AV 18 Entropy Championship - Manami Kuroda (c) vs Cicilia De'Reignhardt

Preceded by: AV 18 Adrian Kytes vs. Gwendolyn Dupont Bettencourt
Followed by: AV 18 Himeko Akan vs. Alaina Sanders


Manami Kuroda


Vs.

Cicilia De'Reignhardt



Match type: No Holds Bared
Winning Conditions: Pin, Submission or KO... No DQs

Even from the back, Manami could read the whole of the arena perfectly. She felt the vibrations, the environment unsettling all around her from beyond the curtain. The atmosphere hadn’t changed since her last match, evidently. There were still mixed feelings in the air, sentiments that probably should have been expected, traces of doubt lingering in their hapless minds.

Good. Despite what she may have promised back in Japan, this was not a match. This wasn’t a contest, sport, not even a playful little hunt. This was a prime opportunity, simply a means to set the stage, a canvas meant to be drenched with German blood.

Slaughter.

But many held out hope for the aspiring rookie. Scantly a year had passed since she joined the federation, according to her records at the very least, and she’d managed to carve quite the name for herself. A rampaging beast, a monster in her own right that could move the heavens and earth with the might of her roar alone. A predator in the making by all things considered. If there was any up-and-comer out there that had a chance at besting the arrogant wolf, Cicilia was far and away the popular vote.

What an amusing little hope they clung to.

The lights in the arena suddenly dimmed, bringing the rabble at each corner to faint murmurs. People turned to shadows, a thickness permeated the air, and the whole world stood still. Then, from the darkness, came the howls of wolves…

Can you see them? Those eyes in the dark?:

The Wolf Mother:

From through the burst of white and green lights came a lone silhouette, the gleam of the Entropy Belt reflecting off its surface, briefly flashing a toothy smile. Manami strode down the ramp with the same grin that she’d left with but a few days ago. If there was an ounce of worry inside of her, it didn’t reveal itself. Her eyes stayed affixed to the ring and it alone, the corners of her smile extending with each stepped she neared to its end.

The wolf climbed up and stepped between the middle and top ropes, walking slow once she entered the ring with her eyelids low and one hand to her hip. She took off the Entropy belt, shoving it past the official's waiting palms and into her chest, seeing the striped woman stumble back a step as she passed. Pleasantries could wait. The Juggernaut would be here soon, and she needed to pull up a chair. Leaping up to the top rope, Manami spun on the spot and sat from atop her perch with admirable balance, placing her foot on the middle rung beneath her as she leaned in to rest her elbow on her knee, and her chin in her palm. She watched the ramp with razor sharp eyes that gave a faint glint in the encroaching darkness, running a tongue between her lips.

Bah.

Cicilia might've thought in the moment that she wanted to beat the life out of this woman but as the days of preparation went by and as more information became available to her, Cicilia discovered that she'd rather be at home with her girlfriend instead. She had to fly across an ocean and over another country JUST to fight Manami and now she was starting to feel homesick.. 10 HOURS she spent on that plane!

...What she'd give for her own bed with her sweetheart in her arms, both comforted by the loving presence of the other... Such was the life of a fighter, she guessed... *Sigh* Almost made her long for the days where she was a greenhorn and didn't have to travel all over the damn place just to pick a fight.

Whatever... She was here now and the target of her wrath was just within her reach. All she had to do was walk down to meet her... then she could take this fight and herself home...

With Manami already in the ring, Cicilia herself stepped out, Last One Standing blasting over the speakers! The first thing visible among the black of backstage were the sanguine eyes of the beast-like boxer, the body of which soon becoming visible as she stepped out into the light! Even though the spotlights pressured down upon her form, it was as if the blackness of the shadows stuck to her back, drawing out with her as if they were not yet ready to let their monster go...

...It was her time, however... and she would not be stopped!

The German could pick out a few familiar fans among the crowd of Aussies, actually smiling their way in appreciation for their presence! All she had to do was to look in a place they usually were and... there they were... It was incredible... Did people actually follow her...? Confidence swelled in the boxer's chest as she slipped into the ring, crossing her arms as she looked up into the eyes of the wolf-queen upon the ropes.

There could've been words... shit-talk... but Cicilia didn't care for such things... not when she had someone of status to crush. Instead, she just quietly stared, as if the look in her eye told her everything without ever having to say a single word.

