School of Hard Knox - Maddie Knox vs Muriel Spencer [Standard]

[Parker]

Madison’s body was nothing but dead weight as Muriel manhandled her, rolling her limp frame over onto her back. Her head lolled to the side, blonde hair sticking to the sheen of sweat across her cheek, eyes glassy and unfocused as though she were staring straight through the lights above. Her lips parted around a shallow, ragged breath, her chest rising and falling in weak rhythm as she lay there, pliant and unresisting.

Muriel’s hand pressed heavy on her shoulder, her leg hooked high and tight, folding Madison into the pin. The Golden Girl barely twitched, her arms spilling uselessly at her sides, one knee jerking faintly as if even her body wasn’t sure whether it wanted to fight or collapse completely. The crowd’s cheers blurred into a dull roar in her head, every sound muffled under the haze of pain and disorientation.

“ONE…!”

The referee’s hand slapped the mat, jarring Madison back into the faintest scrap of awareness. She blinked slow, eyes fluttering, the edges of the world still swimming.

“Madison!”

Valerie’s voice cut through, sharp, familiar, urgent. The name, her name, pierced the fog. Somewhere deep down, instinct stirred. Her shoulder twitched, her body refusing to accept defeat even as her mind struggled to catch up.

“TWO…!”

With a groan that barely left her throat, Madison twisted. Her face screwed up with strain, teeth clenched, every muscle screaming. Her right shoulder shot up off the canvas just enough to break the count, her back arching briefly before she flopped to the side again, chest heaving.

The crowd erupted, but Madison herself looked scarcely aware of what she’d done. Her blue eyes were still vacant and hazy, rolling toward the ropes as though she might find safety there but not moving to act on it. Her arm dragged faintly across the canvas, trembling fingers flexing weakly. Even in defiance, she looked fragile, vulnerable, alive only because her body refused to let her spirit surrender, even when her mind was drowning in haze.

[BlackAkuma]

The Rose Hip wasn’t her finishing move, but Muriel had won matches with it, on rare occasions. It was typically a move she used to sway momentum in her favor or keep it focused, but sometimes fortune would favor her boldness and reward her with a win, stunning an enemy long enough for a three-count.

She hadn't been sure if that would be the case here, and she was prepared for it not to be. The pin attempt had merely been a way for her to test her opponent’s vigor and keep the pressure up, not a genuine attempt at ending the match. And yet, as she lay on the younger woman’s body, she could feel her limpness, her lack of energy - that move had truly rocked her.

This could work. It was going to work.

Muriel’s eyebrow quirked up when she heard Valley Doll’s exclamation behind her, calling out her friend’s name. She didn't think much of it, until Ms. Knox came to life with an explosive burst of energy, knocking her off and rolling to the side as the crowd cheered her on. An impressive feat of fortitude, she had to concede, and if she weren’t in the ring, she would share their enthusiasm. The Golden Girl had true grit.

Muriel sat up and moved to resume her offense, only to pause when she heard a particular sound: Clapping. Or, to be more specific, rhythmic clapping, the crowd going along in unison. She looked about to find the source of it, and saw Valley Doll slapping the apron to lead them on, rallying the LAW crowd behind her friend, as if that would rouse her back to life. A noble effort, but fruitless.

With a soft smile, she reached over, grabbed Ms. Knox’s head, and proceeded to stand them both up once again. It was an arduous task, but one she suffered through, knowing that victory was within her grasp. She had ideas on how to reach that point, but she needed them on their feet.

[Parker]

Madison was sprawled out on the mat, chest heaving, golden hair sticking to her sweat-damp face. The Rose Hip had rattled her badly, leaving her glassy-eyed, limbs slack, and body rolling limply to the side. To the crowd, it looked like she was barely clinging on, the fight leaking out of her by the second. Valley’s clapping from the apron made the arena thunder, but Madison didn’t stir, not more than a faint twitch of her fingers against the canvas.

Muriel closed in, patient and methodical, knowing she had her foe right where she wanted her. She stooped to haul Madison back up, slipping an arm around her head, dragging her upright inch by inch. Madison’s knees sagged as if they wouldn’t hold her weight, her frame slack and pliant, almost a puppet dangling in the teacher’s firm grip.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the trap was sprung.

