The Karate Tournament
by M.C.
High School girl enters her first Martial Arts Tournament

Twenty-two year old Joe Simon, a martial arts instructor and one of 
the organizers of the annual citywide karate tournament, sat at the 
table and stared up at the pretty 18 year-old girl in front of him. 
He swore she looked familiar but couldn't place her."Are you really 
sure you want to do this, Miss Thompson ? " he asked.  " Of course I 
am," she responded enthusiastically," why not ? This is what I've 
dreamed about doing for several years now... and you can call me 
Sally, Mr. Simon." Joe tookanother long look at her, still trying to 
figure where he knew her from. " Well, for starters, Ralph has never 
been defeated in a karate tournament - and he's beaten some of his 
opponents so badly that several of them even wound up in the hospital,
( he paused for a moment as if reflecting about something in the 
past... and then continued).According to your application here, you've 
only been studying martial arts for two years and this will be your 
very first tournament. Do you really think you're ready to take on the 
best, most feared karate expert in the city ? " Sally sighed, she had 
expected this." You're quite right about this being my first
tournament, Mr. Simon. But I feel I've got to begin somewhere so why 
not at the top. I do hold a black belt in Tae Kwon Do which qualifies 
me to enter the open category, doesn't it ? " Joe had to admit she was 
correct about that. In order to qualify for the open division of the 
tournament one had to hold at least a brown belt or higher; on that 
score she certainly fulfilled the requirement. " But since this is 
your first tournament, wouldn't you feel better in the 'women's 
division' or, perhaps, a lighter category in the open competition ? " 
Sally smiled at him; fully aware of what he was driving at. " Mr. 
Simon," she said politely," I appreciate your concern; I really do. 
But don't you think I'm old enough to decide which category I want to 
compete in ? And another thing,  if I don't compete in the heavyweight 
division...who will ?  Nobody else besides Ralph is even entered. 
You'll have to give Ralph the trophy without him fighting once. That 
hardly seems right to me." Again, Joe had to concede the point to her. 
Since Ralph Wilson first won the Martial Arts championship - four 
years ago - he's had no serious challengers for the crown. In fact, so 
feared a fighter was he that this year there wasn't even a single 
competitor entered in his division...until now that is. Joe wrestled 
with these thoughts for a few moments, looked up at the eager girl 
again and sighed." Very well Miss Thompson -  err Sally; although it's 
against my better judgment, you do have the necessary qualifications
for the open competition so I'll approve your application to fight in 
the open heavyweight division. But remember this...I did warned you."  
" Thank you Mr. Simon," she said graciously," I really do appreciate 
this...you're so sweet."

Sally paused for a moment, pondering exactly how to phrase what she 
wanted to say next. " Mr. Simon, how about we make a friendly little 
wager O.K.? " He stared at her in surprise. " What do you mean ? "  
" What I mean is this; if I beat this rough, tough fighter of yours, 
then you have to take me out to dinner; the restaurant of my choice.
If Ralph wins, then I promise I won't complicate your life anymore by 
entering another of your karate tournaments. Do we have a deal ? " Joe 
looked up at the smiling, pretty face of the 18 year-old brunette; he 
still couldn't stop thinking that he'd met her before somewhere. 
Although he had serious doubts about the wisdom of her competing 
against the most vicious fighter he had ever seen, there was indeed 
something special about her - something which he couldn't quite 
explain. "Very well then Sally...you have yourself a bet." She held 
out her hand to shake his and, as she did so, Joe was surprised by the 
strength of her grip. " Yours will be the feature event at tomorrow 
night's competition. You should be here no later than 7:00 P.M.," he 
told her. " I understand...I'll see you then." As she turned to leave 
the dojo, Joe felt he had to warn her one last time. " It's still not 
too late to back out of this you know." This was greeted by a girlish 
giggle. " Au contraire, Mr. Simon; I'm really looking forward to it. I 
expect to have a wonderful  time." Sally gave him a wink as she left 
the building.

