Glory’s desire to get back to this point that was the only motivator. My fire was stoked too. I shouldn’t pay much mind to what some of the fans say. Hard to ignore. I hear how I am just along for the ride. All I am is the muscle of Twisted and Sadistic. My legacy in this sport has been questioned.”

“For a good chunk of my career I didn’t care about legacy and leaving a lasting impression that anyone would give a damn about. I started in SCW as a member of Dark Triad, later Infamous. Longevity and accomplishments wise, Syren and Ravyn have me beat there. Impact on this company? Won’t reach their level. I wasn’t as hungry for seeking their level of infamous I guess. The older I’ve gotten, the longer I’ve stuck around, knowing that I still got it. Being on the run I have had with my best friend... getting the tag team championships IS the most important thing to me.”

“The institution of Twisted and Sadistic is my proudest accomplishment. A legacy of winning championships everywhere we’ve been. The friendship Glory and I have continued in spite of our obvious differences. Remembering how I almost lost my best friend because I chose to become someone's hit man, the words she spoke to me about being better than a thug still ring true. Glory believes in me, faults and all. She risked tarnishing her reputation to keep the good times rolling, how could I not repay that?”

Brittany smirks.

“So at Rise to Greatness, Twisted and Sadistic rides again. Luz, Amelia. Team Desire. I could say whatever you are expecting me to say about you. It doesn’t matter. My one thousand percent focus ensuring me and Glory are back where we belong, on top of the tag team division. We will be the last team left standing. Try your best to stop us.”
[Image: qyA5u6K.png]
SCW World Champion 1x
SCW United States Champion 1x
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)
#4
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” as the old proverb goes.

It was a saying that Luz and Amelia had become quite familiar with throughout their own wrestling journeys, especially when faced with setbacks that forced them to stop and reevaluate things. As scary as it could be to admit to one's faults and weaknesses, sometimes it was even scarier trying to change anything when you'd grown so comfortable with what was working, even when it wasn't anymore.

The road to Rise to Greatness had been filled with twists, turns, uncertainty and self-doubt from the young couple, starting with the abrupt end to their second run as SCW World Tag Team Champions. The unexpected loss to Team Desire would've been painful enough on its own, but knowing that they had been the victims of history yet again as yet another name earned Supreme Champion status at their expense had been a near-fatal blow to their self-esteem. The spiral they'd fallen into had arguably been the worst one either of them had ever gone through, made even worse because they'd gone through it together instead of being able to help pull one another out of it. It had taken a startling wake-up call from their own boss to actually snap them out of it, and a thorough talking-to from their found family that had been spearheaded by Marilyn to finish pulling them out of the darkness they'd been drowning in.

The more they looked back on it, the more silly the felt about how much they'd lost their grip on everything, being so afraid of a stigma regarding their title losses that they'd tried to get ahead of something that no one had even bothered to mention even in passing yet.

It hadn't been easy, but in the weeks that followed that defeat, Luz and Amelia were slowly building themselves back up. They'd been working with everyone to improve so that when Rise to Greatness rolled around they could bounce back and reclaim the titles they'd lost, including constant reassurance that they weren't selfish for agreeing to take their rematch when they had the right to one and deserved to be a part of the match where SCW wanted the absolute best of their tag division showcased just as much as Team Desire or Twisted & Sadistic. New training regiments that also addressed their mental well-being as much as their physical had been a great first step, and had already yielded results with the tandem's victory over the European Fiery Nation under their own rules. It had been a great display of the couple's willingness to break out of their shells a little more and show just how much they could fight and adapt, and any arguments against themselves about only winning because of the surprise appearance of Shaun Cruze were quickly cut off by their friends pointing out that not only was his involvement legal in Underground Rules, but also done in response to Konrad getting involved first.

Luz was thankful that Konrad's mace shots hadn't actually caused any notable injuries to her ribs and she was still more than cleared to keep training and compete alongside the love of her life on the biggest stage in the business.

While they weren't booked on the final Breakdown before Rise to Greatness would be upon them, the couple still knew it was worthwhile to get some more training in while they could. They'd taken a few days off from it to make sure Luz's ribs were 100% and any lingering pain from the hardcore affair had faded, and making up for lost time seemed like it could go a long way in accomplishing what they were hoping to do, especially with everyone watching over them to make sure they didn't push themselves too hard again. That had led to Marilyn reaching out to an old contact of hers that lived in Detroit so they could borrow his gym to train in as it made little sense to head back to her school in Connecticut when the SCW pipeline was Toronto to Detroit in the span of a week.

A lot of the time where they were resting physically had been spent studying tape, taking notes about the ways Team Desire had managed to thwart their offense as well as looking into what had led Twisted & Sadistic into looking more vulnerable than they would ever likely admit despite how they'd lost on that same Breakdown to the Shining Maidens. That had ultimately led them to today's endeavor, where they were practicing some new moves to add to their arsenal that would hopefully catch their opponents off-guard come Rise to Greatness. Ivy and Henry had agreed to be their proverbial training dummies for this exercise, mostly because the other options in that department were Edward and Emily, and Amelia's twin siblings were currently in the process of walking her and Luz through a little gift they were willing to bestow upon them.

“They key to it all is timing,” Edward noted as he motioned with his arms to try and mime how it was supposed to go. “We don't think you two will have any problems with it because you two have always had this freaky ability to sync yourselves up in the ring, but knowing and practicing when the second person needs to make their leap is what keeps this from turning into a disaster.”

Emily nods to Henry, who agreed to take the move as part of the demonstration as everyone got into position, Amelia and Luz watched carefully as Henry moved forward, right into Edward's grip as he lifted him up for a flapjack. The exact moment Henry was at the height of the lift, Emily leaped up with as much strength as her legs could muster, catching Henry as he fell and directing him to the mat for the flapjack/leaping reverse STO combination the twins had dubbed the Double Vision, their go-to match ender for their entire run as a team. The twins both rose to their feet and Edward leaned down to help Henry up as well.

“The best time to do it is when the flapjack person has the opponent at the peak of the lift,” Emily confirmed. “You leap at that moment, and you'll catch them perfectly on the way down to direct them into the second half of the move. Ivy, you want to be their opponent so they can give it a try?”

Ivy nodded as the three ladies got into position, with Amelia stepping forward. At Emily's signal, Ivy stepped forward and Amelia lifted her for the flapjack. Once she was at peak height, Luz easily hit her cue and leaped up to guide her down into the reverse STO. As they both helped Ivy back to her feet, the twins and Henry were all applauding them.

“Perfect timing!” Emily grinned.

“You two are naturals at this!” Edward affirmed.

“It's honestly a little disturbing how easily this came to the two of you,” Henry admitted.

“Not when you think about sweet these two are when their focus is on each other instead of wrestling,” Ivy coughed out as she got her bearings. “Kind of feels like my teeth are going to fall out just thinking about it.”

“Aw come on Ivy,” Amelia laughed despite how red-faced she and Luz were at the insinuation. “You love us.”

“And I don't regret it,” Ivy confirmed.

“So... want to run through it one more time, just to be sure, before we move onto something else?” Emily asked.

“Maybe we could try switching places this time?” Luz suggested. Amelia looked at her in confusion, knowing that Luz's lucha libre training made her the ideal half of their team to be doing the second half of this move, but Luz just flashed her a reassuring smile before leaning in and whispering something in her ear. Whatever it was, Amelia's eyes went wide at hearing it before she grinned and nodded.

“Hey Ed, you want to help us out with this one?” she suggested to her brother. “Give Henry and Ivy a bit of a break?”

“Sure!” Edward happily chirped as he got into position, completely missing the curious looks of Emily, Ivy and Henry, who all had a feeling the couple were up to something.

Once they were set up, Edward moved in so Luz could be the one to pick him up in the flapjack. Instead of falling back, however, Luz used all of her strength to keep him suspended as it quickly dawned on him that he wasn't about to fall victim to the double team maneuver he and his sister had been using for years. Before he could question what was happening, Amelia moved in and hooked him for a very familiar looking hammerlock DDT.

“Now!” she shouted, and she and Luz both fell back, driving Edward into the mat of the training ring with a delayed flapjack/elevated Eye-Opener combination. They both got back to their feet, looking almost giddy with excitement at what they'd just pulled off before they helped Edward back to his feet, who quickly started stretching out the shoulder that Amelia had hammerlocked.

“What the heck was that!?” he exclaimed.

“It looked like Luz and Amelia putting their own twist on your guys' move,” Gage snarked from where he sat outside the ring, his grin being infectious as Ivy and Henry were soon sporting ones as well.

“It was impressive, I'll give you girls that,” Emily remarked as she went to check on her brother's arm and shoulder. “How long have you been planning that one?”

“Actually, I just came up with it,” Luz admitted.

“Really!?” came the collective response from their shocked friends.

“Well, Luz and I have been talking ever since you all helped us get our heads screwed back on straight,” Amelia noted, “and when we were watching back our title loss to the Stewards, it was the first time we really noticed just how much they seemed to be anticipating when we'd attempt the Waltz. They weren't just ready for it, they were practically waiting all match for that one moment to throw us off so much that they could take advantage and really catch us the way they did.”

“We realized that for as well as we tried to design the Waltz to come from anywhere at anytime, we've been relying on it for so long in tag matches that it's become easier to scout for,” Luz added. “Yeah, we've got the Everlasting Oath as a backup option, but if the skill level of SCW has taught us anything so far, it's that we can't fully rely on a double submission approach as a solid plan B to fix that like we could under lucha libre rules.”

“So you've been thinking of adding something new that no one would see coming,” Henry realized.

“After getting to practice doing the Double Vision, I got inspired and my mind started racing,” Luz bashfully admitted. “Don't get me wrong, Ed and Em's move is amazing and we're honored that you're passing it on to us to add to our arsenal, it's just...”

“This is something that I think we can fully call our own,” Amelia finished when Luz's train of thought seemed to start derailing.

“Plus, having two moves that involve a flapjack might further confuse people about what they're trying to stop!” Luz tacked on as she threw her arm over Amelia's shoulders, practically beaming with the grin she wore.

“That would sound really weird out of context, you know, but it'd be on-brand for the two of you.”

The couple both started sputtering as Marilyn couldn't resist laughing at her friendly little jab, having walked over to stand behind Gage at some point during the conversation. It had startled him a bit, but he quickly got a reassuring hand on his shoulder from Evie, who had also stopped by to check in on everyone.

“Don't mind her,” she threw out. “I think she's just looking for something to amuse herself after standing around and watching the two of you hard at work for the past hour.”

“Don't go parroting Avery just because they're not here,” Marilyn warned Evie, who responded by sticking out her tongue and getting everyone to laugh at how absurd it all was.

Luz and Amelia would wholeheartedly admit that moments like this were the levity they desperately needed these days, going a long way to helping them remember that just because this business meant everything to them didn't mean they needed to work themselves to the bone for it all the time. Lord only knows what might have happened if they'd have walked into that war with the European Fiery Nation if CHBK hadn't gotten through to them, or worse, if he'd actually agreed to their admittedly ridiculous terms. Forget about whether or not they'd have still won that match, the conversation may have been more about whether or not either one could even compete at Rise to Greatness if they hadn't pulled back on how hard they were pushing themselves in the nick of time.

