Susan Howard and Victoria Archer vs. Black Belt Demon and Valley Doll - Randomination

Match Type: Random Tag Team
Victory Conditions: Winner Decided by pinfall, submission or knockout.

***

Valley just kept trying to get out, but they just kept pulling her back in.

It had been about two months since she’d ‘retired’ from Friction and moved over to Tension, and she’d been under the impression that would be about it. She completed all her Friction obligations, made all the mandated appearances, signed all the papers they’d put in front of her, and even done a few final matches to finish things up and leave on the best possible terms. She was under the impression that she was flat out done with that side of the AFW. No more. Full stop.

Apparently that didn’t extend to random tag battles, it seemed. Just her luck. That was the reason she found herself once again in the Friction arena, hanging out on the ring apron while the fans cheered all around her and her theme music started to die down. She did her best to keep her smiles up, not wanting to let her annoyance, trying to be the professional she was raised to be, but it was no easy task. And knowing who her partner would be, it wasn’t likely to get any better.

Des-Row’s Bitter Road started to blare out over the loudspeakers, and the audience went into an immediate frenzy, throwing a mixture of cheers and jeers as Makoto Aihara emerged from the back - or the woman they all thought was Makoto. She wore a black, loser version of her usual judo attire and was caked in twice as much makeup as she’d ever been seen before, fully embracing the title she was now answering to - the Black Belt Demon.

She’d seen a drastic change in attitude over the past few months, becoming crueler and more vicious in her matches, and the scuttlebutt said it had something to with the woman trailing behind her as she made her way down to the ring.

”Oh me, oh my.” Anesthesia chuckled with a hand to her lips, strutting her way down the ram while Makoto stormed her way down to the ring in front of her, neither of them seeming the least bit perturbed by the hate coming their way. ”I don’t think your countryman approve of your new choice in attire, Makoto. Such a shame.”

Makoto simply sneered back at her, then shook her head. ”Could. Not. Care. Less.” She reached the end of the ramp, slid on top of the apron, and took a moment to wipe her bare feet off, dragging her soles along the canvas. ”That won’t be the only thing they don’t like tonight.”

”Certainly.” Anesthesia’s ever-present smile grew an inch, as she waved towards a wary Valley Doll, then turned back to her ‘pupil’. ”Have fun with your new playmates. Make this a learning experience.”

Anesthesia stepped back to the barricade as Makoto walked down the apron, making her way over her corner where the Slamazon waited. Valley wasn’t sure what to make of either of these women - she’d heard enough of Anesthesia to know she should give her a wide berth, but she’d always thought Makoto was an honorable, nice wrestle, someone well-respected in the community. Apparently, she was going through some kind of dark, goth phase

Whatever the case, they were teammates, at least for the night. Valley Doll extended her hand as Makoto approached…

...and promptly had it slapped away, as Makoto entered her personal space. ”Listen, you old hag.”

”...old hag?” Valley Doll’s eyes narrowed to slits.

”I’m winning this one, okay? Do not stand in my way. Just try to keep up.” She proceeded to poke Valley Doll in the chest. Three times.

The Slamazon bit her lip, resisting the strong urge to voice her disapproval, and even show it in physical terms. But Makoto’s music was dying. Their opponents would be out soon. She could play nice for ten minutes. ”Okay, ‘Black Belt Demon’.” She snorted, barely able to hold back the laugh as she said it, which got a nice glare from Makoto. ”We’ll see. We will see…”

“Hello? Are you there, Susan?”

Victoria knocked on the door for what felt like the hundredth time. The blonde martial artist was scheduled for a tag team match tonight, a first for her. The pairing seemed odd, to be put lightly. She’d never met her partner before, nor did she know why they had been put together for tonight’s bout, but still she wanted to try her best. From the moment she’d arrived at the arena tonight Victoria had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Susan about the match, but the woman had been locked away in her dressing room the whole time. When she leaned close to the door, she could hear light humming from the other side.

“It’s almost time for our match! Our opponents are already out there! Can we please just try to talk this over a little bit?” she pleaded. The voice she heard next, to Victoria’s dismay, came not from Susan, but from a stagehand behind her.

“Mrs. Archer, you guys are up.”

Victoria was just about to beg for a few more minutes to try to get something out of Susan when, finally, she spoke up.

“You go on ahead! I’ll be right behind you.”

When Victoria looked to the stagehand, the woman only shrugged. “They might just give a forfeit win to the other team if you don’t get out there. You probably better hurry.”

