Reforms & Rivals

Sumo wrestlers change leagues, and somewhere along the way meet Betty & co.

By Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

Lindsay was sitting in her office at her home and training center for her stable of female sumo wrestlers. She was doing a little paperwork and looking at future tournaments when her intercom buzzed.

"Yes Briana?" She said.

"I have two women here to see you," Briana said on the other end. "They show an interest to join your stable."

"Well, the more, the merrier. Show them in."

The door opened, and two women walked in. They were 5'7" and 5'8", respectively. Both were of Asian ancestry, and the slightly shorter one had long black hair twisted into a ponytail. She had a pleasant expression on her face and a slim build that looked solid. Her companion had a more serious expression on her face, along with shorter black hair and a heavier build. Both wore one-piece swimsuits and white wrap-around skirts with white flip-flops. The outfits made Lindsay wonder if they worked out before they came. Then again, she was wearing her blue practice leotard and nothing else, so she couldn't say anything. She brushed her long blond hair back, pushed her 5'9" frame out of her chair, and extended her hand.

"Hello, I'm Lindsay, the queen bee of this establishment. And you are?"

"I'm June, and my friend here is Toni," the shorter woman said.

Middleweight and heavyweight, respectively, Lindsay thought as she shook hands with both of them. They looked pretty strong too.

"A pleasure to meet you both," she replied. "I understand you would like to join our team?"

"Yes, that is correct," Toni said.

"Excuse my saying so, but you two look like you've already done some sumo wrestling from the build, the developed leg muscles, its' a sumo thing. Are you from another league?"

June and Toni looked at each other, and then turned to Lindsay.

"Yes, we're from another league," June replied sadly.

"Hey, that's no big deal, wrestlers switch leagues all the time. Which one are you two from?" Lindsay asked.

"Are you familiar with the Extreme Shin-Sumo League?"

"It sounds vaguely familiar. I thought I heard of an underground organization like that ' oh, I see. That's where you two are from?"

"Yes," Toni agreed. "It's the leading league in the adult industry."

"Toni, June, I don't consider myself a na#ve person, but what could be so "adult' about female sumo?"

"We do it topless," June said, head bowed in shame.

"Wouldn't that hurt?" Lindsay asked, trying to picture the scene in her mind.

"You get used to it."

"I have just met you two, but you don't hit me as the type of woman who would do that . . . stuff. How did the both of you get caught up in that, anyway?"

"It's a long story, but to make it short, a scout found us and told us we had "great potential.' We were trained, then we signed a contract without reading the fine print, and by the time we found out what they were about, it was too late."

"I'm guessing your contract just expired, and you took off."

"We waited a long time for this day. We told our manager we quit and what we thought of him and his organization, and left," Toni said.

"I see," Lindsay replied. "I hear about that happening all the time, the contract thing; I just never expected it to happen with sumo wrestling. What disgusting thing did they have you do?"

June rose up a hand. "No, no; even though we were considered adult entertainment, our sumo wrestling was taken very seriously. The head office in Japan wouldn't hear of it. We were highly competitive, highly respected 'as much as you can be respected in that league- and paid well."

"Besides, all that garbage occurs in the Flesh League," Toni added.

"The "Flesh League?'" Lindsay spoke.

"Short for "Flesh on Flesh,'" June said.

"I know I'll regret this, but what sort of stuff went on in this Flesh League?"

"You know the mawashi, the belt we wear?"

"Yes."

"Well, they don't wear that."

Lindsay turned pale. "You mean they do sumo nude?" She asked.

"Yes, but that was the least offending part."

Lindsay suddenly felt a cold shiver. She didn't even want to imagine what a standard match of that type was like.

"One of the leading wrestlers in that league is called "Yummy Yuriko,'" Toni began, "and she is very tall, very big, and very strong. And one of her more popular matches was against a man, some guy who openly challenged her. As soon as the match started, she threw him down on his back. Then she jumped on him and-"

"Stop, I don't want to know any more!" Lindsay yelled.

"I do not blame you. Many men and women have tried to place rape charges on her, but they do not seem to stick. Needless to say, we are afraid of her, and it's getting hard to find someone to oppose her," June said.

"Yeah, she scares me too, and I haven't met her."

"She's actually quite attractive; you would never guess she'd jump your bones in an instant," Toni said.

"Getting back to us, I'm sure you're wondering how competitive the Extreme League is, compared to yours," June said, holding a DVD. "This DVD has our most recent matches. Please take a look and see for yourself."

Lindsay, who was more than happy to get back to the subject at hand, took the DVD and placed it in her computer. She sat back and watched the matches, forcing herself to overlook the obvious lack of wardrobe on top. Other than that, she was impressed.

"You ladies play much rougher in your league," she said. "Outside of that, the technique is pretty solid."

"Thank you. Unfortunately, the roughness is encouraged; the crowds like that. It also becomes a matter of self-defense. But are we good enough for your stable?" Lindsay asked.

"Oh yes!" Lindsay said, then realizing the DVD was still running, saw a woman similar in build to Toni, practically throw her opponent out of the ring, and almost into the camera before it switched to the next match. "Wow, that was cruel. Hey, what's this?"

On the monitor, it showed two topless sumo wrestlers in the middleweight category, one of Asian decent, short hair and similar in build to June, the other a black woman the same height, but a little stockier. Nothing unusual from what she saw before, except as the black woman approached, the shorthaired woman seized the wrist of the other woman opposing her, and executed what amounted to a type of takedown used in aikido. It worked to devastating effect as the sumo woman hit the mat hard, knocking her out.

"That was an aikido throw!" Exclaimed Lindsay. "I'm in no way an expert, but I would know that discipline when I see it. Our bus driver knows it. Who was that?"

June sighed. "That, and the woman right before her are the main contenders for the heavyweight and middleweight crowns respectively. Since they now have a vacancy, they should have no trouble getting it."

"You mean you two are the champs in that league?"

"Yes, but what's the use in having such a title when you're ashamed of telling your own parents what you do?" Toni said.

"We know it would be better to start on the bottom here than the top of the heap there," June continued. "Besides both opponents, especially the one I would've faced, have a reputation of sending most of their opponents to the hospital."

Lindsay pulled out some papers and slid it across her desk to both women. "You'll be on equal footing with everyone else. I know my contracts are easy to read, rather honest and all that, but do me a favor and read them anyway before you sign; it'll make me feel better," she said.

"Don't worry, we will," Toni replied. Both women read, and then signed their contracts. Lindsay collected them, and shook their hands.

"Welcome aboard," Lindsay said. "I will not tell the others where you came from, but I have wrestlers who appear to be curious and informative about everything. Don't be surprised if someone asks you. You see the three times we meet for practice, so I'll see you tomorrow."

After they said their goodbyes, the two women ran to their car giggling like schoolgirls.

"We're free!" June cried as she got behind the steering wheel.

"We're in a legitimate league, get to train with decent people," Toni replied.

"And we can wear decent clothes again!"

Both laughed as they drove off the training camp parking lot.

"I feel cleaner already. This calls for a celebration. What do they do for entertainment in this town?" Toni continued.

"Judging from all the martial arts studios I saw coming in here, I'd say knocking each other out. Tell you what, I need to give my baby here an oil change, and there's a garage I've been hearing about that's supposed to provide great service. While we're there, we can ask what goes on here, okay?" June said.

"Sounds like a plan."

"It's amazing what a little extra room and an extra mechanic will do for business," Betty Conrad said.

The lunchtime rush had ended, and the owner and lead mechanic of Barefoot Betty's Auto Shop for which the place was named, took a breath and collapsed in her chair. The 5'7" mulatto with a short black haircut ' similar to what the actress Hallie Berry wore once in a James Bond movie ' stared at her grubby toes. For that day, it seemed like half the town wanted an oil change. She almost found herself wishing for somebody's car to break down with something serious, but she fought off the thought. Oil change or engine overhaul, business is still business, her dad once told her.

Irena Bresnev, a 5'5" brunette from Russia who was Betty's longtime assistant mechanic, agreed with Betty's initial statement.

"You are correct, comrade; we even gained a permanent houseguest as well," she said, pointing over to a 6'4" Hispanic woman who was sitting in a corner sipping a grape soda humming to herself.

"I am not a houseguest," Loretta DeGarmo said with mock scorn. "I'm just dropping by to see how my carpentry is effecting business, that's all."

