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

While Valley was typically the sort of wrestler who liked to give the fans what they wanted, in this particular instance, she’d have to disagree with their consensus. This was anything but boring. Then again, getting a root canal wasn’t boring, either. That was the thing about being in extreme pain - it tended to demand one’s attention.

That and being completely unable to breathe. It was funny, in a way. Valley had been in bodyscissors before, and it was never a pleasant experience, but Alicia’s were the first ones that were so bad they actually smothered her lungs, or whatever the appropriate word was for it. She could’ve been knocked out like this, easy. A weird way to go, but…

1…!”

Valley’s eyes shot open and her mouth released a wheezing gasp, as she noticed the referee beside her for the first time. She was counting. Why was she counting? Were...huh. Valley hadn’t even noticed that her shoulders were pinned, what with her body in the process of being cut clean in half. Suddenly, the method to Alicia’s maddening thighs became a lot clearer. Bravo. Smart girl.

”2…!”

Valley managed something reminiscent of a twitch, but that was the best she could do in the current situation, and truth told, it was more a reflex than anything. Even if she could’ve broken the count, it would’ve been a delaying tactic, at best, and not a long delay. The count was a formality at this point, and it was the only thing that could get her some reprieve.

”3…!”

With that count, Alicia became the first woman to pin Valley in over a year, since before she even won the Entropy Title. The Slamazon had never been happier to hear a three-count while her shoulders were on the mat. She was in a bad way, but she put that thought out of her head and focused on the task at hand: a comeback.

With a numbed leg and a body that felt it had been run over by a steamroller.

Not an easy task.

Sorry, Valley, but the feeble wriggling that the blonde was mustering just wasn’t going to cut it. Alicia’s legs didn’t even shift.

The referee’s hand slapped the mat.

Once. Twice.

And thrice.

Alicia didn’t waste a second in undoing her ankles, breaking her scissors and pulling back. But she took a moment on the mat before going to stand, giving herself a moment to relax. For the last little while, her thighs had been squeezing almost without interval and, while nowhere near her limit, it was still a smart plan to let her muscles unknot and unwind.

There was literally nothing to be gained by pushing them until they cramped. And her body would recover in far less time than Valley’s leg and body would need.

It was not long at all in fact before Alicia shoved her way to her feet, rolling her shoulders back in preparation.

That first round had been the one she’d expected to struggle with. By contrast, the redhead imagined the advantage in terms of winning a submission or a knockout lay with her. Both were solidly in her wheelhouse and her mix of MMA and physical advantages would make it harder for Valley.

Not impossible though, hence the eager smirk still twitching at her lips as she waited for Valley to join her.

She imagined that was how this was meant to work. Even if it wasn’t, Alicia wasn’t interested in piling on.

She wanted a fight.

Valley really loved and respected her fans, and was thankful for their continued support, but for once she honestly wished they would just shut up.

They were into full boo-mode now, hitting Alicia with a fresh round of jeers that she absolutely didn’t deserve. The woman was rough, deadly, but she hadn’t cheat once throughout that round. She’d fought fairly, displayed skills and forethought that Valley didn’t know she had. She earned that pin, and the Slamazon had no shame in admitting it.

No, if there was any shame, it was on her. Valley hadn’t given Alicia the proper concern, had thought the pinning round was hers to win. Now, she was on the back foot, with a chest that felt like it was about to cave in and a leg that barely felt like anything at all.

But she wasn’t done. Not yet.

Valley rolled over to her side and slapped the mat. Once, twice, thrice. The crowd stopped berating Alicia and joined along, clapping along as she pressed her good leg to the ground and pushed, stubbornly rising. A bit more, a bit more, a bit more. She forced her way to upwards and onwards until she was standing tall. As tall as she could.

”Valley?” The referee took a tentative step closer. ”Valley, are you-“

She cut her off with a solid nod, her gaze never wavering from Alicia. Stone-faced. Determined. She didn’t so much as blink.

Yes, she was hurting. Yes, she was fighting back from a massive disadvantage. But she was a wrestler, and more importantly, she was a champion. That meant she didn’t give up until the final bell rang.

