SS21 Entropy championship - Harumi Hazami (c) vs Claudia Kwon

Match Type: Standard Match
Win Conditions: Pin, Submission or KO

The silent samurai was admittedly stewing in the back room of the AFW. This whole situation was a strange one, something she’d never expected before in her career as a wrestler and certainly not so early in. The previous entropy champion, Manami Kuroda, was one of the most intense fights of Harumi’s life...but it wasn’t because Harumi was after the belt. Truthfully, Harumi didn't feel she deserved it. No, the fight with Manami was a fight to protect the one she loved. To ensure that one of the most violent and cruel heels in the entirety of the AFW would never touch her girlfriend again. I was the only reason Harumi could ever have fought so hard, pushed herself beyond her limit. And in the end, she won...but all she got was a belt. Eka Guramishvili, Harumi’s first romantic partner, had left the country shortly after her fight with the Wolf Mother. It was almost poetic in a sick way. Harumi had fought to keep Eka safe, but only obtained a trinket that reminded her of what she had lost.

Now, she was being asked to participate in some pay per view event due to her status as a belt holder by management. And who was her first opponent supposed to be after getting this coveted belt? Claudia Kwon, also known as the Hell Hound. Harumi couldn’t help but feel bitter, like management was trying to remind her of the near crippling fight she had only just undergone. The Samurai had only had a few fights in AFW, and with every opponent she faced it seemed like they fought with less of a moral compass then the last. Mistress Paige, Kaylee Day, and then Manami. How many people here just wanted to hurt people? To manipulate them? Harumi was here because she was entranced with the excitement wrestling provided not just to the audience but to the performers involved.

Was she always so foolish?:

The usual knock at the door, the usual stage hand telling her to come out. Harumi wasn’t sure what to do anymore. Was she really cut out for this place? Fighting against the worst of the worst was one thing...but it felt like every time she was making progress, or starting to get ahead, something came along and knocked her two steps back. What were the chances Claudia was a fair, sportsmanlike combatant with a name like Hellhound?

The Silent Samurai’s stoic expression became her mask as her emerald gaze stared at the door. She had a lot to think about, but for now, she had a match. Despite her feelings, she was going to give this fight her all...or try to at the very least.

--

Ring of Fortune:

The speakers would blare to life as Harumi’s theme ripped through the audience! The soft, almost sorrowful tone would swiftly pick up it’s tempo as a woman in a teal cloak and hood stepped out into view. Her face was hidden beneath the hood as rose petals began to fall from up above, a peaceful scene of beauty and grace as the artificial wind blew the petals around the fighter, her cloak slowly floating in the wind. As the music began to reach its climax, the cloaked figure would dart forward, making no noise as the teal cloak seemed to float in between the falling petals! With just a single jump, the figure managed to jump from the floor over the top rope! Amazingly, the figure landed without sound and, with practiced movement, the figure would finally reveal themselves as they tossed away the cloak!

Harumi Hazama. The Silent Samurai, Judo expert, and now Entropy Champ. The way she moved made it clear she wasted no movements, she held herself like a professional, and her looks were practically front page worthy! Every fiber of muscle in her body had been trained since she was young, and honed like the steel of a sword. Harumi had no idea what Claudia was like, but if she was anything like the other villains she had faced, then she would get no mercy from her.

Harumi Hazama:

*After having initially involved herself with AFW merely for the thrill of engaging in brutal combat, Claudia had developed a small, cult following of avid fans who worshipped the ground she walked on- Her predatorial demeanor, overzealous ferocity and indomitable will when provoked was enough to propel her far past jobber status and catapult her directly into the limelight! Management quickly took notice of her ubiquitous popularity and began scheduling her high profile matches almost instantaneously, and while not having the most stellar record, she was succeeding in the singular aspect that was paramount to all- Merchandising. Shirts, puffy jackets, faux tails and a slew of other accessories were flying off the shelves whenever the furry terror made an appearance, and tonight would be no different.*

"Huh...already booking me for a belt eh?" *Lounging backstage while engaging in a bit of pilates to keep her blood pumping, Claudia pondered on what the night would potentially entail- She wasn't too keen at preordaining the future, but given her past experiences the salacious canine knew it was anybody's game.* "Didn't really consider myself championship material, but if that's what management wants, I'm happy to oblige~" *Just as she was finishing up her fundamental stretching, a representative entered her room to notify her of the impending fight.*

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming~" *She waved the emissary away with the edge of her hand before slipping her feet into the crimson boots she intended to use to trample upon the reigning champ. While continuing to wiggle her shoulders through the openings in her hoodie, Claudia felt a light yet prominent wave of anxiety begin to envelope her. However, she was familiar with this feeling and knew how to weaponize it. After sharply inhaling to disperse her latent fear, she flipped her hoodie up and initiate the trot down the narrow hallway, throngs of unnamed personnel expressing their intrigue and fascination at her confident stride.*

