SS 18 Entropy Title: Valley Doll (c) versus Manami Kuroda (Iron Man Match)

One moment.

One second.

One mistake. That was all it took.

Valley could feel the blood rushing through her veins, pumped as her heart drummed away like a Sousa march. In the back of her mind, she realized that this was only going to score her a point, that it didn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of this match, and that getting the first fall, while nice, wouldn’t guarantee her anything. Plenty of wrestlers had won the first fall of an Iron Man match only to go on and botch the rest. Heck, that was the exact thing that happened with Natasha Han.

This was different, though. As Valley looked on and bade Manami to rise, she knew she’d be making a statement. Proving every little snide comment wrong, shoving them all back in the She-Wolf’s face. Valley was old and washed up? Fine. But the only thing worse than being old and washed up was getting beaten by someone who was old and washed up. A harsh truth that she was aching to share.

She licked her lips as Manami rose into position, giving her the perfect target, too tempting to pass up. She moved like a panther, a wild jungle cat bearing down on her prey from the dark, coming at her with claws bared and mouth watering. One moment, one second, and she’d have her.

And that was where it all went to crap.

The Valley Bomb was a special sort of signature, one that didn’t hurt all that much, but relied more on surprise and disorientation to take her opponent’s down. When Valley connected, her opponents were simply too confused to get out of the pin, their bodies shocked and too busy restoring equilibrium. But she needed surprise to really make it work, and she thought she’d had that with Manami...but she was wrong. Dead wrong. A hard fact that she learned when her opponent moved out of the way and sent her flipping through the air with nothing to show for it.

Her movement wrecked, Valley whipped about her knee and rose fast, trying to determine where Manami went off to. It was a twenty by twenty ring, it wasn’t like there were many places to hide, but she needed to lock in on her before-

”Guh!”

Yeah. That.

Something hit Valley in the back of her head. She’d later learn it was Manami’s foot, but at the time she’d swear that Manami had somehow smuggled a baseball bat into the ring. Whatever the case, the result was about the same. Valley fell flat on the floor, arms and legs splayed, drool streaming from her mouth as she trembled and shook. She wasn’t unconscious, not really, but her brain was so busy registering the pain that she might as well have been. For the time being, all she could was lay there like a deer on the side of the road.

Valley had a look on her face. That look.

Manami wouldn’t have been able to see it if she wanted to, not at the speed the aerialist was moving towards her, or with the way she had taken to the air before the wolf had managed to evade, but she knew it was there. That glimmer of despair, that flash of hesitance at the realization her strike had fallen just short of its mark. One dull reflex, one step too short, and everything was all for naught. In this environment, like all things in nature, that would be enough to seal one’s fate.

Valley, of everyone gathered here tonight, must have understood this. And even if she hadn’t, the harrowing cries and solemn gasps from the surrounding mob should have been more than enough evidence to clue her into the reality fast approaching. Manami could picture it. The perplexed wrinkles on her aging visage, the mouth slightly agape in disbelief, the eyes wide with shock as the revelation loomed over her.

Manami did her best to keep that face in mind. To keep it firmly within her eyes as she turned her back to the ropes, shooting herself back at her prey with ever greater speed and ferocity. A hunger shimmered like whetted steel in her eyes. Valley was still hunched over, still fighting back against the momentum she had worked so hard to build and push and work. The wolf pounced. Manami’s eyes flickered, looking down at the back of Valley’s exposed neck like a prime cut.

Dig in.

Her steel leg came down hard on the Slamazon’s neck, clipping her wings in the closest literal sense possible. The muscles and contours in her thighs accentuated in the delivery. Manami didn’t hold anything back, didn’t second-guess her motions. Her body moved on its own, the lingering bloodlust intense in the air. Her shin clapped against the base neck. The reverb told her everything she needed know: Valley was down.

Manami fell to one knee after her kick connected, leaving her to crouch down just above Valley’s head. Her predatory eyes looked up and down the champion’s limp form, taking in the subtle twitches and trembles in her sleek muscles. Her mouth began to salivate, thinking of the ripe opportunities laid bare for her now.

But prudence was of the highest import now. She had to detach herself from her familiar mindset. Entertainment could come later. She slipped her hands underneath Valley’s shoulders and flipped the woman over like a tender meat. Turning herself vertical, she slipped down and mounted Valley’s midsection. Placing one arm over the other, she used her elbows to push down on the champion’s shoulders, waiting for the official to begin the count. The whole way, she watched Valley’s eyes carefully, scanning for even the slightest hint of movement. The corners of her lips stretched from ear to ear, a stark white slasher’s smirk overtaking her countenance. She wanted it to be the first thing the proud veteran saw when she awoke.

And she realized what was about to happen.

“ONE!”

