SS 17 Entropy Title - Valley Doll (c) vs. Alicia Welles (Total Victory Match)

Preceded by: SS 17 Lena "Tracer" Oxton vs. Amélie Lacroix "Widowmaker" (Ironwoman match)
Followed by: SS 17 Tag team title - Imperial Order (c) vs. Sonic Boom (ladder match)






Match type: Total Victory match
Winning Conditions: best two out of three falls
1st fall by pin, 2nd fall by submission and 3rd by KO.

Out in the arena, more than a few of the fans were prepared. They knew the old traditions as well as anyone, they knew who’d be out first. And, as the announcer bellowed through the formalities, they all leant forward in readiness for the lights to cut out.

Only to be caught off guard entirely when that didn’t happen.

Instead, the lights merely dimmed. And a very familiar piece of music blasted through the speakers.

As the main theme kicked in, Alicia Wells brushed through the curtain and stepped onto the stage. For her rematch against Valley Doll, the British powerhouse was wearing the same gear she’d worn since her debut in Friction. Black and grey sports bra with matching shorts, a small Union Jack on the waistband making both her homeland and her allegiance clear.

Not that the fans were given much of a chance to examine her clothing. Alicia stalked down the ramp in perfect step with the music, rolled under the ropes and popped back to her feet. In the only nod to the occasion, she did at least pull off a showy kip-up that earnt her some cheers from those sections of the audience willing to acknowledge the display.

But Alicia knew she was the bad guy in the audience’s mind. And she wasn’t going to lie, that was a good part of why she’d picked the Imperial March of all things for her entrance.

She’d never cared what the fans thought but, the way she saw it, she could at least have some fun at their expense.

Stretching in readiness, the big redhead backed herself into a corner to wait for Valley to make her entrance, a slight sneer playing on her lips as she did so.

Alicia couldn't know this, but Valley was actually kind of proud of her when she heard the Imperial March playing from the gorilla position. Giddy, even. Aside from the fact that it tickled her inner Star Wars geek, she was glad that the ‘rookie’ had finally chosen an actual theme song, as opposed to her usual silent - and creepy - entrance. Even if it was for only one night, she was glad the redhead was embracing the wrestling culture a bit more. You weren’t a real wrestler until you had a good theme. Her mother’s words.

So, they were off to a good start. Now, it was Valley’s turn to really show her how it was done.

”VALLEY! VALLEY! VALLEY!”

No matter how many times she came out, no matter how days she did this, no matter how years went by where she watched these tapes over and over again, Valley swore she would never get used to that sound.

”VALLEY! VALLEY! VALLEY!”

She stood in the back after Alicia made her entrance, waiting in the gorilla  position with her eyes closed and the Entropy Belt slung over her shoulder, just thinking back on everything that had led her to this point in her career. From cheerleading to wrestling in bingo halls and gymnasiums to defending a title in one of the biggest matches on one of the grandest shows of the year. Surreal.

”VALLEY! VALLEY! VALLEY!”

She breathed in, then out, trying her best to focus on the task at hand. LEA, Emily Nelson, Eva, al three of her title defenses had been against extraordinary women. Underrated, often overlooked, fresh and blooming, but that was the beauty of the Entropy Title - to her, she looked at it as a chance to give others what Alaina had given her, a shot at the highest title many of them would ever come close to. Win or lose, she was proud of her time with the belt.

”VALLEY! VALLEY! VALLEY!”

But she hadn't come here to lose. Alicia was good, Alicia was great, Alicia was one of the best fresh talents in the league, and she'd nearly beaten Valley the last time they fought… but she hadn't. Valley had won that time, and she was confident she could do it this time, too. It would be a challenge, one of the hardest of her career, but she didn't became a wrestler so she could have a pain-free, easy life.

Valley had come to fight and she'd come to win. And now, the wait was over.

Rock and Roll Fantasy came blasting out over the speakers, with Valley appearing only a moment after the opening chord. She lifted the Entropy Belt high into the air and screamed along with Paul Rodgers.

”YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
”YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

The crowd roared along with her as she made her way down the ramp, swirling about, smiling, and slapping hands with every step. It took up a little energy, true, and she sometimes took flak for such an intense opening, but she couldn't help herself. Wrestling was just as much about entertainment as it was about competition. If you weren't trying to put on a show from the moment you stepped out of the curtain, what were you doing?

