Gemma Faraday vs. Valley Doll - Age Before Beauty

Valley expected a struggle when she put the hold on Gemma, knowing there was no way she would go gently into the night after fighting so hard throughout the match. Everyone always fought this hold hard, and while she hadn't gotten a submission or a knockout of it in a long time, she rarely used it on someone who was so worked over. There was simply no way Gemma could muster enough strength to escape this hold. It didn't matter how stubborn or tough she was, she still needed to breathe air, and Valley's constricting thighs were powerful enough to make sure that didn't happen.

That was what she reassured herself as she clamped down and gave Gemma her full power. Seemed logical enough. But whatever well the Air Raid Siren was tapping her energy from, it wasn't quite empty yet. She fought and she fought hard, showing she had guts. Persistent, annoying, relentless guts.

"Come on!" Valley planted her palms hard into the canvas and tried to stop her from getting to the ropes, but it was a losing battle. Gemma was struggling hard, fighting desperately for every inch, and no matter how hard the Slamazon bore down, she just kept on going. Maybe Valley should've applied it a little farther from the ropes, maybe she should've given her a move before she locked it in instead of going straight for the hold. Didn't matter at this point - as soon as she got the ropes, Valley would just drag her back and lock it in again. Easy fix. She hated using the same move twice in a row, but she hated a match that dragged on too long even worse.

She'd prepared to do just that when Gemma got to the edge of the ring and forced the break, but something went wrong before she had the chance to pull away. The whole world was flipping and turning upside down, going topsy-turvy as Gemma flipped off the ropes and took Valley along for the ride. She dropped down hard on her chest, and her legs immediately unlocked, as she was completely unready to keep the hold secured in this position. Now, she was the one on the floor, with an opponent she couldn't see behind her. Never a good thing.

"What-" Valley tried to stand up as fast as she could, trying to gather her bearings as she went. That was hardly the first time someone had escaped her signature move, but it was the first time they'd ever done it like that, and the sheer shock of it all had her reeling.

The world around her was getting hazier and more ill-defined with every moment Gemma remained in that hold. Valley had some powerful, toned legs, and there was no doubt that another few seconds would have the Brit out cold. And on her return night, Gemma just couldn't bear the humiliation of that happening again.

The flop to the ropes was a desperation move, one last gasping reach for salvation. But when she actually felt her boot hit that rope, she could feel the relief radiating off of her in waves. The crowd popped for it too, having expected to see the white-haired youth tapping to the veteran at any moment.

"She's on the ropes, Valley!" The ref was calling out, fist raised, "release the hold!"

Gemma's sheer luck wasn't lost on her, of course, as she planted her boots against the rope and kicked off of them for everything she was worth. The strain such a feat took on her neck and spine was excrutiating- especially after the wear and tear Valley had taken on them throughout the match- but Gemma was riding high on adrenaline. Everything became a whirling mass of light and pink and blonde and motion, as Gemma flipped over her foe, finally putting her back in the drivers seat.

The flip was over in just a second, but Gemma's disbelief that it had actually worked would stick with her. The crowd roared, at the unexpected reversal. More importantly, though, it wrested the suffering Brit from Valley's grasp, and left the veteran on her belly in disbelief.

"Gaauuhh," Gemma gasped, panting for air desperately. "Fuhh, hgnnn!" she grunted, as she rocked on her heels, trying to get her bearings. Still, Gemma was fully aware of how lucky she was. And, of how important it was to capitalize, now. Seeing Valley struggling up to her feet, Gemma threw a kick to the veteran's ribs, hard as she could. It was imbalanced, far from her best, but she needed to get on the offensive as quickly as possible. She hoped that Valley was still reeling enough, still off-guard, in a way that would let that kick get through. And then, hopefully, Gemma could really get back on the offensive ...

Valley was a little aloof, a bit taken back, just a tad thrown out of her element all of the sudden, but it wasn't the end of the world. Couldn't panic, not at this stage of the match. She'd dominated this and she would contineu to do so as soon as she turned around and leveled Gemma with a roundhouse kick to the head, killing her rally dead just like she'd done the last two times.

She began to turn around with that goal in mind, but a fierce kick stopped her halfway, coming out of nowhere. Valley thought she had the best kicks in the AFW - with the possible exception of Angel - but, just going off the speed and power Gemma packed even when she was severely winded, the Air Raid Siren was at least in the top five, striking with a force she hadn't seen since she took on Haruka Date. Wild and sloppy, but powerful and effective at the same time - it lifted Valley clean off her and forced her to step away as she clutched her ribs with one arm.

She staggered back against the ropes as she reeled from the harsh blow - bad stuff, and the way she'd poured so much energy in the headlock wasn't helping things. She just needed a few seconds to recover. She could bide her time - just like the last instance, Gemma would do something Valley could take advantage of, and then she'd regain the momentum. For the last time.