Madison’s arms shot to life, her hands snapping around Muriel’s face, clamping down on the sides of her head. She pushed off the pat with her good foot, jamming the top of her head beneath Muriel’s chin roughly. Before the veteran could adjust, the younger blonde dropped straight down to her rear, dragging Muriel with her. The teacher’s chin was poised to come crashing down across the crown of Madison’s skull, a violent jolt aided by her weight and gravity.


The crowd erupted, the arena’s volume spiking as Madison herself sat hunched on the mat, clutching at her own head, grimacing through the pain she’d inflicted on herself with the desperate counter. But her eyes gleamed through the haze, a defiant flicker that said she wasn’t done yet.

[BlackAkuma]

Valerie couldn't even explain what she was doing right now. She’d just started doing it.

While she didn’t hate the fans or anything like that, she’d never cared much for rallying them or going out of her way to get their approval. Not like her mother, notably, who’d been a famous crowd-pleaser, going out of her way to dazzle the crowd with her moves and calling out to them every chance she got. It was cute stuff, and it got her popular, but Valerie had never been much of a cheerleader. Her wrestling style was barebones, meat and potatoes with no real garnish.

But here she was, slapping on the apron and drawing the audience along with her, making them clap along in unison as she pumped Madison up. Silly as it was, it felt good to do, letting her friend know she wasn’t alone in this. It was certainly better than sitting back and doing nothing.

But was it going to work?

Ms. Spencer didn’t seem all that deterred as she came in and pulled Madison up, but maybe she should’ve been. Whatever plan she had going on, it was abruptly cut short as the Golden Girl sprang to life, pulling her in, dropping down, and landing a sit-out jawbreaker out of nowhere.

”Yes!”

Valerie shot her arms up high as Madison came back to life, joining with the crowd’s cheers as Ms. Spencer was sent reeling. The ex-teacher’s face went skyward, and she stumbled back, moving on wobbly legs. It looked like she might tip over and fall for a moment, but she grabbed the ropes at the last second and held on, using them for support - even so, she was still left stunned, a golden opportunity for the Golden Girl.

[Parker]

Madison sat slumped for a second, teeth clenched, the heel of her palm digging into the mat as she fought her way upright. Every nerve in her ankle screamed when she tried to put weight on it, a jagged bolt of fire shooting up her leg. She bit down on the pain, staggering, swaying, forcing herself vertical on sheer stubbornness. The cheers and the rhythmic claps from Valerie reached her in a haze. The blonde didn’t even realize she was feeding off it, but adrenaline tore through her veins all the same, numbing her enough to push forward.

Her head throbbed from the brunt force of her own sit-out jawbreaker, but she shook it off, locks of blonde hair whipping around her face as her dulled eyes zeroed back in on Muriel. Each shambled step taken towards her adversary was a testament to just how resilient she was. One hand lifted, fingers spread wide, then snapped down with a sharp smack across Muriel’s chest. The sound cracked like a gunshot, a raw echo across the arena, Madison’s palm lingering there not just to sting but to steady herself, keeping her opponent pinned in place while supporting her own balance.

“Ahhhh!” The cry tore out of her, half fury, half pain, as she ripped her body around with a wild swing. Her bad ankle nearly buckled under her, but the momentum carried her weight into a massive hook, her knuckles digging deep into Muriel’s stomach. A blow meant to fold the ex-teacher over, breath hitching from her lungs as Madison poured everything she had into the shot, grimacing at the fire tearing up her leg.

No letting up. No chance to breathe.

Madison shoved Muriel down hard by the shoulders, stepping over her head as if planting a flag. She hooked her opponent’s arms behind her back, locking them tight in her grip. Drawing Muriel’s body toward her, bent and helpless, slipping her head between Madison’s thighs. The Golden Girl dug deep, crouched low, then hopped back with a desperate burst of strength, dragging her foe clear of the ropes and spiking her into the canvas with a pedigree with enough impact to rock the ring and erupt the crowd.

[BlackAkuma]

Damn it, Muriel bit her tongue.