"So you sit in a corner and sing love songs to yourself? Come on, Loretta, what's really going on with you?"

At that moment, another woman entered the office. She stood 5'6", and had a stockier bound frame. She wore her black hair just below the ears. She was wearing a dark blue work shirt and matching trousers with white sports socks; that is, they were white at the beginning of the day. Now they were soiled with a few black spots and overall dirt that now changed the color to a dull gray. Kym Yong, a Korean-American, looked at Irena with her hands on her hips.

"Irena, are you getting on Loretta for singing again?" She said. "I think it is very pretty."

"Thank you," Loretta replied.

"That it is, but I think something is up," Irena said, then turned to Loretta. "I'm keeping an eye on you."

"That's it, Irena. Next time someone has an adventure that will take me out of town for a few days, I'm sending you instead, because I think you're working too hard," Betty said.

"It would do no good, Betty. She would probably drag me with her to make sure I won't be doing what she thinks I'm doing," Loretta replied, flashing an innocent smile at Irena. Irena rolled her eyes.

Another car pulled up, interrupting Loretta from pulling out her cell phone and making a mock call to terrorists. "Nice car," she said.

"Yes, nice. How much you want to bet they want an oil change?" Betty asked.

"Considering how many I've done today, I wouldn't bet against you," Kym said.

The car was shut off, and two well-built women exited the car at about the same time Betty and the others except Loretta left the office.

"Hello there," Betty greeted them.

"Hello, I'm June, this is Toni, and you must be Betty," June replied.

"That's right. And this is Irena, and my newest mechanic, Kym."

"So it's really true."

"What's that?"

June and Toni by way of an answer, both pointed to Betty's bare feet.

"Oh yeah, I've never liked shoes. My two assistants don't either, though Kym prefers wearing socks," Betty said.

"I have three sock drawers at home," Kym said, smiling.

"So what can we do you for?" Betty asked.

"Hey Toni, we're in Rome," June said as they took off their flip-flops and tossed them in the back. "Betty, my baby needs an oil change; that is-"

"I understand; we'll get right on it."

"I'll do it. I've already done quite a few today," Kym volunteered as she held her hand out for June to hand her the car keys.

"We have heard about your two reputations," June continued. "That of being an excellent mechanic, and the other one."

"The other one?" Betty asked warily.

"About being the toughest girl in town," Toni answered, smiling.

Betty moaned. "Ladies, I am officially retired from that, not that I promoted it in the first place," she said.

"We understand. A friend told us you used to have people come all the time to want to fight you while you tried to work."

"You got it. These days, if anybody tries that, I let Kym take care of them. She has a black belt in hapikido."

"Yeah, she's built pretty sturdy."

"If I may say so, you two seem to be built rather "sturdy' yourselves," Irena said.

"About three hours a day, five to six days a week," June replied.

"That's quite a bit. At the risk of being nosy, what do you two do?" Betty asked.

"We're sumo wrestlers," Toni responded in a voice full of pride.

"Sumo wrestlers?" Said Loretta, stepping out of the office.

"Oh, that's Loretta, the carpenter who built the new addition to the garage, and resident freeloader," Irena said with a smirk.

"You'll miss me when I'm gone," Loretta replied. "Did I hear right? You two are sumo wrestlers?"

"That's right," June answered.

"I remember there was an exhibition at the college a few weeks ago one Friday, but I had other plans that day."

"Oh really? And what plans were those?" Irena asked, looking at Loretta suspiciously.

"Listen to you! When she's not suffering from paranoia, Irena is a good mechanic. Sumo wrestlers, huh?" Betty said.

"In Russia, we have already established a fine tradition of women sumo wrestlers," Irena said.

"That's true, I've seen clips of their matches," June replied. "I wonder where they find those women."

"Farm families who feed their kids really well. They give them judo and sambo training too."

"Hey, let's go to the office, have a grape soda, and talk some more about this," Betty said. "You two seem pretty happy today. Did you win a match?"

"No, we changed leagues," Toni replied.

"Rough league, eh?" Loretta asked.

"Long story," June said.

So during the oil change, and in-between cars, June and Toni told the others the history of how they got into sumo wrestling, and the ins and outs of the sport, making sure not to mention any of the peculiarities of the league they just left. After two hours, June finally popped the question.

"So what do you folks do for fun around here?" She asked.

"A few things, none that I can think of right now," Betty said.

"From all the martial arts studios, you'd think all you do for fun is fight," Toni joked.

"You'd be surprised; in some circles, that is what they do for fun," Loretta replied, explaining briefly about the female fight clubs scattered around the area.

"I think we'll settle for dinner and a movie, maybe more dinner," June said.

"Now I can help you there," Betty said, giving them directions to her favorite steakhouse.

"Thanks, we'll drop by again sometime," Toni said as they paid for the oil change.

"Looking forward to it; I want to see your next match," Betty replied.

"We'll let you know," June said as they drove off.

"That was fun," Irena said as she and Betty watched them go.

"Yeah, better than seeing you play conspiracy theory with Loretta," Betty remarked.

"I'm telling you Betty, she's up to something! You can see it in her eyes."

"What I can see in her eyes is the joy she gets in seeing you go nuts."

Kym poked her head out of the office and said, "Hey Irena, come quick! Loretta's singing a love song and playing with her cell phone!"

Despite herself, Irena found herself heading back to the garage, while Betty burst out laughing.

In an upper floor apartment, specifically on a deck that faced a nearby forest, all was quiet, except for the slight clanging of weights. A woman clad only in a blue bra and panties lay on her bench as she thrust the barbell for another lift.

For Veronika, it was her normal workout attire as she did the majority of her workouts at home. Besides, this was more than she normally wore in sumo competition. The 5'6" Mongolian-born Veronika had long black hair pulled back in a bun, and a thick, powerful build that she used to her best advantage in various sports leading up to college. When the offer of participating in sumo came about, she jumped at the chance. In competition, Veronika enjoyed the challenge of pitting her strength and power against another opponent. Eventually she was approached by an organization with the offer to play in their league.

At the time, it didn't matter that she had to perform topless, for Veronika was never ashamed of her body, or the work she put into building it. It didn't matter that she competed in front of drooling, lecherous people who would like to see her body do other things besides play sumo. In Veronika's philosophy, they can look, but not touch. A few tried the latter, and after respective hospital stays, everyone got the message. All that mattered to her was the challenge, and the chance to engage the current heavyweight champion.

Once she found out who the champion was, Veronika set her sights and was zeroing in on her quarry like a guided missile. Almost literally tossing opponents left and right, she steadily climbed up the ladder until she got what she aimed for, a match for the championship.

Veronika respected her opponent, like a contender should do when facing a champion. But she relished the chance of engaging her opponent, of using her strength, her power to push her out of the ring, or more likely throw her out of the ring, for she will not be easy. But she will conquer, and she will win. In this contest, she will be the strongest, she will have the power '

"Veronika, Veronika!"

Veronika snapped out of her musing, and lowering the barbell on the rack, she turned her head to see who it was. "Millie, my friend, what is the matter?" She asked.

Millie, the woman in line to challenge the middleweight title, stood 5'6", with long black hair tied back, and while not as stout as her friend, had a slim build that hid her muscular power. A native of Hong Kong, Millie had the regular Japanese features except for a long nose. Her nickname was "Millie the Mauler," because of some of her techniques that had a tendency to injure or knock out her opponents with martial arts moves that bordered on being illegal. Naturally the audience loved it. The arena they played in and the audience who saw them wasn't exactly regular fans of fair play and sportsmanship.

Millie actually knew a potpourri of martial arts, none of them at the black belt level, but enough to make her formidable in a fight. Like Veronika, she was also highly competitive. She was dressed in an oversized white T-shirt, with the bottom tied in a knot at the end, yellow biking shorts, and barefoot.

"What's the matter? June and Toni quit the league this morning!" Millie cried.

That made Veronika shoot up to a sitting position. "They quit?" She said.

"Yes, Ashley, the secretary told me."

Veronika was crushed. Winning the title from Toni kept her going, because she believed she was the only one worthy (besides her) of owning it.

Millie started pacing as the two were silent for a moment or two, except for the thumping of her bare soles against the carpet.

"What do we do now?" Veronika finally asked.

