Cry Wolf

It seemed as though Valley hadn’t spent those weeks alone simply laying about, waiting for her bones to realign themselves. She had plenty to say as well about the Wolf Girl. More so than she had given Valley credit for.

Her account was correct, much to Manami’s chagrin. A combination of the administration likely not wanting too many of their...rougher talents running around at once and Manami’s own reluctance. It was a fair assessment nonetheless, one she reflected on herself not too far in the past. She’d underestimated the capacity of a select few in this federation.

Nevertheless, her relative absence from the ring was one of her more immediate regrets. Something she made a point to rectify. The time for planning was behind her now, and she’d have to make up for those losses with significant gains in the near future.

But first, she had to take this woman’s title away from her. What was the best way of putting this woman to sleep? She mulled over it for a few seconds, letting her eyes cascade to the side as she tilted her head skyward, letting all of the possibilities run through her mind. It would have been easy to simply ask for a repeat of her last title defense, but she also didn’t want to run the risk of having Valley run away from it like she had back then. But it also had to be a match without question. There couldn’t be any doubt once she won.

After a small moment of through, an epiphany struck her square in the head, and likely Valley’s as well, given their proximity. A wry smile stretched across her face before she locked her gaze back onto Valley’s, twisting her head back into position and reasserting her force in their overly extended headbutt. Her eyes flared with an excited intensity to replace the smoldering fury that burned not a few moments ago.

“Why don’t we get away from this dismay and melancholy and go back to one of your...prouder moments? A match with a real measure to who’s the stronger woman. Something I believe all of your fans would love to see you to do one more time before you step down.” She paused for a beat as the crowd grew restless, awaiting the final answer that a few had already figured out for themselves. “Iron Woman.” The crowd broke out into an overwhelming chorus of cheers and shouts. The very floor beneath them seemed to shake in their fervor. “You and I. One hour. The winner will strip the loser of their title.”

Her smile stretched from ear to ear as the crowd roared all around the two warriors, locked in one another’s steely gaze. “Sound like fun, Val?”

It was strange, but as she and Manami stood there, facing off, Valley couldn’t help but think of the things she admired about this woman over all the things she hated. She’d given her a fairly scathing review, but even so, it was impossible to deny the talent that was in front of her. The She-Wolf was good. Worthy. Oh, she hadn’t had as much of a chance to show it as some others, but Valley could see it with the few examples she had. She was a sadistic sort of woman, but she didn’t seem to cheat in her matches. Didn’t need to.

Outside of the ring anything would go, but she seemed to rely on her prowess when the bell rang. Whatever match she chose, Valley doubted she would have to worry about the rest of the Dire Pack getting involved.

Determined, energetic, intelligent, cunning, all good traits for any wrestler to have, which infuriated Valley even more. There was another universe where that little talk in the park was everything it pretended to be.

But that wasn’t her universe. This was. In this universe, the Entropy Champion was obliged to accept any match type that her challenge considered, and it seemed like Manami was mulling it over. Valley could’ve made some guesses on what the She-Wolf would choose. Maybe a hardcore match? Submissions? Both would be in her favor. A steelcage, Hell In A Cell?

No. When Valley saw that glint in Manami’s eyes, she knew what the answer would be, and it was only a matter of letting the younger wrestler spit it out.

Iron Man Match. It had to be.

Despite all the hate here, Valley couldn’t keep a grin off her face, one that even mirrored Manami’s twist.  So few wrestlers had even one Iron Man in the career. To have two? That was legend. It was the sort of thing that could make a sub par year into one of her best, a match that could define this era of her life. A challenge that might make her name synonymous with the Entropy Title. There was only one choice here.

”Ignoring the fact that I can’t strip you of a title you never officially won...I accept.” Then and only then did she move away, standing up to break their staredown. At the same time, she extended her hand, going for shake. The crowd protested, warned her against it, but she kept it out all the same. No tricks. No traps. [color=#ff00ff]”Shake on it.’[/color

Well. Valley was certainly a woman of many surprises.

For all that had transpired between the two, and for all the weeks of research Manami had put into the Entropy champion, from her weaknesses to her strengths to her personal misgivings on the subject of high altitudes, the wolf was utterly certain that all the things Valley could pull from her little box of tricks had been thoroughly exhausted.

While her speedy recovery from the one-woman massacre she’d endured was a decent surprise in itself, it also wasn’t wholly unexpected. She was a stubborn woman and a champion with the world at her back. How could a hospital bed restrain her from what needed to be done? So, here she was. She came out, made her demands, and Manami gave her answer. She could say ‘yes’. Or she could say ‘no’. The latter was certainly out of the question, so what did that leave?

All the same, the Wolf Girl could barely hold back raising a curious little eyebrow upon seeing the grin on Valley’s face. It was more than mere excitement or surprise. The look on her face read as if the Slamazon had been long waiting for someone bold enough, someone skilled enough to make a proposal like the one she now had laid in front of her. Manami’s smile only broadened as the Californian accepted her proposal and widened the distance between them, happy that the stage had been set on her terms.

But that only brought the next surprise. A gesture that Manami hadn’t encountered in quite a long time. One that she’d thought long removed from her life and never to return, until now. One that immediately retracted that smile from her face into a perplexed pair of pursed lips.

A handshake. Something proven fatal for many in the past, and it seemed as though the audience had a brighter intuition about them as they gave voice once more. Manami’s eyes traveled from the woman’s hand to her eyes, then back to her hand again. Then, closing her eyes for a moment and growing a light little grin on her face, extended her hand and accepted the gesture with a couple firm shakes. She looked up at Valley, the intense gaze of her pupils returning as the corners of her smile stretched bit by bit, from cheek to cheek.

“Alea. Iacta. Est.” She leaned forward slightly. “I will see you in Rome.” She said, withdrawing her hand and tucking it behind her back.

With that, she turned around and slipped out of the ring, walking back up the ramp to disappear behind the backstage. There was a casual nature to the steps she took, in no clear rush to prepare for her biggest showing thus far. She was more content in simply taking a long, evening stroll, letting Valley soak in the sight of her walking away, completely fulfilled with her belt around her shoulder. It was a sight she wouldn’t be seeing the last of.