Valley stretched her arm and beckoned Alicia onwards, erasing any doubt to her intentions. ”Game on.”

If there was any one fear dancing in Alicia’s mind amidst the almost feral enjoyment she felt, it was quite simple. Had she overdone it? Would the damage she’d inflicted on Valley’s midriff and leg be too much, keep the veteran from standing, make the second fall a mere formality?

And, therefore, despite herself, she felt her heart in her mouth as she was forced to watch the agonising progress Valley was making from the mat back to something resembling standing.

It hurt almost as much as any submission she’d been in, that was for sure. And the big redhead was tempted to join in with the applause rippling in from the thrilled audience. Instead, she contented herself with a slight smile and a tiny but noticeable dip of her chin in respect.

This was why she was here. This. This moment. This feeling. And her smile only grew at Valley’s look and words. Oh. Oh yes.

Alicia’s grin stretched so frighteningly wide it almost hurt, wider than it seemed she ought to be able to grin, her lips skinned back in a daemonic rictus of a smile. Teeth bared. Eyes afire with battle lust.

”Game on.”

Her footing shifted a micron and then she was catapulting herself forward at Valley, moving fast and hard. One foot swept off the canvas and then she was leaping, her hips torqueing to drive a vicious spinning roundhouse aimed squarely at Valley’s midriff.

The bell rang, signifying the official start of the second round, and Valley could’ve sworn it sounded more like a death knell. She pushed that morbid thought out of her mind and focused on the task at hand: she was going to make one of the best submission wrestler in the AFW tap out, and she was going to do so with a foot that she could barely feel. Easy. Right.

Valley started to step off to the side, hoping she could get some time, wanting to take advantage of every pause for her recovery. Alicia tended to be a more methodical wrestler, in her experience. Not prone to rushing in. Maybe she would hang back and wait, take her time, to…

Nope.

The Scissor Queen came her way without hesitation, dashing in faster than most women with her weight would’ve been capable of. Valley got her arm up and clothes it tight, blocking the hellacious kick, but that only saved her some pain. Even then, there was plenty left to go around.

The kick didn’t push Valley towards the ropes, it sent her flying at them, quite literally - her feet left the ground, and she swore she would’ve sailed into the crowd if not for the ropes. As it was, she hit them and would’ve fallen flat if she hadn’t managed to grab them at the least second. She hung on tight to the top on and fell to one knee, staying upright, but that was all she could do for the moment. A sitting duck, she looked Alicia's way and prepared for the next salvo.

It was a sad testament to Alicia’s lack of empathy that, having just put Valley’s ribcage through the human equivalent of an industrial car crusher, she felt no empathy whatsoever when it came to trying to put her foot through said same ribs seconds later.

No problem at all, in fact.

And Valley in fact blocked the kick, albeit doing less good than she might have hoped. But then Alicia was 5’10” and upwards of 25 lbs on Valley as well as considerable momentum so it wasn’t really surprising when, block or not, the blonde went flying.

By contrast, Alicia landed squarely on her feet. There wasn’t much of a pause before she started to move towards Valley with clear intent.

This time, she didn’t try anything as showy or overdone as the leaping roundhouse, an unusual move by Alicia’s standards. Closing in, with a methodical aggression more akin to her usual style, the redhead denied Valley any openings until she was looming over the downed blonde.

There was a brief, pregnant pause as Alicia’s violet eyes catalogued her opponent.

And then, showing that burst of speed again, she drew back a knee and went to smash it into the side of Valley’s skull.

Hey, at least it wasn’t the ribcage again…

Valley gripped the ropes tight with one hand and slapped her thigh hard with the other one, trying to get more feeling in there. Blood was starting to flow. Feeling was beginning to return, which was sort of a mixed blessing - what she could feel was pure pain. But she was alive. She was surviving.

For now. Considering what was coming her way, that was an extremely tenuous situation.

Valley stood there, looking straight at Alicia as she closed in. The woman was waiting. Still. Unmoving for one of the longest single seconds in her life. This was a shootout, only Valley’s gun was completely out of bullets, and they both knew it.