"We're going to see Keith, that's what! And we're going to get some answers," Millie said, as she suddenly halted so hard, Veronika thought she'd get rug burns on her soles.

"I'll take a quick shower and throw something on."

The shower was indeed a short one, but to Millie, every minute crept slowly. Veronica came out wearing a white T-shirt and black cargo shorts.

"Okay I'm ready, Millie; have you seen my shoes?" Veronika asked.

"What do you need shoes for, we don't wear any half the time!" Millie exploded. "Just grab your purse and let's go!"

Keith Nickels was not a happy man. As the head of Nickelback Productions, the guiding force behind the American branch of the Extreme Shin-Sumo League, and the Flesh League, he could almost see the dollars flying out the window when two of his best sumo wrestlers, his champions announced their contracts were ended, and they were leaving. If he bothered to look at the calendar, maybe that could have been avoided. He had such plans for those two; like to have them face off against the middleweight and heavyweight champions in Japan. That would've been a great, brutal set of matches, seeing those women mash together and . . .

Oh well, it's not a total loss. He still had two contenders for those vacant spots, plus he still had the Flesh League and Yummy Yuriko. The only thing was it was getting harder to find victims, er, opponents to send her.

But it's no big deal; things can't get any worse.

Keith suddenly grabbed his head. One of these days, he'll need to stop thinking that.

As if on cue, the intercom buzzed.

"Yes Ashley?" He asked.

"Veronika and Millie are here to-"

The door burst open, and the two sumo wrestlers marched in.

" ' see you," Ashley finished.

"Come right on in, ladies, have a seat," Keith said sarcastically.

"We'll stand, thank you," Millie replied curtly.

"So what is this about? Not about a raise, is it?"

"We understand June and Toni quit earlier this morning," Millie continued, bypassing the question.

"How did you know . . . never mind. Yes, they quit earlier this morning," Keith replied. The grapevine there was very fast, and Keith was seriously beginning to wonder if the office was bugged.

"Why did they quit and where did they go?" Veronika demanded.

"Their contracts have expired, and they wanted to enter a "more respectable' league," Keith said, mockingly. "I guess they're joining the college girls down the road. But this opens up things for the both of you. You're both on the fast track for the vacant titles, and we can hold a title match. I'm sure you two would win it."

"I know we would win it," Veronika grumbled to herself.

"So what do you say?"

Millie and Veronika looked at each other. Nothing needed to be said between the two friends. Millie then turned to Keith and said, "We quit too."

"You quit too? But your biggest competition is gone!" Keith sputtered.

"Our biggest competition is what kept us here," Veronika growled. "Without them, the rest of the league wrestlers are just rag dolls to toss around."

"But you can't quit, your contract-"

"Let me remind you about our contract," Millie said. "You gave Toni and June a regular contract that just expired. You gave us a match-by-match contract that could've expired at any time. And now we decided to end it today. You know where to send our final checks."

As both women turned to leave, Keith yelled, "Do you really think you can sign on with another league just like that?"

Veronica turned back and walked up to Keith, until they were six inches away from each other. Her eyes boring into his, she asked, "Do you really think so?"

Keith turned away; he knew the real answer to that question. "Go then," he said.

After they left Keith's office, Millie turned to Veronika and said, "You know, it seems strange, but I feel much freer now."

"Maybe it's the fact we don't have to perform in front of lust starved fans anymore," Veronika remarked.

"Yeah, I won't have to clean my email on a daily basis."

Both women suddenly ground to a halt to keep from running into the massive woman standing in front of them.

"Yummy Yuriko" was 6'5", and had a large build, all of it muscle. She looked like an Asian version of a Greek goddess carved from marble and brought to life. She had a dazzling smile and a soft voice, which can turn into an evil sneer and a husky growl at a moment's notice. Yuriko received the nickname "Yummy" because she had a tendency to lick her lips and say that word while facing many of her victims. Her power and her overactive libido made her feared by everyone in the league. Because most opponents didn't want to be in the same building with her, much less the sumo ring, the league had started allowing the general public (or as public as that industry was going to get) to pay for the privilege to get in the ring with Yuriko. Surprisingly, a number of men and women would pay to try to topple the Amazon giant, and they would all fail. It was a matter of determining how bad. Yuriko's sumo skills were excellent, plus Yuriko had a special appetite for shorter men. When one of them enters the ring, and Yuriko licked her lips and said, "Yummy," that meant the match would probably end with Yuriko throwing them to the ground, descending upon them, and raping them. Wisely, the Flesh League waived any responsibility if the loser was injured or molested against their will.

Normally Yuriko hung around the other end of the building where the league was located, but from time to time, she would wander over to the Extreme end. She wore the top half of a silk black gi with red trim, and a black bikini bottom. Her bare feet had toenails painted red with black tips.

"Hello Yuriko," Millie said carefully and politely.

"Hello Millie, hello Veronika; and how are you?" Yuriko asked.

"Fine," Veronika replied carefully.

"I couldn't help overhearing, but did you two just quit?" Yuriko asked.

"Yes," Millie replied slowly, and then realizing the full implications of it grew more confident with the last response. "Yes, we did."

"Oh, that's a shame. I was looking forward to taking you on in a match, Veronika." Yuriko glanced at Veronika, head cocked.

"I'm not in the Flesh League, Yuriko," Veronika replied.

"Oh, I know; I just thought about us just sparing a little, you know? Where will you go from here?"

"We don't know," Millie said, maybe a little too quietly.

"Well wherever you end up, let me know, okay? I'll see you later." Yuriko walked away down the hall.

As they left the building, Millie asked, "Were you planning to take Yuriko on?"

Veronika turned on Millie. "Are you mad? I'm not planning on going anywhere near that monster!"

"Well that's a relief."

"I may be big, strong, and fearless, but I'm not stupid. I watched Yuriko in action once, to see what was so big about her, no pun intended, and what I saw frightened and sickened me."

The two started walking toward Millie's car. "What happened?" Millie asked.

"It was called a "specialty match' of all things. First, Yuriko entered the ring; naked as the day she was born. Next came this man, black, about our height, in pretty good shape, and rather handsome too. He wore a thong at least," Veronika started.

"At least he was handsome," Millie remarked. "I figured it'd be some troll."

"I think Yuriko thought the same thing. She started licking her lips and saying yummy constantly. It was quite disturbing."

"How about the actual match?"

"Oh that was the worst part. They got in position, the referee said go, and Yuriko sprung forward, lifted the man up in the air, and kept moving until she pinned the man to the wall. Then she started . . . chewing on him."

Millie froze before her hand touched the door handle. "Chewed on him?"

"Yeah, saying "yummy' while she was doing it. Then she carried the man back to the ring, and threw him down. Then she tore the thong off, sat on his face, yanked his legs to her, and ' helped himself."

Millie was white as a sheet. "What about the audience?"

"They cheered her on. You know how they are. A woman came out of the audience to stop them. She was also black, and maybe a little shorter than we are. I think this was the man's wife."

"Oh boy," Millie groaned.

"Yeah. Yuriko stopped her feasting long enough to see her coming. She dropped the man, who was passed out now, grabbed her, and slammed her against the wall. Then she started chewing on her while tearing her clothes off."

"Let me guess; she was saying "yummy' too, right?"

"Yes. She carried her back to the ring, and did the same thing to her that she did to her husband."

"Veronika, maybe this was staged, you know, like professional wrestling," Millie reasoned.

"The following lawsuit and hospital bills weren't staged."

"And you sat in the audience and did nothing?"

"I forgot to mention I wasn't there, I saw it on Pay Per View. It was like watching a train wreck. You can't stop it, but it catches your attention," Veronika explained. "After I saw it, I made my mind up; as soon as I won that title, I was leaving."

"You never told me."

"Strangely enough, I was planning to tell you today. It appeared Toni and June took care of that for me, for us. So what do we do now?"

Millie thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "We go after them! Like you, my only reason for being in that mess was to beat June, but she's not getting away from me that easy. You need to grab anything from the apartment?"

"Nope, I'm good."

"Well let's go!"

Twenty minutes later, as they were on the road, Veronika asked, "I know finding this town was no problem, as we're already here, but do you know where the college is?"

"No I don't, but I'm going to do the one thing that makes us superior to men," Millie replied.

