Veronika Váradi vs. Armando 'Army' Rodriguez - Cause and Effect

[BlackAkuma]

On his back, hurting, as a woman worked over his arm. His good arm, too.

Yeah, Army had been here before. Hell, he’d even been in this particular move. Couldn't remember the name, not exactly, but it was far from the first time he’d suffered the move. As a boxer, his arm was always the first thing people targeted when they took him on. You’d think he would be used to it by now, but then again, there was really no ‘getting used’ to having your arms pulled out of their socket.

It was locked in tight, and while he could never do a move like this himself, he’d been on the receiving end enough to knock that Veronika had it in like a pro - elite, flawless, deadly. He wouldn’t be able to reverse his way out of it if he’d even been trained in this sort of thing, and he was so far from that. Only one real option, then.

Army swung his lower body around, stretched out, and attempted to touch the bottom rope with his foot, looking to break the hold before she did serious damage.

[Weonna]

The ref’s count hit three before Veronika even acknowledged it, her grip on Army’s arm unyielding. At four, she finally released, rising to her feet with a little smirk.

She didn’t back off, though.

Grabbing his wrist again, she dragged him closer to the ropes and draped his already-hurt arm over the bottom cable. Planting one boot on the middle rope for balance, she steadied herself—then jumped down hard, stomping her full weight across his arm and snapping it against the rope’s tension.

The impact sent a sharp twang through the steel cable, and Veronika stepped back with a mock-innocent glance at the referee, already satisfied with the damage she’d added.

[BlackAkuma]

Veronika was milking the count. Of course, she was milking the count. Army would’ve been surprised if she didn’t, frankly. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised all the same. Nothing he’d seen from the woman so far painted her as the type to play fair, and this was certainly not the last time he’d be dealing with it in this match.

But the four seconds came and went, and his arm was still attached to his body. Army sighed as she let off, giving him the space he needed to recover after all of that.

That moment of relief was ruined the second she grabbed his wrist again and pulled it over the steel cable before he could snatch it away. ”Hey, stop, what the fuck are you-”

His unfinished question was answered right away, as she brought her boot down and smashed it against his prone arm, forcing it into a position it was never designed to go for an agonizing second. Army howled and rolled away to the center of the ring, kicking his legs about as he went, only stopping at the center with his eyes to the ceiling and his good arm furiously rubbed his battered one.

”God, fuck!” He hissed through gritted teeth as he started to sit up and get back to his feet, nursing his arm ever inch of the way. ”What the fuck is wrong with you, lady? Fucking Christ!”

[Weonna]

The ref barked at her, and at four, Veronika finally let go, stepping back with her hands raised like she was innocent. But the smirk never left her face.

Army only had a second to breathe before she was right back on him. She yanked him up by the wrist, twisting it into a sharp arm wringer. From there she transitioned fluidly, spinning under his arm to torque it again, then snapping it down across her shoulder in a quick arm-breaker style jerk.

As he stumbled from the shock, Veronika kept hold, whipping him down with another arm drag, and this time rolled through with him, cranking into a grounded hammerlock. She leaned her weight across his back, keeping him trapped, her knee pressing into his spine while she wrenched the arm high.

Spoiler

[BlackAkuma]

Army’s arm wasn’t broken, he was sure about that, but he was also sure he couldn't remember the last time it had felt this bad. Credit where it was due, Veronika was damned good at what she did, damaging his arm in a way that most wrestlers would’ve needed far more time to pull off.

Time was something he didn’t have much of at the moment, though, and Veronika seemed determined to steal what little he could muster. She swooped in soon after, giving him no time to recover before she seized his arm, twisted it about, and pushed him back to the mat while she took up a perch on his spine, pinning him to the canvas. She might not have had much weight, but you didn't need a lot to be effective with a position like this.

”Shit’s getting real old, lady.” Army grunted, pressed his fist to the canvas, and started to gingerly rise up, trying to beast his way to his feet even while her weight continued to bear down on him. It would make for an awkward position, but he might be able to work something out if he could get a little higher up.