The following evening began as expected. There were the usual 
preliminaries; quarter finals, semis and finals of the various weight 
categories. Through it all, Joe searched the audience - in vain - for 
Sally. Then, as the men's light - heavyweight finals were getting 
underway, he spotted a very attractive brunette entering the arena. 
Although he was one of the tournament's organizers, Joe left the 
combat area and made his way over to where Sally stood. " I was 
beginning to wonder if you'd show," he said as he greeted her. Sally 
smiled at him. " Of course silly, I wouldn't miss this for the world. 
Where can I change into my gi? " He led her into the changing room and 
she entered a small cubicle." You can remain in here while I change if 
you like, Mr. Simon...I'm not shy. " Although it was probably 
inappropriate for him to be there, Joe found himself unable toleave." 
I understand you tried to win heavyweight championship two years ago, 
didn't you Mr. Simon? " she asked from the inside." Well, yes I did," 
he answered shyly. " And Ralph beat you up so badly you had to go to 
the hospital, correct ? " Sally emerged from the changing room dressed 
in her karate gi; proudly showing off her black belt. " Yes, that's 
also true, I see you've done your research." He noticed she had a 
quiet, pensive look on her face. " Having second  thoughts now, are 
we? " That brought out another giggle." About the tournament you mean? 
Of course not. I just can't decide if I should wear my hair straight 
down like it is now or tie it back into a ponytail." Joe was stunned 
when he heard this. Here this young, inexperienced girl was about to 
fight the undefeated, four-time city karate champion for his title and 
all she seemed concerned about was her hair. " I think I'll wear it 
like it is," she said after a pause, " so that everyone will know for 
sure that I'm a girl. Well, I guess it's about time to make my 
entrance. Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the ring, Mr. 
Simon ? " As they left the changing room and headed back to the arena, 
Joe couldn't help but ask," Sally, I have this strange feeling that I 
know you from somewhere; have we met before ? " She stopped briefly 
and gave him a peculiar smile. " Perhaps we have, Mr. Simon...perhaps 
we have."

Because Sally was a late entry her name didn't appear on the program; 
nobody knew who Ralph would be fighting in defense of his title. When
the people in the audience saw the pretty girl - her long hair falling 
over her shoulders and down her back - approaching the ring, they grew 
very quiet. Could this be Ralph's opponent? This young girl was going 
to challenge the mighty Ralph Wilson for the city martial arts title; 
the man that nobody else had the courage to face? Ralph was already 
inside, loosening up and shadow boxing. He had an air of supreme 
confidence about him -  the feeling that comes from knowing you can 
not be beaten...that you're invincible. When he saw who his challenger 
was, he glared down at her with a look of utter contempt. If Sally was 
intimidated, she certainly didn't show it. Before entering the ring, 
Sally handed Joe her handbag, smiled and said in a surprisingly calm 
voice," well here goes nothing...wish me luck." Then she surprised him 
by planting a kiss on his cheek. Therewas a loud cheer from a group of 
high school girls in the crowd as Sally climbed into the ring. " Atta 
girl, Sally; show him what women can do ! You go girl ! " She waved 
over at her friends and giggled. Ralph was infuriated by all this. " 
" Just what the hell do you think this is, a girl scout meeting ?," he 
growled. Sally simply looked up at the much larger man and said, " my 
my; such rudeness. Looks like you need to be taught some manners tough 
guy." Joe couldn't believe his what he just saw. Here was the dreaded 
Ralph Wilson - towering over the smaller girl - trying his best to 
intimidate her and she was calmly teasing him back. Nobody does this 
to Ralph Wilson...nobody. Didn't she know what he was capable of doing 
to her ? Did she think he would take it easy on her just because she 
was a girl? Did she not understand that this was the city championship 
and that Ralph would stop at nothing to win another title ? Joe began 
to regret his decision to let her fight; in fact, he began to fear for
her life.

A  man entered the ring and announced in a loud voice," and now for 
the main event of the evening, the one you've all been waiting for -  
the martial arts heavyweight championship match; featuring the four-
time undefeated champion... Ralph Wilson ! " A chorus of boos went up 
from the audience. Ralph was not the most popular person around. His 
arrogance, coupled with his brutality in the ring, did not endear him 
to the public at large. Not that he seemed to care. In fact, the burly 
security guard and nightclub bouncer relished his reputation as a 
brawler and loved to intimidate people. He was, in short, a bully - 
and proud of it. "And the challenger...in her very first martial arts 
tournament, from Jefferson High School,18 year-old Sally Thompson ! " 
Now the crowd cheered as the pretty schoolgirl, obviously the underdog 
but very much the favorite with the audience, took a bow. "Very well 
then," the announcer bellowed," let's have a good, clean match; and 
may the best man...err make that person, win." Sally winked at Joe - 
who was standing nervously near the ring - and calmly strode out to 
face her opponent.

The bell sounded and the first round began. Ralph wasted no time and 
began attacking immediately, wanting to finish her off as soon as 
possible. He fired several rapid kicks and thrusts but, much to his 
surprise (and to the delight of the audience), the smaller girl easily 
blocked all of his blows. She even laughed as she noticed his 
frustration after his first attack failed. Again he charged her with a 
series of powerful kicks that would have flattened the girl...had they 
have connected. But Sally adeptly blocked these too with her amazingly 
quick hands. She didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to take the 
offensive at first, preferring to let Ralph do all the attacking while 
she remained on the defensive. Ralph, not used to having an opponent 
parley his blows as easily as Sally was doing - and laughing as she 
did so - quickly lost his cool. " Damn you, Bitch !," he screamed. He
then got careless and dropped his guard. In the blink of a eye, Sally 
whorled around and landed a perfect round house kick to the side of 
his face. The stunned man was sent back reeling and the crowd roared 
it's approval. " It's not nice to call a girl a bitch, Ralphie. It 
looks like I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, tee, hee, hee."