"And that is?"

"Asking for directions, of course!"

As both laughed, Veronika pointed to a sign on a small billboard. "How about there?" She asked.

"'Barefoot Betty's?' I've heard of that place. Let's check it out."

Back at the garage, business was in full swing. Per Betty's wish, more cars pulled up, asking that more serious things be done to their cars other than oil changes. While the others were busy, Loretta was conducting calls with her other business ' that of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor ' over her cell phone. When she finished with that, she made one more phone call, after checking if everyone else was out of earshot. The outcome of the phone call apparently went very well, because soon after, Loretta started singing Broadway show tunes. Since Loretta had a pleasing alto voice to begin with, both customers and crew were pleased, with the exception of Irena, who grew even more suspicious. The show tunes eventually turned into Motown ballads, which led to the whole crew singing along. Even Irena joined in. Customers complemented Betty on the service, the atmosphere, and the entertainment.

"You have a beautiful voice, Loretta," Kym said as she wiped her hands on a shop cloth after installing an alternator.

"Yeah, it brightened everybody up," Betty added. "Even grumpy over there was singing along."

"I am not grumpy!" Irena barked as she slammed a car door.

"I'm glad you told me, Irena, otherwise I'd have to start fearing for my life. Thanks for the compliment," Loretta replied.

"Have you ever thought of going professional?" Kym asked.

"Briefly, but it's not for me. I like building things," Loretta said. "Always have. Which reminds me, I'll need to take off soon so I can "build something,' like Irena had been suggesting."

All three women stopped and slowly turned toward Irena, smiling. Irena seeing this gave them a frustrated look and said, "What?"

The truth was Irena was right; Loretta was up to something, or up to something with someone. For a little while, Loretta had been dating Kevin Coffman, who worked in the archives department of the library. The carpenter, who was a closet bookworm, also liked shorter men. And being with Kevin, or even talking to him made Loretta so happy, it made her, well, it made her want to sing. Loretta also liked keeping her romantic affairs private, although she was getting a sadistic pleasure out of driving Irena bananas.

Irena meanwhile was trying to think of some practical joke to play on the three women, and was on the verge of trying one when a car pulled up. Nothing unusual there, but when two women came out looking similar to the two women they saw earlier, that caught their attention.

"Well you ladies actually live up to your name," the thinner woman said. "I'm Millie, and this is Veronika."

"Shoes, who needs them?" Betty replied. "I'm Betty, these are my mechanics Irena and Kym, and this is Loretta, a carpenter who build a new extension for us recently."

While the greetings were friendly enough, the two newcomers and Irena looked at each other strangely.

"You look familiar," Veronika said.

"I don't think we've met," Irena replied. "I'm going to take a flying leap here, but would you two happen to be sumo wrestlers?"

"Why yes, yes we are," Millie said, flattered. "How could you tell?"

"The thick muscular legs, broad shoulders, the way you two carry yourselves," Kym answered, receiving an affirmative nod from Irena.

"I thought you might say something else, like a big gut," Veronika said.

"No, your core muscles are too developed for that," Loretta added.

"Thanks. By the way, do you know where the local college is?" Millie asked.

"My alma matter and where Kym is finishing her studies, no problem!" Betty said, giving quick directions.

"Thank you," Millie responded.

"Yes, thanks," Veronika repeated, then turned to Irena. "I know you from TV."

"You do?" Irena said.

"Yes, you haven't changed at all. You won the Russian Cage Fights one year!"

"And another person is added to Irena's fan club," Betty joked.

"Yeah, I didn't want to embarrass myself, but yes, it is you!" Millie gasped.

"Yes, it was I," Irena conceded.

"An interesting day. We have two people recognize Irena from her fighting days, we see two sets of sumo wrestlers," Betty began.

"Excuse me, but did you say two sets?" Millie interrupted.

"Yeah, we had two wrestlers come back from the college, except they went to the training camp two miles east of it."

"Excuse us, but we need to go," Veronika said, moving quickly into the car.

"We'll come back and talk later," Millie said as they all but peeled out of the parking lot of the auto shop. The four women looked at each other and shrugged.

"I wonder what that was about?" Betty said.

Lindsey sat back in her chair in her office and smiled to herself. Things have gone pretty good today. Her stable and organization was running like a well-oiled machine. Her initial invitation to start a sumo wrestling group was well-received. Then she had that exhibition match at the nearby college, which was a great success.

["No Fat Girls Here!" in the library ' Mongoose.]

Since then, women of literally all shapes and sizes have either came to her or had shown up at practice to sign up. The practice sessions themselves were beginning to run themselves, and on top of all that, she had a few wrestlers who were already considered some of the best in the region, and maybe the state. And earlier that day, she signed up two more wrestlers. The two formerly being in the adult entertainment industry was unexpected, but as long as they could wrestle, and remain fully clothed, that was no big deal. This was helping to make Lindsay's stable one of the biggest in the region. And the more people added, the more popular the sport will become, and someday perhaps, she'll be able to take her wrestlers to complete in international competition. But for now, she'll settle for the region and the states' title in her grasp.

Lindsay looked out the window to see her wrestlers doing their stretches. A squad leader from each weight class was leading the others. There was no need to supervise.

Lindsay pulled open the desk drawer, and pulled out a bottle of blue nail polish. She then planted her bare feet on the desk and started painting her nails. It wasn't much in the way of celebration, but for now it will do. Maybe she and her husband could go out to dinner; that new seafood place would be nice . . .

The intercom shook Lindsay out of her musings. "Yes Briana?" She asked.

"I have two sumo wrestlers who need to see you ' immediately," Briana said.

"Are the lightweights getting feisty again?" Lindsay asked.

"No, I don't think you've seen these wrestlers before."

Lindsay planted her feet on the floor, sat up straight, and replied, "Send them in."

The door opened, and Millie and Veronika walked in. After the usual pleasantries, Lindsay said, "You two look familiar. Have I met you before?"

"Oh, I highly doubt it," Millie replied. "Look, Lindsay, I'll get right to the point. We're looking for two sumo wrestlers by the names of June and Toni, and we understand they may have passed through here."

The realization suddenly hit Lindsay; these were the sumo wrestlers she saw on that DVD. Interesting.

"Yes, I have; I signed them up this morning," she said.

"They . . . signed up with you this morning?" Millie repeated, trying hard, but failing to conceal her surprise.

"Why yes; they were not happy with the league they were in, so as soon as their contract expired, well, they came here."

"We would like to see them. Are they here?" Veronika asked.

"Oh no, they left after they signed, to celebrate a little, I think, but they'll be here tomorrow to start training," Lindsay replied, setting the bait.

"Do you know what time they'll be here?" Millie asked, a little unsure of what to do next.

"Yes I do," Lindsay replied, smiling, "I think they'll be at our early practice."

"Would it be possible to see them tomorrow?"

"Oh yes, I believe it would be very possible to see them tomorrow. You just need to do one little thing first."

Before either woman could react, Lindsay drew two contracts and slid them across the desk.

"You two sign those, and I guarantee you'll see Toni and June every day we have practice," Lindsay continued.

"What is this?" Veronika said.

"Come now, Veronika, I'm sure an intelligent woman like yourself knows a contract when you see one. June showed me a DVD of them in action. We talked a little, and I forgot to turn the player off, so I had the chance to see you two as well. You ladies may be a little rough, but our competition won't stand still to fall victim to any fancy aikido throws, I can tell you that."

"Oh, you saw that one, eh?" Millie said.

"Uh huh; in this league, we have judokas, boxers, mixed martial artists, you name it. But you two show the type of aggressiveness that you'll need to succeed here. Now this is our standard contract, which also includes salary deals and all that. This is a chance to prove how good you really are, unless you really like performing half-naked in front of perverts who'd rather see you with your belt off."

"What makes you think we'll sign this contract?"

"I don't think, I know."

Rivalries are an interesting thing, Lindsay thought. Realizing their main competition and probably reason for being there left, they had no other recourse but to find them. She's seen it happen before in other sports, why not sumo?

"Well we did quit our league earlier today," Veronika started.

"Hold up, Veronika; we're not going to get lassoed in that easy," Millie said suspiciously. "I'm going to read this very carefully."

Lindsay smiled. "That's good advice. That's the same contract I gave Toni and June, and I told them to read it so they wouldn't make the same mistake twice," she said.