After everyone took a moment to catch their breath, the six in the ring slowly got back to work, transitioning into what looked like Luz and Amelia seeing how many different variations of the classic Doomsday Device they could concoct and practice to keep opponents on their toes, even taking suggestions from the others. Gage even threw out an idea or two from where he sat as Marilyn and Evie observed their progress.

“It's good to see them like this again,” Marilyn thought out loud, with Gage silently nodding in agreement.

“It got that bad, huh?” Evie asked.

“The two of them actually marched right into their boss's office and tried to punish themselves for their title loss by demanding they have to literally run through the entire roster before they could ever try for gold again,” Marilyn stated, and Evie quickly picked up on the effort Marilyn was putting into making sure that statement sounded as grim as she truly believed it was.

“Fuck...” she exhaled. “I'm sorry we missed it and couldn't offer any help. Darius and I have both been buried in working to figure out how that wannabe wrestling journalist got hold of the security footage from where we've got Caleb locked up.”

“At least he'll hopefully not be an issue anymore if his latest video is anything to go by... hopefully,” Gage warily said.

Jacob Harrison, the creep who ran the True Hero Wrestling Reporter YouTube channel, had been quite the nuisance for The Light In The Darkness for a while now, having devoted a ridiculous amount of time and effort into following a tip he'd been given by a still unknown source to prove that the tag team was actually a tandem of imposters that had kidnapped the real Luz and Amelia and were masquerading as them, all in the name of The Empire. The last time he'd devoted any video time to talking about this, that they knew of, he'd aired security footage his source had handed over to him that showed an attempt by the remnants of the cult to break their deranged leader out of prison, conveniently during the eight person tag match the couple had that night in London at Taking Hold of the Flame.

After ignoring his channel for weeks because trying to snap Luz and Amelia out of their spiral had taken top priority, Gage had decided to skim through his content to see if there was anything else he'd said that needed to be a concern. While Jacob gloating about how “right” he was in the wake of that loss because “the real Light In The Darkness would never lose to someone like Team Desire” had sadly been expected, what really took him by surprise was his following video, where the man seemed visibly disturbed like so many others were about how the former champions had responded to their title loss. By his own admission, Luz and Amelia trying to throw away their own careers seemed like the perfect proof that it “wasn't truly them,” but the raw emotion they'd shown throughout their entire conversation with CHBK was enough to make him publicly question if he'd been deceived into chasing a false lead this entire time. Aside from briefly mentioning them while he recapped results, any videos he'd posted since had actively avoided saying anything about them, something he'd responded to comments about saying that he “didn't feel comfortable addressing this situation right now.”

If anything, knowing that Jacob seemed to finally be realizing he'd made a grave mistake this entire time brought peace of mind to the group, because it was one less problem that Luz and Amelia definitely did not need right now that was no longer a concern. Gage wanted to argue that the man owed his friends an apology for everything he'd done, but he wasn't about to push this issue if it was seemingly dead and would hopefully stay that way.

“Any luck on trying to get him to cough up his 'trusted source'?” Marilyn asked.

“Negative,” Evie sighed and shook her head. “Avery, Darius and I grilled him for hours after we saw his video and confirmed the footage he showed... bloke's never even met his source and has only communicated with them online or over the phone. All he's revealed is that the voice belonged to a woman, something we already knew from Avery's director being contacted to negotiate his initial release. He was given a name, but he claims he signed an NDA about it and is terrified about violating it.”

“Even though he's broken so many other laws chasing this bogus tip and being an absolute creep in the process?” Gage huffed.

“Yeah, we tried pointing that out to him,” Evie groaned. “He actually told us that being jailed for breaking the law would make him a martyr to his so-called fans, but whoever's stringing him along supposedly has the power to completely ruin his life if he outs them so he's willing to hide behind the NDA excuse even in the face of law enforcement.”

“If he wasn't so incompetent, I'd almost be tempted to compare him to Caleb in that regard,” Gage stated.

“And his source is drawing a lot of parallels to Ophelia Blythe by the sound of things,” Marilyn spat. “I can't imagine having to deal with her and Al has been any easier.”

“It hasn't, but at least watching them and their lawyer squirm trying to find some sort of out has been amusing,” Evie chuckled. “The judge finally had enough of their stalling to confirm their 'star witnesses' and set a hard date for trial to resume. If they can't get Luz and Amelia to testify on their behalf on that date, then he's holding them in contempt of court for wasting weeks trying to make it happen and moving the trial to closing statements so the jury can finally deliberate, and we all know they'd never do that even if Mr. Verner wasn't just bluffing to find some other out to save his clients.”

“Maybe that explains why that scumbag's actually been trying to call them lately,” Marilyn pondered.

“Wait, he has!?” Evie jerked her head to look up at Marilyn in disbelief.

“Key word: trying,” she stressed. “He had the audacity to call Amelia's phone shortly after she and Luz exposed how bad their lowest points truly were on national television for all to see, and given the time zones I'm not ready to buy the coincidence that he chose to call at that exact moment. I didn't let her answer it, though, and she and Luz have since blocked his number.”

“How long has he been...?” Evie started to ask, but Gage chimed in before she could finish the thought.

“That night was his first attempt, and Amelia even showed us her call history to prove he hadn't tried before then. She and Luz have even agreed to either ignore or let us screen any calls that come from unfamiliar numbers if he tries that tactic, since they've got both of Amelia's parents blocked and they can trust any contacts they've got saved.”

Evie nodded at this information, taking a deep breath before pulling out her phone to fire off a text message to Darius to update him about this development. It was concerning that Adrian was actually attempting to follow through on his claims of trying to get them to testify so Aleister and Ophelia could avoid their deserved prison sentence, mostly because everyone knew there was no way in hell that was ever going to happen so there had to be another angle he was working for.

“Alright, I think we're ready to call it a day,” Amelia called out from the ring after she and Luz had finished one last run through of some of the new moves they'd been working out.

“You sure?” Ivy questioned, treading carefully as she and the others prepared themselves for the response.

“I'm with Ames,” Luz responded. “We've pushed ourselves enough for today and I think we've got a lot of progress to show for it!”

“Plus, we want to make sure we've got enough time to clean up and get ready,” Amelia added. “Hopefully we won't have to do much more than talk about our title match at Rise to Greatness tonight, but you never know what surprises Breakdown could throw at us when we're this close to that big show.”

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as the couple climbed out of the ring and grabbed a drink of water, which had Luz raising an eyebrow beneath her mask. “What? Did you guys not think we'd want to stop? We've been at this for a good while now.”

“It's not that,” Edward tried to reassure them as he held up his hands defensively.

“It's just...” Emily tried to add, but faltered when she couldn't figure out how to properly word it.

“I think they were expecting you to just be saying that so we'd start packing up and then you'd go right back to it,” Marilyn finally admitted with all the subtlety of a brick, drawing some stunned and upset looks her way because of it.

“...that's completely fair,” Amelia shrugged, surprising everyone. “But we promise you guys we mean it.”

“Thanks for looking out for us, though,” Luz admitted. “Especially after everything we put you guys through while we were at our lowest these past few weeks.”

“And I know of two people who are at their lowest and could really use you both looking out for them.”

Everyone's attention suddenly jerked to the unexpected addition to their conversation, and a collective shudder ran through their bodies at the smug figure practically strutting over to them. It had been one thing to see Adrian Verner, the Blythe family lawyer for so many years, putting on an arrogant act when he and Amelia's parents had crashed her and Luz's date in London despite rightfully showing concern for the whole affair just minutes prior, but the confidence he oozed now made them all want to gag at how sure he was that he was going to succeed with whatever had actually brought him here. Before he could get within arm's reach of his targets, though, Evie quickly put herself between them, a snarl on her face and her body in a fighting stance if it became necessary.

“Oh, I should've known you'd be here, mutt,” Adrian growled lowly. “Where's your friend?”

“He's busy with work that's more important than you,” Evie spat. “Since you're here, though, would you like to state why?”

“I suggest you take a deep breath before you overstep your bounds,” Adrian retorted, quickly regaining his confidence. “I'm not breaking any laws even by America's substandard idea of that concept, and I'm sure the judge would love to hear all about-”

“Why don't you answer her question?” Luz abruptly cut him off, causing him to wheeze a bit in surprise before he coughed and cleared his throat in an effort to try and recollect himself.

“Why, Miss... Luz, was it?” Adrian held up his hands to prove he wasn't any sort of threat. “My calls to you and Miss Amelia don't seem to have been going through lately, and since I figured the company you keep is petty enough to-”

“We blocked them of our own volition,” Amelia cut him off this time. “Just as we've had my parents' numbers blocked for some time now. We're kind of busy, and the last thing we need is the distraction of two people who can't take a hint that I don't want them in my life anymore.”

“Oh, surely you don't mean that,” Adrian pleaded, and it was clear to everyone in the room he was really trying to lay it on thick. “They're your parents, Amelia. They brought you into this world, raised you to be the best young lady you could possibly be, showed you a purpose worthy of the family name!”

“They also kept pitting us against one another and abused us when we didn't live up to their impossible standards,” Emily threw out as she and Edward climbed out of the ring to stand beside their baby sister.

“Excuse me, I don't believe I was talking to you,” Adrian spat before glancing around at everyone present. “Any of you. So, ladies, why don't we go somewhere more private to discuss-”

“Anything you have to say to us, you can say in front of them,” Luz interrupted once more, making it clear by her tone that despite being a literal ray of sunshine, even her patience had its limits and Adrian was really starting to test them.

“Look, this is hardly professional,” Adrian lamented. “Amelia, your parents are at risk of going to jail. They're just as much victims of this whole Empire nonsense as you two were. Don't tell me you actually believe they would willingly aid such a psychopath?”

“Oh, I'd believe it even if I didn't witness it with my own two eyes,” Amelia fired back. “They put me through hell for my entire childhood, blackmailed me into cutting ties with people I actually cared about, tried to arrange a marriage for me before I was even born to someone I would've never been interested in-” she paused to glance back at Ivy and Henry, who gave her reassuring nods before she turned and continued. “They've been openly homophobic about who I truly am, racist towards my soon-to-be wife, and that's not even getting into the fact that my father actually pulled a gun on us and tried to kill the very childhood friend he and mom wanted out of my life.”

“A fact that you know we've already brought up during the trial, Adrian,” Evie tacked on, knowing full well she and Darius have explained that sequence of events to the judge seeing as how they were undercover and intervened to prevent Aleister from actually hurting anyone on that night. “There's only so much a claim of Caleb 'convincing' him to do it will get you when he's actually served jail time already for that incident and it's all on record.”

“S-Surely you misunderstand-” Adrian stammered out.

“No, we understand pretty clearly that Aleister and Ophelia Blythe deserve to be in prison for everything they've done,” Luz growled.

“And we will not be testifying on their behalf to save them,” Amelia followed up. “Not when they don't deserve it.”

“And not that you ladies could, anyway,” Evie glanced back at them. “I didn't mention it because I didn't think Adrian here was actually serious about this, but the day the trial resumes after all the stalling he's done for this? It's July 27th.”

“That's the day of the Rise to Greatness pre-show!” Gage exclaimed.

“And they'd be jetlagged to hell flying back from England in that short amount of time to wrestle a match they've spent so long preparing for,” Henry noted, coming off as surprisingly calm about this whole revelation, but his voice carried a dangerous edge to it as he glared down at the lawyer. “Not to mention all the fans they'd disappoint by having to miss the fan event during the pre-show.”

