L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Match Type: Standard Match
Rules: Victory by pinfall, submission, or knockout.
Once again, Viper Hoshiwara was about to head out for another night of what she did best - brutalizing her opponents in the ring without any remorse or care whatsoever. Some might have called her a lunatic, or a loose cannon, or a violent maniac who had no place being in the ring. Viper didn't care, though. In fact, she rarely heard such appellations spoken to her face, as few were brave enough to engage her directly. The fact was, Viper was in this ring because it was one of the few things in her life that made her feel alive. And tonight, she was ready to feel that rush again.

What made this match in particular stick out to Viper was that it was going to be her opponent's debut in the league. If she was the type to do so, Viper would have chuckled at the thought. Some poor girl was getting into a LAW ring for the first time, and she had the misfortune of doing it against Viper. Whoever she was, she would no doubt be completely unprepared for what she was about to get into...but Viper was going to make sure it would be an experience she'd never forget.

"Coming first to the ring, from Akishima, Japan! At 5'8 and 145 lbs., VIPER HOSHIWARA!"

Spoiler

Music

The entrance ramp was bathed in red lights as Viper stepped up, standing straight-backed and motionless as she glowered out toward the ring with an unblinking stare. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her trademark switchblade and swinging it through the air a few times. She kept it at her side as she made her way to the ring, stepping up onto the apron and lifting herself over the ropes. As Viper walked to the other side of the ring, she draped one arm over the top rope, casually leaning back against it, while she used the other to slowly run the edge of the knife against her own throat - not hard enough to draw blood, but she wanted to send her opponent a threat, letting her know she was fully prepared to hurt her.

“Ick, there’s still sweat in my palms.”

An antiseptic wipe rubbed her palms, contorted into a ball when she made a fist, then dispatched it into a waste bin. She paced between the white-brick corridors, lightly bumping her shoulders against the well-spaced walls. Heavy breathes left her throat as her heart jumped like the bow of a boat slapping the waves. To which, she thought of the mint-scented glades upon a craggy trail, the tall evergreens that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a dense terrace surrounding them, needling her shins as she strode the dirt path. These thoughts of home tamed her breath into a spring breeze. She rested her back against the wall, throwing one foot over the other, kicking as her opponent’s music began to quake.

It made her head bop. Not bad, not bad. They must be fierce! They must be. The anticipation made her fists ram together, knuckles-to-knuckle, her body, mind and soul readying as her music struck its first notes.

〝Ok! Let’s go!〞

Carried by a skip, the debuting idol frolicked onto the sacred rampway. A special spotlight made Thea’s pearly-smile sparkle as her black skirt swayed with each exaggerated movement. Arms outstretched and waved, slapping the palms of spectators, occasionally coupled with a wink.

〝And her opponent, making her debut in L.A.W from Vancouver, Canada — at 5 feet and two inches and weighing in at ninety-five pounds… Theaaaaa Paradise!〞

Spoiler

Spoiler

That jolly skip followed her up the ring steps, where she waved one last time before grabbing the top rope, pulling back, then shooting herself over. Her feet graced upon the canvas, giving a twirl for added effect. Although, she could’ve made it a little easier on her ankles. It doesn’t matter! Right now, Thea’s focus is on her knife-wielding adversary. The sight shot chills, placing one hand on her hip while keeping some MAJOR distance.

“Hey there, Viper. You're lookin' like a bundle of joy, so can we pretty, pretty, please have a clean match? It’s myyyyy debut!”

With that, her arm shot into the air.

"Hm." Viper got a good look at her opponent as Thea entered a LAW ring for the first time - and, in all honesty, she wasn't all that impressed. Placing her knife in her boot, she crossed her arms, leaning back as she regarded her with a flat expression on her face. Not only was Thea considerably smaller than Viper herself, her cheerful attitude seemed far removed from anything the green-haired girl would expect of a ruthless fighter. Viper didn't expect her to give her much trouble anyway, being a debuting rookie, but now she was getting the impression that Thea would barely be worth her time at all. Her shoulders settled with a sigh. The best she could hope for was that this match wouldn't be boring.