"Okay. Now tell me Lindsay, give me one good reason why we should sign with you, and not go back the way we came and renegotiate our previous contracts."

"I'm sure there's quite a few; to renew your rivalry, to have a bigger and less sleazy fan base, and so on. But I'm just going to say the first one that comes to my mind."

"And that is?"

"Yummy."

Both Millie and Veronika quickly scribbled their names and slid the contracts back across the desk to Lindsay.

"Nice doing business with you. Now we have three times during the day we meet for practice. June and Toni will be at the first one. I'll see you there."

They rose to leave, but Lindsay stopped them with one more thing.

"By the way ladies, your secret is safe with me. You two just like June and Toni are from another league. I just won't tell them which one."

Both ladies thanked her and left. Lindsay sat back down, put her feet up and examined her blue toenails. Yeah, her and hubby were going out tonight.

It was coming to the end of another business day at Barefoot Betty's Auto Shop. Loretta had already left; she had a carpentry issue to deal with, and a "special meeting" with someone. The remark was made to drive Irena nuts, and it did, making her vow out loud, "I know you're hiding something, and I'm going to find out what it is!" The customers looked confused, while Betty and Kym burst out laughing. Turning a light shade of red, Irena suddenly remembered she needed to check the tires out back. Meanwhile, another guest came by to visit.

Susan Davidson stood six feet with long blond hair, and a very athletic figure. She had spent the bulk of her time working out for her bout for the Tri-State Championship in kickboxing, and the remaining part of her time preparing for her wedding to her fianc#, David. Between those two things, visits or social endeavors were precious and few. Seeing that she actually had some free time that day, she decided to drop by and see how her favorite mechanics were doing. Dressed extremely casual, she wore a sleeveless red plaid flannel shirt, and cutoff blue jean shorts. Being a longtime barefooter, walking on the hard pavement and the dirty garage floor was nothing for her.

"So Ellie May, you plan on chopping wood or trapping possums when you leave here?" Betty said, remarking on Susan's appearance.

"Very funny, Betty. No, these were the only clean clothes I had to wear today," Susan replied.

"They work you so hard, you don't have a chance to do laundry once a week?"

"I do, but I take a nap instead."

While Betty just shook her head, Susan asked, "So how do you like your new hairstyle?"

"It's fine. Yes, I still miss my ponytail, but I see the advantages of short hair, like getting ready quicker. It'll do, for now," Betty said.

"What about your new assistant, how's she working out?"

"Great! Kym can do some things with cars I don't know about. Oh, and she can kick some major butt too."

"Really?"

"Yes, she's very strong, and carries a black belt in Hapkido. She takes no prisoners."

"Wow. So would that make her-"

"Yes, that's right. She is now the "toughest girl in town.' She said she'd be happy to get the heat off me; not that I get much these days. Here she comes now; I'll introduce you."

Introductions were made, and the three women, plus Irena who finally emerged from the back, related how their day had gone.

"In the time I've been kickboxing, I've met with martial artists of all sorts, except sumo wrestlers, and in one day, you three have met four of them," Susan remarked.

"Yes, they came by, one duet right after the other," Betty replied.

"They're rather big, too," Kym said. "The two middleweights are about my height, but their conditioning has really built them up. And I thought I was big."

"You're big enough, comrade," Irena said, slapping her on the back. "Anyway Susan, if you want to meet them, now is your chance."

Susan turned as a now familiar car (familiar that is, to Betty and company) pulled up. Toni and June hopped out.

"Told you we'd be back," June said. "Great steakhouse you guys have here. The rolls alone were ' Toni, is that who I think it is?"

"I think so," Toni murmured. "Are you uh, her?"

"Yes, she's "her.' June and Toni, this is Susan Davidson, the famous kickboxer; Susan, this is June and Toni, the first batch of sumo wrestlers we've seen today," Betty explained.

"First batch?" Toni asked, but was soon confronted by a warm handshake from Susan.

"I'd love to see a DVD of your matches," Susan said.

Toni was momentarily speechless. June fortunately jumped in with "Our early matches are rather bad; you don't need to see them. We'll send you a DVD of our new matches when they come out though."

"That sounds great. I don't want anybody seeing my old matches either," Susan replied.

"Yeah, our upcoming matches will be much better," Toni said, giving her friend a quick nod of thanks for the save.

It approached closing time, and displays were put away, work areas were cleaned and prepared for the next day, but the kickboxer and the two sumo wrestlers stood by their cars and shared their experiences. June and Toni had to remember not to go into much detail, but aside from that, it was an engaging conversation. It was even more so when the three mechanics joined them. The six of them were laughing about something when another car pulled up. Without hesitation, Millie and Veronika hopped out and joined the group.

"Hey ladies, we told you we'd be back. Now Irena, I want you to share everything you remember about those matches ' you!" Millie stopped in mid-speech when she saw June.

"Uh oh," Toni said under her breath.

"Hello Millie," June said neutrally.

Susan, who first thought the attention was drawn to her, being a celebrity and all, said, "Hi; I assume you four know each other?"

"Yes, we know each other," Millie spat out as she faced June. "You, you left me."

"I left you? What are you talking about?" June said, confused.

"That title was mine; all I had to do was beat you for it. But no, what did you do? You quit and joined another league! Why, did you think you were better than the others?"

"Well yes I did. No, that's not what I meant," June said, verbally backpedaling to retract or better explain her statement. Unfortunately, it helped spark Millie's fire.

"Oh, so because you're better, you can just up and leave without facing your biggest competition, just leave them in the cold?" Millie said.

"No! Millie, listen to me-"

"No, you listen!" Millie fired back.

While Millie was verbally assaulting a bewildered June, and a kickboxer along with three confused mechanics didn't know what to do about it, Toni walked over to confront Veronika in a much quieter fashion.

"You left," Veronika said.

"Yes; our contracts expired, and we couldn't stay a moment longer," Toni replied. "You understand."

"Yes, I do. You were the only reason I stayed there."

"Sorry. We signed up with a league not far from here."

"Heh. So did we."

"There'll be more competition, more prestige, more money, and more self-respect."

"And no Yummy," Veronika replied.

"Amen." Toni pointed to Millie, who was still raising a ruckus chewing out June. "Is she always this . . . dramatic?"

Veronika rolled her eyes. "Yes, she can be quite the drama queen. I found it best to let her go until she runs out of steam; then you can talk to her."

"The way she's going, I don't know if June will have a chance."

Meanwhile, Millie was on a roll. She lectured June on the merits of healthy competition, and how she shouldn't have left without letting people know, etc. Finally, she paused for a moment and asked June, "What about your fans?"

June, without missing a beat, said, "What about them?"

Millie paused for another second, and replied, "Good point. But how can you find out who's the best without finding out first? How could you do that?"

"But Millie, I already have the title," June said, realizing she just said the wrong thing, especially to her biggest rival.

"You have the title, huh? Well why don't we find out who's best right now, huh? Let's do it!" At this, Millie started to pull her shirt off.

When everyone realized what Millie was doing, they all told and pleaded for her to keep her shirt on.

"Millie, no, don't do it, my parents are next door! I don't want them to see this!" Betty said.

A hint of Millie's bra started to show until she heard Betty's plea; and then she quickly pulled her t-shirt down, and looked at her toes on the dusty ground. Her cheeks started to turn rosy.

"Oops! Sorry!" She said meekly.

June saw an opportunity, and rushing forward and placing her hands gently on Millie's shoulders, she took it.

"Millie, listen to me. We're in a different league now, a better league. One filled with better competition, better opportunities, and even better fans. You and Veronika are too good for where you're at now," she said.

"You mean the league by the school? We joined them not too long ago," Veronika said.

June turned to Millie. "You two signed up? You talked to this tall blond woman named Lindsay?"

Millie nodded her head.

"Then what were you going on about?"

Millie looked up at June. "You were my rival, my chief competition. Everyday I worked out and trained for the purpose of beating you . . . and now that's gone," she said.

Kym turned to Betty, Irena, and Susan, and said, "I would ask what is going on, but I get the feeling the answer would be even more confusing."

"Welcome to our world," Betty replied. Irena nodded her head in agreement.

"Actually I understand," Susan said.

"You do? Well by all means, tell us."

