Natasha Han vs. Valley Doll II - Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or KO



"Valley! Valley! Valley! Valley!"

Valley Doll stood outside the curtain at the top of the entrance ramp, while a packed crowd roared just outside. She should've been feeling a tinge of nostalgia right now - after all, it had been a good while since she'd heard a crowd cheer her name like that before she even got to the ring. People were actually looking forward to her match, waiting for it to happen - simple thing, but so amazing. It was a good sign that she was making some real progress in the AFW, and she would have loved nothing more than to bask in the moment. But this was not the time to relax. In a few minutes, she'd be fighting one of the toughest opponents of her entire career. Again.

Natasha Han.

It hadn't even been that long since their last match, had it? Three, four months. It felt like years. Maybe be used that bout had been such a standout, maybe because she'd been anticipating the promised rematch. She'd had a couple of matches since then against a couple of exceptional opponents, but they couldn't rock her the way Natasha Han would. Calling it a 'match' was an understatement in a lot of ways - it felt more like a war. Constant strategizing, grueling combat. Battling Natasha left her spent, emotionally and physically. She was hurting for weeks, feeling the STF every day. Hell in the ring.

And she couldn't have been more excited to do it again. "I've got this." She did a quick Hail Mary and took a deep breath along with it, steeling her nerves. "I've got this."

As soon as her music started, Valley burst out of the back with both of her arms raised, throwing out the devil horns before she broke into her dancing routine. She moved faster than ever before, felt lighter, had even more energy as she skipped and swirled and flipped her way down the ramp. Smiling bright and wide.

It wasn't just the prospect of the match that fueled her. She had been upping her training regimen since she and Natasha last met in the ring. She'd told everyone that she wasn't the same wrestler from last year, that no one would stop her streak all year, and this was her chance to put some force behind those words. She'd beaten Natasha by the skin of her teeth last time. Some people called it a fluke. If she won, here, those people would shut up for a long time. This would be a legit win streak, and unlike some other wrestlers, it wouldn't be one padded out by fighting girls with half her size and none of her experience. Valley was taking on the best AFW had to offer, and winning.

She hopped up on the apron and turned back to the entrance, leaning back on the ropes. In a single leap, Valley flipped back, swinging her legs through the air as she rolled over the top rope, and landed with perfect form on her both her feet. Both of her arms were held high, and her fingers pointed to the ceiling.

"Tokyoooooooooo!" Valley screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to raise her voice over the raging crowd. "It's time to fly!"

Natasha Han waited backstage, quietly and patiently, waiting for her signal to enter the arena. She leaned against a wall, her arms folded over her chest and her head tilted downwards, her eyes closed in thought. Four months. It had been four months since she had last stepped into the ring, and that match had haunted her ever since.

Valley Doll.

Just the sound of the woman's name sent a tingle down the Russian's spine. Their match had been the hardest, roughest, most difficult match of Natasha's career. She could remember the match as if it had happened yesterday, every single little detail of it. Valley was good. She was damn good, but Natasha thought she had her. She thought that she had beaten the woman. She had watched it a million times since then, and she had replayed it in her mind over and over, and she still couldn't figure it out. She couldn't figure out how Valley had found the strength to turn things around and beat her.

Every since her loss, Natasha had been preparing for the inevitable rematch. She had hit the gym even harder then usual, pushing her body as far as she could day in and day out, trying to get ready for the day that had to come, the day that she and the blonde faced off again. She had sparred against dozens of women in the gym, inviting anyone and everyone that had wanted to try their luck to come at her, and she had put them all down, determined that when she and Valley faced again, that the result would be different. She knew she was better then the blonde. She was convinced that her loss had been a fluke, and that the rematch would be different, and tonight, she was going to prove it.

Valley Doll.

At the sound of one of the AFW workers calling to her, Natasha opened her eyes, pushing off of the wall and heading to the curtain separating the arena from the backstage. She felt anxious. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, the anticipation of what was to come starting to build within her. She took a breath, trying to calm her nerves, and then pushed through the curtains, into the arena, her theme music blasting as she made her entrance.

Compared to Valley's energetic entrance, Natasha's was less exciting, less showy. The Russian stepped into the arena to only a fraction of the cheers and applause that the American had gotten, but she didn't mind. She wasn't here for them. She was here for herself. She was here to win.

As soon as she stepped into the arena, she began to head down the ramp, wasting no time posing, or playing to the audience. She was focused, determined, and she wasn't going to lose that focus. She had her goal in mind, and as she looked into the ring on her way towards it, she was greeted by a reminder of what she needed to do.

Valley Doll.

Another tingle ran down Natasha's spine at the sight of the woman, standing there in the ring as if she owned it, as if it was all her's and no one else's, and if you had asked the crowd at that moment, they would have been in agreement. It bothered Natasha. Just looking at Valley bothered her. It shouldn't have, but after their match together, just the sight of the American was enough to get under the Russian's skin. More then ever now, she was ready for this match to begin, so that she could unload her frustrations onto Valley and redeem herself after her loss.

She neared the ring, and quickly climbed up the steps to it, passing through the ropes and into the ring proper. Once she had entered it, she headed across the mat, walking right up to her rival. She moved in close to her, standing chest-to-chest with her, and stared right into Valley's blue eyes, her breath slightly quickening as her music began to die down around her.

"Kukla..." was the only word she said, barely a whisper as she stared at Valley, planting her feet against the match, letting the woman know that she had arrived.