It might’ve seemed like a small thing - after all, it wasn’t as if she needed her tongue to win this match. But it was one more source of pain amidst the flood of sensations barraging her skull at the moment, making it that much harder to focus. It wasn’t so much the attack itself that had left her stunned as it was her lack of preparedness for it. She had thought Ms. Knox was at the end of her rope, that she would be easily dispatched from her on out, only to learn that her celebrations were lamentably premature.

As if to reinforce that notion, the first thing she saw upon focusing was her foe coming towards her once again, up far quicker than she would’ve expected with that ankle. She lashed out, swung hard, and sliced Muriel’s chest with a blazing chop, one that, funnily enough, helped her focus through the haze.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her fists and brought her fist about, prepared to brawl, only for Ms. Knox to beat her to the punch in a literal sense. Her hook dug deep and knocked the wind. Never one to take blows well, she bent forward and retched - a deadly mistake.

”No-” Muriel gasped as her head was shoved between Ms. Knox’s sweaty legs, put into a familiar position - she had suffered this move before, courtesy of a certain cowgirl she used to know.

Muriel put up a fight as she was dragged to the middle of the ring, but it was too late - up she came, down she went, her face getting rammed into the canvas with all of Ms. Knox’s weight behind it. Her body jolted, then went deathly still.

[Parker]

Muriel hit like a sack of rocks. The ring boomed with the thud of her skull and chest striking home, the reverberation running straight up Madison’s legs as she planted the pedigree flush. For a heartbeat, the roar of the crowd was distant, muffled, like all of LAW’s world had narrowed down to Muriel sprawled before her, twitching once, then sagging into a slack heap.

Madison lingered, crouched low, knuckles white from how tightly she clutched Muriel’s hooked arms. Out of sheer spite, she wrenched them backward, stretching them cruelly until Muriel’s chest scraped and bumped along the canvas. Only when she’d made her point did she release them, letting her opponent’s limbs fall useless to her sides with a dead weight thud.

With a ragged exhale, Madison sprawled across Muriel’s back, chest pressed to shoulder blades, cheek buried for a moment in sweat-matted hair. She breathed with her, every rise and fall like she was taking back control one shallow gasp at a time. Her ankle screamed from earlier punishment, but just for a few stolen seconds she let herself feel the small victory of lying atop her broken opponent.

Her eyes cut sideways, emeralds flashing as she tracked the referee’s orbit. She pushed up with a groan, hauling Muriel upright by her hair and shoulder until the two of them swayed together. Stray strands of blonde clung to her flushed face, and with a slow, deliberate sweep she combed them back, an elegant, casual gesture that doubled as sleight of hand. The clasp at the back of her braid snapped loose, the ornament glinting gold in the light for just an instant before she rolled it between her fingers. What had looked like jewelry twisted into something far more dangerous: a collapsible pair of gold-plated knuckles, slid snug around her fingers.

They gleamed wickedly, hidden from most angles.

When the referee leaned in to check Muriel, Madison shoved her opponent forward, knocking the teacher into the official and sending both tumbling down. And then the Golden Girl went to work.

She cocked her fist back, a smirk curling wider as she tilted her head and planted a mocking kiss on the shiny brass. Crack! The hook swung home, the metal kissing Muriel’s skull with brutal finality. The sound was sharp and ugly, a single note of violence that left Muriel’s body slack. Madison slipped the weapon off quick as it came, tucking it down the front of her leotard, hidden snug between her cleavage.

No hesitation, she stepped over Muriel’s body and straddled her waist, planting one palm firm across her chest, fingers digging in to firmly grope her opponent while her other hand shoved the teacher's face into the mat. The pose was theatrical, domineering, back arched, chest pushed out, lips curling into a radiant smile as she flicked her hair aside for the imaginary cameras.

The referee, slow to gather themselves, was only just crawling back into place. Madison didn’t care. The delay didn’t bother her one bit. If anything, it only gave her longer to bask in the moment, perched triumphant over Muriel’s body, the Golden Girl showing the LAW faithful that this was her story, on her terms.

[BlackAkuma]

Relief. Disbelief. Elation.