Manami had to surrender some shade of worry that Cicilia could have very well been a no-show. For once, she was facing an opponent with some backbone, some separation from the shameless allures and pathetic virtues many in this hopeless promotion seemed to cling to. She walked and fought on her own accord, and that could have easily turned on Manami. A few days was quite some time in retrospect. The German could have turned and left, could have bitten her with those same jaws the Wolf Mother attempted to seize.

But that would have been easy, wouldn’t it? That would have left doubt, perhaps even broadcasted some choice rumors that Cicilia was afraid, rumors that could easily spread like wildfire. More than all that, however, was the fact that Cicilia was a warrior at heart. A beast. Blood was in the air. In that respect, in that irreplaceable component of humanity, Manami knew the pugilist better than she even knew herself.

There was no end to the self-satisfied smile that graced her lips. It stayed right where it was even as the music blared all around her, even as Cicilia descended the ramp, and even after she entered the ring, looking at her with a gaze that could turn her to stone. Manami stared back from atop her perch, hunger lingering in her eyes, sending her own message of how tonight would unravel before she leaped down from her perch.

The official called the both of them to the center. Manami did so in earnest, staring across to Cicilia’s sanguine, blazing eyes with her arms crossed, her posture slouched forward to minimize the distance as much as she could. The referee would look between them, a hint of hesitation in her eyes as the tension overtook her. After a couple of slow blinks, she snapped herself back into reality and raised “T-the following contest is a relentless, ruthless, hardcore No Holds Barred Match for the AFW Entropy Championship!” The audience let out a round of cheers and rambunctious yells. Manami’s eyes didn’t move, didn’t wave in an iota. The official lowered the belt and gulped. “The first wrestler to pin, knockout, or force a submission from their opponent will either win or retain the Entropy title! Introducing the first contestant!” The official raised her hand to Manami. “Hailing from the historic lands of Satsuma in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan’s newest Entropy Champion in her first ever title defense, standing at one hundred and sixty-eight centimeters, weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds - Manami - The Wolf Girl- Kurooddddddaaaaaaaa!”

The crowd roared all around them, and only then did Manami blink and pull herself back. She placed a hand on her hip and raised her hand, closing her eyes with a half-hearted shrug. Her cool demeanor betrayed the fire brewing underneath, her blood boiling just beneath the surface as the moment of truth neared.

The ref called the two women to the center and Cicilia moved to oblige, her expression as stone... The mirror opposite of her opponent tonight. Manami looked as if her head would split in half from the size of that self-satisfied smirk, the look of someone who couldn't be more content with themselves. Well, she got what she wanted... and now she was going to get what came with it too: An utterly brutal smackdown. Make an example out of her... HA! Yeah, no. If there was to be any examples made today... it'd be of Manami: To not attack the Juggernaut when she didn't attack you first... It's the worst thing you can do.

It was almost awkward the way the "Wolf-Girl" leaned in, trying to minimize the distance between them despite her being the shorter of the two. Still smelled of wet-dogs, she saw... Also didn't look much better from up-close as she did from a few feet back... She could almost make out the borderline stupidity-infested pride that covered her face like makeup. The Juggernaut simply cocked an eyebrow in her direction, as if to say:

"Really...? A staredown...? Is that the best you got?"

The German wouldn't say a word... Not a declaration of her victory nor a condemnation of Manami's tactics to get her here... As far as she was concerned, the past was the past, the future was the future... All she cared about was mangling this wanna-be champion...

As if sensing the utter intensity between the two, the Ref was entranced for a few moments, lost in the pressure that built up between them! She did, however, pick up on the fact that this WAS a championship match and went through the grind, naturally introducing the champion first and the match they would be doing.

First and last title defense... Cicilia thought to herself, darkly, tapping her bicep with a finger as she waited for the Ref to get ON with it! ...And get on with it, she did...

“Hailing from the beautiful and strong city of Munich Germany, The chosen challenger for the Entropy title, standing at one hundred and seventy-three centimeters, weighing in at one hundred and sixty pounds - Cicilia -The Juggernaut- De'Reignhardt!”