*After finally reaching her designated spot, bouncing on the balls of her feet to remain as agile as she could, Claudia could hear her theme music drop through the adjacent brick walling.* "Well, seems like it's showtime~"

*Pushing herself through the opaque blinds, Claudia was greeted with an enthusiastic ovation from the live audience, almost causing her to sniffle underneath all of her exterior bluster and bravado. However, she was a professional, and manamged to maintain her outward facade while marching down the aisle, approaching the outskirts of the ring before slipping underneath the bottom rope.*

*The cameras continued to haphazardly flash and illuminate the building, all the while Claudia hopped onto the top turnbuckle before striking her trademark pose!* "Get ready everyone....HOOOWWWWLLL!" *She craned her neck backwards and unleashed a monstrous shriek, encouraging the attendees to follow suite as the arena mimicked her in tandem!*

Spoiler:

*Once she had completed her theatrics, Claudia finally acknowledged the other individual in the arena, dropping on to the platforms of her boots while traipsing towards the middle of the ring.* "Sup~" *She waved, lapping the edges of her ruby lips.* "Hope you're not too shy about getting down and dirty, because I prefer a hands on approach when I fight~"

Ah...one of those types.

Harumi was getting flashbacks from Kaylee Day’s entrance back in the Money in the Bank math. At the very least Claudia’s theme music wasn’t so much techno screaming, but the flashing lights, over the top demeanor, and audience pandering was simply too much like the social media star for Harumi to be comfortable with. The way Kaylee acted all sweet and friendly, just so she could nearly kill her opponent with a chair hardly ten minutes later. What was Claudia like? Really? Some creep in a wolf outfit like Manami? That wide grin on her face was too much like the Wolf Mother’s, causing Harumi’s eyes to narrow at the girl entering the ring while her face remained cold and stoic.

“Don’t worry Ms. Kwon. I very much doubt that you could fight any dirtier than my previous adversaries. I beat them, and I have confidence I will prevail against you as well.”

Harumi wasn’t even trying to be mean. Her tone was so matter-of fact that it came off more as simple confidence than a jab at Claudia. She had faced a variety of cruel opponents and prevailed. Claudia hadn’t proven herself as cruel as the others just yet, but Harumi was keeping her distance just to be sure. She had tried being kind and friendly, only to wind up with bruises and bad memories later on down the line. No need to earn a new set of each from Claudia if she could help it.

“I’ll try not to hurt you...but I hope we can have a fight that we can each look back on and think of respectfully.”

"Huh..." *Trying to micro-analyze what her adversary was capable of before the match officially began, Claudia knew that there was something lurking beneath the surface that Harumi was deliberately not unveiling. As to what that could possibly be however, she was unsure- The possibilities swirled around like a raging maelstrom as both women approached the center of the arena, the palpable intensity beginning to encroach upon them both.*

"My record on this circuit might not be considered anything too spectacular, but if you're basing your opinion of me off of that alone, then you're going to be in for quite the rude awakening~" *Stretching her lips backwards to reveal her incisors, Claudia shuffled her feet from side to side to exhibit her overflowing enthusiasm for the impending bout!*

Harumi only peered at Claudia through half lidded eyes. The stoicism the silent samurai displayed would probably give Claudia the impression she was looking down on the Hellhound. But truthfully, Harumi had heard it all before. The taunts, the insults, and the promise of action. So many others Harumi had face did and said the same things as Claudia, and now the newbie was standing before her and baring her fangs in a wicked grin, much like Manami did in their previous match. Harumi even started to wonder if Claudia may have been related to the Wolf Pack leader in some way. Though, she dismissed that idea. She had the feeling if Claudia was here for some type of revenge, she would have heard all about it by now.

“If you want to prove me wrong, then you are more than welcome to try. I’ve fallen before, but I don’t think I will today.”

With that, Harumi would cut off any further pleasantries by turning away and walking back to her corner. There was very little Claudia could say to Harumi at the moment. The Samurai was lost in her own world, fighting only because of her training at the moment. Was she distracted? Perhaps...but even that might be enough to defeat the Hellhound in front of her! It was up for Claudia to prove to everyone why she belonged against the Entropy champ! Why she was chosen over all the others! Was she capable of such a thing!

Almost Certainly!

*While it may have appeared that, on the surface, Claudia's intimidation attempt hadn't effectively worked as she had intended, it did provide a bit of useful insight for the wolfmother- She wasn't the type to ignore subtleties, and when Harumi decided not to engage with her whatsoever, Claudia theorized that she would be the predominant banterer in this interaction, which suited her just fine.*

*As the proverbial dust began to settle and the officials waited for both participants to reach their corners, the sonorous* "Ding ding ding!" *Signified the start of this highly anticipated skirmish!*

"Alright girlie~" *Claudia giggled to herself while bounding forward.* "Let's see just how loud you can scream!" *Gaining ground at an incredible rate, the agile canine suddenly whipped herself sideways, elevating her lower body to try and initiate first contact with a spinning heel kick! The audience collectively gasped from the spontaneous display of athleticism, eagerly awaiting whether or not Harumi would be capable of responding with such little time allotted beforehand!*

Spoiler:

The bell rang out to the audience whose cheers quickly drowned it out. The start of the championship had begun, with Harumi facing a particularly spunky newcomer to the league! Claudia wasn’t scared of a bit of tough competition, which earned her points in many people's hearts. While Harumi may not have been physically imposing, her combat history was nothing to scoff at. She was a judo pro after all, and had fought many of the worst heels in the league. To stare her down with a smile when only having just met her was something of a feat in itself.