Infuriated now, the larger man again threw his six-foot three inch, 
220 pound frame at the five-foot six inch 135 pound girl; attacking 
her with vicious thrusts and kicks. But, try as he might,Sally easily 
blocked or avoided everything he threw at her. Just before the end of 
the first round, when she felt his attacks were weakening, Sally 
countered with several punches of her own. Her small but surprisingly 
hard fists landed squarely against his face. When the bell rang 
bringing the round to an end, Ralph was bleeding from the nose and had 
a slight swelling on his lip. " Rest up, sweetie pie; I'll see you in 
a minute." Sally went over to her corner and waved to the cheering 
crowd. She then sat down on her stool. "Mr. Simon, can you please give 
me my handbag ? " After he did so, she reached inside and pulled out 
her hairbrush. As Ralph watched from his corner, seething with rage, 
Sally comely brushed her long, pretty hair and smiled across at him." 
Well Mr. Simon, how am I doing so far ? " Joe  was too stunned to 
answer. When the bell to begin the second round rang, Sally rose and 
handed her hairbrush to him. " Here, hold this for me please... I've 
got some work to do." She winked at him again, before turning around 
to face Ralph.

As with the first round, the undefeated champion attacked from the 
start, hoping to land just one of his vicious blows and put this 
upstart in her place. But, just like the first round, Sally used her 
amazing speed to block or sidestep his thrusts. Joe, watching from the 
side, couldn't believe how relaxed and controlled she was...nor how 
good. She seemed to know exactly where he was going to strike and 
easily prevented him from doing so. By the middle of the round Ralph's 
attack slackened; which was her cue to take the offensive. Starting 
off with another perfectly placed kick to the side of his face, she 
then landed several blindingly fast thrusts into his mid-section which 
Ralph seemed powerless to stop. Another round house kick to his head, 
sent the four-time champion spinning around and back into the ropes. 
For some reason Sally didn't press her advantage. Instead, she allowed
him time to recover." I'm having such a good time," she giggled," it 
would be a shame to end this too soon. Come on, Ralphie, let's fight 
some more." 

Despite his now bruised jaw and bleeding nose, he attacked again. 
Sally allowed him to corner her against the ropes. For the last minute 
of the second round, she stood in the corner while he hurled 
everything he had at her. Punches and kicks that even the strongest of 
men couldn't stand up to. But this one 18 year-old girl blocked every 
one of them...with a smile on her pretty face. When the bell rang to 
end the second round, Ralph continued to throw punches, until he was 
restrained by the referee and sent back to his corner. " That was a 
lovely workout, Ralphie. Rest up now, you'll need your strength for 
the final round." Sally giggled as she returned to her corner. " Mr. 
Simon, I think I'm in a mood for Chinese food tonight."  " You haven't 
won yet," he cautioned. " I was just having fun with him up until now, 
Joey,(it was the first time she'd called him that, rekindling his 
memories that he'd met her before); now, it's time to get serious." 
There was a ominous tone in her voice when she said that, a tone that 
Joe hadn't heard before. "Clang ! " the bell for the third and final 
round rang out. "O.K. Mr. Wilson, the party's over...time to take care 
of business."

Ralph, somewhat more cautious than in the preceding rounds, reached 
the center of the ring; which is where Sally met him. " All right you 
big bully, I've toyed with you long enough, now let's get it on." 
After easily repelling his attack, the young woman launched an assault 
of her own. A series of lightning fast punches, followed by several 
well placed kicks sent the soon-to-be dethroned champion back against 
the ropes. Sally followed him there and - with the crowd cheering her 
on - delivered a devastating sequence of blows to his body and face. " 
You've had this coming to you for a long time. Now you're going to 
feel what it's like to be on the receiving end of a good beating."  
Her fists and feet flew so fast that Ralph was unable to defend 
against them. Never before had he faced such an assault. He was being 
totally outclassed - by an 18 year-old girl. As Sally battered the now 
helpless man around the ring, she smiled and waved to the audience; 
who loved every minute of it. She backed him into a corner -  where he 
was unable to escape - and began to pummel him at will. She sank her 
strong fists sank deep into his stomach. Her lightning fast kicks 
smashed hard against his head. She was using him for target practice 
and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. 