Victoria's music:

Before she could even start pleading her case, she heard her music starting to play over the speakers. Taking one last look back at the closed dressing room door, Victoria sighed in defeat and shook her head, then hurried off to the curtain. Luckily enough, she got there with just enough time to take a breath and try to calm herself before stepping out through the curtain perfectly timed with the moment her music picked up. Putting on a smile to mask her anxiety, a practice she’d nearly perfected with experience here, she marched down the aisle to the ring. Realizing she should try to buy Susan a bit more time, once she got close to the ring she paused to eye both her opponents, and the woman accompanying them, then calmly walked over to the steps. There she took a brief moment to stretch her legs a bit, casting a wondering glance back toward the entranceway before she ascended the steps and climbed through the ropes.

Without a word to either of her opponents, Victoria moved into her own corner, where what started as nervous shifting quickly turned into slow pacing. Her music faded out several seconds of silence followed, and Victoria began to wonder what would happen if her partner didn’t show up.

Susan's music:

Fortunately, that soon became a fear she could put to rest. The silence was at last broken by Susan’s music, before the model emerged onto the stage! As annoying as it had been for the blonde that her partner had taken so long getting ready, it was clear from her appearance she hadn’t been idle in that dressing room. Between the meticulous styling of her beautiful red hair and the makeup she wore, along with the dark, sparkling singlet that snugly hugged all her curves, Susan Howard looked like she’d been preparing for a swimsuit contest - and if there had been one, she’d no doubt be a prime candidate to win it.

Susan danced along to her music while making her way down the aisle, stopping several times to pose for pictures from fans in the front row. One handsome man was even lucky enough to score a selfie of himself while Susan leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Finally arriving to the ring, she ascended the steps and entered the ring, striking a couple last poses before moving into her corner with Victoria.

“Don’t look so stressed, dear. I told you I’d be here,” she said, though that did little to make Victoria feel better about the fact that they hadn’t had a chance to talk, plan or prepare at all together. “Why don’t you just go relax in the corner. I’ll take care of this nice and quickly, then we can go celebrate together, alright?” Susan continued, turning away from her partner as if the decision had already been made. Sighing again, Victoria stepped through the ropes to stand on the apron. She did need some time to relax. Maybe this was the best thing to do for now.

As for Susan, she grinned confidently as she stood in the middle of the ring, one hand casually resting on her hip while the other pointed a finger out toward the enemy team. “Valley Doll!” she called out, then turned her hand to wave her finger inward toward herself. “Come on over here and let’s do this!” There was a nice round of cheers and applause from the crowd at that. Susan of course internally took credit for that, as if they were naturally cheering on the confidence she was displaying toward a respected veteran. In reality, it likely had just as much, if not even more, to do with the fact that Valley’s appearances in Friction were likely to be much more limited now that she was part of the Tension roster.

Had Valley ever won a match by forfeit before? She was having trouble remembering. She felt like that was the sort of thing that would stand out to her, that she’d remember it without question, but after hundreds, maybe even thousands, of matches in her career, she couldn’t say for sure. Just by sheer odds, there had to be one or two no-shows in there.

That being said, just about any other time, she wouldn’t have wanted that kind of stain on her record. Tonight, however, she could’ve made the exception.

Makoto hadn’t said anything else to her since their last words, but that didn’t make her anymore comfortable about their situation. Instead of talking to her about strategy, she spent the time chatting with Anesthesia about...Valley had no idea, frankly. Judging by the looks they gave her, the conspiratorial whispering, and the occasional evil chuckle from the nurse, it wasn’t anything good. Valley didn’t know them personally, but she knew their types, could figure out that she wasn’t in the best of company. So, when Victoria didn’t show as her music started, there was that small hope that she wouldn’t have to deal with this drama.

Not the case, though. She was just waiting on her cue. Cute.

Valley folded her arms and stepped back as Victoria made her way to the ring, backstepping towards her corner. She only took her gaze away from their opponent for a moment, to acknowledge Black Belt Demon. ”I’ll start off, okay? Any objections?”

”Hmph.” Makoto didn’t seem to think much of that, but after she looked towards Anesthesia and got a nod, she acquiesced, stepping back through the ropes to the ready position. ”Whatever. Just try not to get your ass kicked too fast. Don’t want to spend all night cleaning up your mess.”

