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

For a moment, a single sparkling second, Valley was thrust backwards in time, remembering the first instance of her ever having a busted nose. It was pretty inevitable, really - she’d wrestled thousands of matches in her career, against all sorts of opponents on all sorts of stages in all sorts of conditions with all sorts of stipulations. Sooner or later, the odds were that at least one of them would land that lucky shot and wreck her prim proboscis.

Which made it all the sillier that it hadn’t even happened in a match. During her earlier days, she’d botched a double moonsault and wound up coming down hard on her face. Preferable to landing on her neck, mind you, but still not fun. She’d been overestimating her ability. Her mother warned her not to try it, but she just had to go for something big, wanting to really stand out when she debuted on the Slamazons roster.

She and her mother had a laugh about it afterwards, as they worked to plug the leak coming from her nostrils. A warm memory, a loving little snapshot of her early career, and one she held onto as Manami dragged her around the ring.

Valley struggled to keep up with Manami, crawling after her on hands and knees, wibbly and wobbly with every step, just trying to alleviate the pain in her scalp. Fighting back? She would’ve loved to, but she couldn’t muster the strength for it at the moment, didn’t have the energy. What she needed was an opening to get out of the pit she’d sunken into, but none was presenting itself, and in the next moment she was getting flung hard into the steps. And kept there.

”Ghk!” Valley gasped as Manami’s grip tightened around her throat, squeezing like a steel cord. The woman was talking, but she could only just make out the words, scarcely comprehending them. Her mind was too busy focusing on other, slightly more important matters. Like staying alive.

Valley’s body went into panic mode, thrashing about under Manami’s grip. She kicked. She bucked. One hand went to Manami’s wrist, trying to pull it away, digging her nails into the skin in a desperate attempt. The other tried to push at Manami’s face, anything to stop her as she ran her tongue along her face. None of her struggles had much force behind them, though, and all she could really do was shut her eyes in disgust as this madwoman left a trail of saliva from her lip upwards.

It was like every time Valley thought she couldn’t hate Manami more, the woman deliberately tried to prove her wrong.

Savory. How unexpected.

Manami had tasted blood before. Not in so many quantities that she could be called vampiric, but more than her fair share as someone bred in the underground, where blood flowed quicker than money. More often than not it was her own, but there came the occasion where she could indulge, and, oh, had she developed quite the palette. They came in all flavors and all forms of intensity. Bitter, sweet, tangy, repugnant. She’d expected the latter from someone as repulsively stalwart and pure as Valley.

But no. As she licked the last scrap of blood from her lip, Manami couldn’t help but let out a delighted hum from the sensation on her tastebuds, licking her lips clean as she gazed down at the Slamazon. She’d have to sample another taste sooner on. The night was still young, after all.

She pressed her thumbs together and worked down on Valley’s Adam’s apple, an overlooked vulnerability that she learned of the hard way some time ago. A bit of pressure, but intense pain. It wouldn’t knock her out, of course, but that wasn’t entirely Manami’s plan.

She couldn’t score out here, after all.

The entirety of the audience looked on with baited breath. Some assumed she’d choke the last bits of air clean from Valley’s lungs and cheered the wolf on the whole way. Others held on to their frail hope, shouting and pleading for the champion to somehow make her comeback. And, just when it seemed that the fight was all but done, Manami would suddenly unlatch her hands. Instead, one would go to Valley’s top, yanking her forward enough to grab the back of her shorts, before she’d turn and throw the aerialist under the bottom rope, back into the ring.

Despite Valley’s best efforts, panic was starting to set in and dominate her thoughts, threatening to take over. She was trying to instill some common sense into her brain. ‘This is just a match’ she told herself. ‘The ref will stop things if they go too far’.

But no. It might’ve been the pressure of the moment, or the lack of oxygen, or the way Manami seemed to find a new level of psychopathy to slip into with every moment. Whatever the case, Valley was having a hard time convincing her body that her life wasn’t in danger. The sort of raw fear that can take over when jumping out of a plane, even when you know there’s a parachute to save you.