"'Bout time..." Cicilia growled under her breath, already impatient with this ridiculous ceremony. Still, there were those in the crowd that cheered for her, cried her name... but she payed them no mind... Manami had made this personal and so... she had her full attention. Cicilia's eyes burned like a brand implanting her insignia into her flesh, leaving a mark that would never heal... a broken champion not even good enough to hold her first title...

Most wrestlers in Manami’s position would have been thinking long and hard on some sort of approach. They’d be thinking over their strategy again and again, ruminating on the research they’d done of their adversary, running through the mental plan they’d developed countless times once more, trying to watch for openings, read them as best they were able.

Not the wolf. Her mind focused only on Cicilia’s face, wondering just how long it would take to see the tears flow from her eyes. She looked at that hardened expression, that defiant glare in her eye as an insurmountable challenge. It was tempting, ever so tempting, to simply lash out with her claws and streak those pretty features from her face.

But there would be time. The cheers and whistles continued all around after Cicilia’s introduction concluded. The world pivoted on a needle as the referee looked between the two beasts with a shaking, outstretched palm between them. She sucked in some air, brought it high, and threw it down.

The crowd erupted in one gigantic wave of excitement. The tension spreading across the arena had been palpable, touching each and every person in attendance. They all assumed that the second that bell rang out, blood would spill. One gigantic clash would echo out from the center of the ring as both titans charged straight at one another and the Earth shook beneath their scared little feet.

Childish. The instant the bell rang out, Manami merely stared for a moment longer, one hand still confidently beside her hip as she walked back with a careless, slow gait and a lazy smile. Her expression didn’t read as one lined with fear or worry, but utter disregard for the woman across from her. She watched the juggernaut the whole way back to the ropes. If she managed to reach them, she’d lean back into them, resting one elbow on the top rung while her free hand came up, beckoning the German bruiser forward with a slow wag of her finger.

*DING*

Cicilia instantly brought her hands up, ready to fight... but then, Manami just... walked away. Instead of engaging her, the wolf just... backed towards the nearest ropes, not giving a damn about anything ever, it seemed! The Juggernaut stared at her, confused... Was... she giving up after all that...? After everything, was she too much of a coward to engage her here and NOW!? It might've made her even more angry if that were the case... bringing her all the way here for NOTHING... but no... The wolf still wanted to fight... but on her own terms.

Cicilia might've chosen the rules, but Manami sought to control the game, showing a nonchalant, relaxed nature as if there weren't a single threat in the ring with her right now. What...? Did she think herself invincible...? Beyond punishment and pain...? Did she think she'd get through this fight without getting a well-deserved punch in her stupid fucking face!?

The German didn't waste a moment in advancing in on the Entropy champion... but she did not come at her as reckless as the stupid, conniving wolf was likely hoping... Cicilia might've been outraged by the Manami's cocky-ass behavior... and she might've wanted nothing more than to grind her face along the ropes she leaned against until her head split in half... But she wasn't so dumb as to assume Manami would just let it happen. She wanted Cicilia OUT of control so that she could usurp the power she had while she kept her mind... She had played this game enough to know exactly what was going on...

The smart thing would've been to hang back as she did, to make the wolf come to her... But she was never such a passive person... She would CRUSH Manami one way or another... It was just a matter of how much of a fight she would put up between then and now!

As soon as Cicilia got within arm's reach of the champion... Cicilia would quickly lash out with a brutal straight-kick into the girl's exposed gut, aiming to catch her off-guard with one of her lesser known/used moves!

Cicilia was no fool. Yes, she evidently possessed something of an issue when it came to managing her temper, plenty of evidence to support that. But that didn’t mean she was without reason, didn’t even ponder thinking before acting. She was rational, level-headed for the most part. No, she wouldn’t be easily goaded. Wouldn’t snap at the first bark sent her way. She was too experienced for that, too hardened, too comfortable in her own skin. She’d play the wolf’s game, but at her own pace.

Manami knew all of that.

Not a single word she’d spoken to the juggernaut all those days ago was a lie. She’d watched this woman for quite some time. Stalked, studied, learned. That stoic demeanor could be her strength in many respects, but it was also, like all things, a weakness. Because it, unfortunately, made her rather...predictable.