“N-Now, now, there's no need to get all bent out of shape about this,” Adrian gulped. There was no hiding how nervous he was as he took a step backwards. “We can come to some sort of reasonable agreement to get around this little issue. I mean, Amelia and Luz would probably be saving themselves some embarrassment if they skipped the show anyways, but-”

“You know, you're not as good of an actor as you think you are,” Marilyn suddenly chimed in... after having snuck up behind Adrian and saying that low enough in his ear that it startled him, but loud enough that everyone could hear her. Adrian responded with a rather high-pitched yelp as he scrambled away from the woman, but just as he started to get his bearings he saw her holding something up. “I know an act when I see one, and you can't con someone who knows the game better than you do.”

“How...?” Adrian quickly patted himself down, visibly sweating now as he grew more and more panicked. “How did you...?”

“I may have learned how to pick a pocket in case of emergencies,” Marilyn shrugged as she showed everyone the tape recorder she'd swiped from one of Adrian's pockets, the record button visibly pressed down. “Now, I know by American laws that Michigan is a one-party consent state, and I may not know how well this would fly over in the UK, but I'll be damned if I let you take advantage of these kids just to keep your scummy clients out of the clink.”

“You...!” Adrian was visibly struggling to keep his composure now before he turned to Evie, who Marilyn handed the tape recorder to. “You can't possibly be condoning this! She actively committed a crime right in front of you! Arrest her for stealing from me!”

“The only crime I'm witnessing right now is the depths you and the Blythes will sink to if it means avoiding having to face justice for everything they've done,” Evie replied, her voice stern and professional as she stopped the recording... and then proceeded to drop the recorder on the floor and smash it beneath the sole of her boot. “I believe that recording these ladies' words and then editing them together to try and give the testimony you want them to present without their presence to validate it is treading a serious line, Mr. Verner.”

“Now hold on...!” Adrian started to shout.

“Esperar.”

Everyone went silent as Luz calmly cut through the cacophony, all eyes turning to her. Her gaze, however, only met Amelia's, the two of them locked in one of their infamous silent conversations. Whatever it was about, Amelia nodded to her before turning to look at Adrian.

“One thing I think we can all agree on is that this needs to end,” she spoke as calmly as she could, which was surprising at this point given the chaos of the whole situation and what it meant for her in particular. “Is it safe to assume our testimonies on the stand will do just that regarding my parents' trial?”

“Uh, I... um... yes, yes it will!” Adrian ultimately replied, nodding like some sort of bobblehead doll with a grin that was cheesy enough to match.

“Amelia, you can't be serious!” Edward snapped, but Amelia ignored her brother, instead turning to look down at Evie with a smile that slowly began to grow.

“Evie... what would it take to be able to show up in that courtroom, say what we need to say, and still be able to make it to St. Louis with plenty of time to spare for Rise to Greatness?”

“Wait... what? NO!” Adrian cried.

“You'd be willing to testify against your parents?” Evie asked, using her official voice just to make sure she had the clarification she wanted.

“We both are,” Luz agreed as she wrapped an arm around her fiancée's waist.

“They've skirted around the law and avoided facing justice for far too long,” Amelia added. “If Luz and I are going to truly head into our big title match at Rise to Greatness focused and with a much healthier mindset, then it's only fair we eliminate the biggest distraction we have left.”

“But... but... there's no way, with the trial date...!” Adrian kept stammering, reminding everyone of a malfunctioning robot with how poorly he was holding it together.

“Given how long things have been held up because somebody-” Evie shot Adrian a glare as she made sure he knew she was talking about him, but the smirk on her lips betrayed her true feelings about this situation. “-was stalling just to get this exact thing, I think Darius and I can convince the judge to resume trial sooner so as not to conflict with your wrestling schedules.”

“Absolutely not!” Adrian roared. “On behalf of my clients, I do not-”

“Your clients are getting what they asked for,” Amelia silenced him one last time.

“Just not exactly what they wished for,” Luz added. “Take it or leave it.”

Adrian stumbled over his words a bit more, frantically trying to find any way to salvage this situation, but with so many pairs of eyes bearing down on him and the two people crucial to his gambit firm in their decision to work against him instead of with him, he ultimately fled the gym with his tail tucked between his legs.

As far as Luz and Amelia were concerned, they couldn't have asked for a better turn of events. Sure, the preference would have been to not even bother with Adrian at all, but once again they were reminded of the power they had in the support system around them, a system that kept them thinking positively and gave them the strength to take that step in the first place. As both ladies hit the showers and changed for Breakdown to say one of their final pieces before the biggest show of SCW's calendar year, they were feeling better than they had in a long time, knowing that as long as they were willing to fight for it, the future they desired was almost within their grasp.

All they needed to do... was take that first step.
[Image: uKMzpho.png]

Tag Team Record: 27-8*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 13-8
Amelia Blythe Nevado Solo Record: 9-7-1

*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 Nevado: 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 Nevado - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [3] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days) (3 - Current)
Interim SCW United States Championship (La Pequeña Luz - Current)
2024 Trios Tournament Winner (Amelia Blythe Nevado, w/ Xander Valentine and Billy Heaven Jr.)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)
2024 Tag Team of the Year
#5
Team Desire | "A Rise to Greatness Extravaganza"



A scientist walks the corridors of a secret facility. Wearing her white lab coat and name plaque around her neck with her name Dr. Alex Harrison on it. She walks leading a group of other scientists as they head towards a room down the hall. The topic of conversation is the highly classified project that is undergoing at the moment.

“Gentlemen as tension rises all over the world due to geopolitics. This group has been secretly tasked with an unconventional method of solving such complex matters. With my device we’re going to search through time itself and find the answers that we seek. So I will give you all a peek of the ChronoSphere.”

Dr. Harrison reaches for the door at the end of the long walk and opens it revealing a large sphere in the middle of the room. The other scientist walks inside and checks out the revolutionary device.

“Dr. Harrison, is this ChronoSphere safe?” One of the scientists, an elderly looking man with white beard and baldness, questions her.

“Well we haven’t tested it yet to be sure. In the matters of safety we’ll take every precaution to make sure the trip is safe. Learning the geography and predictive patterns that the environment may take. We’re completely prepared for whatever contingency is thrown our way.”

Dr. Harrison walks around the Sphere with the other scientist. She watches some check out readings on consoles and some looking over paperwork. Everything looks to be good. She steps aside and stands next to some of the military personnel on guard.

“Is the team ready?” She asks.

“They should be here in about five minutes, Doctor.” The guard replies.

“Good. Everything should be a go for the final testing phrase.”

Dr. Harrison walks back to the center of the room and gets everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, attention please. If you will, can you exit the room and head to the observation area where you can all watch our final testing phrase. Thank you.”

The scientist begins to clear out of the room. Dr. Harrison excuses the military personnel. All that’s left in the room with the ChronoSphere is Dr. Harrison and a couple of select scientists who helped her with it. They stand there waiting for the military unit to arrive and join them. They wait… and they wait…


“Cut.” A familiar scream is heard across the set. Katie Steward sits behind the camera shooting the movie. “Where is Drake Lane? Where is my Captain Shane Clarke?” She asks her assistant. They don’t have any answer for her. Katie jumps out of her seat and walks to set to meet Dr. Harrison, Evelyn Sinclair.

“Evelyn, that was great. I’m sorry about Drake. We’re looking into where he is, but the scene was good so far.”

Evelyn smiles at Katie’s commitment. “Thank you.”

“Oh my Goddess, I’m so excited that you’re working on my movie.” Katie beams with excitement. “I watched a clip of your performance of London’s West End someone posted on Youtube and you were fantastic.”

“Thanks.” Evelyn again says as the make up crew touch her up so they can continue shooting.

“I can’t believe I actually have you in my movie.” Katie’s fangirling continues on. That is until the whole crew around her has their phones go off with an alert. Katie stands there not reacting to it. She knows what it is, and maybe, maybe if she doesn’t react it’s not real. Her assistant walks up behind her.

“Ms. Steward.” They say…

“I know, give me the phone.”

“I don’t think you’ll like it.” They try to talk her out of it.

Katie turns around and grabs their phone from them. “I know.” she repeats. She holds it up to see whatever the damage that is causing a problem to her movie.

Wait, this is off. Katie didn’t get the director job. Maybe we need to go back a little bit. So you know just how cursed she’s been with living her dream.


______________________________________________________________________________________________

The doorbell rings throughout Katie’s home in Los Angeles, California. Kaite rushes over and answers it. She pulls her friend, Gina Pierce inside as Katie is visibly distressed. Even moreso, than usual. Katie drags her through the house. Gina has to have the answers for her.

“Gina, I am freaking out here. I was at my church meeting with the fire investigators. They were telling me everything they found out. Well they didn’t find anything unusual. Just some candles and burning sage caught some curtains on fire.”

Gina nods, “That sounds like it’s a good thing.”

“But I know now that it was arson. The person responsible showed up after they had left. A pastor was checking out my church. Seemingly like he knows the city will void my lease because of the fire and then he’ll swoop in and take it.”

“Woah, hang on for a second, Katie. That is a pretty big accusation to throw around. Are you sure?” Gina stops walking and she needs Katie to take a second and to just think about what she’s saying.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure. He was having all kinds of sinister feelings. He’s probably one of those evangelistic pastors. Trying to get rid of the Church of her Lady Goddess.”

Katie walks with Gina into a room. Katie fuming with rage now. So angry about knowing they’re trying to muscle her out of her church. Inside the room, Gigi and Maddy are already there as the two huddle together around the laptop.

“Hey Gigi, Maddy, what do you think about the situation?” Gina asks.

“She asks us to hack into some security feeds around the streets to get evidence of the crimes against her Church.” Maddy answers.

“And since we totally know how to do that. What we’re actually doing is some social media interaction with the fans. Sasha says it’s good for the champs to do that.” Gigi explains it more in depth.

Gina nods understanding before she turns back to Katie. “So Katie, have you told anyone else about this? The investigators? About your suspicions.

“No. I’ve been reading through their investigation report they gave me putting the pieces together. The only church that is being taken down, is theirs!” Katie walks over to Gigi and Maddy to get an update on their research.

She glances at the laptop screen and notices their research has taken a different turn. “This isn’t security feeds of the area.”

“As we told you Katie, we’re not spies. We can’t do that.” Gigi explains.

“I wish we were. It would be so cool.” Maddy adds.

“Yes, you said that, but why are you looking at gossip sites twitter pages?”

“Well, they just posted a story about Drake Lane. He just went on yet another rant about wokeness.” Maddy points out. Drake Lane had been a rising star in Hollywood for the last couple of years with an indie movie and recurring role on a television series. People were really starting to love the guy. Then he suffered some personal struggles in his life and joined social media’s war on wokeness.

“It says he was supposed to start filming for the Rift in Time movie last month, but looks like some trouble has been brewing with him and the movie. Isn’t that the movie you were trying to get?” Gigi asks Katie looking over her show. Katie looks at the screen reading some of the comments from where she stands.

“Yes. It’s whatever. I don’t care about that anymore. I didn’t need it and it looks like they did me a favor.” Katie shakes her head, snapping out of her focus on the screen. “I have more pressing matters like this arson of my church.”

“No. You have more pressing matters of a tag team title match at Rise to Greatness. Do you remember that? You whole angle of since you didn’t win Taking Hold of the Flame then you’d be walking into Rise to Greatness as a  Champion instead.” Gigi sits up on the couch and leans over the back towards Katie. Reminding her of their new goals.