It was an overpowering sensation, and it only worsened as Manami dug her claws into Valley’s Adam's Apple. Women did have them, contrary to popular belief, they were small and hard to find...not an obstacle for someone like this, it seemed. It was enough to send Valley into spasming fits, her body jolting about like raw electricity was running through her veins.

It was apex pain, and it was thankfully brief, as Manami let go and decided to haul her back into the ring, dumping her in under the ropes. Not an act of mercy, Valley could recognize that much. It seemed like the She-Wolf was ready to end the games and score another point.

Not that Valley was in any position to do anything about that at the current moment. Her focus was more on gagging and cough and spitting out some blood that she’d inadvertently snorted, making a nasty puddle beneath her as she sagged on her hands and knees. She reached forward the turnbuckle pads, almost on pure instinct, desperate to at least get back up to her feet.

Internally, Manami was somewhat conflicted about the situation in front of her after she climbed back into the ring from between the ropes.

There Valley was, aching and having the worst evening of her life courtesy of yours truly, no applause necessary. She was evidently winded and being choked nearly to death wasn’t going to be doing her body any favors. Getting air back into her lungs through that damaged throat wasn’t going to be easy either. And if all that wasn’t enough, she had her back turned to her. She was practically begging for the pin.

But what was this voice in the back of her mind goading her along? That heinous voice with eyes glowing red, telling her to feast more, kill more. Slash. Gnash. Claw. It demanded more and more, heightening the Wolf Girl’s senses as it spoke against her ear. Her tongue began to salivate.

Such a dilemma. In the end, Manami doubted she would get many moments like this again. It’d be a sin for her not to enjoy the fruits of her labor, a little taste before the main course.

She could fit one more bite in.

Manami licked her lips and walked up behind the Slamazon as she reached out for the turnbuckle. Like an eldritch horror dragging its victim back into the shadows, the wolf grabbed the back of her legs and went to quickly yank Valley away from the corner. Manami didn’t step back as she pulled, however, instead merely standing with her legs open for the Californian to slide into. Assuming she hadn’t the ability to slip away, Manami would sit on the woman’s back, grab the one arm grasping for freedom, then the other, and wrap them around Valley’s neck before pulling them back into a straight jacket.

Just get up. Just get up.

Valley kept repeating those words like a mantra in her head, as if the repitition would make the reality any easier. It didn’t, but it gave her something to focus on that wasn’t the ringing in her brain or the blazing pain in her arm or the blood trickling down into her mouth, so she decided to stick with it. Any distraction was preferable to all that.

In the back of her head, though she was asking the principal question: and then what? She needed a strategy, some way to even these odds before they spiraled even further out of control. Needed a way to compensate for the arm. Needed to know where Manami was, above all, and speaking of that…

”Damn it!” Valley growled as she was yanked away from the ropes, pulled like an unruly child from her favorite toy. She tried to scrabble up to her feet before anything could happen, but Manami was took quick on the draw once again - one arm was snatched back, then the other, and it was all over from there.

The straightjacket hold would’ve been bad enough by itself. Choking your opponent out with her own arms was nasty business, one of the rare moves that was humiliating and effective in equal parts.

But add onto it an arm that most definitely did not want to bend that way? Breathing problems weren’t the biggest worry, here. It felt like Manami was on the verge of ripping her trouble arm right out of the socket, and she wouldn’t have put it past the woman.

Not only that, but the move wasn’t even complete - there were several holds Manami could go to from here, and Valley didn’t want to contemplate which one she’d pick. But above all else, the most distressing thing? Valley couldn’t tap like this. Couldn’t even vocalize her surrender. Two facts that she seriously doubted Manami would miss.

This wasn’t good enough.

Oh, the audience certainly begged to differ. Their eyes alone were more than enough to tell what they thought. To them, this was like a real-life horror movie, and the Wolf Girl could emphasize to a degree. Being strangled by one’s own arms was hardly a pleasant site. Being strangled while bleeding with an arm that was hanging on by a thread was...chilling, to say the least. She was sure that Valley’s opinions couldn’t have been much different. She certainly couldn’t imagine this getting worse, could she?