Besides, he couldn't just let her keep rolling over him. He had to try something or she’d just dissect him.

[Weonna]

As Army started forcing himself up, Veronika shifted with him, never losing her grip. She slid around to his side, yanked him upright by the wrist, and in one fluid motion, snapped his head under her arm, cinching in a snug standing side headlock.

Spoiler

Her chest pressed tight against his cheek as she leaned in, her breath brushing his ear.

“Shhh…”

she purred, her voice velvet over the roar of the crowd.

“Lose like a good boy… and maybe, just maybe, you get your treat.”

Then she wrenched his head tighter against her side, twisting her hips to crank the hold in deep, both punishing his neck and grinding the humiliation in further.

"What do you say coach?"

[BlackAkuma]

Up, up, up. Veronika might’ve had him beat when it came to speed and flexibility, but in terms of power, he had a monopoly, and he was damn well going to use it. It wasn’t pleasant, with her still wrenching his arm at an obscene angle, but it worked, allowing him to get his feet on the floor and forcing her to switch up to a much more pleasant headlock.

Getting out of this would’ve been easy most times, but most times he had two perfectly good arms to work with instead of one. Now, his options were limited. As much as he would’ve liked to just lift her up and hurl away, even he wasn’t strong enough to do that one-handed.

Fine, fine. He’d just improvise.

”I say…” He spoke through gritted teeth, forcing every word out. ”...kiss my ass.”

Army pulled back hard and threw them into the nearest ropes, forcing them to bounce off and come running off. He dashed forced, then put the brakes on hard and pushed against her back at the same time, attempting to pull his head free of the vise and send her off running towards the far side of the ring in the same motion.

[Weonna]

Veronika hissed in annoyance as Army wrenched free, shoving her off and sending her sprinting across the ring. She hit the ropes with practiced ease, rebounding back into motion, her boots pounding the canvas in a steady rhythm.

As she closed the distance, she ducked low beneath his arm, slipping past him with feline grace before darting to the opposite ropes for another rebound. This time she sprang forward faster, her arm cocked back, ready to smash him with a running strike as she came charging in—

—but her approach left just enough of an opening. If Army reacted quick, he had his chance to catch her mid-sprint...

[BlackAkuma]

Free. At. Last.

For the first time in what felt like too damn long, Army didn’t have this woman grasping him, pulling him, stretching him into knots. It was a small thing, but sending her off running felt like a true accomplishment, finally managing to get a one-up on her, even if it was in the smallest way.

Congratulations. Now he had actually to do something with the advantage he’d made.

Veronika was nimble, moving fast on her feet, rushing past him and picking up speed. She went from one end of the ring to the other, clearly getting ready for something, and the trick was going to be stopping her before she had the chance to execute.

Okay, fine, he could do that. Army only had one good arm left, but he only needed one to do what he had in mind. As she came back his way, he leaped her way, spun about, and swung him around in a wide arc to hit her with a discus clothesline - his signature move, Hurricane Armando. He usually did it with his right arm, his best arm, but the left would work well in a pinch, even if it didn’t have the same fire.

[Weonna]

Veronika came off the ropes in a blur, her body low and fast, ready to strike. But Army was faster.

He spun on his heel and swung his arm wide—

CRACK!

The discus clothesline caught Veronika flush across the chest and neck, sending her body flipping to the canvas with a violent thud. The crowd popped at the impact, the sheer force rocking her off her rhythm.

She lay flat for a moment, her chest rising and falling in sharp heaves, her legs kicking slightly from the sudden shock. One arm curled over her ribs as she rolled to her side, groaning through clenched teeth.

Slowly, she pushed herself up to her knees, her hair falling across her face, her expression slightly dazed.

It would take her a few moments to fully rise, leaving her wide open. The window was there, just long enough for Army to press his advantage and make his next move count.