The shot was coming.

Any second.

Now.

Alicia came the only way she seemed to know: hard and relentless, flying towards her car with a knockout knee. Valley let go of the rope and brought up both her arms, leaned back against the ropes, turned her head away from the blow.

It wasn’t enough. The knee sliced through her guard and cracked her square on the side of her temple. Her one and a half legs instantly gave way and she fell to the floor as someone in the crowd screamed.

She hit the ground and scrambled back up to her feet with all due haste, once more relying on the ropes’ support. She made it all the way to the corner and leaned against it, grasping both sides to stay upright.

”No, it’s fine.” She gasped and pulled out a weary smirk. ”Don’t hold back on my account.”

Well, this was looking a bit disappointing. Apparently Alicia had been a bit too thorough with that leg after all.

Valley was reeling, barely standing – wouldn’t be standing if not for the ropes she was using to keep herself upright. Sure, she was fast to her feet, denying Alicia the chance for a submission and she was in the ropes. But it seemed like that was all she had.

It was injecting a sour taste into the redhead’s satisfaction and leaving her almost unsure of how to proceed.

She didn’t want to just kick a defenceless woman around the ring, that’d be no fun at all. And yet…

There was a light in Valley’s eyes that said she wouldn’t easily submit to anything Alicia could throw at her.

Not to mention that she just did not want this match to be over. Even if it was looking increasingly as though it might be. And she respected Valley into the bargain, too much to just relent.

What to do, what to do, what to do?

The indecision mired her for long enough to let the blonde get to the corner and get back to her feet.

Then Alicia decided to, in essence, screw it.

Fine. Decision made, she headed for the corner. Picking up pace as she came. Only, for once, she didn’t bother with anything as nice and neat as a kick. Proving that the Scissor Queen had indeed picked up some tricks from her time in the AFW, she accelerated to full speed and just went to crush Valley’s body between the side of her curvy physique and the unforgiving turnbuckle.

Just a little flex. A pump. Nothing too big, nothing too serious. Valley’s leg wasn't quite kick worthy yet, but the feeling was returning more and more. She could feel her wiggling toes, her flexing muscles, the sore spot where Alicia’s jaws has clamped down. Just a little longer, a minute at the most, and she’d be able to use most of her moveset. Maybe not well, but she could do it.

And Alicia would still be an absolute beast to deal with.

As if to prove that point, she was treated to a gruesome sight when she righted herself - the image of Alicia coming towards her with what had to be a body avalanche. On one hand, she was proud of the big redhead using a legit wrestling move, and one of the classics to boot. On the other, she had a long, agonizing second to realize what was about to go down.

She had dodged and countered this move countless times, and even winded, she could've done it now - if her leg wasn’t crap. She even started to try on reflex, pushing up with her good leg in an attempt to. To clear the ropes. A [I]failed[/] attempt.

Alicia crashed into her, and the only thing her little jump mean was that her shoulder rammed into her stomach instead of her chest - she wasn’t sure whether that was important. Regardless, it knocked the wind clean out of Valley and dropped her flat on her butt, leaving her gasping against the ropes.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no way that Alicia would have tried that.

Mostly because, under those normal circumstances, Valley Doll would have been out of the way faster than she could say “cracked ribs”. And the only thing, literally the only thing, that Alicia would have done was hammer herself into the turnbuckle.

Hard. And left herself reeling for whatever the veteran had as a follow-up.

Today, with one leg still recovering and damaged ribs, Valley was almost guaranteed to still be there and… In fact, she was still there.

Except her movement took her ribs out of the line of fire, and put her belly into it instead. That was probably an improvement. It meant that Valley was just out of breath and not feeling like her ribcage had been flattened.

Small blessings, perhaps.

Unlike Valley, Alicia just bounced back onto her two feet, shaking out the slight ache in her shoulder from the impact.

And then she shrugged, drawing her foot back and aiming a short, snappy kick at Valley’s chin.

An idea was forming in her mind and there were just a few things she wanted to do to set it up.

She was feeling somewhat nostalgic for whatever reason.