Chapter 3

Madness in Madrid

When the bus finally stopped into Madrid, Erin stepped off the bus and looked around. She had an overwhelming feeling that she was one step closer into making her dream into a reality. The bigger question on her mind was where the underground street fights were taking place.

Then she noticed that there was a major commotion going on in one of the major blocks. She then got excited what it really was – a street fight tournament! She walked towards the tournament and watched the fighters go at each other. To her, it was exhilarating. It felt to her like it was part of her nature to fight. Without it, she would wither into something she was not.

Without a second thought, Erin entered herself into the tournament. She waited for her name to be called out while watching the other fighters. After some time, her name was called and she stepped up to meet her opponent. Her opponent was a young man with dark complexion and dark hair. They greeted and took their places waiting for the signal to start the fight.

The bell rang and the man darted at her. He threw the first punch and she managed to block it just in time. She realized now that he's faster than all of the opponents she's ever faced. They were either bigger or drunk. She tried sweeping his leg but he jumped out of the way just in time. He managed to sneak from the back and gave her a blow in the back. She managed to get herself back up and now was more alert this time.

She tried kicking him and he would dodge or hold her foot. She then used that to throw him over using her weight as an advantage. She then managed to get on top of him and started punching him in the face numerous of times. He then managed to slip out of her grasp with a smoke blinding her. He would kick her but she saw his leg and used it to put him in a submission hold.

It didn't take him long to get him out of that hold and Erin now had to use other measures to outsmart him. He then grabbed her by the hair and she hit him hard in the gut making him let go. Then she swung kick his face causing him to fumble over. He staggered getting back up then he tried swinging a punch at her which he missed causing him to go dizzy. The final thing Erin did was a mule kick to the guy's chest in which he would not get back up.

While in the crowd, a young girl with dark hair screamed out in shock as he lost. Erin was declared victor. The young girl then came up and slapped her. "You idiot! Now he can't win the prize money to help our family!" Then a man told her to step back but she refused. "That's enough, Lavinia!" the young man said coughing while trying to sit up. "He beat me fair and square. We'll find another way." She stormed off leaving the man sitting there.

Erin offered a hand to help him up. "I didn't know it was so important for you to get that money." Then he interrupted her. "Don't go saying you'd throw the match. That would be more of an insult to me if you did. You fought well, but those fight maneuvers you pulled won't help you with the fighters around here. They're a lot quicker and more experienced."

"Like you?" Erin scoffed at him. "It... wasn't my best performance, I'll give you that." "How did you do that?" "Do what?" he asked. "Disappear in the smoke and all that?" Erin asked. "Family secret." He said putting his finger up on his lips.

"Look, I really feel bad putting you out like that and that girl was really upset that you lost." Erin said. "Well, she'll have to get over it. Lavinia's going to have to realize that there are other fighters that are better than me out there." "Lavinia was the girl that slapped me?" Erin asked. "Ah yes, my sister, she thought this would be an idea of getting some money rather than panhandle out in the streets."

"What if I can help you get that money?" Erin asked. "No, I couldn't ask you to do that because my sister guilt tripped you..." "Hear me out, if I can get the equivalence of that prize money for you guys, will you teach me how you fight and how to do that smoke disappearance?" Erin pleaded. "It will keep us going for the next three months, alright then." The man reluctantly agreed and shook Erin's hand. "By the way, I didn't catch your name." Erin mentioned. "Oh, it's Django. And yours?" "Erin," She replied. "Well, Erin, shall we go back to my place?" "Shouldn't you be looking for your sister?" Erin questioned. "She'll be fine, she probably went back to pout at home."

As they walked towards in the direction Django was leading, they overheard some townsfolk talking in a fit of rage. "That gypsy wench pickpocketed my drinking money! Mark my words, she'll regret it if I ever come across her again!" After hearing this, Django twisted his face with frustration. "That better not be who I think they're talking about!" "Whom they called a gypsy?" Erin asked.