She'd have to ask Alicia for her take on the matter. After she retained her title.

”Here comes the jesters, 1, 2, 3
It’s all part of my fantasy!
I love the music and I love to see the crowd,
Dancing in the air and singing out loud!”

Valley hopped up on the apron, grabbed the top rope and threw her head back, once more letting her voice echo along with Paul Rogers, soaking in the energy of the moment.

”YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
”YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

She tugged the ropes, pulled herself over and somersaulted into the ring with a single bound, letting the belt fall beside as she landed on one knee. Her head bobbed along with the music, and only a moment passed before she sprang up to her feet with her finger raised to the sky.

”Here come the dancers, one by one
Your Mama’s calling, but your having too much fun
You’ll find your dancing on the number nine cloud
Put your hands together and sing it out loud!”

Valley paraded around the ring with her belt held high, almost wishing she hadn’t cut her hair so she could get some good flippage going. She pointed. She blew kisses.  She winked. She controlled the crowd, centering all eyes on her and only her. For a golden moment, it felt like she was the only thing that existed in the universe.

When it was done, she hopped up on the turnbuckle, stood in the middle rope with her arms spread wide, and sang along with them through the chorus.

”It's all part of my rock and roll fantasy!
It's all part of my rock and roll dream…”

With a yelp Valley hopped off the turnbuckle and spun about in mid-air, finally facing Alicia straight on. She had a little sweat on her brow after that entrance, but it was worth it. Her blood was flowing, her heart was beating, every neuron was ready for the big fight. She was under no delusions - she'd need every bit of it.

”My, my, my, my, my.” She hummed along with her theme as it started to fade away, and sauntered on over to Alicia, meeting her little sneer with a smirk. ”So. Darth Alicia.” She made sure to say it with a tone that implied it wouldn't be the last time she heard that nickname. ”Ready for the second try?”

”VALLEY! VALLEY! VALLEY!”

Stood at the centre of the storm of sound sweeping the arena, Alicia had a slight smile tugging at her lips as she waited. While it wasn’t for her, there was no doubt in her mind that Valley knew how to bring the theatrics to her entrance in a way that couldn’t but impress. There and then, the redhead couldn’t bring herself to appreciate it all that much, not when she’d much rather get to the match.

But it was still impressive. The way the blonde had all of the fans watching swept up in a tornado, cheering her on like they’d all come there just to see Valley Doll.

Alicia shook her head, stretched her arms across her chest as she continued warming up. She might be relatively new to Friction but she didn’t need all that much experience to guess this might take a while.

And she was.

There was a lot of chanting, a frankly excessive wait to let the fans build to peak excitement and that was before Valley even came out. Then there was the song and the entrance and…

Alicia watched it all silently, with an occasional roll of her eyes when she felt Valley was overdoing the whole thing. Also, she was there to fight not to watch performance art.

”Get in the damn ring already,” She muttered to herself, only to get her wish as Valley flipped over the ropes… because of course she did. Sneer back in place, the big kickboxer leant back against the turnbuckle all the way up until the blonde finally turned to face her.

Then Alicia came out of her corner, meeting Valley Doll centre ring in the relative silence as the music died.

Darth Alicia, huh? She didn’t actually mind that too much. So long as nobody expected her to cosplay in black robes. No. Just no way.

As for whether she was ready or not, well…

”Better question.” The redhead’s lips peeled back in a frightening smirk. This was more like it. ”Are you?”

If Valley had hit her head backstage and forgotten who she was wrestling today, it likely would’ve all come flooding back at this moment. There she stood with Alicia looming over her, her overbearing presence clearly felt, her slasher smile making its appearance. The big redhead might’ve been lacking when it came to entrance presentation, but she was sublime when it came to the art of intimidation, whether she meant to be or not.

...in fact, it was quite fitting with the Star Wars/Sith theme she’d went with today. Her color scheme was the right color for it - black and grey, with the red hair - and she had the Blood Knight thing going, not an uncommon thing with the Dark Side. Valley made a note to talk to her a bit about it, win or lose, see if she could get her to embrace that more. The robe would be too much, no doubt, but maybe she could get her to wear a hoodie…

Thoughts for another time. Alicia was talking now, and Valley had a good response for what she had to say.

”Am I ready?” Valley inched up on her toes, just enough so they could look on a level field, and tilted her head to the side, as if she’d been asked the silliest question in the world. ”Alicia, I’ve been ready since the first time we met.”