Gemma nearly cheered, when she felt her thick leather boots connecting with Valley's side. The Brit was struggling to keep on her heels, but seeing the veteran seem to crumble against her offense was too good to not get excited about. Gemma re-set her stance, slapped her thighs with wide-open palms, then threw herself right back into it.

The crowd cheered along with Gemma, as she established a rhythm to her offense. The Brit knew that, as exhausted and hurting as she was, she couldn't let her opponent rally, not a veteran like Valley. After the thigh slaps, the Brit snaked her arm around Valley's slender waist, and began thrusting forearm after forearm to Valley's upper body. Blow after blow, Gemma swung her slender elbow against Valley's toned chest, each strike bouncing Valley between herself and the ropes. Gemma threw everything she had into those strikes, wanting to break the older, more experienced woman as much as she could before what was to come next.

After a few moments of this, with the crowd clapping along with every elbow strike, Gemma pressed her lean figure flush against Valley and snaked her arms beneath her opponents, trying to lock in a reverse full nelson. Gemma pushed a boot against the ropes.

"W-we're, we're going for a ride, love," Gemma stammered, breathing heavily into Valley's neck. Then, Gemma planted her other boot against the rope, and thrust herself off of it. If Valley didn't counter her, Gemma was trying to pull off a springboard underhook bulldog, attempting to slam the veteran's skull against the mat with all the force that she could muster.

Valley shook her head and started to push off the ropes, hoping to hit Gemma with another toe kick and kill her comeback in the crib, when she was greeted by a stiff forearm in the chest. Another one followed after that, and another one followed that, as Gemma relentlessly wailed on the Slamazon. It was almost as if she were returning every bit of damage Valley had thrown at her in the last few minutes, and it was all going straight to her face. And, as if the experience itself wasn't bad enough, the crowd made sure to clap along.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Was it eight hits? Nine? She lost count after the sixth one, too addled to concentrate. Gemma was either getting strong with each hit or Valley was getting weaker - both likely possibilities. Every blow knocked her back while the forearm around her waist kept her stable, getting bounced around so furiously and closely that she couldn't even get a good opportunity to bring her hands up and defend. It didn't help that her chest still had some small, lingering pain from the surgery, pains that seems to grow stronger after every strike.

When it was finally, mercifully, thankfully over, Gemma wisely went to her next move and set it up, giving the Slamazon almost zero recovery time. Unlike before, Valley was too winded by the barrage to really put up a struggle, so when Gemma brought her head towards the mat with her impressive move, she didn't have much choice but to comply. Her skull hit the mat with resounding force.

Valley made a stuttering noise as her body flopped through the air, balanced on her head for a moment before the momentum carried her all the way over. She flopped down on her back with her arms and legs splayed around her, limp from head to toe. Not unconscious, she was still blinking and looking around, but it didn't seem like her brain was on the same planet as the rest of her body.

Gemma could see Valley coming off the ropes for another comeback, but drove her elbow forward as hard as she could. The Brit knew how important it was, to keep on top of her opponent. Here she was, on her big comeback match, and she couldn't let Valley get back on top of her. She'd give anything to keep that from happening, at this point.

So, when Gemma managed to not just lock in, but to land the springboard underhook DDT, the sheer rush of it was nearly overwhelming. The crowd popped, some of them coming out of their seats for Gemma's comeback, while she rolled off of her opponent.

The rush was thrilling, but not quite enough to make the pert young steampunker forget the aching pain in her spine. The move, while enough to plant the veteran for a moment, only exacerbated the damage she'd managed to do to Gemma over the course of the match. As the crowd cheered, Gemma raised a fist in solidarity, thankful for their cheers. Her back was still arched in agony, after tweaking it with the springboard, but she wasn't going to let this moment go by without milking it just a little.

However, the young Brit's mind was racing. Gemma wanted to go for the cover, now, but the ache in her spine told her that she wasn't ready. Valley's eyes were wide open, active. Gemma knew she didn't have the strength to hook her with a pin that Valley wouldn't just kick right out of. So, with visible effort, Gemma pushed herself up to her feet.

Her eyes were fixed on the corner ring post. With both hands, Gemma brushed her loose hair out of her eyes, exposing her reddened, sweat-streaked cheeks. She gave a single, sharp kick to Valley's belly, then continued to the corner, ready to hoist herself up to the top rope for the one big spot that, she prayed, would be enough to put an end to this match.

The crowd's voices rose in anticipation of the high-flyer's next move. Putting on a tough smile, Gemma glanced over her shoulder. "H-hope you're ready for this, love," Gemma taunted. "Been fun, but I'm putting this one to bed, now ..."