Before Susan could explain, another car pulled up. It was a black pickup truck with four women in it. While the four women and Toni and Veronika saw it, June and Millie didn't notice. They were still involved in their dialogue.

"What did you want me to do; Toni and I got swindled into that contract. Plus the gym was lousy, the fans were perverts, and we weren't going to stay in that rat hole another minute. What did you want from me?" June argued.

"A little note would be nice," Millie said.

"Arrgh!"

"Hey, which one of you is Betty?" A rough-looking woman said. She stood 5'8", had short brown hair cut almost to a burr, and a potbelly. She wore a ragged T-shirt, blue jeans in the same condition, and tennis shoes that would fall apart if one pulled the right thread. The white-socked big toe of her left foot was already making a break for freedom.

"Oh that would be the little mix over there in those coveralls," her companion replied. She stood the same height with medium-length dull red hair, a thinner build, and a few freckles. She wore a worn white T-shirt underneath a pair of ratty blue overalls. A pair of flip-flops completed the outfit.

"Little mix?" Betty said, visibly bristling under the remark.

The two women who emerged out of the truck were more presentable than the other two, dressed in tank tops and jeans with flip-flops and running shoes, respectively. Both were blond with short spiked hair and medium builds, approaching 5'6" in height. They just simply leaned against the front of the truck to watch the show.

"I'm Betty," Betty sighed, knowing the drill.

"My friend and I, she's Betsy and I'm Irene," the rough-looking woman said. "We understand you're a tough woman around these parts."

"I guess," Betty replied.

"We also understand there's a reward to go to anyone who whups you," Betsy said. Her voice was nasally and had a drawl that made most of the women cringe.

"That reward became null and void when the woman who offered it entered the hospital," Betty replied.

"The hospital?"

"Yeah, she came down with a little something."

Irena, Susan, and Kym laughed, knowing what that "little something" was.

[That "little something" would be LS, in the last few paragraphs of Barefoot Heroines. You just have to read about two hundred pages to get there. Anyway, the story is in my bookshelf. ' Mongoose.]

"That's all right, we'll do it for free," Irene said.

"Where do these people come from?" Kym asked.

"My guess is the farming district," Susan said.

"I didn't know this town had a farming district," Irena replied. "Where is it?"

"I don't know; I'm not even sure we have farms."

"Besides, I'm retired," Betty said, coming forward to explain.

"You can't retire, that's against the rules," Irene said.

"Rules?"

"Yeah, someone has to beat it from you," Betsy said as she spat something brown from her mouth. When Betty saw it was a wad of chewing tobacco, she felt nauseous.

"Oh for goodness sakes!" Betty exclaimed.

Kym moved forward. "Because Betty retired, she bestowed the title of "The Toughest Woman in Town' upon me. If you need to claim that title, you must defeat me," she said, sounding official. Betty, Irena, and Susan were impressed.

"And who might you be, China doll?" Betsy asked.

Apparently Betsy had an innate talent for ticking people off. Kym controlled herself from running up to the woman and slamming her head into one of the truck's headlights. Instead, she took a deep breath and replied, "My name is Kym, and I was born not far from this town. If you want to go even further than that, my linage is from Korea, not China."

"Whatever, we'll fight both of you," Irene said off-handedly. "Maybe we'll take care of the others too."

"Woman, you have no idea-" Irena began before Susan restrained her.

During this time, Millie and June were going at it in their own argument until the last part. Millie stopped and asked, "Betty, who are these people?" After she was given a quick explanation, she turned to the foursome and said, "Don't you ladies have anything else better to do?"

"Betty, Kym, stand back, we'll take care of them for you," Toni said.

Betty and Kym, not expecting that, turned to the two larger sumos and stared.

"You sure you want to do that?" Betty asked.

"Sure; we know how to handle ourselves. Besides, you've been a good friend to both of us," Veronika replied.

"You don't need to involve yourselves like this, you're our guests," Irena protested.

"Oh, it'll be no problem," Toni said, giving Betsy a look when she spat another wad of tobacco juice on the ground.

"We're going to whup somebody, I don't care who it is," Betsy complained.

"Oh, I'll do it!" Millie exclaimed, having enough. "All of you stand back, I'll take care of this. That goes for you too, June; I'm not finished with you yet."

"Oh joy," June remarked.

Millie pointed to Betty and Kym and told them to move back with the others. Hesitantly, they obeyed. Veronika moved to help, but a look from Millie told her to stay back.

"Are we going to let her do this?" Irena asked.

"Yes, she needs to burn off all that extra energy and get it out of her system," June said. "Besides, if you've seen her in action like we have, you'll see that she can be pretty ruthless."

Millie walked out into the open, planted herself in a sumo squat, and pointed to the two women. "I know you two are Betsy and Irene, so who are those two?" She asked.

"Oh that's Macy and Mary; they're here to watch," Irene said as she made her way to meet her.

"What kind of pose is that? You look like one of those sumo wrestlers," Betsy said.

"That's because I am one of those sumo wrestlers," Millie replied, imitating her nasal voice and drawl. The ladies on Betty's side laughed. Betsy soon grew furious.

"I'll kick your butt back to China, you hear me!"

"Japan, actually; Hong Kong, to be precise. And if you and the other hillbilly wants to beat me, you're welcome to try."

No one needed to tell Betsy twice as she came charging up on Millie. The sumo wrestler stayed where she was until the last possible moment, then sprung up and moved toward Betsy. She swung her left arm, the forearm hitting Betsy in the upper chest. The woman almost looked like she was about to do a back flip, but instead her shoulder blades and back hit the ground first. She hit so hard, her flip-flops flew off, and a long stream of tobacco juice along with the tobacco wad squirted from her mouth. Everyone took cover from the brown geyser, except Millie, who watched it land three feet away from her.

With Betsy out of commission, that left Irene, who tried to give Millie a right cross and a hair pull at the same time. Millie blocked the right cross with her left hand, and then delivered a vicious slap with her right hand that sounded like a gunshot. Irene gave a short squeal along with a stunned look on her face. Millie then gave a combination arm-leg throw by locking one arm around Irene's waist, while wrapping her leg behind both of Irene's. She twisted sharply, and Irene hit the ground hard.

Irene moaned from the powerful defense, and looked up to see Millie standing over her. She realized the woman had given her some small mercy by not pinning her and beating the living snot out of her. Millie then turned and faced the two blond spectators.

"You ladies want some of this?" She challenged. One shook her head while the other held up her hands in an "I surrender" pose.

Betsy finally sat up, and realized her shoes were lying five feet from her; her back was aching, and had a thin line of tobacco juice staining her overalls. Fueled by anger, she got up and stalked toward Millie, who returned to standing over Irene to see if she had the good sense to stay down. Thinking she had the drop on Millie, who had her back to her, she was surprised when the sumo wrestler suddenly turned to see her.

"I was wondering when you'd get up," Millie said.

"Yoaw," Betsy stopped and spit out the rest of her tobacco juice, tobacco, and whatever else was in her mouth, "you think you can whoop me just like that, you-"

Millie responded by taking one hand and locking it around her jaw in a painful face lock, and started pushing her in the direction of the pickup truck.

"You think you're so tough because you talk tough and chew that garbage like some hick from the backwoods or those locusts in the fields? You two wouldn't last two seconds in a junior sumo match. Yes, go ahead and clinch that fist. I can punch a hole through you right now, I just need an excuse," Millie growled.

"I want to-" Betsy replied, or tried to, as Millie increased the pressure. She received an extra jolt to her system as her back hit the door of the truck.

"Now listen to me. I was having a fine time talking to my new friends before you and your group of Hee-Haw rejects came and pestered us," Millie began.

"But I saw you fussing with that other girl," Betsy interrupted, before Millie clamped her jaw shut.

"Don't interrupt me! Listen, I want you to get Irene and Heckle and Jeckle, load up this truck, and drive back to whatever cornfield you came from. Otherwise what will happen next will not be very pretty. Irene, it would not be a good idea to sneak up on me."

Irene froze in her tracks. She thought she could surprise Millie before her friends would warn her. She now stood dumbly, wondering how she knew.

Millie, looking out of the corner of her eye at Irene's reflection in the truck's windows, said, "Now why don't you sit down on the ground and wait until I'm finished." Irene did as she was told. "As for you, did you understand what I said, or do I need to repeat myself? And I hate repeating myself."