Katie lifts her head up and looks toward the ceiling. She lets out a small scream of frustration. Why is everything happening to her all at once? She walks over and stands next to Gina.

“Katie, I think you need to take a break and relax for a day. Clear your head. You still have your church and you can fix the damages caused by the fire. Just don’t think about the conspiracy and instead focus on the title match at Rise To Greatness. Go and do some of your yoga.” Gina with her soothing sense speaks to Katie pushing her in the right direction. Katie hears her and nods along. She walks past her and leaves the room. Tapping Gina on the shoulder as a thank you.

“Thanks Gina for your help. She was really starting to freak us out. Honestly, I have never seen her like that.” Gigi tells her.

“Yeah. It definitely freaked her out more than usual. Call me if she has another panic attack, ok? I’ll just be right next door.” Gina takes her leave and walks out of the house leaving Gigi and Maddy to watch over Katie and makes sure she doesn’t relapse.


______________________________________________________________________________________________

Gigi and Maddy Steward are back at their apartment. Gigi sits on the couch and relaxes for the moment. After she checked her phone and didn’t see anything from Katie. She looks to be doing better for now. Maddy walks over and sits down on the couch next to Gigi. Gigi watches her and is distracted by the flashy gold belt she is wearing.

“Why are you wearing the tag team title belt?”

“It’s a pretty belt. I also wanted to see how it’ll look on me and I was right. I’m rocking it.” Maddy smiles. “Also it totally works. Was at the store picking up some snacks and got some free popcorn from the cashier. Gigi, you can’t lose this title. Do you hear me?”

“I’m so going to get a call from Sasha about you using the title to get free stuff.”

Gigi shakes her head thinking about an angry call that is probably happening later on. Still watching Maddy while she sits next to her and relax with the tag title around her waist. Ash walks into the room and joins the girls on the couch. She carries a bucket of the free popcorn that Maddy scored from the store.

“So what are you watching again?” Ash asks Maddy to get herself ready for a movie night.

“Echoes of Silence. The reviews were mixed, but they said Drake Lane showed a lot of versatility as a tormented artist. It was also discounted on the movies app.” Maddy explains her pick for the movie.

Gigi nods. “A tormented artist. Sounds familiar.”

Maddy plays the movie and the girls sit back on the couch and watch.

“Drake Lane? Isn’t he the guy picking fights on the internet with random people?” Ash looks over at Maddy.

“Yeah, so. He’s pretty hot.” Maddy shrugs her shoulders trying not to listen to her.

“Maddy, he’s parroting what the grifters are selling on social media. His feed is nothing other than wokeism. Nonsense.” Gigi explains to Maddy.

“Yeah, well I can fix him.” Maddy smiles and reaches for a handful of popcorn.

They sit and try to enjoy their movie night.


______________________________________________________________________________________________

Katie Steward walks into her backyard. She does her best to stealth her way across the yard. Making sure no nosey neighbor (Gina) catches her. Since she’s not taking the time to do yoga and clear her head of the chaotic mess that is her life. She makes it to a tower in her backyard. She unlocks the door and steps inside. She walks up a spiral staircase to the second floor where the vault of her treasures are located. Walking across the floor to a glass case where her crown rests on a velvet pillow.

Katie remembers when she had TJ take her crown and locked it away in her tower. When being just a Queen was playing the part that everyone else played along with her. She was frustrated and things weren’t working for her. Katie had set a trend and everyone followed her. She put her crown away and put on the mantle of a God. Or at least a bracelet.

Katie walks over and stands up another display and places a pillow on it. She pulls out one of her prayer beads she made and holds it in her hand. Is her church catching fire some kind of a sign? Maybe that Pastor didn’t have anything to do with it. He just saw the news of it and checked it out. Then he just really liked Katie’s church. She does have a pretty good one.

Where does Katie go from here if she puts down her prayer beads?

Footsteps are heard coming up the spiral staircase. The door to the floor creaks open and Katie hears it behind her. She drops the prayer beads out of her hand and they fall. Clinging her fist she spins around with a back elbow. Aiming for whoever’s head is behind her. TJ quickly raises his arm up to catch the back elbow strike.

“Easy Katie, it’s just me. I came to check on you. You left your phone in your house. I saw the door open here and came to see what you were doing.” TJ tells Katie how he found her.

“Did Gina send you to check up on me?” Katie grills him.

“No. First, I or Gina have each other’s numbers. Second, I got your message and wanted to ask why you would want me to hack into an evangelist church network to find dirt on them. Girl, you are crazy.” TJ shakes his head like he forgot who he’s talking to.

“Well I’m doing like she wanted me too. I’m clearing my head and trying to relax.” Katie turns and starts to pace around her tower. “Thinking about things.”

“Isn’t that what she didn’t want you to do?” TJ points out.

“I’m just thinking where could I go from here. If I didn’t have my church what would I do? I really haven’t been around it in months. Maybe I should sell it. I’m a Supreme Champion now. SCW should be seeing the next evolution of Katie Steward.”

TJ nods following along with Katie. She does have a point and he likes what she’s saying. Katie is a very brilliant minded person. Some people don’t give her enough credit for it.

Katie looks around and finds her prayer beads. They dropped onto the velvet pillow she set on a display in her vault. She ponders the thought of just leaving them there. That is what she does. She turns around and walks with TJ leaving her vault.

“Let’s go, TJ. I have some magic to create.”


______________________________________________________________________________________________

The doors open to the venue for the Rise to Greatness fan event. The fans get to meet the wrestlers and interact with some fun interviews, games and other items on the event schedule. It’s a great time for anyone involved. This year however is extra special. This year Gigi Steward walked through its doors as a champion. Gigi walks the floor of the event with Maddy. Her smile can not be removed from her face. That's how happy she feels at this moment. She meets some fans and Maddy snaps a picture of Gigi and them together, some holding her tag title belt. Just having a blast all around.

“This is amazing. Things are so different when you’re a champion.” Gigi laughs, waving back to some fans waving at her.

“This is your first time ever walking into Rise to Greatness as a champion, G.” Maddy says.

“The only two other times I’ve been champion were me walking out of Rise to Greatness with the title. I just hope I can continue that tradition.” Gigi jokes hoping for a positive outlook for her weekend.

Gigi and Maddy manage to run into Sasha D. on the floor of the venue.

“Hey Sasha, this is amazing. Things are so different when you're a champion.” Gigi says with the biggest smile.

“I’m happy you’re enjoying yourself. I look forward to your panel later today.” Sasha tells her.

“Wait, what? There is a panel later today for me?” Gigi is not sure what Sasha is talking about. No one has told her of any schedule for today's event. Though she quickly figures things out. “Katie.”

“Sorry. I guess I ruined the surprise.”

“Oh, no you didn’t ruin anything. I’m quite surprised by it. I shouldn’t be that bad. It honestly sounds pretty cool.” The unexpected news doesn’t shake Gigi. She just doesn’t seem to be broken from her cloud nine status.

“I’m just really glad to see you at this level. It really suits you.” Sasha smiles at Gigi. Everyone is in their bestest moods.

“So is Gigi the best one out of everyone?” Maddy asks the question with her own smile and eager to hear Sasha’s answer.

“Well I can’t really say… Everyone does an amazing job. Ameila and Luz were great. Selena Frost has her own group of believers. I just really like seeing you like this.” Sasha manages to get through her reasonable explanation.

“And what about Katie? How is Katie?” Maddy decides upon herself to ask the scariest question.

“Oh, Katie is… well she has her own uniqueness to her. Like Selena she has her own brand of believers and well she knows and does exactly what she is needed to do. In her own unique way of doing things. I gotta go.”

Sasha turns and basically sprints away from Gigi and Maddy before the chance of being asked something else.
“Now look at what you did, Maddy. You scared her away.” Gigi shakes her head.

“Sorry, but come on. You were curious about that too.” Maddy bumps Gigi with her elbow. They continue on the floor of the venue meeting with fans before an apparent panel discussion event for Gigi.



Across the event hall, Katie Steward sits at her table. She filled out autographs to the fans coming by her table. She is one of the more popular tables for the events that most people will not agree to. She keeps to herself though most of the signings. Just writing her name and passing her 8x10 to the fans. A sinister smile on her that is almost normal looking for her.

A fan walks up and tries to get her attention. They slide some papers in front of her and without thinking Katie signs them. She really doesn’t realize this and just passes the papers back to the fan. She’s in her zone.

The fans continue to try and get her attention, but she just calls next. They place their hands on the table and that gets her attention. Who is this person for being too forward?

“Ms. Steward, I’m here to talk to you. The studio sent me over.”

Katie looks at them completely lost. What is this person talking about? She doesn’t have any auditions at the moment. It’s just Rise to Greatness.

“They want to ask you if you still have the job to direct A Rift in TIme?”

“What? I didn’t get that job.” She says waving the person off.

“Well that is true. You weren’t the first pick. The first director had to turn down the offer to do another project.”

Katie smiles. “So I was the second?”

“No. They had prior engagements.”

Katie started to get annoyed. “Third?”

“Behind the scenes drama, but that is gone with them.”

“How far down the list was I?” Katie demands.

“That’s not for me to say, really. They just sent me here to ask you and to get you to sign some paperwork. Thanks.”

“Isn’t there a lot of problems happening with this movie?” Katie asks as the person starts to turn away with the paperwork that she’s already signed. He shouts back at her see you Monday and disappears.


______________________________________________________________________________________________

In the auditorium of the venue where the SCW event is taking place. Fans gather in the audience for the presentation. A video package is shown on the screen to the amazement of the audience. A really detailed story of Katie Steward is shown. Through her years working with SCW. All her achievements and memorable moments are shown in the video. It is again a really detailed story that Katie has put forward. The video ends and the lights that had dimmed to show the video better turn back up. Katie makes her way onto the stage. A headset  microphone wrapped on the side of her face.

“Hello everyone, it’s great to see such an enthusiastic bunch of fans for Rise to Greatness. It’s going to be such a privilege to entertain you at the show tomorrow night. Now you’re not here to hear me tell you how excited you are for Rise to Greatness. You all want to know just what Katie Steward has planned for tomorrow night. I’m glad you asked. Because I’m going to make this the best Rise to Greatness ever. I’ve kept my promise to you and I will be walking into the greatest show as a champion. Now just a champion, a Supreme Champion. I’m sorry, I’m not just a Supreme Champion. I’m something more. We'll work that out later with management and return my call about my suggestions later. I would’ve liked to include them in my presentation, but you know how management works’.

“Anyways, Team Desire will be defending our Tag Team titles against not just one team, but two teams. Not just any two teams, but a double rematch, triple threat match!”

Katie throws her arms in the air to the applause of the audience.

“Light in the Darkness has the rematch along with Twisted and Sadistic who had there win last year at Rise to Greatness. Might think that is something Team Desire is afraid of facing. Oh how little you think of us. Team Desire has the opportunity of not just defending our titles against the top two teams in SCW. We have the opportunity of cementing ourselves as one of the, if not the greatest tag team in SCW. Now come on, is that not just the most Team Desire thing that you can think of. Now you don’t have to take my word for it. I’m not a one woman show… well I can be and I am, but not tonight. Please welcome my partner, Gigi.


Gigi is pushed out onto the stage. Unaware of just how soon she’ll be called upon. Luckily for her the audience is overjoyed and gives her a standing ovation. She walks up and takes her place next to Katie.