Huh. So this was what an out-of-body experience felt like.

Valley had heard it described to her a few times by other wrestlers, even her mother claimed it happened to her after takng particularly nasty Muscle Buster onto the pavement. But she never thought she’d experience it firsthand, figured it was just some exaggeration to describe getting the crap knocked out of you. She’d been smacked plenty of times. Nothing weird happened.

And yet, here she was. On the floor and yet not on the floor, spinning about the ring while she felt her body getting left behind. She knew that wasn’t what was actually happening, but it damn sure seemed that way.

And then, all of the sudden, she was back. Gravity had shifted since the last time she was in her body, the ceiling was above and the canvas was below. When did that happen? How? And what was that heavy, heaving thing on top of her? Valley eyes flew open in a panic, and she did not like what they took in.

The first thing she saw was that smile. That long, vicious smile that she was coming to hate, coming from a long row of sparkling teeth, so pristine she swore she could see her reflection in it.

The first she heard was the count. ”2…!” She didn’t even recall there being a one, but clearly there was, and she had less than a second to save herself. She knew it was futile, but she made an effort of it, demanding that her body move, squinting and gritting her teeth. All she had to do was lift a shoulder up. Even an inch. It wasn't hard.

And she could do it. In six seconds, maybe. Ten, tops. But not soon enough to beat the count. ”3…!”

The crowd roared, turning into a cacophony of boos and cheers and curses and congratulations, the bell rang, the referee stood back up to signify the pin, and as if all those indicators weren’t enough to drill the point in, the announcer had to get her two cents in. ”The first point is awarded to Manami Kuroda by pinfall!”

Valley was too busy glaring up at Manami, doing her best to contain her seething. Her best wasn’t that good, though, and the frustration was palpable. ”Happy?”

It was only one point.

It meant next to nothing. Insignificant. Negligible at best in the grand scheme of things. A far cry from what she would require to safely secure her victory over the reigning champion. There was still a mountain to climb, a surface barely scratched as the opening minutes of the match trickled away.

And still, Manami couldn't bring her malicious grin to falter even an inch.

If anything, her sickening sneer only stretched further, seeing the hazy scraps of life return to Valley’s life, taking shape all at once at the sound of the second count. She shook, she squirmed, she struggled with every inch of effort she could muster to break free like a helpless rabbit, pinned beneath her claws. It was everything she could have hoped for.

The feeling only elevated to greater heights when the final count finally quaked across the canvas. One point in the challenger’s favor, nothing for the washed out has-been from a generation long dead and buried. Were many truly surprised? A partially dejected crowd rained down their jeers, a partially electrified crowd shouted their applause, and the champion merely glared. Valley did well to keep her feelings restrained, by Manami’s standards, but not quite well enough to hide the venom lacing her words. Or word, rather.

The Wolf Girl merely smiled back down on her, still comfortably situated on top of the Slamazon as if the match were long over and she was simply enjoying the spoils of victory. Her malicious grin faded into a more manageable, confident smirk as the last bits of excitement tapered away. She unfolded her arms from across Valley’s chest, placing one on the canvas. She didn’t get up just yet, however, as the other hand went to Valley’s cheek, giving it a contemptuous pinch and yank. “Aw.” She chuckled. “Sour grapes.” She mocked, as if she were the senior between them and Valley an unruly child finally put in her place.

The referee didn’t allow the moment to continue for long. The next moment, she crouched down beside the two, putting an arm between her and Valley, but evidently hesitant to actually lay a hand on the wolf. Smart girl.

Manami stood back up and slowly walked back to the opposite end of the ropes, crossing her arms as she leaned her back against them, taking only a second to brush a bit of hair from her eyes. She kept her smile about her as she continued to look back at the Entropy champion. Valley had been making a true effort to make this first fall happen. Manami could taste it on the wind, in the woman’s lust for victory. She could only presume that there was some gesture being made in that, some precedent she was attempting to set in stone.

How would she carry on with that, Manami wondered?

It was only one point.

Valley knew that, in the back of her head. In the grand scheme of things, it mattered little. Yes, it meant she was fighting from the bottom, but so what? Manami was good, sure, but there was no way she would be able to play keep away the entire match. Valley caught her off guard once, she could do it again, and this time she’d follow it up with a win.

She told herself that. Tried telling herself that. It was a little hard, thought, when she had to stare into Manami’s piercing brown eyes, had to smell her every breath, could see the crooked mockery of a grin on her face. And she really could’ve done without what happened next.