"Yeah, remember how I said my family was struggling for money? Well, we're nomads or as these folks would so heartily quote us as 'gypsies.' You probably have a different view of us now that you know," Django admitted his background. "Never crossed my mind. I'm not here to make enemies – or at least try to outside of fighting." Erin said neutrally. "I suppose you're a traveler as well?" Django asked. "Yeah, you could say that," Erin said averting his question. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with us then. We nomads, got to stick together, right?" Django said cheerfully. "Right," Erin gave him a little smile of relief.

After some time walking, they arrived at an open field with a couple of trailers with some laundry lines on the side hanging clothes and bedding sheets. "You're home... what's he doing here?" Lavinia turned her attention to Erin. "He's here to help us get the amount of that prize money." Django said scolding her. "Hmph," Lavinia turned her head abruptly and walked the other direction. Then they were greeted by an older man and woman along with an elderly man. "Django, who's your friend?" The man asked. "Patrin, this is Erin, we ran into each other in town, he's a nomad as well." Django introduced.

"You're not from Spain, are you?" Patrin said peering into Erin. "How'd you know?" Erin asked. "That accent and your complexion tells me you're from Ireland. You're an Irish Traveler!" Patrin exclaimed. "Yes, how'd you know?" Erin said stumbling. "I have a way of telling, anyway, make yourself at home! I'm Django and Lavinia's older brother. This is Rosella, my wife, and this is Silvanus, our father." "A pleasure to meet you all." Erin said.

"Oh, Django, Lavinia managed to get some food for us. Isn't that wonderful?" Rosella said with praise. "Yes, it is..." Django glared at Lavinia knowing that it was her who stole from the man on the street earlier.

Later on, the family and Erin ate dinner together in an open campfire outside. They chatted about what they do and where they went on the open road. They revealed that they were circus performers and later left after the circus owner passed away. Erin then realized this would explain how Django was able to do those tricks while fighting with her. Django would then tell Erin to be ready the first thing in the morning but did not give a reason for it.

Erin would then sleep in a tent with Django still assuming that Erin was a boy just like Django. Erin didn't argue as she saw there was no point to it. She thought to herself that it was not her fault that they assumed she was a boy and went on to their own conclusions. She also thought she might as well take advantage of the conception to keep her from being spotted by anyone who would turn her in to Irish authorities.

She then got up early, as instructed by Django, to meet with him. She then spotted him at an open field near a creek. "Want to know why I told you to come here early?" Django asked. "To train me?" Erin guessed. "Exactly, if you want to last longer in a fight, you'll need to learn more than what you brought on our fight yesterday. Ready?"

Erin nodded and put up her fists. This would then turn into a regular thing for Django and Erin each morning. Erin stumbled at first but gradually improved. After a few weeks of training, Erin and Django sparred once more. Erin maneuvered herself by slinging herself on the trees and fought midair. Then she saw an opening on Django and hit him hard. Django fell to the ground and then looked up to her saying, "You're ready, come back here tomorrow morning, there's one more lesson I will give you before you go into the underground fighting arena."

"Are you two finished already? Breakfast is ready!" Lavinia shouted to them. The two followed Lavinia to eat breakfast with the family. "How do you like the eggs, Erin?" Lavinia asked. "It's delicious!" Erin said cheerfully. "Thanks," Lavinia said blushing. "You never asked how I like my eggs," Django teased. "You're different, Erin is a guest!" Lavinia snapped back. Patrin and Rosella laughed.

After breakfast, Django and Erin went down the creek to go fishing. "You know, my sister has a thing for you." Django spoke up to strike a conversation. "Uh... what?" Erin's eyes widened. "Rosella told me that Lavinia doesn't stop talking about you. That you were a caring, sweet guy and all that." Django admitted. "Um, I'm not into girls..." Erin said with hesitance. "Wait, you mean you like... I mean, I don't see anything wrong with it, it's just I never thought you would..." Django stumbled in surprise.