Manami begged to differ. This was a fun little position to be in. Effective, too. Valley was strong, but everyone needed air at some point or another. All it would likely take was for the official to come over in a few moments and confirm Valley’s submission..or worse.

But Manami didn’t want surrender. She wanted annihilation. Evisceration. Eradication. She wanted this feeling to resonate with Valley long after she’d gone home and attempted to wash away the bruises and bites and bashes that lined her broken body. She wanted this terror etched into her very genes.

So, in an odd moment of confusion littered with exchanged glances from the audience, Manami slowly stood up. Of course, she didn’t release the hold around Valley’s arms. Instead, without the pressure on the woman’s back, she dragged her along, willing or no, up to her feet as she pulled the blonde along by her neck. “Come on. Hop along, little rabbit. You can do it.” She gave the hold a few helpful tugs to force Valley upright against her. Whether Valley still had the power to stand of her own free will mattered little. The end would be the same. With a little hop back, tucking her legs beneath her, Manami would pull the champion back into her knees, sending the both of them tumbling backward into a personal hell for Valley’s spine.

Any screams that attempted to escape Valley’s throat once the backbreaker landed would be immediately silenced as Manami reeled back further on the straight jacket, digging the champion's own arms further into her stomach, reel her head backward and forcing their eyes to meet at an ungodly angle. The smile that met Valley’s eyes was one born from a mixture of glee and despair, one that she hoped lingered in the woman’s gaze, triggered that primal fear of an animal baring its fangs, before she pulled and cemented in her finisher - the Apex Predator.

Just stay conscious. Just stay conscious.

That was the mantra that went through Valley’s head as she was trapped in the straightjacket hold, kept tight in Manami’s clutches. It was easier thought than done, however, especially since the increasing lack of oxygen was starting to take its toll on her other faculties. Muscles were slackening. Her heartbeats were slowing. She was suddenly much more aware of the blood pumping through her veins, swore she could feel it traversing through every vessel, and the inevitable answer to it all was clear - if things kept going like they were, they wouldn’t be going at all.

And yet, Valley was still trying to hold on, fighting back as best she could, pulling against the hold to steal every wisp of breath that she could. She wasn’t sure why, really - giving up would probably be a good idea. It would stop Manami before she ripped her arm out of the socket, at least, though she might very well just lock the move back in again, knowing her. This was dire. How dire?

Valley was getting out of it, so out of it that she didn’t even realize when Manami lifted her up. Not at first. She blinked, or at least what she thought was a blink, but it had to be longer than that given how high off the floor she’d been lifted. Manami was moving her back, manipulating her pulling her back into…

Valley screamed as she was suddenly brought back hard, her spine dissected by Manami’s knees. She tried to scream, anyway - what came out was a spittling choked gasp, the sound of some pathetic animal breathing its last gasps. It felt like she’d been run through with a spear, cut down the middle, and the pain only grew from there, reaching maddening levels as Manami turned it into a hellish submission hold.

There was a small spot of hope, here, thanks to Valley’s flexibility. Years of bending and stretching and training her body had given her far more range than most people could hope for, and that might’ve been the only thing saving her from serious injury as she was pulled back, further and further and further. Nearly inverting her.

It was a sickening sight, and Valley could confirm that it was every bit as excruciating as it looked. As the final nail, she had to watch Manami’s twisted grin the entire time, a fading sight that made it all the harder for her to utter the words she knew she had to say.

”I...I give…gi…””

Magical, that’s what it was. It was magical to see the light fade away from another’s eyes.

She'd been looking for the word to describe it for some time now. Across her countless battles, an endless stream of blood that all blended together in a heated mirage of pain and lust, that was the one constant that never failed to make her feel the most alive. There were so many things one could learn from gazing into the eyes another. Fear, hope, happiness, sorrow, longing, anguish. It was all a flickering light behind one’s eyes that shined the brightest when the night was darkest.