That was the reason for Manami’s thinly-veiled smile as she leaned against the ropes, watching the German approach with an indigent glare that warmed her to the core. With each step, Cicilia drew closer into striking range, and the Wolf Girl watched that boundary carefully. Her blood rushed, her muscles tensed, her eyes sharpened into narrow slits. All at once, that tension released when she noticed the pivot in Cicilia’s hips, the shift in her footing once she was within arm’s reach. The loner was going to kick her.

Commendations to the pugilist for attempting to think outside of that isolated box of hers. A clever surprise to the uninitiated, perhaps...but that’s all. Her fists would have been much faster.

Manami ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding the German’s kick as it whiffed through dead air. But she wasn’t done. The Wolf Girl reached out as she moved and gripped the pugilist's shin, tugging it roughly and helping it along in its forward momentum to let it fall onto the middle rope, effectively putting the Juggernaut’s flexibility to the test with a sudden split. Assuming she managed to string her up, Manami wouldn’t leave her to suffer for long. The Wolf Mother would rise up, sprout a quick, malicious grin, and shoot an even quicker kick into Cicilia’s exposed crotch.

No matter how clever Cicilia thought she had been with ehr choice of attack, Manami simply knew too much about her for it to matter. Unknown to the Juggernaut, the wolf had lingered in her shadow for a long time, watching her fight, getting to know how she thought... Eventually, the pieces would come together in such a way that she would be able to guess the German's secret strategies... and come up with simple counter-measures. While Cicilia was generally an honorable, straight-forward person who took life as it came, the insidious rodents that hid in the dark, who watched and waited until the time was right tended to be her opponents... When honor fought dishonesty... The German was always at a disadvantage.

Such was the case when her kick BARELY missed it's intended target, instead actually being PULLED so that it slipped over the middle rope! The German growled loudly in frustration that her plan had failed... and that it was actually used against her here! With her leg entangled in the ropes, it left a LOT of her lower body undefended... and where Manami chose to attack was the most vulnerable place of them all!

"GGAAAAAH!" She roared in outrage and pain as she felt the tip of the champion's boot dig at her crotch, a shameless attack from a shameless creature! Although the strike sent a wave of weakness through her entire lower body, the sheer RAGE of having been struck there (AND SO SOON) fueled her beyond such a debilitating wave!  Letting out a vicious snarl like the wolf Manami purported to be, Cicilia RIPPED her leg free and swung it around in a scythe of a round-house kick, aiming to take her opponent's FUCKING HEAD for what she'd just done!

You fucking BITCH! She hissed to herself as she swung her leg, it's sheer strength making her limb like the head of a massive club! I'll KILL you!

Stick to your strengths. The first and most basic rule in any fight.

Of course, the Wolf Mother would be remiss to not give her some form of credit for the attempt. It wasn’t an unwise decision, not a natural strategy to adopt in trying to catch her off guard. But she wasn’t a kickboxer, now was she? She was a raw and classical pugilist. If Cicilia wanted to continue insisting otherwise, Manami would be more than happy to call her out on her bluff every time.

Manami sincerely hoped that boxer would take some time to reflect on her actions. This wasn’t only in Ciclia’s best interest to fight at her hardest. The Wolf Girl wanted a challenge. Wanted blood. And she was certain Cicilia could make that sacrifice. Tease out that bloodlust already bubbling from the surface.

For that reason, it was all too tempting to kick her below the belt. There were plenty of ways Manami could have gone about hurting this girl. She could have slammed down on her knee, snapped that leg in half and left her reeling, snag the heel and twist it backward. But no, this would do. This would be fun.

She was expecting the German to lash out, but not at all in the manner that she did. Expecting the woman to collapse to the floor, perhaps cupping her nethers in agony as she glared bloody murder at the smiling wolf, Manami had merely stood on the spot, her guard lowered and face exposed. She noticed the pugilist reach for her leg, frothing something under her breath, but by the time Manami even had a remote image of what was heading her way, the underside of her boot was already there waiting for her.

Her eyes shot wide as the shot clapped out from the arena, earning a surprised roar from the crowd. Manami stumbled back towards the center and rubbed her cheek, feeling the raw flesh and burn at her fingertips, and tasting the metallic sensation on the inside. She turned her head and shifted on the spot, looking at Cicilia over her shoulder as she turned around, chuckling darkly behind her stark white grin that gleamed like daggers in the light.