"Django, I have something to tell you. Well, I wasn't trying to hide what I am, but I'm not a guy." Erin confessed. "Hold on, you're a girl?!" Django said with shock. "Yeah, why did you think I was a guy?" Erin asked out of curiosity. "Your name for one, you didn't correct me about the sleeping arrangements, and your clothes kind of hid your 'figure'." Django shouted in embarrassment. "Yeah I should have said something about that, but I didn't think you'd still train me if you figured I was a girl."

"Well yeah, but that's not the point, you lied to me!" "No, I didn't, you assumed I was a boy." "But you didn't correct me!" Django argued back. "I didn't think my gender was all that important to you." Erin said walking back to the camp.

"Erin, where's Django?" Patrin asked. "Sulking cause I'm not a boy like he thought!" Erin snapped. "He's just now figuring out you're a girl?" Rosella said. "Wait, you knew she was a girl?" Patrin asked his wife. "Of course I knew, I was more appalled that you let your brother sleep in the same tent as her." Rosella admitted. "Wow, um, okay," Patrin said at a loss for words. "Son, you really thought Erin was a boy too?" Silvanus chuckled. "Well, she dressed like a guy..." Patrin said blushing in embarrassment. "Erin, you'll be sleeping in with Lavinia from now on." Silvanus instructed. "Yes sir, sorry for the confusion," Erin apologized. "No need to apologize, my children don't know how to distinguish between a boy and a girl obviously." Silvanus laughed.

"Dinner is almost ready; you should go get Django." Rosella said. "I'll go get him." Patrin said walking towards the creek.

It was dinnertime and the family were chattering as usual. "You're a girl?!" Latrine exclaimed. "Yeah, are you mad at me?" Erin asked. "Not really, just relieved that there's another girl around." Latrine said with a smile. Django didn't say a word during dinner. He couldn't even look at Erin.

The next morning, Erin went to the open area where Django and she would usually train at. Surprisingly she saw Django there sitting there. She walked up to him. "I thought you didn't want to train a girl to fight?" Erin asked. "This isn't a fight move. I promised you I would teach you this in exchange of helping me get two thousand euros. I'm just simply holding my end of the bargain." Django said coldly.

They went on to train with the move that Erin was most impressed since they first met. Later on, they came back to eat breakfast. Erin then spoke up, "I actually came here to become a fighter." "I hate to break it to you, but majority of the fighters are men and they don't go easy on women." Django scoffed. "Erin isn't like that, Django. She beat the crap out of you during a street fight. She's tougher than she looks!" Lavinia said in defense. "Even so, Erin would still be at a disadvantage." Patrin said. "I've held my own this long, why not give it a go?" Erin stood her ground. "These fighters aren't your average street fighters, Erin. These are professional fighters, ones that are highly regarded and ones that are guaranteed to win a bet for the gambler." Patrin advised. "I promised Django that I would help you all get that money, and I'm not stepping down – especially after coming all this way."

Everyone is silent. "A promise is a promise. Who are we to stop Erin from trying to do a noble cause?" Silvanus spoke up. "Besides, she can always dress up like she did where we all thought she was a boy, they'd never suspect." Lavinia suggested. Django's eyes lit up. "That she can. Erin, do you still have those clothes with you?" "They're in my bag." "Good, cause we are going underground," Django smiled.

"You can't be serious, Django." Patrin rebutted him. "It's like father said, a promise is a promise, right, Erin?" Django grinned mischievously. "Exactly." Erin grinned back. "And besides, she's going to need a 'manager' to help her affairs in collecting her pay," Django said.

An hour later, Django and Erin left the campsite and headed into the city. Django led her in one of the sketchy alleys in the city and banged on a metal patch. The metal patch had a slit that opened. "Can I help you?" a man asked behind the door. "The bull has its horns." Erin said before Django could open his mouth. The metal sheet shut, and the door opened for them.

They went inside and went down the stairs. Going down further, they could hear a noise. Then the noise became a large crowd cheering around the caged arena. They watched the match between two gruesome men while one of them fractured his leg. Django looked at Erin with a worrisome look. "We can find other ways to get the money if this is too much..." "Not for me it's not," Erin said with a reassuring smile.