And if Viper wasn't thinking much of Thea to begin with, it certainly didn't help when she outright asked the deathmatch veteran to go easy on her. Begging her like a child would a parent. A few fans audibly laughed at this, but others were too scared for Thea's safety. They knew enough about Viper to recognize that she wasn't someone to go easy on anyone. Even Viper herself felt like laughing, but that seemed like more effort than it would be worth.

Stepping in closer to Thea, she kept her gaze locked on the smaller girl. She didn't even blink, her expression cold and lifeless. "You're funny," was all she said in response, her tone flat. For a moment, Viper was motionless, simply standing and staring. The referee and the timekeeper looked at each other, tensely. Neither of them knew what Viper was about to do, but they couldn't help but fear it wouldn't be pleasant for Thea. Finally, the timekeeper worked up the courage to ring the bell...and it was exactly at that moment that Viper struck.

It was as if she went from perfect stillness to action in the blink of an eye. Without giving any cues, Viper swung herself in toward Thea, her arm raised to deliver an elbow across her face!

Layered beneath Thea’s chuffed grin was an irksome itch. It prodded her nape and wound her knuckles tight until they were white. The laughter knicked her ears, making her head turn and return the gesture by placing a hand on her mouth. Beneath that hand, she frowned but was careful to smile once it lowered. Then, Viper approached. A queasy feeling burbled in her stomach like being prey for the larger predator. Left and right, she gazed for options and surveyed the worry within the referee’s eyes. She felt it too. But with thousands of people watching every move, the plethora viewing from home, Thea could not show weakness! No, none! Someone like her was meant to stand up against such villainy, even the epitome of apathy and viciousness: Viper Hoshiwara. So, instead, she stepped forward and closed the distance a little more!

“Oh yeah? Well, you’re kinda cute.”

She made finger guns, trying to soften the tone. It didn’t help that Viper looked so stern. Neither mockery nor disdain nor joy rippled from their expression; just pure melancholy. It was a little unsettling, but a blank canvas was something she could work with!

What made them tick? That became the most pertinent question.

Then, the bell rang. In tribute to her name, the elbow stuck Thea’s countenance like a snake striking its prey. Her vision was dipped into a swamp, spinning until she no longer knew which way was up. Ironically, her eyes careened towards the ceiling, her head craning backwards like it possessed no strength of its own, then her footing gave away. One step turned to two, stumbling until the ropes ate into her back. Her arm flung over the rope, asserting balance as the pain pulsated on her cheek.

A scrunched expression dawned her, one hand nursing the wound like a bandage. Her knees clasped together, though her eyes found the target. Dealt a stunning first blow, Viper’s strike couldn’t go unanswered. So, she leaned back, gripping the round to snowball her momentum. Upon the second rebound, Thea rushed her opponent and jumped, lifting her knee and thrusting her foot towards their chest! “Take this!”

At Thea's nonchalant response to Viper's silent threat, a few fans chuckled, but their laughter echoed amongst awkward silence. Many more were fearing for Thea's well-being, knowing that Viper likely wouldn't warm up to the mockery. The green-haired girl kept her eyes fixed on Thea, her expression not changing - she didn't show any surprise or anger, or even flattery, to being called cute, only huffing under her breath. Viper Hoshiwara wasn't one to care about words anyway. She preferred to let her fists do the talking - or, in this case, her elbow, as she swung out to hit Thea with a quick, sharp strike!

The sound of a thwack rang out through the arena, as the force of the blow sent Thea reeling backward and into the ropes. While the deathmatch veteran was known for how quickly she could move and strike if she so chose, Viper was sure that she had the perfect, helpless prey in front of her. She began to stalk forward slowly and purposefully, closing in on Thea. What she didn't bargain for was that her opponent was still lucid enough to strike back - but just as Viper was nearing her target, Thea jumped up, using the ropes to slingshot herself right into Viper's chest knee-first!