Valley focused on her breathing as Natasha Han's music started, waiting in the middle of the ring with her arms folded. It wasn't a long wait, either - sure enough, her rival emerged from the back, looking ready for the match. More than ready. In all her matches, the Slamazon was used to seeing intensity from her opponents, but the look on the Russian's face went beyond that. Their gazes never left each other. Valley wasn't even sure that Natasha realized there were other people in the ring, or in the country, or on the planet. She looked at the ring like it was the center of the universe, as if there was absolutely nothing else in the entire cosmos that was worthy of her notice

Valley Doll had goosebumps.

She stood there with her hands on her hips, as Natasha entered the ring and immediately met her in the middle. Chest-to-chest, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. She could smell chicken on the Russian wonder's breath, as her exhales blew over her face in quick bursts. Her heart was racing. Valley's was, too, despite her best efforts to keep it down.

"Han." Valley took a quick moment to look Natasha over. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she was looking more fit than the last time, and she'd been in good shape before. Muscles she didn't remember were clearly visible, and she was unquestionably the bigger of the two, now. This was Natasha Han 2.0. Better, slicker, improved.

But so was Valley, and she was ready to show it. "Looking good." She brought her eyes back up and resumed the stare down. "Ready for me this time? The last Slamazon tried her best to maintain a cocky smile, but she couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. It was the tone of a kid with an hour to go before Christmas.

Natasha stood her ground, staring intently towards Valley. She never broke her gaze, she refused to back down, and she remained silent, not wanting to give her cocky, smiling opponent the satisfaction of a response.

Valley looked good, though. She looked like she was in as good of a shape as she ever was, but...Natasha felt like she looked better. She had spent too much time working out and preparing for this match to not feel like she was in the better shape, and she was going to prove it, just as soon as the match got underway.

The referee stepped up to the two women, clearing her throat and motioning for the two of them to break it up, and back off from each other. Natasha held her ground for a second longer, then released a soft 'hmph', taking a step back from Valley. She then turned away, and headed to her corner.

Once there, she turned towards her foe again, staring across the ring towards her, waiting patiently for the bell to ring so that things could get started properly.

This match was already looking to be less cordial than the last one Valley and Natasha had, and that one hadn't exactly been social either. This time it was all about razor sharp focus. No mind games, no tricks, nothing cute. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"All right, all right, back it up."

Valley nodded as the referee spaced them out, sending them to their corner as the audience settled in. She backed away, all the way to the turnbuckle, and grabbed the ropes on both sides as she watched Natasha from the other side. Sizing her up. Thinking. Natasha, unless something had radically changed in the last four months, was a strong techical wrestler with a lot of power backing her up and some solid submissions. If Valley wanted to win - and she did - she'd have to stay fast, stay mobile, and most importantly, stay off the floor. This time, Natasha wouldn't let her back up.

By the time the bell rang, Valley had ditched her cocky smile and traded it in for a serious stare. She came out of the corner with her arms up, looking for a collar and elbow tie up.

Natasha waited for the bell, every second that passed growing more and more frustrating. She was ready. She was ready for this. All she needed was to hear the sound of the bell, the signal for her to go into action. She knew what Valley could do, she knew all too well what the woman was capable of, and she knew how to fight her. Keep her grounded, don't let up on her. Don't let her get far enough away to use her speed, and above all else, don't let her get those dangerous legs around her.

She went over her gameplan in her head, over and over again, until the bell finally rang. The moment it did, the exact instant that she heard the sound of it, she exploded from her corner. She rushed towards Valley like an oncoming train, full of power and fury, and raised up her own arms to meet her tie up. The two woman connected with each other, but the Russian didn't let up or slow down. She let out a furious yell, trying to overpower Valley and force her straight back, trying to use her explosive momentum to drive the woman back into her corner.

Two seconds after the bell, Valley learned something very important about Natasha: she was faster than before.

"Crap-" She didn't even have time to brace herself as the Russian freight train crossed the ring and slammed into her at full speed and power, driving her across the ring. She tried to plant her feet down, get her legs into the effort, anything to slow down Natasha's inexorable momentum, but it was a lost cause. She was going to the turnbuckle. No two ways about it.

Valley cried out as her back crashed into the pads, and the crowd accompanied it with a few scattered boos. Not that Natasha had done anything wrong - if anything, this was Valley's fault for starting to slow. And now she was forced into the corner, vainly trying to push her way out as Natasha steamrolled her from the front.

Natasha heard the crowd booing, but she blocked them out of her mind. Let them boo. She knew she wasn't the crowd favorite, but she wasn't going to let that bother her. There was no reason to let it get to her, especially when she had picked up the first strike, and so easily as well!

As soon as Valley hit the turnbuckle, Natasha released the tie up and took a step back. Her arm came up, and with another furious shout, she swung it straight towards her rival, aiming a sharp, knife-edged chop right into the center of the Slamazon's chest!

The referee started to move in and motion for Natasha to back off the ropes, but she couldn't even come close before it stopped being a problem - she'd barely kept the pressure on for half a second before she backed away, giving Valley some much appreciated breathing room.

It didn't last. A second had barely passed before Natasha was on the attack again, slicing her chest with a fierce chop that had the entire audience wincing. Valley had to bite her teeth down to keep an undignified shriek held down, and her arms came up to cover her chest as she leaned against the turnbuckle.

The sight of Valley reeling in pain, covering her chest to protect herself...it was exactly what Natasha wanted to see. She wasn't going to relent, or lighten up her assault, not until the match was over. There was too much riding on this fight for her. She wanted to break her losing streak, she wanted to regain her honor that she had lost when she let Valley defeat her the first time, and she wanted to prove that she was the better between the two women.

When Valley's arms came up, Natasha took another short step back from her, giving herself just enough room to bring her leg up. She threw a quick, stiff kick towards the Slamazon, trying to nail her squarely in her midsection.