”Profanity. How edgy.” Valley dusted off her shoulder and focused back on Victoria as the woman made her way into the ring, giving her a look over. She was semi-familiar with this woman, remembering the scuttlebutt around the locker room. From what she recalled, she had a less-than-stellar WLD going on, though at a glance, she couldn’t guess why. The woman was in shape, clearly built like a real fighter, and she was tall. Unlike most of the taller women in the AFW, she had a more slender, athletic build. In fact, she looked like she was in better shape than Valley herself. If she could even wrestle halfway decent, her physical attributes alone would’ve pulled her to at least a few wins.

It was a vexing question, and one that she sought to keep from bothering her too much, as their other opponent came down to the ring. This one made Valley’s eyebrow raise - the choice of theme song for one, and all the showboating she did on the way to the ring. Valley knew nothing at all about this woman, but she could already appreciate her style, loving the way she played to the audience. So many wrestlers just dashed to the ring and kicked things off dry. It was nice to see someone in the younger generation who remembered the entertainment aspects of their profession. Lots of energy. Good vibes.

Black Belt Demon didn’t agree. ”Bunch of morons.”

Valley frowned for half a second, before lightening up again as she was called. She stepped forward, bouncing on her heels as she approached, though she paused before they could kick things off. Canting her head to the side, she leaned away to get a better look at her opponent, then waved a finger her way. ”Say,” She nodded as she stepped in, recognition coming over her face. ”You look familiar, super familiar. You used to be a model, right?”

“Never stopped,” Susan replied, ever so casually flipping her red hair back with her hand. “I take it you’ve seen some of my work before? Maybe I’ll give you an autograph, after we’ve finished taking you two down.” Grinning to her adversary, she took a step back and got her hands up as the ref called for the bell, officially getting this match underway!

Annoyed as Victoria was with her partner for getting her so stressed coming into this, a part of her admired the natural confidence Susan had. The blonde martial artist was often too shy to banter with her opponent like that, or to wear her beauty so openly and proudly in front of so many people.

The model, naturally clueless to Victoria’s thoughts, had her focus solely on Valley Doll. Closing the distance, she lunged out with her arms to initiate a lockup, but didn’t intend to stay there for long. If Valley obliged with that initial tangle, Susan would very quickly then try to shift while throwing an arm around her foe’s neck, aiming to catch her in a side headlock.

”Well, I wouldn’t want it before. That would just be plain improper.” Valley bounced from heel to heel for a moment, mirroring the smile on Susan’s face. She liked the woman’s bravado, she decided. She wasn’t sure how well placed it was, but she’d know that shortly. ”I just hope it still applies when I-”

”Will you two stop flirting and fight already?” Valley’s face scrunched up as her partner barked behind her, filling the ring with that shrill voice of hers. ”God! It’s a match, not a playdate!”

Valley just sighed, forced some calm into her demeanor, then went to work, coming to meet Susan for a tangle. Feet placed firm, solid stance, she was fairly impressed with her fundamentals on the outset, but she didn’t have long to admire them - whoever had taught Susan how to wrestle, they hadn’t skimped on the importance of initiative. Her opponent was quick to transition, managing to catch the Slamazon in a tight side headlock right out of the gate.

”Nice, nice.” Valley only saw fit to languish in the simple hold for a few seconds, before she planted her feet and drove them forward. She pushed hard at Susan’s back after taking a few driving steps and yanked her head back at the same time, attempting to yank herself free and send her opponent running to the ropes at the same time, anxious to see how fast this woman was on those pretty feet of hers.

Victoria’s reaction to the shrill shout was quite similar to Valley’s, wincing at the piercing bark. It was almost impressive that her voice carried so forcefully in the arena like that.

“Geez…” she muttered, rubbing her ear with her hand.

Susan, however, didn’t seem as bothered by it. Or if she was, the thought was quickly pushed aside while she focused fully on the woman in the ring with her. The moment Valley locked up with her, the model shifted her grip and caught the Slamazon in a side headlock, giving her a tight squeeze while hugging her head right up against the side of her breast.

“Thanks~” she replied playfully, before being sent off into the ropes. Susan, while certainly not on Valley Doll’s level in the speed department, picked up some good acceleration going into the ropes before bounding back straight toward Valley. Closing the distance, she readied her shoulder and attempted to slam right into her foe, wanting to see if she could knock her to the mat with a shoulder block.

Valley was already picking her way out of the mood that Black Belt Demon (seriously, that name…) had pulled her into, enjoying the opening of this match already. Susan had a fun little attitude, reminded the Slamazon of herself at that age. Brash, eager, probably out to prove something. Nothing wrong with a little ambition, though that hardly meant she was going to stand by and be steamrolled for her rising star.