"Oof-!" Her forward motion halted, Viper went skidding back from Thea. She bent forward with a grimace, one hand clutching at her collar to shield herself from the pain. Maybe this wouldn't be as simple as she thought...but she either way, she was sure she could handle it.

Lifting her head, Viper looked back up at Thea, centering the smaller girl in her sights. She would then charge forward, her shoulder raised to come crashing into her with a shoulder tackle!

Well, it was worth a shot.

Although a section of souls chimed their approval, it did little to water-down the strained tension between them. Something that nipped her nape with cold sweats before exploding right in her face. Throbs entranced the young idol, unhinging her balance until the ropes saved her from a humiliating fall. But like any good fighter, Thea delivered her rebuttal with a straight knee! The effect was eerie. They stayed upright, much to Thea’s disapproval. She landed on her feet, going stiff in her spine and backing up, step-by-step, creating this buffer-zone that allowed for reactionary action. One foot slid back, hands up, beckoning them forward. But they caught her mid-taunt. Her fortified position came undone; her feet shot upward as her shoulders smacked the canvas. Air sprung forced her lungs with a violent gasp and wince. The whiplash left her bereft of anything beyond instinct, telling her to stand. The rebound aided said goal, landing in the sitting position. She whipped a leg over, twisted her hips and pushed up, bouncing once, then charged Viper Hoshiwara head-on! Her shoulder came forward, thrust like a pole-arm directed for their chest. Though her weight didn't reach triple digits, she lets out a spartan yell, fearless as the three hundred pound warrior. Or just cloaking said fear.

But no matter the valour, reality would check-in.

Viper felt it as she charged on ahead, her shoulder held out in front of her. That would be the first part of her body to make contact against Thea, and just like that, the lightweight was thrown backward from the momentum of Viper's charge. She fell against the ropes, crumpling to the mat. Some wrestlers would take pride in having their opponent seemingly set up perfectly to take advantage of, and Thea seemed wide open for another attack. But that wasn't how Viper did things.

Viper stayed where she was, her eyes locked onto Thea in a cold emotionless stare, as though she looked straight through her. She was waiting on her opponent to make the next move; one way or another, she felt like she'd easily be able to turn whatever action Thea took to her purposes. As it turned out, Thea was going to charge in herself, looking as though she had her mind set on paying Viper back with the same move she'd used on her a moment before.

It might have worked, too - if Thea wasn't considerably smaller than Viper herself. As it was, she was barely able to make the green-haired girl budge, let alone hurt her. Viper simply stared down at Thea as she came crashing into her, collapsing back against the mat in the process while Viper stood unmoved. "Hmph," she sneered, shaking her head. Even someone as cold and emotionless as Viper couldn't help but be ashamed at Thea's ineptitude.

But she wouldn't leave it at that, either. Reaching down, Viper grasped Thea by the head, going to drag her back up to her feet. If successful, she would drive the sole of her boot into Thea's stomach, aiming to knock the wind out of her before she would then throw Thea's head down, face-first into her raised knee!

A hop embellished her efforts, a stiff shoulder ramming the gates of muscle like a siege engine. Conviction swelled, climaxing the moment she found purpose. But like a great high, the crash was punishing.

She rebounded, tripping on her ankles and landing bottom-first on the canvas. Coaxed by surprise, a sigh slipped from her tongue, a wince claiming her visage. A moments’ register, then her eyes found the perilous results. There, Viper stood, tall, scorning the rookie’s efforts with nonchalance. It filled her thoughts with malice, the grit that caught her clenching teeth, kept behind her brims that craned into a frown. Paleness swept her cheeks, her heart sinking into her stomach as she shuffled back, using her hands to wedge more distance.