She raised her arm up, forcing Betsy up on her tiptoes. Betsy could only manage a gurgle.

"What was that? I can't understand you," Millie said.

"I ' I understand," Betsy strained out.

"You do? Good." Millie released her hold, allowing Betsy to stumble to the ground, rubbing her jaw. The two bystanders looked like they were planning to jump Millie, but after she dropped Betsy, she gave them a look and casually walked around the truck. They ran to the other side.

"You want to come out and play? If not, then you need to grab your friend and throw her in the truck," Millie continued. "Irene, you can move now. Get in the truck and go home."

While Betsy was being assisted, Irene hastily grabbed Betsy's shoes and hurried to the truck. They almost burnt rubber leaving the parking lot.

"I'll say this for her, she can be pretty intimidating," Betty said.

"Yes, she has it down to a science," June remarked, "along with talking."

That made Veronika laugh out loud. "You found that out, did you?" She replied.

When Millie strolled back to the group, she was very relaxed. "Where were we?" She asked.

"I believe Toni and Veronika were settling their issues while you were chewing June out, and the rest of us were wondering what was going on," Susan said. This earned her a dirty look from June.

"Oh, that. Sometimes I tend to get a little uh, carried away, heh heh. Sorry about that," Millie replied apologetically.

June tried to get angry, but discovered it was a lost cause. "All right, all right, you're forgiven," she said. "Besides, we have a new target to shoot for anyway."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, a woman in the middleweight division known as Bridgett who is a throwing specialist. From what someone at the steakhouse told me, even the heavyweights can't beat her."
"Really?"

"I have an idea," Susan spoke up. "Why don't we go back to that same steakhouse and June could tell us all about it?"

"Well we haven't ate yet," Veronika said.

"I guess we could have desert," Toni added.

"Great! Let's go!" Susan chimed in.

Everybody headed to their respective vehicles. Kym and Irena paused long enough to look at Betty, who just shrugged as they went for dinner.

Brian Nickles was busy in his office, going through his roster of remaining sumo wrestlers that were left, since four of his top ones suddenly quit. It wasn't that the league had ceased to be competitive; indeed, the sudden vacancy will insure a dogfight to reach the top spot. It's just that the quality of the four sumoti will be missed. Of course in his market, as long as the fans continue to see half-naked women collide into each other, they'll be happy.

In reflection, though he couldn't tell them that, he could understand the ladies leaving to join a more legitimate league. With them, skills were the focal point, everything else was secondary. In his market, the emphasis was on the window dressing; skills were second, or even further down the list. It would explain why Mary, a big-busted woman who couldn't sumo her way out of a wet paper bag, was one of the more popular wrestlers. Every time she . . . jiggled each time she was knocked out of the ring, her status would rise. Small wonder why those wrestlers more serious with the sport wanted nothing to do with her.

He also could understand their departure because of the way they were conned into signing their contracts. In this line of work, finding willing people to fill the vacancies was no problem. Exotic dancers, waitresses looking for more money, budding actresses and beauty queens waiting for that next big break, while at the same time hoping no one else will find out, and of course those who happen to be physically well endowed in one area or another; they would practically line up to do whatever was requested. The drawback however was they weren't athletes. For wrestling and staged catfights, having a few women squeal and run around the ring satisfied the fans, but sumo wrestling was another matter. The underground market had featured topless sumo wrestling for years, but while the women looked good, they were in great shape and actually competed, no scripts or predetermined outcomes. In America where sumo is still regarded as a sport for the tremendously obese, aside from the occasional narcissistic bodybuilder, the right candidates were hard to find. Most athletes were purists as far as their sports went.

Enter the fast talking scout. When he ran across June and Toni, close friends and powerful sumo wrestlers who were independents in search of a stable, the scout nearly promised them the moon to get them to sign the contracts. By the time they realized what they did, it was too late. But they made the best of it, and became champions.

Millie and Veronika were much easier. Both were so attracted by competition, it was no problem to have them sign a lesser contract, for no other reason than to pursue the current champions and take their crown.

Keith assumed from the way they competed, the foursome was firmly settled and no talk of dissent would cross their lips. He assumed wrongly when he discovered Toni and June literally counted the days before they could say they quit. After they said so, they proceeded to tell him what poor excuses for sumo wrestlers the league had; except for a few (in which Millie and Veronika were included), and what sorts of bodily harm they'll do to that scout when they find him. They also said somebody (probably well-armed) needed to put a leash on Yummy Yuriko. The only bright spot was they thought he was a fair and nice guy. If he thought about it long enough, he could've saw Veronika and Millie following suit. He made a mental note to fire that scout, providing June and Toni didn't kill him first.

Keith blew out a breath. The way it looked at the moment, it looked like Sarah would be the frontrunner for champion. As soon as she was over her concussion, courtesy of Millie, he'll tell her the news.

Feeling like his eyes were crossing, Keith turned around to face his desk. The next moment, he nearly jumped out of his chair when he saw the bare leg of Yummy Yuriko draped over the corner of his desk.

"You've been busy," she said.

"Yuriko, how long have you've been sitting here?" Keith demanded.

"Oh, a while. I've asked your secretary not to let you know I arrived. I wanted it to be a surprise."

He realized he couldn't fault Ashley for granting her request. She probably considered herself fortunate to leave her desk in one piece and unharmed. He wished she were still there to call for reinforcements if necessary. Yuriko was busying herself looking at a paperweight while she was swinging her bare right foot from his desk. She was still wearing her black gi top and bikini bottom.

"What are you doing here, Yuriko?" Keith asked.

"I understand you lost four of your best wrestlers over here," Yuriko said, evading the question.

"How did you find out?"

"Oh Veronika and Millie told me earlier today that they quit. And it doesn't take much thought to figure out that was because Toni and June quit. I'll miss Veronika."

I bet she won't miss you. Out loud he said, "Small world. But that still doesn't answer my question."

"Keith, I've found out in my experiences that there are generally two kinds of people, predators and sheep. Long ago, I've found out who I was, and I have crafted my body so I could become more so. I'm sure you know which I am."

Keith slowly nodded his head. "Yes," he said slowly.

"And from time to time, there's a point where the predators habitat becomes exhausted of the necessary resources."

"I see, but what does it have to do with anything?"

"I'm bored, Keith. The competition in my league are no challenge, and the volunteers from the audience are less so. Oh there's the occasional juicy little niblet, but other than that, they're useless."

"Okay."

"Now over here, there are people who can wrestle, people I like. I like you, Keith," she cooed.

"But I thought you liked everybody," Keith replied, hoping she couldn't smell his fear.

"Oh no, not true. You see, those I like, I seduce; those I don't like, I rape." Yuriko leaned forward, delivering the last two words in a whisper. "I'm sure you know the difference."

Keith noticed the seductive sumo step closer and run a finger over his shoulder. He broke out in a cold sweat.

"Yuriko, I'm married," he said.

"And yet you work in the adult entertainment industry; hardly a career that ensures fidelity in marriage."

"We do fine. What is this about, Yuriko?"

"I want to switch leagues. To even keep it simple for you, we can stay with the same contract."

"Yuriko, you can't do that. You are one of the main draws to the Flesh League. It would help our Extreme League, but that . . . I can't do it."

The finger that she ran along Keith's shoulder became a claw with the addition of the thumb and middle finger. The formed a firm hold, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep him still and let him know those fingers could easily bruise or worse.

"There's also a subcategory that I failed to mention," Yuriko said neutrally. "And those are people who think they're predators, but in reality they're sheep, elevated sheep. The four who left you today were predators who exhausted their habitat. You, even though you show the appearance of a predator, when it's all over at the end of the day, you're just a sheep. Please do not allow me to demonstrate what a predator can do."

"B-but the rules are different! You can't-" Yuriko put a finger on his lips.

"Yes, I am aware of that; I am not stupid, Keith. You forget I am here by choice. I'm not someone down on their luck, a washed-up celebrity, or someone manipulated into a contract under false pretenses. I've spent time working on my mind as well as my body, and I don't like to be insulted in either category. Are we clear?"

"Working on your mind? Uhh!" Keith groaned as Yuriko tightened her claw.