Bold words, but true, she felt...though maybe not in the way Alicia realized. The first time they’d clashed, in that spar that seemed like ages ago now, Valley had seen some potential in the Scissor Queen. She was on the rise herself at the time, and it seemed inevitable that they would cross paths at some point for some reason. She’d never imagined it would be over the belt, but that was just the strange and welcome turn life took.

The announcer waited for the audience to bring it down by a couple of decibels, then spoke up, letting her loud, booming voice carry through the stadium. ”The following contest is a Total Victory Match for the Entropy Championship! There will be up to three falls - the first can only be scored via pinfall, the second must be a submission, and, if the score is even after that, the final fall will go to whoever can knock their opponent unconscious. Introducing first the challenger. From London, England, weighing one hundred-sixty pounds - she is the Scissor Queen! Alicia! Wells!”

The crowd’s reaction was mixed, but not quite as negative as it might’ve been a few months ago. While Valley was a fan favorite, Alicia wasn’t without some love, and there were definitely those who could respect her work-rate and sheer ability.

”And now, introducing your Entropy Champion! From Palm Springs, California, weighing in at 132 pounds, the Last Slamazon! Vaaaaaaaaalleeeeeeeey Doooooooooooll!”

That got the audience pumped once more, and she acknowledged them all with a quick bow, before shifting her focus back to Alicia. Her heart was racing, a steady beat on her chest. She’d had big matches before, but this was a rare, treasured sensation, one she honestly couldn’t say she’d had since she took on Alaina. Her mother always called it the ‘Big Fight Feel’. The sensation that a big match is about to go down, one that’ll define your career. This was it. This was it.

The announcer left and the referee gave the signal with the bell ringing soon enough, kicking this off in a official way. She stepped forward with her fists raised and her feet bouncing along the mat as she neared Alicia, fighting the urge to rush forward and take the fight straight to the Scissor Queen. Better to play this one slow, at least from the start, get an idea of what was going through her opponent’s mind.

That was a sentiment the two shared then, because Alicia too had been ready for this moment since they met. She might not have expected it to take this long, nor had she expected there to be a title in the picture, nor did she frankly care.

The fight was what she wanted. This fight was what she was getting.

She was ready. Valley was ready. That’s all that mattered.

The announcer called her name, but Alicia might as well have been on another planet. Her only reaction to the cheering or the booing was to crack her neck and roll her shoulders back, refusing to take her eyes off Valley. That smile crept a few degrees wider as the introduction launched into the champion’s, a daemonic glee filling Alicia’s violet eyes as the seconds ticked down.

Nothing else existed in her world now beyond herself, Valley and the reality defined by the four posts surrounding them. Nothing.

Somewhere, near but distant, the bell rang.

Immediately, the big redhead was on the move though not, as the audience perhaps expected, immediately on the attack. Instead, her approach was somewhat more measured than her normal style, taking her time as the two women neared.

Still, it was Alicia who threw the first strike, a sharp feint of a kick aimed seemingly at Valley’s thigh. There wasn’t any danger of it hitting but she wanted to test her opponent out, feel how this was going to go.

In the back of her mind, she knew this first round didn’t play to her strengths. Pins were not her game.

That said, no rule demanded Valley be conscious when Alicia pinned her. So that was probably the safest route to go.

On the outside, it might’ve looked like Valley was taking Alicia lightly. She kept her face light as they approached, and all the theatrics beforehand made it seem like she wanted this to be a show. That she wasn’t taking it seriously.

Couldn’t have been further from the truth. Valley still remembered the last time they fought, knew too well how it felt like to be in Alicia’s iron thighs when they started to clamp down. It had been close. Too close. Closer than she ever wanted to come, in this match or any other.

She had to be better this time. She had to be smarter.

So, as the two of them closed in, she focused on Alicia’s movements. Took mental notes. Prepared herself as she came into the lethal range. They called her the Scissor Queen, but it was all too easy to forget those legs of hers could do much more than crush bones. All it took was the right kick in the right place, and...well, ask Makoto Aihara.

Sure enough, Alicia started things off, lashing out with a low kick, one that didn’t look like it had much chance of hitting. Feint? Sure. But Valley hopped back all the same, getting just out of range, in case there was more to it.