“Thanks Katie. I really don’t know what to say. No really, I don’t have any clue because I didn’t even know Katie booked us on a panel for the event. The last month or so has been an incredible journey helping Katie finish her epic long quest and silencing all her critics. It was really something. I’m just really excited for once being able to walk into Rise to Greatness as champions and we’re going to fight like hell to make sure we leave as champions. Ameila, Luz, Glory and Britt are some of the toughest competition to face. They’ve all known what it’s like to be there. This is going to be a war at Rise to Greatness. I’ve had a blast being one half of the tag team champions and I’m not going to want to give that up. So I promise Light in the Darkness and Twisted and Sadistic, Team Desire is ready.”

Gigi smiles at the crowd and takes her bow. She backs up from the front of the stage giving it back to Katie.


“That is very well put Gigi. Now before we go, whatever happens at Rise to Greatness. Whoever wins this war. Team Desire is still going to be here. I might be a Supreme Champion, but I am far from being done.”
[Image: wk3BgLS.jpeg][Image: mFro5V6.jpg]
#6
If you had asked The Light In The Darkness how they would've preferred their road to Rise to Greatness XXI to go, they would've kept it simple:

Perform to the best of their abilities and build momentum while dedicating their free time to preparing for a match they knew was a long time coming: a World Tag Title clash with Twisted & Sadistic, a team they had yet to directly defeat.

As we now know, that is far from how things have played out, but if you were to ask Luz and Amelia is they were upset about this, they would admit that they might've been if asked that question weeks ago. Now, however? They would admit to learning from what had happened and devoting themselves to changes they knew would need to be made to get to where they wished to be.

For the longest time, The Light In The Darkness prided themselves as fighters who were willing to tackle any challenge put before them, even attempting to increase the difficulty if they could do so, to prove that they were constantly evolving and adapting. It was a mindset that had emerged not just throughout their wrestling careers, but born of matters beyond the ring as well. No one could argue that both women had issues from their pasts that still plagued them to this day, and the emotional scars that lingered would never fade that easily. It drove the young couple just as much as it burdened them, explaining why they constantly pursued greater and greater challenges even when that pursuit began to lead them into the realm of insanity.

A perfect example was that fateful Breakdown weeks ago when, fresh off of the end of their second run as World Tag Team Champions, Luz and Amelia had met CHBK in his office and insisted that they run the gauntlet of every single member of the SCW roster in order to prove not just to the company, but also to themselves, that they were worthy of being here and ready to hunt for gold once again. As ludicrous as it sounded to everyone else, it made perfect sense to them: the ultimate test that would leave no doubts about their abilities and prove that they were more than what they believed others would begin to see them as.

After that sanction was thankfully denied and they were pulled out of their own heads not just by CHBK but also by their loved ones, they began to really dig into what had made them this way. The answers weren't hard to find, but it was easy to remember why they had tried to bury them in the first place. Growing up, both girls were the targets of constant criticism and gaslighting, from bullies in Luz's case and her own parents in Amelia's. The question of whether or not they truly deserved to be here was so deeply rooted in both of their minds that it created this constant need for validation, no matter how high the stakes needed to be raised in order to prove that they weren't everything they were led to believe by the negative influences around them. The constant praise and validation from fans and those closest to them, while greatly appreciated, could only help so much.

While they may never be able to truly break themselves free of that trauma, they recognized that a lot of work was going to need to be done in order to give themselves a fighting chance.

Thoroughly studying their previous encounters with both Twisted & Sadistic and Team Desire, looking into other matches involving their Rise to Greatness opponents, working on both improving themselves and adding to their already impressive arsenals... they were all a great start that had been a huge focus of the past several weeks, and the day of the final Breakdown before all eyes would turn towards the biggest show of SCW's calendar year would arguably yield the greatest opportunity they could ask for to finally make some significant strides in their mental recovery.

Most people would immediately assume they were referring to the events of Breakdown itself, and that'd be an easy assumption to make. Not only were the couple honest and upfront about where their heads were at and what winning at Rise to Greatness would mean to them, but they were also the only team heading into that event with any momentum behind them. They had overcome the European Fiery Nation the previous week in an Underground Rules match and looked no worse for wear speaking their piece backstage at the Little Caesars Arena, a stark contrast to both teams they'd be facing who had fallen short in their respective matches. Glory and Brittany could argue the semantics of their DQ loss to the Shining Maidens, but they weren't the ones with the upper hand when interference cost them the match, and Katie and Gigi had lost clean to the Dangerous Minds on a night where they needed to make the biggest statement possible.

As much as that gave Luz and Amelia more to learn from as they prepared for the fight of their lives, the opportunity in question had come earlier that very same day. Adrian Verner, the lawyer for Aleister and Ophelia Blythe, had tried for one last hail mary in keeping his clients out of prison for their involvement in The Empire over the past year and likely longer. Knowing full well Amelia and Luz would never take the stand to try and defend the former's parents, especially upon the revelation that the date trial was supposed to resume would have been the day of the Rise to Greatness pre-show, he had attempted to exploit everything that had been weighing on their minds lately to record enough that he could edit together to get the testimony he needed... a plan that had ultimately blown up in his face and opened the door for perhaps his greatest nightmare.

July 23rd, with five days to go afterward until Rise to Greatness, the trial of Aleister and Ophelia would finally continue after much stalling on Adrian's part... and The Light In The Darkness would be testifying against them.

Shortly after that confrontation in the gym, Evie had wasted no time in calling Darius to inform him of what had happened, and the two of them quickly reached out to the judge overseeing the trial to bring him into the loop as well. Seeing as how the witnesses Adrian had been stalling to get agreed to take the stand, even if it wasn't in his favor, the judge saw no point in delaying any further, especially out of respect to the schedules of the witnesses in question.

Amelia could only imagine how her parents were going to respond to the news of just how royally their loyal slimeball of a lawyer had screwed up, and the thought brought a smile to her face every single time.

Unsurprisingly, Luz and Amelia had to get packing as soon as their role in Breakdown was done, and the very next day they were ready to catch their flight back to England. What was surprising, however, was when they had politely asked everyone else not to waste the time and money to come with them. Naturally, there was a lot of concern because of the emotion that would be involved in this whole experience, but while the couple were very clear in how grateful they were for everyone's help and worries, Amelia was firm in her belief that this was a chapter of her and Luz's past that they needed to close the book on alone, to send a clear message to her parents that they held no power over her anymore and never would again. She wasn't exactly fooling any of them, or even herself for that matter, but as long as her parents were dragged away believing that, then she was hopeful they would never continue to be a thorn in her and Luz's sides ever again.

“You sure you guys want to go it alone on this?” Ivy had asked at the airport.

“We're sure Ivy,” Amelia firmly stated. “We have each other, we have Darius and Evie, and even if you guys won't be there with us in person, we know you're all still with us.”

“You guys deserve to head down to St. Louis and start getting in the Rise to Greatness spirit,” Luz had added. “Save your money for that spectacle.”

“It's not a matter of money Luz,” her mother said. “We just want you both to be alright. Not that those cabróns would dare to try anything I would hope, but...”

“All three of them really tried to grill us when we made our own cases,” Emily chimed in. “We just don't want to see them get to you guys and somehow get what they want out of this anyways.”

“Or really screw you both over with Rise to Greatness on the horizon,” Edward added.

“We've been talking over how deep they could dig, trying to prepare ourselves for this...” Luz carefully said.

“We can't make any promises,” Amelia lamented. “Lord knows they aren't going to make it easy to keep any promise we could make, but if what we have to say will guarantee they're put away for everything they've done...”

“We have to free ourselves from their chains while the chance is there,” Luz finished for her fiancée. “It's the only way we can truly start to move on from everything and hopefully have everything we've been fighting for at long last.”

Those words had lingered with their loved ones as preparations were finished and they were ready to board, but before they started to join the queue for security, Ivy had stopped them one last time, surprising them both with little friendship bracelets with colored beads representing everyone in their little found family.

“I know this may not seem like much,” she told them, “but consider it my way of saying that the both of you deserve nothing but the best, after everything you've gone through and how much you've given just so any of us... especially myself... can even be where we are now. You are exactly what your tag team name says you are, and that means you not only deserve to be champions again after Sunday, but you both deserve to be free to decide where to go next. If they start to make you forget that... hopefully... hopefully this will help remind you of that.”

It had been a touching gesture that had really stuck with Amelia and Luz on the entire flight over and as they'd gotten settled in and prepped for the trial. They had passed the time talking about it and all the other things their found family had gone out of the way to do in recent weeks in an effort to prove to them they were worth so much more than they may think of themselves sometimes. Gage had shared with them the public change of heart that Jacob Harrison seemed to have regarding his belief that they were imposters and how he'd seemingly abandoned the whole thing. Valentina had made a point of checking in on her sister's old bullies and had passed along that for as many of them who had claimed they were 'more worthy' to follow in her father's footsteps, none of them had actually succeeded in getting their foot in the door and many of them had actually realized they'd been huge jerks to her and were hoping to apologize someday. Beyond that, everyone had shared stories to them of what it meant to have Luz and Amelia in their lives, determined to make sure they never found themselves lost to that darkness ever again if they could help it.

All of it had actually inspired the couple to come up with a few ideas for how they could make sure those efforts were publicly acknowledged, an endeavor that had led to them sinking quite a bit of time into a video game they hadn't touched in a little while which only fueled their ideas and helped remind them of the kind of life they were hoping to have when all of this was set and done.

It had served as a great distraction to help clear their heads about what was on the horizon, and with plans in place to try and make their message loud and clear at Rise to Greatness, that only left one last obstacle to clear.

It hadn't been a surprise when they'd felt an oppressive atmosphere all around them upon entering the courtroom, especially considering its source. As Darius and Evie led them to their seats right behind team of prosecutors they'd been working with, both women turned to the counsel table to meet the cold and furious glares of Aleister and Ophelia. Adrian had shot a glare in their direction as well, but he had quickly turned his attention away to focus on frantically trying to organize his notes. Amelia could pick up almost instantly on the fact that her parents had likely increased the pressure on him to fix the blunder he'd made, and whatever notes he had were no doubt their ammunition to try and either spin her and Luz's words in their favor or try and perhaps drag them down as well in a last ditch effort to gain some sort of victory out of this.

The pressure had been relieved somewhat when the judge had entered the courtroom and directed everything to get things in motion. Anyone who knew the legal system in the UK knew that Circuit Judge Martyn Barklem was a man who could both bring a lot of levity and command a lot of respect in his courtrooms, his vast experience and understanding being why he had been sworn in to this role all the way back in 2012 and remained here ever since. The look in his eyes as he turned his attention to the defendants was clear as things got underway: he was in no mood for fun and games today.

“Mr. Verner,” he spoke, “you have held up this trial for almost a month, claiming that you needed the time to deliver proof that your clients are innocent of the charges they stand accused of. And yet, it is to my understanding that those who have brought these charges against your clients have managed to secure the cooperation for the testimonies you promised to deliver. What do you have to say about this?”

“Your Honour Judge Barklem,” Adrian rose to a stand, a nervous laugh in his voice. “I can assure you that the testomonies that will be heard here today will still paint a very clear picture of my clients' innocence and that these circumstances are only the result of the authorities simply speaking with them first. It is hardly the fault of myself or my clients that the witnesses in question have been very busy lately...”