The woman wasn’t a slouch, to be fair, moving at a good speed across the ring, clearly looking to smash horns. Valley could’ve done a number of things to avoid her - a dodge, a jump, even a counter. Instead, she stood her ground, planted her feet, and prepared for the impact.

Weight and momentum were on the younger woman’s side. Susan promptly knocked her off her feet.

Valley didn’t stay down for long, however. She threw her legs up as she fell, and the moment her back hit the floor, she did a kip up and popped back to her feet, returning to Susan’s face with a playful smile, getting a short round of applause from the crowd.. She skipped back and wagged her finger at the redhead, motioning for her to try her again, wanting to see how she’d handle the little show.

The collision dropped Valley right onto her back, but Susan was surprised by the blonde springing right back up to her feet as quickly as she had gone down! Susan clicked her tongue, but couldn’t help but grin while the crowd applauded the athletic display. Hands momentarily resting on her hips, she brought them up to offer a few soft claps of her own.

“Alright, I see you,” the model said before beginning to circle her foe again. Once more she brought her arms up, easing her way close to Valley before lunging in to initiate another lockup. This time, she didn’t make any attempt for an immediate transition. Fairly certain she had at least a slight power edge over Valley based on their first exchange, Susan tried to drive her adversary directly backward. It may have seemed like she wanted to take the woman right into the ropes. But after a few steps, she’d abruptly change course. Rolling backward, she’d thrust a foot up into Valley’s midsection, trying to toss her up and over with a monkey flip.

Valley found herself liking Susan quite a bit out of the gate. You could never be sure with women in Friction, but she seemed pleasant enough, giving Valley a few claps after her show, not taking it as a slap or a slight like some of her opponents. She was a firm believer that wrestling was half competitive sport, half performance art, and it was good to see the redhead seemed to be on the same page.

”Not for long, you do.” Valley chirped back with a smile as she and Susan began to circle each other, keeping instep with the younger woman. Her opponent wasn’t one to sit on idle hands, quick to move back in and lock up, and Valley obliged her, with...mixed results.

While Susan didn’t seem to be a powerhouse, she had some surprising strength to her, more than Valley was expecting out of the gate. She was pushed back hard for three steps before she slammed her foot down and slowed the retreat, but only slowed it. The woman had impressive explosive power, definitely below the waist, and while Valley was no slouch in that department, either, she didn’t have the same raw power as this woman. She was going to the ropes.

Or so she’d thought, until Susan jerked back, pulled her overhead, and sent her flying with a monkey flip out of nowhere. Nice switchup, one Valley hadn’t seen in a while, more than she often expected from the younger wrestlers.

But that didn’t mean it would work. As Valley was getting pulled back, she threw her legs up, putting more momentum into the move than Susan intended. It was just enough to add some extra degrees to the flip and get close to a full rotation, allowing her to come down on her feet instead of her back. Which meant that she was standing, while Susan was on her back behind her.

Too juicy of a target to miss out on. Valley back and to the side, kick her legs out for effect, raised her arm, and attempted to come down on Susan’s chest with an elbow drop, trying to nail her in the chest before she could realize what was going on.

The collar-and-elbow variant of the old “test of strength” was a bit of a subtle specialty for Susan. The standard variant of it relied heavily on upper body strength, which wasn’t exactly the redhead’s greatest asset. But in this version, the arms are practically neutralized, and from there it’s often a matter of leverage and leg strength that determines who drives who back. Anyone curious enough to look for it in Susan’s matches would find that she almost always won out in these, so long as the opponent wasn’t significantly larger than her. It’s not exactly a stat they tend to highlight on the backs of trading cards, but it was still one that largely worked in the model’s favor.

This was no different. Not at first, anyway. Valley Doll was a very well-trained athlete almost exactly Susan’s size. But it was Susan who did the driving, pressing against the blonde’s resistance to gradually force her back. She went until there was the perfect amount of space behind her for the monkey flip. But when she went to toss Valley over, the woman flew off her foot noticeably harder than Susan had meant to send her. Had the redhead underestimated her own strength, or..?

A sudden eruption of awe-inspired gasps from the crowd told her it was something else. And though Susan couldn’t see it very well from where she was, knowing who her foe was, she could probably guess. That, however, didn’t prepare her for the immediate elbow drop that followed, coming from practically out of nowhere to hammer onto Susan’s sternum! “Ugh!” she groaned out, wincing while her hands immediately came up protectively over the sore spot on her chest.