She only stayed there for a half-second, though, before propelling forward and sending out a response with a low kick of her own. This one was a feint, too - the only difference was that, instead of leaving it at that, Valley quickly brought her leg in and fired again, following up with a higher kick aimed at Alicia’s head.

This wasn’t the submission round, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t start working towards it. That was the trick to this match - it was all about planning ahead, thinking to the next round and maybe even the round after that.

This was a much slower start than either of their previous matches, seemingly by mutual silent agreement. Nobody was rushing in here, there were a good few moments passing as they circled closer, closer, closer…

Until finally Alicia struck out.

No surprise as Valley deftly jumped back, out of reach, so that Alicia’s foot split the air in front of her.

Actually, Alicia would have been disappointed if it had struck home – either where she’d aimed it or on Valley’s guard.

Not that she had much time to dwell on it, because Valley had literally hopped back and now she was coming back in on the attack.

Having just done exactly the same thing, Alicia almost wavered on the low kick. But she knew she daren’t ignore it – a feint could turn real in a heartbeat – and she didn’t think she could jump back either. While not slow on her feet, the redhead was fully aware that she was by far the slower of the two competitors here.

So, instead, the kickboxer shifted her weight to her back leg and brought her front limb up so that she could take the blow to her shin if it came to that.

It didn’t come to that, but her choice turned out to be prudent regardless. Valley shifted her strike rapidly, the kick suddenly coming in at her head instead. Her choice of defence meant that Alicia was able to get her arms up, deflecting the kick at the last moment.

Twisting at the hips, hoping to take advantage of Valley’s proximity, she then snapped her nearer leg out in a side kick at the blonde’s sternum.

This one wasn’t a feint, though she half-expected to do nothing more than push the blonde back. Still, a hit would be a good start – so far, the redhead was just enjoying the chance to flex her striking skills.

Valley clicked her teeth in mild irritation, even before Alicia managed to block her doubled kick. She could already see the leg raising, knew her opponent would be in a prime position to deflect it. Too open. Too easy. She might’ve had the speed advantage, and most of the time that would’ve been a huge edge in her favor - but notsomuch with this one. Alicia had great instinct, and that could go a long ways to bridging the gap in swiftness.

Sure enough, her arms came up and the real kick was blocked, wasting the impact, landing without a bit of damage to show for it. What was more, she’d been banking on it hitting to cover herself. Now she was wide open, and Alicia already had her leg raised, and…

Yup, there was the kick, coming straight to her chest. Valley tried to move back at the last moment, and while she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the blow, doing so was still a good idea - she managed to take off some of the power as she moved away.

Some. It was still more than enough to send her stumbling back on scrambling legs, and for a second it seemed like she might even fall down.

She didn’t, though. In fact, Valley kept moving back, even further than she had to, building up her backwards momentum instead of shutting it down. She went back until her back hit the ropes, then came bursting backwards Alicia at full, bursting speed. With all the force she could muster behind her, she closed in on Alicia, leaped up at the last moment, and shot her feet out towards the Briton’s chest with a shotgun dropkick, turning herself into a living cannonball as she tried to return fire.

Just like that, metaphorical ‘first blood’ was Alicia’s.

Valley, who knew as well as anyone what the redhead’s kicks could do, wisely hadn’t bothered trying to block and backpaddled as fast as she could.

That probably helped but it wasn’t fast enough to get her out of danger entirely.

And, by moving in the same direction as the kick’s impact, that helped too.

Which left the redhead somewhat bemused as Valley still kept accelerating despite that. The penny dropped in her head when the blonde hit the ropes.

Not exactly, perhaps, but she suddenly had a fairly good idea of the plan.

Having been about to follow Valley, Alicia was forced to shift back to defence – setting her feet and bringing her hands up in readiness.

Not that it was destined to help her very much to be honest.

But it was better than the alternative as the kickboxer suddenly found herself facing Hurricane Valley Doll.

Now it was Alicia’s turn to take a tumble except, unlike Valley, the big redhead wasn’t able to keep her feet. She’d got her arms up again, meaning that her chest didn’t sting anywhere near as badly as if she’d taken it full on. But it was like trying to block an anti-tank round with a bullet proof vest.

It hurt less but that wasn’t going to stop it. And Alicia’s block didn’t stop Valley’s dropkick from knocking her on her big, curvy, British backside.

Not that she was down for long, however. Rolling to one side, the redhead was swiftly moving back towards verticality, grinning crazily.