"You come to bet?" A man at a table asked them. "I'm here to enter the fighting ring." Erin stated. "We'll place you where we have an opening. You have a sponsor?" "That would be me." Django butted in. "Alright, a fifty-euro fee for a guaranteed spot in a match." The man said. Erin paid him fifty euros. "Sign in here and how we address you on arena. You too, sponsor, sign for confirmation of sponsorship." They both signed their names. "One of the bouncers will come to you when it's time for you to get ready." The man said.

They took their seats as they waited patiently for Erin to go up. They watched the next two men fight each other. One was pretty agile using a form of ninjutsu. Erin watched it as if she were watching a movie. Some time later, a bouncer came to her. "It's time," She and Django followed him to what it appeared to be a locker room to get changed.

Erin putted on her binding gear to make her sell the idea Django had in making her look like a guy. She then put on her dark blue and black shirt which was sleeveless. She then tied her black mask covering her lower face showing only her eyes, nose and her long-braided hair.

"Am I able to fool you this time, Django?" Erin asked. "You would. Erin..." Django called out to her. "Yeah?" Then he sighed. "Good luck out there." "Thanks." Erin then made her way out in position.

"Ladies and gentleman, we are in the second round of the preliminary events. We have a man from Toulouse, France. Has a steady record now of 2-0. Please welcome, Gabriel de' Lacrone'." The crowd cheered as he entered the ring. "Now introducing a new face in the arena, he is a mysterious man from where he would not give where he is from, but his appearance will certainly strike a curiosity in wanting more of him. Give it up, for Erin!" A mixture of cheers and boos went around the arena. "Sounds like we know who everyone is betting on to win." Django commented as he escorted Erin to the ring. A bouncer then blocked the way for Django telling him that fighters only enter the ring.

Erin stepped up and meet her opponent. He had a whip he was dancing around with to show off. "No one told me we could have a weapon of our choosing," Erin said with composure. Django started worrying knowing that she was at a disadvantage. The timer went on and everyone was waiting for the clock to hit the 60 mark. Once it hit, a horn went off to start the fight.

Gabriel then tried grabbing her with the whip which Erin effortlessly dodged. She then tried to climb but the whip tangled her leg and he pulled her off the wall sending her sliding to the other side. He then charged after her which she leaped over him leapfrog style. He then threw punches one after another at a fast rate while Erin was able to block them. She then kicked him in the back of his knee and grappled his head pulling him back. Then she landed on her feet shifting her feet around Gabriel.

Gabriel then spun his body around and tangled the end of his whip around Erin's hand. He pulled her in and punched her in the gut. Gabriel then grabbed hold of her and threw her on one of the cage's walls.

"Come on, get up!" Django shouted. She laid their motionless as he charged at her. Then she went up under him grabbing his shirt and crotch area and slammed him on the ground. Django realized that she was feigning to throw him off. She then grabbed his arm and did the arm hold she did previously that won her the match back in Ireland. Gabriel then agonized in pain but did not tap out. He used his free hand to knock her off his arm. He got free but at the cost of his arm not being of use anymore for the remainder of the match.

Erin then climbed the cage while Gabriel's whip got hold of her arm once more. She used this as a swing thrusting her weight and momentum to spin Gabriel into the cage wall once more. His back was now showing marks of the cage being battered against it a couple of times. Losing patience with her, Gabriel started cracking his whip nonstop towards Erin. The crowd became restless as they knew the match was really heating up so they started clapping along with the whip.

Erin then jumped on the cage walls jumping to wall against another. The whip barely missed her and she reached the cage ceiling. She swung herself making her flip forward and positioned her foot charging at Gabriel's head while he was still dizzy trying to catch up with Erin's speed. Her foot hit hard on Gabriel's head and he fell backwards. Erin then backflipped out of the way to see if he would get up. The official then stepped in the ring seeing he could not get up declared the match over and Erin the victor. The crowd went wild but more for reasons that they lost the bet they had on Gabriel.