“Something you also failed to inform this court of, I believe,” Judge Barklem responded before Adrian could speak any further. “Consider yourself lucky that your attempts to delay this trial have created enough leeway for us to be able to rearrange the schedule and accommodate everyone involved, otherwise you would have been held in contempt.”

Adrian simply nodded in acknowledgment before slumping back down into his seat, grumbling something to himself. Aleister, who sat right next to him, offered no sign of support or concern, just an annoyed scoff.

“Your Honour Judge Barklem,” one of the prosecutors said as he rose to a stand. “In the interest of wasting no more of the valuable time of anyone in this room, may we proceed to call the last of our two witnesses?”

“You may,” the judge allowed.

“In that case, I would like to call La Pequeña Luz to the stand.”

Luz nodded as she stood up from her seat and started to move towards the witness stand. Before she got too far, she was stopped as Amelia grabbed her hand, the two of them engaging in a silent conversation that amounted to Amelia nodding and showing faith in her beloved. Luz's eyes slowly moved down to their joined hands, seeing Ivy's friendship bracelets tucked beneath the sleeves of their respective suitcoats as she returned Amelia's smile. On her way up to the stand, she glanced over and almost let out an audible sigh at the very clear disgust in the glare Opehlia was giving her, almost as if her stare alone would somehow cause the luchadora to combust into flames on the spot and prevent her from saying what she needed to say. Unfortunately for her, Luz settled into the stand with no sign of any flames igniting as she was asked to repeat the witness affirmation.

“I, La Pequeña Luz, do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare-”

“Objection!” Adrian shot up out of his chair like a jack-in-the-box. “Your Honour Judge Barklem, 'La Pequeña Luz' is not her full legal name, it's her wrestling name! If she's going to swear the affirmation, she must do so properly or her statement cannot be trusted!”

Amelia had to suppress a growl as she glared at the scumbag from her seat, taking note of the smug grin her father was wearing in contrast to the death glare her mother had refused to cease giving Luz. Evie wasn't as quiet about this next to her, but a hand on her shoulder from Darius kept her from doing anything rash. Amelia honestly couldn't say she was surprised after all this time and every underhanded thing her parents had done to maintain any semblance of superiority for all these years, and attempting to force Luz to break her oath as a luchador felt like only the beginning of this game.

Amelia glanced up at Luz, who met her gaze and offered a reassuring smile as she folded her hands.

“Your Honour Judge Barklem,” Luz carefully said, having been given the full run-through beforehand of how to properly address the judge in this country's court because of his status. “Lucha libre is such an important part of my culture in Mexico that it transcends the wrestling ring and has become a part of everyday life. For that reason, until the day comes where I either choose to upon my retirement or am forced to by losing a match where it is at stake, La Pequeña Luz is, as far as the public is concerned, my legal name, and the government of Mexico recognizes that.”

“The government of the United Kingdom certainly does not!” Adrian retaliated, but Luz seemed to be prepared as she motioned to the prosecutors and one of them pulled out some paperwork that was ultimately handed to the judge. He gave them a thorough look-through for a minute before locking eyes with Adrian, who practically shrank under the gaze.

“Mr. Verner,” he stated, unamused, “you do not have the authority to speak on what is or isn't recognized by our government or the crown. In this courtroom, that is up to my determination and mine alone. These documents I've been handed do, in fact, verify Miss Luz's claim that her wrestling identity is recognized as her current full legal name for the purpose of all public appearances. Miss Luz, I apologize for the interruption, and would like to ask you to resume your affirmation, if you please.”

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief as the documents were returned to the prosecution team and Adrian angrily sat back down, and she could see her father silently berate the man for a failure that, honestly, was probably more his fault for coming up with the idea than it was his lawyer. Still, Luz finished giving her affirmation before the prosecutor who had called her to the stand approached.

“Miss Luz,” he started, “could you tell the court about your relationship with Aleister and Ophelia Blythe.”

“Well,” Luz replied, “I am currently engaged to their youngest daughter and they would become my in-laws once we finally have our wedding. Beyond that, I have come to know them over the course of the past five or so years through interactions while I have been both a fellow wrestler to, and in a relationship with, Amelia.”

“And how would you describe your interactions with them?” she was asked next.

“Miserable,” she bluntly stated, taking note of Ophelia's nostrils flaring in response to the truth. “Ophelia and Aleister never once approved of me being in their daughter's life at all, not just as her partner in a wrestling or romantic sense. They have never hidden how much they believe themselves superior and believed their daughter could, and I quote, 'do so much better' than me purely because of the fact that I am Latina. In both wrestling and in general, they have tried for years to remove me from Amelia's life.”

“How so?” the prosecutor asked.

Luz took a deep breath before she began listing off the various schemes Amelia's parents had attempted over the years, some of which were familiar to any wrestling fans in the courtroom who were only just now realizing the angle regarding that was anything but, though most of them were focused specifically on a lot of the attempts that had been made after the couple had returned to SCW. She held nothing back as she recounted each and every attempt, not bothering to hide her disdain for any of it despite her usual cherry demeanor, and the jury looked more and more appalled with each new example given.

Through it all, Luz and Amelia both noted that Adrian was growing more and more panicked while Aleister looked about ready to break the counsel table in half. Ophelia, however, just maintained her hateful glare.

“There is one incident that stands out above the rest to me personally, however,” Luz began to wrap up, “besides the time when Aleister actually held the both of us and some of our friends at gunpoint after we had just finished a show.”

“An incident we do have documented through prior testimony,” Judge Barklem confirmed, “but thank you for further verifying its legitimacy.”

“I mentioned earlier about how sacred lucha libre and everything about it is to the culture of my home country of Mexico,” Luz continued. “While serving The Empire, Aleister and Ophelia were part of the conspiracy to sabotage my identity through an imposter that they had personally trained. While this imposter and I have since resolved the matter on our own terms, said imposter proceeded to do everything in her power to ruin and disgrace my name and my mask, and while Caleb White may have been the man calling the shots on that particular scheme, it never would have gotten off the ground if Aleister and Ophelia hadn't willingly trained her to become a wrestler in the first place.”

With no further questions and feeling satisfied with everything Luz had said, the prosecutor thanked her before returning to his seat. With the judge's approval, Adrian now stood up, as recomposed as he could possibly be despite the sweat still visibly rolling down his face.

“So, Luz,” he grinned. “How can you possibly confirm that last statement of yours, that my clients 'willingly' trained this so-called doppelganger of yours to try and ruin your reputation? How do you know that this person simply wasn't trained by anyone else with a similar style?”

“Because first of all,” Luz responded, “Amelia was trained by her parents and she's been teaching me ever since we first started teaming together, so I know what to look for. And secondly, they admitted on camera, in front of the entire world, the pride they felt at personally training my doppelganger to serve The Empire and be, and I quote, 'exactly the kind of wrestler that could represent the Blythe name and style for the greater good.' Despite it all being in the name of The Empire, not once did they mention The Empire directly in that entire speech.”

“She made for a much better and more appropriate wrestler than you ever did,” Ophelia audibly spat, “even though your kind doesn't deserve to desecrate the sport or this world with anything you-”

“Mrs. Blythe!” Judge Barklem sternly cut her off. “Mr. Verner, I'd advise you to control your client before she speaks out of turn again.”

Ophelia's only response to this was to stand up, which prompted the bailiff to put himself between her and the witness stand. Adrian quickly moved to try and get her to sit back down, with Luz and Amelia audibly hearing him ask “What do you think you're doing?” and a hushed argument breaking out between them about whether or not he had the situation under control. Luz bit her bottom lip at how unhinged Ophelia was starting to look.

“Enough! Order in this courtroom!” the judge roared, immediately silencing everyone. “Mr. Verner, since it seems like you cannot control your client, then I'm afraid for the safety of Miss Luz that you are going to have to forfeit your right to any further questioning, unless there is anything more she needs to share.”

“I've said my piece,  Your Honour Judge Barklem,” Luz confirmed, and with his approval she stepped down from the stand and quickly moved back to her seat, escorted by another bailiff when Ophelia looked like she was going to attempt to make a move towards her. Amelia immediately pulled Luz into a hug once she returned, staring down her mother in the process.

“I didn't think she'd lose her composure like that,” Darius admitted in surprise.

“Neither did I,” Luz agreed. “I know she and Aleister hate me, but I would've figured they'd be more composed given the circumstances.”

“Hopefully my turn goes just as smoothly,” Amelia mumbled.

“It will, mi amor,” Luz replied, giving her a kiss to help ease her nerves.

It took several minutes, but ultimately Ophelia seemed to calm down and order was restored, though not without one final warning from the judge to the defendants about the outburst. The couple could see a quiet argument ignite between her and Adrian, with Aleister chiming in to seemingly back up his wife, but that conversation ended pretty quickly when Amelia was called to the stand and asked to give her affirmation.

“I, Amelia Blythe, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

“Miss Amelia,” the prosecutor began, “you are the daughter of the defendants, is that correct?”

“It is,” Amelia confirmed.

“What was it like to be their daughter?”

“It...” Amelia started, only to feel herself freezing up as she met her father's glare. She'd seen it time and time again, that clear and painful disappointment in his eyes. She knew it should mean nothing to her anymore, but clearly he knew how she'd react to it as his lips slowly curled into a smirk, expecting her to fall in line and see Adrian's original plan through.

As she lowered her gaze, almost in a symbol of obedience to the silent command, her eyes glued themselves to the friendship bracelet, the reminder of the friend that her parents had separated her from and all the pain and hardship that followed. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve and lifted her defiant gaze back to her parents.

“It was a living hell,” she said resolutely, causing the members of the jury to murmur to one another as Aleister's smirk fell. “I was never a daughter to them... just an extension of our family name, the next link in the proverbial chain. I was meant to be their 'perfect prodigy' and nothing more. I had no say in how my life was supposed to go, even when I was legally an adult. I had to be the top of my class, who I could associate with was decided for me... even the concept of losing a wrestling match deemed me a failure in their eyes.”

“What happened if you couldn't live up to such expectations?” the prosecutor asked carefully.

“They... abused me,” she choked out. “My father had no qualms about treating me, when I was still a child, like an adult opponent in the ring to make sure I 'understood' how to apply our family's signature submission hold. My mother has hit me, refused to allow me to eat... on my 7th birthday, they blackmailed me into cutting ties with my best friend, all because she had two fathers. Luz told you about all the racist remarks they've made about her... something she didn't get the chance to mention was how homophobic my parents are as well, the mere thought of two people of the same gender being in a relationship disgusting them. All of that was just as much a reason why they didn't want me to associate with Luz, why they saw her defeating me in the ring as the ultimate failure, why they wanted so badly to 'cure' me of the 'disease' of being a lesbian. In that regard... it's no wonder why they joined Caleb and his Empire.”

“According to the defense, Aleister and Ophelia Blythe were manipulated by Caleb into joining his cult,” the prosecutor noted, mostly as a reminder to everyone present of the main reason why this trial was happening in the first place.

“They were never manipulated,” Amelia spoke defiantly, giving her parents a look that almost dared them to try and deny the next words out of her mouth. “They'd been working with Caleb in the name of furthering their own fortunes and names long before The Empire was ever even a concept. Before I was even born, they willingly signed a contract with him to place me into an arranged marriage with his own heir-”

“Because we knew you'd be an absolute disappointment if we let you make any decisions for yourself, and lo and behold, we were right!” Ophelia yelled as she stood up, her chair being knocked to the floor in the process.