"I have a double major in Psychology and Political Science, with honors. Now listen. I will make the switch to the Extreme League immediately. If you require an exchange, send that over-breasted booby Mary in my place, that's what she wants anyway. I will be in contention and on an equal playing field like everyone else. Okay?" Yuriko said.

"That's nice, but there's three things wrong with that," Keith said carefully as Yuriko released the pressure on his shoulder. "One, you're too powerful for the Extreme League; two, the rules aren't the same; and three, I'm the boss ' ahhh!"

"You are sheep! And apparently not a very bright one if you continue to insult my intelligence like that," Yuriko replied, tightening her claw hold. "As powerful as I am, there are some women who are powerful enough to give me a challenge, four of them left today. Yes, it' s true. Be thankful Veronika did not stuff you in the trashcan or Millie give you a concussion from one of her slaps.

"As for finding women powerful enough to take me, you need to talk to your scout. No, better yet, I need to talk to him. There are women out there who are competitive enough to make this league better than it is now. The others, the dead weight who do nothing but squeal when they're thrown out of the ring, throw them in the Flesh League. For the rest, like Sarah, hire a trainer. Millie wouldn't have been able to throw her that hard if she knew how to fall. Also, your scout will tell potential wrestlers what they're in for. It's a wonder you don't have lawsuits on that by now.

"And yes, I know the rules, you moron. I have no problem playing by those rules, but we need to change one thing: the wrestlers wear bikini tops."

Keith was shocked. "But the fans-"

"Are sheep! They will watch. If not, they'll enjoy the expanded smorgasbord in the Flesh League."

"But I thought you liked being nude!"

"I do when it comes to doing what needs to be done, but if you want more sumo wrestlers, you'll change it. If you want a better sumo league, you'll follow my requests. As for you being "the boss,' you could've made these changes long before I came here. Instead, I have to come and do this."

"What do you care?"

"I'm tired of raping sheep! I want to compete, not deal with losers I can break. Now, are you going to follow my requests, or do I have to pull your pants down, turn you over, and really show you what I do to sheep who defy me?"

Keith's face turned pale. "You wouldn't," he said.

"I would, and enjoy it," Yuriko returned with a sneer.

"Okay, we'll see."

"Keith, an answer, now."

The silence was thick, and considering what the immediate alternative would be, Keith uttered a weak yes.

"Very good, Keith. Call your scout, we'll have a meeting with him early tomorrow morning." Yuriko walked to the door.

His courage increasing with Yuriko's distance, Keith said, "Yuriko, what's to keep me from having security bar you from the front doors in the morning?"

Yuriko smiled slyly. "You know Hans, your head guard?" She asked.

"Yes," Keith said slowly. "He broke his leg in a car accident."

"That was no accident. You see, Hans thought he could lay hands on Yummy Yuriko without asking her permission. When he heard me say no and persisted anyway, he paid the price. Then I made him pay again, by, well, I'll spare you the lurid details, but in the end, it was yummier for me than it was for him. Now I'll see you and the scout tomorrow morning. And no funny stuff, because I also know where you live."

With that, she left the office.

Keith found himself visibly shaking. Not only had she succeeded in scaring him half to death, he also had to admit she was right. He wouldn't realize the full scope of how right she was until he saw the profits go through the roof a month and a half later.

After that meeting, he finally heeded his wife's advice and carried a tazer to work with him, never far from his reach. His wife was delighted he started using that tazer she gave him as a Christmas gift, but Keith wondered if such a weapon that normally immobilized garden-variety muggers would work on such a creature as Yummy Yoriko.

He hoped he never had to find out.

As they left the steakhouse, the four sumo wrestlers realized it was late, and they had someplace to be in the morning. Not wanting to make a bad impression on Lindsay, June and Millie, and Toni and Veronika said their goodbyes to Susan and the three mechanics. The gathering had become a martial arts forum of sorts, discussing techniques, tactics, and in Susan's case, the allure of combat sports. With the possibility of becoming a professional, and international competition, Millie had a new goal to aim for, much to June's relief (actually they were considered "professionals" in the Extreme League, but considering that most people outside of the red light district would not recognize them, they dismissed it). Actually June found that there was actually a lot to like about Millie, once you got past the competition and the drama. Toni and Veronika would occasionally talk about entering strongwomen contests and possibly entering the next local one. Susan and Irena were treated like the celebrities they came to be, fielding questions about kickboxing matches and cage fighting from the four sumotori. Kym and Betty just leaned back and took it all in. At one time, Kym thought she saw Loretta leaving with someone out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head, no one was there. She thought about the idea of torturing Irena with the notion, but she decided she wanted to hear more about sumo wrestling. Besides, that probably wasn't her anyway.

As the four returned to the garage, Betty said to Susan, "Okay Susan, you said you understood what happened earlier today with June and Millie, so please explain it to us."

"Okay; sometimes among competing athletes you have rivalries. Nothing unusual there, of course, but sometimes a person can become so obsessed with winning a particular title, or in Millie's case, defeating a particular person who carries that title, you almost don't see anything else. It starts to become a reason for living. When June quit her league, Millie didn't know what to do but go wherever her rival went," Susan explained.

"But if June left, that would give Millie a clear shot, wouldn't it, or be a lock for the title if she's real good?" Betty asked.

"Normally it would, but competing in sports is not all about the awards or title. If that were the case, football players would retire after they won the Superbowl. There's a thrill in the competition itself. Just hook it up with the same craziness that makes people climb mountains."

"So what would happen if Millie met June in the sumo ring?" Kym asked.

"It depends really. If Millie won, then she would be on cloud nine, then experience a serious letdown until she found something else to shoot for. If she lost, she'd just train and try again. Keep in mind that Toni and Veronika had a rivalry too, except Veronika wasn't as . . .intense as Millie, so she took it in stride."

"My trainer always told me one opponent at a time, over and over," Irena remarked. "It never made sense to me, until now. I guess I would've been like Millie if he didn't drill that into me. To be obsessed with one thing, oh that must be terrible. What are you two smiling about?"

"Me and Kym? Why, we're just agreeing with you," Betty said in a futile attempt to keep from laughing. Kym already lost the battle, rolling on the hood of her truck.

"I think the only thing "agreeable' with you two would be a whack across the head."

"Isn't that my line?" Betty asked.

"It sounds cooler delivered with a Russian accent," Kym replied, keeping safe distance between her and Irena. "Do go on, Susan."

"Anyway, I've known this to happen with two kickboxers in the lightweight category. One was champion, the other was one of the main contenders. One day the champ gained weight and moved up into the next weight class before they met. The other kickboxer was floored by this, so what did she do? She added some pounds so she could be in the same weight class."

"So did they ever fight each other?" Betty asked, keeping an eye on Irena.

"Yes, the challenger won."

"And won the title?"

"No, because the other fighter didn't win any titles in that weight class. The challenger promptly retired."

"Why?"

"Because she may not have won the championship, but in her mind, she won the prize. The story isn't over yet, though."

"No?" Kym said.

"No," Susan replied with a smirk. "The fighter, the former lightweight champion, had recently won the middleweight title. This of course brought the challenger back to life, and she's now making her way through the list of possible contenders so she could face her again."

"Sports drama at its finest," Betty said.

"The stuff on which stories and movies are made," Susan agreed.

"To be obsessed about one thing; that must be horrible, eh, Irena?" Kym said.

"I apparently missed quite a bit while I've been training. What's going on, Irena? Irena?" Susan asked, but Irena was stalking toward something by the garage.

"Irena has been troubled by something, or rather someone lately," Betty said, her face doing all sorts of contortions to keep it straight.

"Oh really? Please tell me."

"Oh look here, a garden hose. I wonder if it's loaded? Yes it is. Oh ladies?" Irena said, taking aim with the hose. The planned assault was not to be. Kym's truck peeled out of the parking lot, while the fleeing figure of Betty running to her parent's house could be seen. This left a confused Susan looking both ways at the two escapees. Irena turned off the hose and threw it down. Susan came to her.

"So I have missed a lot while I was gone. So what's going on, Irena?" Susan asked.

"Well they, I mean I, something; never mind, Susan, I'll talk to you later." Irena patted Susan on the shoulder, then went to her truck and left.

Even more confused, Susan walked to her own car and stepped in.

"Huh," she said as she started it and drove home.

For comments, suggestions, or story ideas, email the author at shrewsberry@juno.com.

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