In the stands, a man with an eyepatch on him stared at Erin quizzically. Another man next to him with long dark blonde/light brown hair grimaced. "Is this what we have came down to for entertainment?" The man sneered. "Give the man credit, Vega. A lot of us here underestimated his potential – including me. I'm sure you're surprised at the result as well." The man said coolly. "Bah, those were amateur moves. I was more so disappointed at Gabriel for not chopping him up with that whip. He's not worthy of such an instrument!" Vega said spitting to the ground in disgust.

"Yes, Gabriel was such a proud man starting out, but now was brought down a peg or two thanks to this mysterious fighter." The man rubbed his chin. "You can't be thinking you're actually intrigued by this man, Sagat!" Vega shouted in surprise. "He impressed me, yes, but it won't take long before he ends up like Gabriel. A promising fighter that will fall to another opponent." Sagat said while leaving his seat.

Django rushed up to join Erin to escort her back to the locker rooms. "I can't believe it! You won! Your first match underground! As they made it to the locker room, Erin goes into a stall to change out of her fighting clothes. While she was doing that, a man came in the locker rooms. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, can I help you with something?" Django said while protecting the stall with Erin quiet. "Is Erin still in here?" The man asked.

"I am, what do you want with me?" Erin said through the stall. "I'm here to deliver your winnings. Congratulations, you somehow managed to convince nearly the entire ring full of spectators that you weren't going to win. For that, your earnings are a bit higher than normal." The man pulled out and envelope. Django grabbed the envelope. "Six hundred and fifty euros?!" Django exclaimed. Erin was in shock not saying anything in the stall. "Don't get too use to it if you're coming back to fight. People now know you can fight and will start to bet on you to win. However, maybe you'll get lucky with another favorite fighter. Speaking of, are you going to be a regular here?" The man asked. "Is there a problem if my client is?" Django asked. "Not at all. I've got another fight slot for you for tomorrow night if you're interested." The man asked once more. "Of course he is! Give us the time and we'll be there!" Django said quickly. "Alright, this is the time of your fight, be here thirty minutes prior to get ready in the locker rooms. Congratulations again." The man handed Django the paper and left the locker room. Then Django made sure he left. "You're cleared." He whispered to the stall. Erin emerged from the stall dressing in the clothes she came in with the mask pulled down to the neck.

"Look at this! Come on, we better get out of here if we really made a lot of people mad." Django ushered Erin out. When they heard voices, Erin pulled up the mask to her nose again. "Ah, there's the underdog of the hour! You've caused quite the upset. Will we be seeing you around again?" Sagat asked. "You will, tomorrow night. My client is very enthusiastic about his upcoming match." Django spoke once more. "I'm sure he is. Allow me to introduce to you, my client, high end professional fighter and matador, Vega. He's about to go up in the main event match against a worthy opponent." Sagat boasted. "May be worthy, but won't withstand my capabilities on what I'm about to do to him." Vega said sadistically. "Haha, oh Vega, quite the charmer you are. Will you be staying to watch the match?" Sagat asked. "I'm afraid our presence right now will cause more tension and drive all the attention away from your client's match. He wouldn't want the spotlight taken away because of us, now would he?" Django spoke up explaining possibly what would happen.

"I suppose not. Well, that's too bad. I hope you'll be more comfortable in staying as you continue to fight here. These people don't hold grudges for very long and get over it. I hope we run into one another again." Sagat said sounding genuine. "Same here, good luck, Mr. Vega." Django bowed and escorted Erin out of the changing rooms and rushed out the underground ring.

"Of course they would be gypsy scum!" Vega said distorting his face in disgust. "The manager is, but the fighter isn't." Sagat said with keen observation. "How could you tell?" Vega asked. "His complexion and eyes tell me he's not even from here. They know each other under some circumstance, but what? And why would he want him as his manager?" Sagat asked himself. "Perhaps he's trying to pay off his debt to the gypsy? He must have done something to enrage them." Vega suggested. "That must be it. Next time they show up, keep an eye on this fighter. See what you can find on him." Sagat instructed him. Vega then nodded in agreement.