“Mrs. Blythe, I've warned you-” Judge Barklem tried to cut in.

“No, I know exactly how this is going to go!” Ophelia screamed. “Our incompetent lawyer bungled the one job we asked him to do, my daughter is going to keep spinning this sob story and my husband and I are going to be put away for trying to be better parents than anybody in this courtroom could ever possibly hope to be!”

“Ophelia!” Aleister growled as he stood up and grabbed his wife before turning to glare at his daughter. “You really think this is going to accomplish anything Amelia? That you and that filthy mongrel sitting over there are going to get your happy ending? That the both of you are going to walk into your big wrestling show this weekend, the one that this very court bent over backwards for and proved how biased it truly is, and the both of you aren't going to embarrass yourselves?”

“All you've ever been in as embarrassment to our family name!” Ophelia shrieked as she tried to pull away from her husband, but by this point the bailiffs had enough and moved in to drag the both of them out of the courtroom.

“That's enough! I will have order!” Judge Barklem called over the chaos.

“I apologize, Your Honour Judge Barklem,” Amelia said, bowing her head to him as he turned to look down at her.

“You were simply giving your testimony, Miss Blythe,” he told her.

“No,” Amelia shook her head before turning to look at her parents one last time as Adrian pleaded desperately with them to calm down. “It won't be Miss Blythe for much longer... and after everything Luz and I have shared with the court today, I have no regrets about taking her last name and being a Blythe no longer once we finally tie the knot.”

Ophelia's response was an ear-piercing shriek as she spiraled even further, but neither she nor Aleister were afforded any chance to try and break through the human wall that had formed between them and the two people they seemed fully willing to take down with them by any means necessary. Adrian could only watch in disbelief as his clients tore apart any hope they may have had at somehow salvaging this if they had just let him do his job, even as they accosted him for being at fault for allowing this to happen in the first place before they were finally removed from the room. As the judge called for a recess to decide how to continue from here, he shot one last glare in the direction of Amelia and Luz as the former walked back over to her future wife before he removed himself to deal with his clients.

“You did great, querida,” Luz told Amelia as she held her close, feeling her trembling in her arms.

“I wasn't going to let them have their way... not this time,” Amelia shakily said. “I wish it didn't have to be like this, but...”

“They deserve it,” Darius told them both.

“They were never going to be the parents you deserved to have Amelia,” Evie sadly nodded in agreement. “But I doubt you'll ever have to worry about their threats ever again after today.”

“I'm just... surprised at how this went down,” Amelia admitted. “I wasn't expecting my parents to...”

“Truth be told, I could tell the mere idea of possibly losing everything they believe they deserved and built for themselves was causing them to slowly unravel as this trial went on.”

All eyes turned in surprise as Judge Barklem had stepped down and approached them.

“Your Honour Judge Barklem,” Amelia said breathlessly.

“Please,” he held up his hand. “Court isn't in session at the moment, so I won't be offended if you break formality.”

“I think we've known for a long time that Amelia's parents were control freaks, but...” Luz openly pondered.

“I could see they were struggling to control some of their outbursts the more evidence was presented against them, despite their lawyer's best efforts to argue against them,” the judge revealed. “In hindsight, I shouldn't have humored Mr. Verner's attempts to stall this trial for so long, but I had hoped that a lengthy break from the proceedings might help them regain their composure when we resumed. Unfortunately, I had hoped for too much by the look of things, and I apologize on behalf of the entire circuit judiciary for any danger you may have found yourselves in here today.”

“Honestly?” Luz admitted. “After everything we've been through, I can't say that something like this wasn't out of the ordinary.”

“It's still shocking to see my parents fall apart just like that all over a lack of control,” Amelia repeated.

“I know Aleister grew a little unhinged when he was imprisoned for holding you all at gunpoint,” Darius revealed uncertainly, but I guess the man I thought I knew a long time ago really did lose himself to the idea of everything he had going for him if he just maintained control.”

“Will these two be needed any more?” Evie asked Judge Barklem, who shook his head.

“They've testified, and even if Mr. Verner feels entitled to a chance for cross-examination at this point, I think the jury already has their verdict and anything beyond this point is a formality. There's no reason to keep them any longer, especially if any harm could come to them.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Luz and Amelia both said.

“Thank you both for agreeing to come here today, despite everything that happened,” the judge responded before sighing. “I can promise you that this is not how trials are supposed to go, but if it's any consolation... I'd like to wish you both the best of luck at your show this Sunday.”

With nods exchanged, the judge headed off to speak with his one of his bailiffs on the situation regarding the Blythes, but Luz and Amelia didn't bother to spare the two of them any more thought as Darius and Evie guided them back to their hotel so they could pack up and prepare for arguably the biggest night of their lives to date.

It hurt to think about how everything had gone down as the couple ultimately made their way to St. Louis to reunite with everyone and put Rise to Greatness at the forefront of their focus. How this had gone down conflicted with how they thought it would go in their heads, but it also helped them to remember and fully understand that nothing is ever truly set in stone and things don't always go how you want or think they'll go. That had happened with their road to get to this point, after all, and they had still hopefully gained something they truly wanted out of all of this: Amelia's parents no longer being a threat to them in any form and finally paying for all the atrocities they'd committed over the years.

They knew there was still work to be done, though... after all, getting to this point was only the first step.

The next one? With any luck, earning back the World Tag Team Titles for a third time and silencing any doubt, especially their own, that they well and truly belong in the conversation as perhaps one of the greatest tag teams in SCW history.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Gateway Arch, arguably the most recognizable landmark that everyone immediately associates with the city of St. Louis, Missouri, is where we find ourselves today. Often billed as “The Gateway to The West,” the historic landmark has garnered a lot of symbolism over the years in various different forms, and we're getting the honor of seeing this impressive sight early in the morning as the sun is beginning to rise, standing tall and proud in silhouette against the dawn of a brand new day and reflecting that golden light as we move closer, inviting us through to explore all that the city has to offer. As we do close in, however, we pick up the sound of music, which feels odd given how early in the morning it must be. Sure enough, the source turns out to be an old boombox with a cassette playing in it, churning out a tune that we can feel in our bones.

“All out, in practice
Get back on axis
Oh a seamless loop of seeds and sand
A timeless tide keeps pulling you under
All else turns to rain
Fall back in and find the exit
There’s no one else to blame
Can you give me all that you’ve got”

As we look around, we find two figures that seem to be taking in the music along with the incredible sight of the city bathed in the golden light of dawn, looking like they're fresh off of finishing a workout. It's hard to tell at the moment how close this was filmed to the day of Rise to Greatness, but one thing is clear: Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz are focused like we've perhaps never seen before. As the boombox continues to belt out lyrics that we can just feel line up with where The Light In The Darkness are mentally right now, we watch as they both take deep breaths before sharing a kiss filled with all the love and passion that has come to define them up to this point. They don't look ashamed, or embarrassed, or even broken or doubting themselves in any way, and that doesn't change as they seem to realize our presence and part only so Luz can lean down and turn off the music, giving them the chance to absorb the peace and quiet of the busy city before the day truly gets underway as she steps back beside her beloved, joining hands with her as their forms are further illuminated by the rising sun.

“Rise to Greatness is almost upon us, and we know that many of you have questions... questions about us, whether or not we're ready for this, where our heads are at, and so on. It's hard for us to ignore any of that considering how the road to get to this point has gone for us, but in a way, it ultimately makes a lot of sense. Nothing is ever easy in SCW, and we should have never expected that it would ever be as simple as walking into the biggest show of SCW's calendar year and defending our titles against a team that many would consider the greatest question we haven't answered yet. We found ourselves questioning if we truly belonged here, if we were really good enough... it's easy to try and shove all of that to the back of your mind and forget it even exists because anybody who tells you there isn't a single doubt in their mind when they step into that ring, we can confirm they're lying to you. It's in our nature as humans to have those doubts, those fears... but Amelia and I will be the first to openly and honestly admit that our doubts will always define who we are and how we approach this business, whether we like it or not.”

“When you saw us walk into CHBK's office several weeks ago and ask to prove ourselves by going through the entire roster to earn the right to pursue championship gold ever again, Luz and I were dead serious and more than willing to endure such a gauntlet, no matter how absurd the whole idea might sound to any of you. We've made it no secret that our respective upbringings were not as pleasant as we wished they could have been, but one thing that I think many often overlook in stories like ours is the lasting trauma that never truly goes away even as we get older and find ourselves in healthier surroundings. Between everything my parents expected of me and the ways I was punished if I didn't live up to such impossibly high standards, the bullying Luz endured from children her age who refused to believe that she would ever be capable of amounting to anything, much less following in her father's footsteps... perhaps even the expectations that some of you have for us given what we've accomplished so far in SCW and hope to keep accomplishing. Anyone else in the position we found ourselves in might be able to brush themselves off, pick themselves back up and waste no time in trying to rebound even knowing that history was made at their expense... but that's not how our brains are hardwired at this point, especially when we've refused to be anything other than who we truly are in front of all of you.”

“That night wasn't our greatest moment, but CHBK wasn't wrong when he told us that we had proven ourselves to be one of the top tag teams in all of professional wrestling and that was what he wanted for Rise to Greatness, regardless of how the World Tag Title match now looked without us as the champions. He was blunt with us... which is exactly what we needed in that moment to wake up and realize just how bad this whole issue truly was. Alex, thank you for the wake-up call we so desperately needed, because you're right: being the final victims of two brand new Supreme Champions bothered us on a level we can't even describe, and the arrow of time doesn't change its course once it's fired. But that doesn't mean we can't still take control of our destinies and decide for ourselves how our story ends, because when you really think about it... no matter how much Katie wants to present this whole thing as her grandest presentation, or Glory wants to remind the world of how tall she's stood time and time again, the two of us have always been at the very heart of this matter, and this match that awaits us is proof of that.”

“SCW didn't have to give us another chance after our first run was derailed only a few matches in due to injuries, but they took that gamble and we have busted our behinds to make sure they would never regret it. It's been almost two whole years since we announced our return to the entire world, and look at everything we've done in that time span. We've both held the Television Championship, we're former two-time World Tag Team Champions together, we competed in and won SCW's first ever twelve-person tag match, we've stood toe-to-toe with some of the greatest teams to ever set foot in an SCW ring like the House of Frost and Dark Fantasy, putting on such an incredible show that it helped to reignite the fires of tag team wrestling and show the world that SCW was the place to be if you wanted to prove yourself as one of the best tag teams in the business today. All the new teams that have come to SCW to try and stake their claim, every team that has formed or stepped up in this past year... we really don't want to sound egotistical about this, but we'd like to believe we had a hand in all of this being where it is today, not because it was necessary but because we wanted to put in the work to show the world what tag team wrestling is all about and how much it truly means to us. We laid the groundwork for what we wanted to accomplish, and SCW simply responded in kind by providing the challenge.”

“It was never going to be easy, and we've both faced our fair share of setbacks that have rocked us, but at the end of the day... we're still here, fighting for the chance to dictate our story.”

“And yeah, there's the argument that we may be too nice to be doing this... but when you look back on all that we've accomplished since coming back in spite of that, is it really a flaw that proves anything?”

The couple stand there for a moment, almost as if they're waiting for a rebuttal they know they won't actually get. Maybe the response they're awaiting is meant to come from the doubts they've both admitted still linger in their minds, but it doesn't change how focused and energized they seem to be in the slightest. If anything, we watch as they take another deep breath of the early morning air before glancing around at the arch that towers over them.