When Manami let up off her chest, Valley started to rise as well, expecting her to ease up so they could start things fresh. Not so - the Wolf Girl just had to get one last dig in, pinching her cheek. That got a growl out of Valley before she could keep it in, and she might’ve restarted things right then and there if the referee hadn’t moved between them - a good thing, because kicking this off with Manami on straddling her would not have worked out well

Valley rose in a worldless huff and watched Manami strut off, trying to get even deeper under her skin than she already was. That was the point, clearly, and the only question was what she’d do about it.

She made her way to the corner and stole a quick glance at the clock as she turned her back to it…


...plenty of time. Two TV shows worth of time. The world had been made in less time. She could do this, she just had to take a few breaths and rethink her approach. Versatility seemed to be in her favor, that was the main takeaway from the first exchange. Her transitions seemed to really catch Manami off-guard, and she had a good deal more to share. Keep her guessing. Keep her working.

The bell rang and Valley came out of her corner, moving into a stance - but not her wrestling stance. Instead of a grappling position, she brought her fists up and bounced on her toes, staying limber, in a stance that looked more like something a kickboxer would take up. Eyes set forward, she moved towards the center of the ring and held off on the attack, wanting to see how the She-Wolf would try to bite this time.

Manami hardly thought so lowly of her opponent that she’d believe one measly fall would put the Entropy champion in a losing mindset for the rest of the match. There was plenty of time remaining, if her eyes weren’t failing her as she peeked over at the clock. They had a long and eventful evening ahead of themselves. It was hardly the time to lose morale, nor stay overly confident.

All the same, it hadn’t made this current situation any less delightful. With a swing of her shoulders and spring in her step as she rested against the ropes, it was as if Manami had reverted back into the giggling schoolgirl the world used to smile so brightly at. It was impossible to resist the giggles that worked their way up from the pit of her stomach as she reminisced on the look of anguish in Valley’s face. The utter indignity she was forced to bear. The round of snickers from the crowd after she’d pinched her cheek and made some distance from the Californian hadn’t escaped the wolf’s ears either. More. She'd need more of that.

She watched the woman carefully as she rose and made her way to her corner, relishing the sight of her disheveled expression and the wrinkles of frustration complementing those already lining her countenance.

The bell rang out once again and Manami followed after Valley towards the center of the ring. The official took some steps back, letting her eyes dart between the two fighters as they readied themselves. Or rather, as one readied herself. Manami merely quirked an eyebrow, placing a fist to her hip as she watched the Slamazon enter a pose more commonly seen in an octagon than a wrestling ring. Fists high, one leg forward, grounding herself.

Getting serious, were we Val?

The Wolf Girl barely noticed. Where Valley took up her kickboxing posture, Manami simply sniggered. Her hands dropped to her side as she walked to the side, taking a long, pleasant stride around the champion as she looked at her in a sidelong fashion. With one foot over the other, she took slow, relaxed strides. Walking with hardly a care in the world. Slowly, her gaze petered off to the opposite side, looking out to the crowd. She brushed some hair behind her ear and winked to one of the luckier men up front. She pivoted on her front foot slightly, just enough to expose more of her back to Valley and face the crowd a little better…

...before she broke into a full twirl and threw a spinning heel kick to the side of Valley’s ribcage.

A few snickers in the audience. Some murmurs. The occasional puzzled glance coming her way.

Valley caught all of that when she took a half-second to survey the nearby crowd, and she could only imagine the pattern would hold if she looked around the whole audience. It was understandable, really. Valley used kicks all the time, they were her bread and butter, but they were more to complement her core grappling, something to help her whittle down foes so she could set up for the big hits and high spots.

The stance she took as she moved towards the center of the ring belonged more in a ring with four ropes, not three. So what was the game?

Valley kept herself calm and confident as she moved out, but she’d be lying if she said she was 100% sure on this. Manami struck her as more of a submission lover, a grappler, but as that kick she was still feeling in the back of her neck proved, the woman had some deadly striking abilities. She’d put her down once, she could do it again if Valley wasn’t careful, and judging by the confident way Manami came sauntering out, she knew it.

That cocky smile and that sway in her hips and the way she walked, like she had all day to play, and the way she was paying more attention to the crowd than-

Valley saw the kick coming at the last second, just in time to move to take half a step back and harden herself for the impact. Too slow to block, way to slow to dodge, and she took the kick right on the ribs, but she was thankful for even that small reaction. The kick still sucked, but it was possibly the difference between bruised ribs and broken ones, the only thing that left her staggering instead of rolling on the floor.

She took a step back, then another, and another on top, making some distance between them as she hissed and rubbed her side. She wasn’t overselling the damage, not really, but she wasn’t quite as stunned as she was selling, either. The whole time, she kept her head down with a sly eye towards Manami, looking to see what she’d be coming her way with next. She was a predator, after all, and her prey had an opening. Would she seize it? If she did, could Valley turn it around.

That was the gamble. Wrestling in a nutshell.