While she hammered the helpless man, Sally lectured him as to why she 
was punishing him so. " You're an arrogant bully, * WHAM *, that takes 
great pleasure, * SMASH *, in inflicting both pain and humiliation,* 
POW *, on others. It's about time, * SLAM *, that you got a taste of 
your own medicine,* WHACK*." Less than a minute remained in the third 
round. Ralph was defenseless, barely hanging on. Sally decided to end 
the match in style. She bent over and wrapped one of her arms around 
Ralph's leg and the other around his neck. As the crowd gasped in 
astonishment, the high school girl lifted the 220 pound man up over 
her shoulder. " Let's go for a spin , shall we ?," she giggled. Sally 
then began to turn around and around; faster and faster. She became a 
blur, like a figure skater at the end of her routine with her long 
hair flying out in all directions. The people in the audience began
to cheer rapturously. It was a sight none of those present would ever 
forget. Ralph, humiliated beyond belief, began to cry; few felt pity 
for him. Finally, Sally stopped spinning and stood in the center of 
the ring for a few moments -  still holding the sobbing, beaten Ralph 
on her shoulders... relishing her triumph. She then dropped him to the 
mat and placed one foot on his chest; flexing her muscles in the 
classic victory pose. " Well Ralphie, I hope you enjoyed this as much 
as I did. If you practice up, maybe we'll have a rematch next year, 
tee, hee, hee." As several tournament officials entered the ring 
to carry the battered ex - champion out (he would spend the next 
several days in the hospital, recovering from Sally's beating) the 
victorious girl then made her way back to her corner, where Joe stood 
with his mouth wide open. " Come on Joey, now you can escort me back 
to the changing room. I hope you haven't forgotten about our friendly 
little wager." She took him by the arm and, smiling and waving to her 
ecstatic fans, led him out of the arena.

Joe sat dumbfounded in the changing room while Sally showered. How 
could this young girl - in her very first martial arts tournament - 
destroy the seemingly unbeatable Ralph Wilson so easily? She toyed 
with him as if he were a child. " You're awfully quite out there 
Joey," she said from inside the shower," cat's got your tongue ? " 
After she emerged and got dressed, Sally gave him another kiss, on the 
lips this time. " It's time to collect my bet Joey, I'm starving." All 
through dinner the exuberant girl laughed and joked; enjoying her 
moment of triumph to the fullest.  " So Joey, still think I should 
have started out in the woman's division ?," she teased. " Sally, I 
apologies for that. You...you were amazing...totally awesome. You 
handled him like he was a beginner instead of the undefeated champion; 
I would never have believed that was possible." Sally giggled," Oh, it 
was nothing really. He wasn't so tough, just a lot of hot air...like 
all bullies."  She then remembered that Joe had been destroyed by 
Ralph two years earlier when he tried to win the title. " Oh,I'm so 
sorry Joe, I didn't mean any offence to you." Joe smiled," no offence  
taken; you were just too good for him that's all...and I wasn't."

After dinner Joe drove her home. " You live of Mill Street? I used to 
live there many years ago, before we moved across town." Sally began 
to giggle." What's so funny ? " She didn't answer, but he couldn't 
help but notice that peculiar smile of hers again. As he turned the 
corner and began to drive down Mill Street, Sally pointed to the 
fourth house on the right side." That's where you used to live Joey; 
and THAT - she pointed to the house next door - is where I live." He 
stopped the car and stared at her, dumbfounded. " You...you're...you 
can't be...can you ? Why I used to baby-sit you didn't I ? " Unable
to contain herself any longer, Sally burst out laughing. " That's 
right Joey, when I was twelve years old; and I have a confession to 
make, I've had a crush on you ever since."  She reached over and gave 
him another kiss. " Joey, I was at the championships two years ago 
when you fought Ralph for the title. After I watched the way he 
mercilessly beat you, I swore I'd avenge your defeat. That's when I 
began to study Tae Kwon Do. Tonight I gave him the beating he deserved 
for hurting you. Now, as fate would have it, my parents are away for 
the weekend; the house is all ours." Joe was still in something of a 
daze, trying to absorb what he just learned; that the little 12 year-
old girl he used to baby sit was now a full grown woman; who gave the 
mighty Ralph Wilson the beating of his life." I - I don't know, Sally. 
I...maybe we should wait...I mean..." Before he could say another 
word, Sally - finally fed up with his shyness - reached over and 
grabbed him firmly by collar of his shirt. " Now you listen here 
Joey," she began in a stern voice. " I just beat up the toughest man 
in this city; humiliated him and sent him to the hospital for you. 
I've waited six years for this opportunity and - one way or another - 
you're coming in with me. If you resist, I'll kick your ass and drag 
you  inside. In fact... ".  Driven by her passion, Sally suddenly 
yanked the love of her life completely out of his car. Despite the 
fact that he outweighed her by fifty pounds, she bent over and easily 
lifted him up over her shoulder. As she carried him towards the front 
door, Sally began to giggle. " Well, let's see now. I won the city 
martial arts championship, avenged your humiliation two years ago and 
got myself the man of my dreams. Not bad for one night I'd say, tee, 
hee, hee." She opened the door, carried Joe inside; then closed and 
locked it behind her.