“The Gateway Arch means a lot of different things to a lot of different people... to us, walking through it symbolizes the steps we're willingly taking towards improving ourselves in every aspect, from how we view ourselves to what we're willing to do to evolve with the shifting tides of SCW as this journey continues. After all, we'd been telling everyone we've faced to step up and give us their absolute best, and sooner or later what had been working for us for so long was going to be figured out. That's what Team Desire did on that fateful Breakdown the night of June 20th, and we thank Katie and Gigi for redirecting our road to this moment because it gave us the chance to take a step back after we got our heads screwed back on straight and re-evaluate how approach. Before any of you begin to worry, you can rest assured that nothing has changed as far as who we are is concerned. Our light may dim, but it will never be swallowed by the darkness completely. But there is a lot we can still improve upon, and one of the first things we've truly realized because of all of this... is just how much we've truly been taken advantage of time and time again because of who we are.”

“Katie and Gigi may never admit to it, but CHBK wasn't wrong when he pointed out how much the two of you took advantage of where we were at all those weeks ago. Maybe against our better judgment because we knew it was only right to properly defend those titles when we hadn't done so at Taking Hold of the Flame, you challenged us at just the right moment and took advantage of how divided our focus still was... and now, here we stand, champions no more. Congratulations again Katie on achieving Supreme Champion status... as much as we mean it when we say that, though, now the question truly becomes where your focus lies. Perhaps the two of you repeated our mistake in worrying so much about Rise to Greatness and what you want it to be, because that loss last Breakdown to the Dangerous Minds? Even if you managed to leave St. Louis with those titles, you have to know that now you're in the crosshairs and you've got one team that can already stake a claim to having the next shot against you. This doesn't seem like something we should be telling the both of you considering how long you've been in this business and everything you both have accomplished up to this point, but... everybody makes mistakes. Again, we're only human.”

“And yes, that does include the both of you. No matter how much you consider yourselves royalty or goddesses, you're still truly human and all of this could end in the blink of an eye if you take your eye off the ball. That's what happened with us, focusing so much on trying to prevent history at our expense again that we let ourselves become a self-fulfilling prophecy. At Rise to Greatness, we know better now. We know that you're not the same Team Desire that we've beaten several times before, we know you're ready for what we bring to the table, and you've made it clear that you think this is ultimately about repeating that mistake of overlooking the both of you just because of who else is in this match. No, you two... all eyes are on you, just like you truly wanted. You may think this is your movie, that you call the shots, but you aren't the only ones who can write a plot twist, and the longer you assume that nothing has changed in the few weeks we've been without those titles, the more you've already bought so much into your own hype that this movie might not have the happy ending you two are hoping for.”

“Maybe this isn't how you truly wanted any of this to go. Maybe you were certain that once the two of you dethroned us that The Light In The Darkness would no longer be in the picture, that you were free to forget about us and move on. Perhaps, in your ideal movie, you would've gotten that wish. But we honestly have to ask... if Luz and I hadn't pushed ourselves to do what we've done for SCW's tag team division, if we weren't the kind of people who wore our hearts on our sleeves and gladly accepted any challenge even if it wasn't in our best interest in hindsight, then would the two of you have even tried to make this happen in the first place? For as important as this was to Katie, for as much as Gigi's been wanting to prove herself, it's hard to ignore how convenient it all is that the two of you didn't step up to the plate when the titles belonged to the Frosts or Dark Fantasy or even Twisted & Sadistic. Admit it, Team Desire was inspired by The Light In The Darkness, and deep down it scares you that we've managed to put in so much work in a comparatively short amount of time. Maybe neither one of us will ever reach Supreme Champion status, certainly not to the level that Katie has or Gigi still could one day... and we'd be alright with that, because we can stand here right now and acknowledge the impact we've had on SCW thus far and how much work we can still do, regardless of where our story goes next. And if that road should lead us away from the tag division to pursue other opportunities around here... can the two of you truly hold down the fort like we have?

The same question can be asked of Twisted & Sadistic.”


Amelia and Luz exchange looks, any hints of a smile starting to fade now. Something about the sight is a little unnerving, especially when juxtaposed against the scene around them and the way they'd addressed the champions just moments ago. There's no hint of doubt or concern, but a closer look almost makes it clear that there's some sense of frustration they're struggling to manage, and hints of it linger even when they seem to have calmed themselves down enough to continue.

“You want to know something funny? I spoke earlier about how much the two of us have been gaslit in one form or another throughout our lives, manipulated and made to feel as though we were never meant to get to where we are now and having to fight to prove otherwise in spite of how it affected us. Even now, we've found ourselves constantly having to fend off attempts to get into our heads and dictate our actions by outside forces with ill intentions. But while the news may cover those incidents, one that flew so far under the radar that even we missed it after all this time was the machinations of Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan. While we know the latter would probably take pride in that, perhaps the former either didn't realize how much she was stringing us along or thought it was too well hidden beneath the respect she constantly said she had for us. Make no mistake, both of you: we do respect what you both are capable of in that ring. If that wasn't the case, then we wouldn't have willingly fought alongside you at Taking Hold of the Flame when we really didn't have to, or be so focused on preparing for the two-on-two match we thought we'd have with you that Team Desire took advantage and caught us.”

“How did you respond to our defeat, by the way? If I'm remembering correctly, your disappointment over not getting to face us at first was pretty brief, because despite the mountain you made out of a molehill, at the end of the day this was never about proving anything against us, it was about the two of you becoming World Tag Team Champions once again. The only reason we were important wasn't just because we had what you wanted, but because even during the few weeks you had usurped us as champions, everyone still saw Amelia and I as the heart of the tag team division, still giving our blood, sweat and tears to not only build ourselves back up but keep elevating everything and everyone around us in the process. We were caught in the middle of the beef you had with Dark Fantasy all because despite what it meant for the both of you to be World Tag Team Champions, we couldn't be brushed aside as everyone waited with bated breath to see if, when and how we'd choose to invoke our rematch.”

“And when we did and won back the titles, that's where the real problems started. We all know the story by now: Twisted & Sadistic raise issues about the fact that they lost the titles without actually being beaten, which we won't argue with, but you did so knowing you'd get our attention so you could dictate how you could try to get those titles back. Honestly, it probably would have worked had Chance and Kelsai not been so aggressive about calling their shot. We tried to find a solution that would appease everyone... which didn't appease you and led to the two of you causing chaos, and even when we stood our ground and told you we weren't giving in to your antics, you still had exactly what you wanted. You had an opportunity to quickly get back to the front of the line, and that's exactly where you ended up. You earned it, we're not going to deny that, but what happened next? That title match got pushed back because some of the teams you attacked on your rampage weren't so willing to let it end just because you survived the consequences of your actions. We interjected ourselves, knowing that if we left you to your fate then you'd criticize our integrity and use it as an excuse if you didn't get what you wanted again.”

“For months, Twisted & Sadistic played us like a fiddle, and whether you did it knowingly or actually didn't mean to, that's exactly what happened. We've been at the heart of everything the two of you have done for so long, all the way back to Glory beating Amelia last year for the Television Title and only needing that one missing piece of the Supreme Champion puzzle, a goal that you knew full well would mean crossing paths with us again. We wouldn't go as far as to say that there would be no Twisted & Sadistic without The Light In The Darkness, but whether you admit to it or not, we've been stuck cleaning up your messes for months, doing our part to try and allow for us to determine, once and for all, who is truly better between us with no excuses... a courtesy we doubt you would have offered us if the roles were reversed. We saw it when you tried to move on from us so quickly after we lost the titles weeks ago, and we should've seen it sooner when we think back to the tag team turmoil last year where this whole dance between our two teams really heated up. After all, you pinned the fact that you two were eliminated by Bree and Datura—proof that the two of you are not as unbeatable as you believe yourselves to be—on the fatigue of having gone through multiple opponents before that point, only to turn around and brush us off when we could rightfully make the exact same argument.”

Both women look up at the arch once again, taking in the progress of the sky now that the sun has risen enough that we can hear people in St. Louis beginning their days all around them. They turn to look at one another before the smiles return, and Luz proceeds to walk back over to the boombox. Instead of grabbing it, however, she instead ejects the cassette tape it was playing before she steps back, with Amelia taking her hand as they both hold up the tape for all to see.

“At Rise to Greatness, there will be no more games. There will be no more excuses. This is about as level a playing field as you can get. Elimination rules means two teams will have to fall for one to stand tall. Team Desire is vulnerable after being upset last Breakdown. Twisted & Sadistic, despite what you two might think, are more vulnerable than you realize based on what we did see in that match before it was interrupted. And us? We're vulnerable too... we did go through an Underground Rules makes just two weeks ago, after all, despite our victory. We know that no matter how you frame it, Amelia and I have been at the very heart of all of this since the beginning. We know what we mean to SCW and its tag division, and you better believe we're going to fight like hell to remind all four of you exactly why everyone still associates us with the renaissance of tag team wrestling on the stage where it matters most.”

“We're not perfect, but nobody is. The difference is that we proudly wear every chip and crack that makes us who we are, because it's proof that no matter what about us you see as a weakness, it hasn't truly stopped us yet and it's not going to anytime soon. We know the role we play now, and we know what we need to do if we're going to dethrone Team Desire and prove that Twisted & Sadistic is not as invincible as they'd like to believe. Sunday night, right here in St. Louis, you all will hear our song, and you will understand exactly what makes us who we are and why we will be walking out of The Dome at America’s Center as your three-time SCW World Tag Team Champions, your heart and soul of tag team wrestling in SCW, and one of the very best teams to ever come together. We could put out the call to both teams to give us their very best... but we know by now to expect a war from all of you, and we plan on responding in kind.”

“After all, at the end of the day...”

“...it's the same old story.”

With one last nod to us, the couple take a bow before moving to retrieve the boombox and head back to their hotel, likely to get ready for what they know awaits them. As we watch them join up with a group of people that had been watching them from a distance in quiet support, it becomes more and more clear that any concerns about whether or not they're truly ready for this are unfounded. Even if Rise to Greatness doesn't turn out in their favor, they know where they stand and how much everyone believes in them, and perhaps, for right now, that's all they could ever ask for.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was when Luz and Amelia were in their locker room, getting dressed for the battle they knew they were in for, that they received word of another battle that was finally over.

A good luck text from Darius and Evie was accompanied by the news that Ophelia and Aleister Blythe had been found guilty not just for all the crimes they'd committed as part of The Empire, but also several new ones that had come to light because of Luz and Amelia's testimonies.

Both ladies almost wanted to cry, feeling the relief wash over them.

They were finally free...

Now, all there was left to do was to make the most of it.

With the last of their lingering distractions gone, for perhaps the first time ever, The Light In The Darkness marched to the ring without a doubt in their mind that they could truly do this.

And they weren't looking back.
[Image: uKMzpho.png]

Tag Team Record: 27-8*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 13-8
Amelia Blythe Nevado Solo Record: 9-7-1

*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 Nevado: 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 Nevado - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [3] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days) (3 - Current)
Interim SCW United States Championship (La Pequeña Luz - Current)
2024 Trios Tournament Winner (Amelia Blythe Nevado, w/ Xander Valentine and Billy Heaven Jr.)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)
2024 Tag Team of the Year


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