What was that last move? As Valley laid on the floor, rolling from side to side as her skull flared with pain, she kept trying to figure it out. A DDT, of some kind? Underhook? Obviously, but she couldn't remember seeing it done with the springboard for aid. Definitely gave it some added power, and she couldn't stop reeling from it.

"Get up..." She muttered under her breath and started to sit up, knowing full well  how bad it would be to let someone like Gemma get too much momentum, no matter how late in the match it was. She'd controlled most of the match, but upsets happened all the time. She'd had a few of them, herself, and this was starting to smell suspiciously like one in the making. Especially when Gemma was smart enough to kick her in the stomach and make sure she stayed on the mat.

"Damn it!" Valley croaked and grabbed her stomach as she rolled over to her back. Her body scrunched up, contracting at the kick, and then it slowly smoothed out. Slow breathes. Focus. Better. Better. She could recover from this, but she needed a moment or two.

But, judging from the way the crowd was sounding, that was time she didn't have. She knew the familiar sounds, the cries of anticipation. Something big was coming...

Gemma's spine and neck were still wracked with pain, but a surge of adrenaline spurred her on, toward the turnbuckle. As she stepped off of the stomp to Valley's midsection, she stumbled, slightly. Pushing disheveled white hair out of her face with one hand, nursing her aching neck with the other, Gemma staggered toward the corner post with intense focus in her eyes.

Slowly, as the crowd's voices rose, the Brit pulled herself up toward the top rope. She could feel the muscles of her shoulders contracting over her aching spine, but a singular drive pushed her through it. The climb took forever, but Gemma pulled herself up rope by rope. She squinted against the bright arena lights, drawing closer as she pulled herself onto that top turnbuckle.

After long, labored moments, Gemma was on the top rope. The ref was coaching her down, the fans were screaming in anticipation. And most importantly, Valley was on her back. Through the sweat, hair and tears, Gemma could barely make out Valley lying there, but the position was enough. The Brit was committed, she was going for this.

The risk was great, and Gemma knew it. Returning to an upset victory over a veteran on a hot streak? Surely, she figured that had to erase the fans' last memory of her, carried out a broken and bleeding loser, right? Any risk was worth that.

Planting her boots on the ropes, Gemma licked her finger and held it to the air. The taunt, "gauging the wind," was a signature, but the shake in her arm betrayed how much the fight had already taken out of her. Without another moment's delay, Gemma threw herself into the air, rising into perfect form for a shooting star press. The thin sheen of sweat on her fair skin caught the arena lights which, with her white hair flying in every direction, made the "air raid siren" a vision, as she sailed through her arc. She couldn't see Valley, any more, couldn't see the crowd or the ring, nothing but the bright arena lights. All Gemma could do now, was wait for the payoff ...

As Valley squinted and watched Gemma climb from the corner of her eye, she groaned, and it wasn't just because of the pain. She knew what she had to do here, and she was going to hate herself for it.

Gemma did her preparations, and a feeling of déjà vu came over Valley as she watched, remembering the countless times she'd gone up top when she was that age. It was beautiful - so young, and there was this amazing hope in her eyes. She almost wanted to get up and cheer the rising underdog herself. When she launched off the turnbuckle and twisted through the air in a picture-perfect shooting star, you could almost feel the air suck out of the room, as thousands of mouths simultaneously held their breaths.

Valley didn't want to do what she was about to do, but she didn't want to get flattened and lost the match, either. She didn't have enough energy to roll out of the way in time to dodge. That just left one option.

As soon as Gemma took flight, Valley brought her knees up to her chest and braced. It was going to be a rough landing.

The sounds of the arena filled Gemma's ears, as she rushed through the air toward her goal. Every rotation of her lithe body brought her closer to landing the final, fatal blow against Valley. Any second now, she'd drive into the veteran, and end this thing. At least, that's what she told herself, as she brought her own body careening down toward the earth.

Just one more rotation, and she'd land the hit. However, that final turn never came. Gemma never finished that strike. Instead, her back came down hard on the veteran's deftly-placed legs, pounding the air out of the young Brit's lungs, leaving her a gasping mess on the mat.

"Aaaauuugghhh!" the Brit screamed, the last of the air fleeing her lungs as her back hit hard against Valley's knees. Gemma rolled upward, to her bottom, back arched. Gemma's chest was thrust upward, her limbs splayed out in every direction, reaching desperately for help that they'd never find. Gemma's smooth, fair face was a mask of absolute agony, helplessly displaying every bit of agony in her eyes as she failed to find any comfort in the world around her.

The youngster was at her enemy's mercy, and the pathetic look in her eye conveyed that she knew it. "N-no," Gemma grunted, limbs twitching and quivering as she failed to get back to her feet. "No, no," the Brit moaned. Her arms flailed from side to side, as she tried and failed to get back to her feet. Gemma was completely at Valley's mercy, now. No matter what had happened before, the vet had Gemma at her mercy ...