But then there were times when that light simply went out. She could see it now as Valley pawed for life and sputtered her last breaths. All those emotions and ambitions slowly disappearing into the abyss she was being dragged into breath by breath. And on the other side of it, Manami met her with her stark white canines stretching from ear to ear, her fangs reflecting coldly in the gleam of the stage lights.

The official looked closely, wanting to keep as much a distance from Manami as her job would allow, but could only barely make out the words being uttered between the choke and how little movement Valley’s jaw was actually allowed. She moved in closer, enough to feel the heat radiating from their twisted bodies mashing together. “Valley?” She raised a hand to her ear. “Valley, do you give?”

Manami didn’t want an answer. She pulled down harder on her arms, constricting the throat for all it was worth, making sure her mouth wouldn’t move so much as an inch. Her biceps flared, her abs flexed and her shoulders bulged. The wolf’s jaws clamped down and tore.

And, as a last little adjustment, she lifted her knees only slightly higher to bring a bit more of Valley’s face into the light, just so she could watch the brightness in her eyes fade a little longer.

This wasn’t the first time Valley had been knocked out, though she would admit it had been a good, long while since the last time. Couldn’t remember the exact date, what with the lack of oxygen and all.

She’d almost forgotten how distressing it could be, how much of a harrowing experience it was even when you didn’t have a sociopath watching you fade. The way the lights dimmed, as if someone was turning out the lights of the entire world. That feeling of construction in the throat as the pipes tightened. It wasn’t a perfect seal, there were wisps that slipped through the cracks. But they were just fumes in the engine of her mind. Not enough to run on. Not enough to survive with. She was going out, that much was clear, and the only way out was to submit.

Only...she couldn’t.Oh, she tried. Struggled to open her mouth just enough to utter two syllables. Even that was a Herculean task, though, and Manami seemed bent on clamping hard, almost as if she didn’t care whether or not Valley submitted or not. Almost as if she wanted her to just go out, and…

Oh. Ah. For a moment there, Valley forgot that her opponent was completely insane.

That was the single thought that she had, the last one before it all went to nothingness. She went limp in Manami’s grasp - as limp as she could with the hold stretching her taut, anyway - and the referee confirmed all the sighs. The slowed breath, her face changing color, her eyes gazing back at Manami with a lifeless stare, all the evidence she needed.

”She’s out!” The referee called for the bell in a frantic panic and gave Manami a few shakes. ”She’s out! Let up, Manami!”

And there it went.

The Wolf Girl’s eyes didn’t change a single iota, didn’t dare look away from this moment. The warmth that ran through her blood filled her with new life. Her grin seemed etched onto her face, her body flaring with intensity as every vein accentuated and pushed the Entropy champion further. Manami clamped down harder, determined to squeeze each and every drop from her quarry, all until the last flicker died out.

The bell wasn’t far behind.

The referee demanded, and Manami obliged, unhooking the arms around the champion’s neck and letting her limp body roll off to the side. Manami sat up but didn’t rise immediately. Her gaze was locked on the Slamazon, the razor-sharp smile still fresh on her face, her mouth still salivating from the moment as if it were still happening.

She reached over and brushed an idle hand over her still cheek, a shiver trailing its way up her spine with an excited gasp not far behind, losing herself in the euphoria as her eyes trailed up to look at absolute nothingness. It was only for a moment, barely enough time to fully relish it before the official shooed her away in a hurry, near throwing herself on top of the champion as she frantically examined her. That was fine. Plenty of more opportunities before this fun was over.

Manami stood up and walked back to her corner with a healthy smirk on her face. She took note of the relative drop in volume around the arena as Valley’s condition was assessed. The sporadic applause was far outnumbered by the murmurs of confusion and concern. The wolf, for her part, acted as if in her own little world. She turned and sat on the turnbuckle, crossing one leg over the other with her hands on her lap as she waited patiently for the next course...assuming they weren’t just skipping to dessert. In her wait, she spared a glance over at the clock off to her side.


My. How time flies when you’re having fun.