Nobody had to warn Manami of how vicious her opponent’s legs could be. Even without the hours of research and preparation that went into reviewing the woman’s skill set, her performance in the first round should have been all the intuition she’d needed to understand what she was up against. Valley’s kicks were snappy, to the point, but not without their fair share of dominating force.

In the instant she noticed the stance the Chick of 1,001 Kicks had decided to adopt, Manami’s strategy was obvious. Keep her from striking before she even had the chance. The spinning heel kick was only the first step in that process, as haphazard as its delivery may have seemed.

The smack of Valley’s ribs against the underside of her boot was all the signal she’d needed. Manami’s smirk only widened at the sound, though she was denied a clear view through the motion. She could more or less predict where her opponent would be as she felt her body reel back from the blow. She hadn’t fallen over, but that was all well and good. The underground fighter had more than one method already devised for bringing those defying her to heel.

The Wolf Girl pushed forward in a break of speed, eyes wide and appetite whetted, lunging as the champion took her staggering steps backward. She narrowed the distance as quickly as she was able before she pounced with her legs forward in a vertical split. With one aiming low, slipping between Valley’s legs and hooking the back of her knee with her own, while the other aimed slightly lower towards her shin, attempting to bring her off her feet with a scissor sweep.

In the event Valley hadn’t managed to slip away, Manami would be in the perfect position to pivot around onto her back, hooking her legs together over Valley’s thigh and slipping the woman’s ankle underneath her arm in a guillotine hold, moving to force her into a quick ankle lock.

The more they wrestled, the more Valley was having to grudgingly acknowledge Manami’s strengths, and allow that she was, perhaps, the strongest contender she’d faced since she took the Entropy Title. LEA was brutal, Ava had the energy, Emily had the experience and Alicia brought the MMA flavor to the ring, but Manami was a blend of everything they had to offer, with an unhealthy dash of psychopathy piled on top. She’d wanted a challenge from her challengers, and she couldn’t have done too much better than the woman heading towards her at top speeds at this very moment.

Valley tried to prepare herself for the followup after that kick, but that wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped it would be. Most wrestlers would’ve taken a second - a slight second, but a second all the same - to readjust after landing that kick, zero in on Valley before they made their next move.

Not Manami Kuroda. Her ring awareness was point on, giving almost no pause between the time she executed her attack and the time she came in like a mad huntress, bearing down on Valley. She came low and swift, and by the time Valley realized what her game was, the more was already halfway done. Legs around her own, a twist, and she was going down.

She couldn't stop that. But maybe what came next…

Legs were moving up her thigh, looking for a lock, and Valley did not like the way she was going for her ankle. She tried to lift her other, freed leg over Manami’s, putting it between her scissors to keep it from clasping. At the same time, she tried to sit up, intent on giving her opponent a good reason to let go of the ankle.

Nothing fancy, nothing special. She just threw a punch at Manami’s face.

The scissor sweep should have told it all, in hindsight. She was targeting the lower body, and anyone sitting in the crowd should have been immediately able to understand why, let alone the champion. The kicks were a problem that Manami intended to sort out before they became a disaster. If Valley liked her legs so much, she’d have to work hard to keep them.

The champion was a nimble sort, however, as quick in the mind as she was on her feet. Manami liked to believe she was faster than most when it came to applying submission holds. She was familiar with most joints in the body and the exact position that was ideal for making them sing, so much so she practically slid into them. It spoke towards Valley’s years of experience, then, that she’d managed to prevent the lock just a moment shy of the hold coming to fruition. Manami’s brows furrowed at the realization, leaving her with nothing but a grip on the woman’s ankle and little else to show for it.

The truly infuriating part was that the solution wasn’t even haphazard. Most in Valley’s position would have reached a hand out, attempt to stop the leg with a free hand out of pure reflex, ending up in an even more awkward position than they started in. The Slamazon, wisely, put her untrapped leg between them, affording her a far better position, even if there was little to be done from it.

Valley managed to make it work all the same. She sat up as the Wolf Girl looked on with an upturned brow, shifting herself slightly. By the time the woman fully came into view, a fist was already sailing straight towards the center of her face.

“Crude.” She said simply with a sly, unimpressed smirk.

Manami relinquished the hold on Valley’s ankle, untangling her legs and wrenching the woman forward. As she did, she’d fall back, bringing her opponent on her stomach, allowing the wolf to bring her legs up and between the Californian’s head. Hooking her shins together, Manami would reach her free hand up and pull back on one leg, crushing Valley’s head between her steel thighs in a triangle choke.

From there, she was free to look on Valley’s writhing form. At the color rising in her cheeks, and the sputtered breaths on her lips. A chuckle escaped her lips, one that steadily escalated into hearty, self-satisfied laughter.