But Claudia didn’t just wait around. No, she took the fight straight to Harumi! The hellhound descended on the silent samurai with blinding speed and a terrifying grin! By the time any of the crowd realized just what had happened, Claudia was already pouncing on the canvas! With just a slight movement of her hips, the hellhound’s heel became an executioner’s blade meant exclusively for that stoic mask Harumi wore. Was Claudia insane? Everyone in the audience watched, and saw what they thought would be impossible.

Claudia’s heel sliced through the air, but nothing else! The silent samurai had somehow managed to duck underneath the devastating kick! The tip of her long ponytail would gently touch Claudia’s foot as Harumi lunged forward, looking to slam into Claudia with a palm strike to the guts! Harumi came in like a sword being drawn from its sheath, quick and impactful should Claudia be unfortunate enough to stand in her path! All the while the champion’s eyes watched Claudia, reading her as though she were gaging how Claudia would react.

Spoiler:

*Committing fully to her debatably reckless assault on Harumi's guard, Claudia would soon come to the realization that she hadn't been christened champion as some way of pawning off the belt to an eccentric performer once that debilitating blow to both her abdominal region and pride sent her staggering backwards.* "GGUHH!" *Left momentarily shocked, she required a brief respite after it connected, begrudgingly collecting herself before unleashing a sharp exhale.*

"Hmhm~" *Her composure emanated just how serious The Hellhound was taking this encounter- She had learned from her past experiences throughout the AFW circuit that almost anything were possible, and if it took more of her wrestling acumen to overcome this particular foe, she wouldn't hesitate to drawn upon her strategic compendium to outwit this kunoichi!*

*While shuffling her feet from side to side, Claudia reflected upon what could possibly jar this admittedly intimidating adversary of hers; her reflexes seemed too keen to try and bait with a feign, but she wasn't out of options entirely.* "The silent treatment eh?" *The scarlet hunter parted her lips with a sneer, skulking around the outer perimeter of her target before lashing out in the form of a missile dropkick. If this proved ineffective, she would instantaneously rebound from her predicted miss, trying to sweep the nimble woman's feet right out from underneath her!* "Maybe this will get you to open up!"

Astoundingly, Harumi didn’t push the advantage she had by knocking Claudia off her feet. With just a quick strike, the Judoka managed to turn the Hellhound’s own attack against her with what seemed to be minimal effort! Claudia’s own momentum added impact to Harumi’s palm strike, and were it not for her reckless choice of attack, Claudia might not have been affected so drastically! Even her legs seemed imbalanced by the blow, looking a bit shaky as the newer wrestler stood a few feet away from the champion, just barely catching her breath. Claudia was like a raging fire fighting against a calm lake like Harumi, who simply eyed her with those emerald orbs of hers. The silent samurai had a hard gaze, one that could seem a bit unnerving to the wrong opponent. Thankfully, Claudia was far braver than most as she dusted herself off and got ready for round two of this fight.

She made some comments that seemed to bounce right off Harumi. Living up to her nickname, Harumi was eerily quiet, totally focused on the fight at hand as the two began circling one another. Claudia was something of a chatterbox, probably doing enough talking for the both of them. But maybe she wanted someone to talk to? That might be why she was sneering at the champion. That, or perhaps to distract from the fact that the Alpha wolf was coming up with a plan to disrupt the Entropy Champ!

Much like before, Claudia jumped into things by launching into a dropkick! Her attack would have doubtlessly been effective had it hit, but Claudia was predictable in her execution. Purposefully so. Harumi easily avoided such a telegraphed attack and let Claudia fall to the floor with only a glance in the Hellhound’s direction. Rather than attack, Harumi actually leaned down and began to extend an arm to help Claudia up, though her stoic expression didn’t change a bit! The Hellhound was already cinching up her trap though, and quickly swept the Judoka’s legs, tripping the champion up! Harumi’s fall was short and quick, landing on her rear without much impact but with a definite look of surprise at being tripped up by Claudia who seemed so obvious before! Apparently, she had some tricks up her sleeve, and could actually be a tricky opponent if allowed to be.

Rather than remain stationary, Harumi would try and dissuade any further attack by sending a kick in Claudia’s direction, trying to nail a sharp below before the Hellhound could go through with any further attacks she might unleash upon the downed warrior.