It didn’t help, merely delay as Viper’s hands laid waste to Thea’s scalp, helpless to anything but obeying her new commander. Her brows furrowed, eyelids squeezed until wrinkles formed, coupled with a frown. Then the boot pounded her gut. Suddenly, her eyes gaped, mouth opened as she lurched over and spat towards the ground, “UGH!!” It felt like they had impaled her, her internals twisting, knotting and bubbling high until she wanted to hurl.

Though as hands folded over her gut, the knee buried itself into her face. Both knees slammed together, collapsing to the mat as her visage went skyward, only stopped by the grip on her hair. Arms like vines draped, unfurled knuckles dragging across the canvas as she shivered from the onsetting headache that swallowed her head whole. She attempted to resist. One palm raised, thrust and struck the air, missing their waist. The limb fell once more, then her second hand came forward and landed against their stomach. She pawed, pushing and panting, her front threatening to collapse without support.

The commentators had to praise Thea on her form, drawing back and putting all her forward momentum into the charge as she aimed herself to ram straight into the core of Viper's body. With all the effort she put into the move, it really deserved to be more effective than it really was. But in such a mismatch of size, Thea's work was wasted - and Viper's stoic, unmoving demeanor didn't help either. She bounced harmlessly off the deathmatch veteran's toned midsection, coming crashing back down to the mat.

Viper's eyes fell back on Thea for just long enough to let her mistake sink into her before the opening was seized upon. She grabbed Thea by the hair, hoisting her to her feet to set up for a kick to the stomach - and just as Miss Paradise was bent over forward by the impact, her stomach deflating over Viper's leg, the green-haired girl threw her head down into her knee. The impact landed with a thud that rocked her skull, leaving Thea crumpled beneath her on her knees.

Thea tried to strike back, but as breathless as she is, she had little hope of getting through to Viper. She looked down with indifference as Thea's first punch whiffed by harmlessly, only striking at the air. The second punch came closer, but she could still only manage a half-hearted slap against Viper's midriff, the smack of skin against skin ringing through the air. That was nothing Viper couldn't deal with, though. She'd been through far worse, and Thea's punches barely even stung.

"Pathetic," Viper muttered coldly. She had enough of Thea's anemic attempts at resistance - it was time to show her what real wrestling looked like. Pulling forward on her head, Viper attempted to bring it in between her legs, clamping her thighs around Thea's temples. Then, she would bend down to get her arms around her waist, looking to lift her up onto her shoulders to set up a powerbomb!

Moments like these are unsavoury.

How she invested everything into one blow. All her strength and momentum, only to rebound like it never mattered. No hope lay in the prospect. The subsequent fear that pinched her heart, hurting her will outright as the strikes laid into her stomach. A reality she wasn’t ready to accept - that she’ll lose. Such early blows had that effect when her vision was disoriented, delved into the depths where she couldn’t tell which way was up. Floating is how she felt, standing on nothing but strengthless limbs that threw themselves at Viper. It garnered nothing more than pity.

From the audience, but none from Viper - displeased through their melancholic attitude.

Though her eyes peeked upward, hearing their voice reverberate, she couldn’t amount to any resistance that contested Viper’s actions. Within a moment, her vision aimed towards the canvas. Her waist needed to be lugged as they barely propped up, courtesy of their prior strikes. Not like it poised for any challenge.

A counter-clockwise rotation swept the debuting idol, whose arms dangled like vines as her body curled towards Viper’s head, right as the powerbomb’s setup reached its zenith. Then the crash. Fear didn’t spike her nerves before the onset; the pain did. It exploded inside her spine, the accompanying muscles, neck and her head’s rear. It proved so violent, her body bounced, leaving the mat entirely before landing again on her front, flat against the canvas. More and more, it felt like a bed. One she’s welded too, with all the agony poised as shackles. Her arms splayed above, fingers twitching as her legs are similarly spread. Hair that been dishevelled now cast a thin curtain over her face, which lay with one cheek down, her eyes fluttering open and closed while drool seemed from her maw onto the canvas.