A whole host of sensations went through Valerie’s mind as Madison brought Ms. Spencer down with that pedigree, drilling her face into the canvas with a devastating impact. It was hard to believe that she’d turned the tables so thoroughly, that she had been the one getting beaten about just a moment ago. Yet, here they were - her friend had pulled off a miracle comeback, reversing the situation out of nowhere, and the sight of it was enough to make Valerie bounce on her heels as she looked on from ringside, already starting the celebration. Muriel looked like she was finished, and even if she could muster the strength to get back up, Maddie could finish her off from there.

Now, all she had to do was go for the pin, and…

…And…

”Huh.” Valerie’s jaw shifted as she watched her friend strangely not going for the pin on this obviously pinnable opponent. Instead, it looked like she was trying to haul her back up to her feet, as if she was setting up for…something? Her finishing move, maybe? She’d seen that sort of thing before, especially from older wrestlers, where they were so picky about using their finishing move to end the match, even after landing a move that could’ve finished the job itself. Not her style, but Maddie did have a lot of panache going on, so it did make sense for her to-.

Wait. What was that?

Valerie narrowed her eyes, squinting, as something caught her eye in the light around Maddie’s hair. It was quick, slight, but she caught sight of something shiny in the woman’s hair. Were those…brass knuckles?

What happened next happened so fast that Valerie could hardly process it—pushing Ms. Spencer away, knocking down the referee. This quick, brutal punch that filled the air with the hollow sound of a skull getting cracked, after which the ex-teacher dropped to the mat once again, limp and lifeless. By the time she could properly process what was going on, it was already too late - Maddie was on top of Ms. Spencer, pinning her, while Valerie looked on with her jaw slackened.

”1…!”

No movement. None.

”2…!”

A twitch. A spasm. Drool was coming down from Ms. Spencer’s lip. Was that blood on her forehead?

”3…!”

The bell rang, the crowd cheered, the audience erupted in jubilation…except for Valerie. She looked on from the outside, gazing left and right, as she tried to process what had just occurred, the surreality of it all. Her eyes saw it, clear as day, but her brain was doing its best to deny the undeniable, and it left her head in a whirl.

[Parker]

When the inevitable third slap of the mat came, Madison inhaled deep through her nose, savoring it like fine perfume. The crowd’s noise hit her in waves—booming, chaotic, yet intoxicating. The jeers scattered throughout didn’t matter; the cheers drowned them out, washing over her like adoration she had earned, she had commanded. This was her moment, her masterpiece. And for a final flourish, she’d even stolen her father’s infamous right hook and made it her own. The legacy fit her like a glove.

She lounged across Muriel’s limp frame with all the indulgence of a cat sprawling in the sun. Slowly, deliberately, her hand crept down, fingers seizing Muriel’s cheeks and squeezing them together until her lips puckered in a grotesque little kiss. Madison tilted her opponent’s slack head this way and that, inspecting her work with a perfect smile never leaving her face.

“Not so smug now, are we…” she hissed between her teeth, her voice low but venom-laced, her eyes glittering as she admired the splash of crimson blooming across Muriel’s features. A splash of red to complement her hair, it almost looked coordinated. Almost poetic. With a callous flick, she released the woman, letting her skull roll back to the canvas like discarded trash.

Only then did Madison shift, peeling herself away not with urgency but languid indulgence. She didn’t even bother to stand. Instead she crawled to the ropes on all fours, every sway of her hips a deliberate spectacle for the cameras, before rolling onto the apron. From there she sat, legs dangling freely, ankle throbbing but smile unwavering.

Her emerald eyes found Valerie across the way. And with the crowd still roaring in her ears, Madison raised a hand toward her partner, wiggling her fingers in an exaggerated beckon.

“A little help, love. I think this ankle needs ice~” she cooed, broad grin curling on her lips. The way she gestured, hand outstretched, playful, almost bratty, made her look like a child begging for “uppies,” but the irony wasn’t lost on her. No, it was delicious. To be carried, cradled like precious cargo by Valley Doll herself, would make for the perfect photo. An image LAW’s gossip mill would chew on for weeks. The Golden Girl, so viciously battered by some washed-up old hasbin, was carried off in the loving embrace of… a friend, a lover? Who knew! Surely everyone would want to know. Interviews, social media floods. It was perfect. "We don't want to be late for our dinner date after all."

[BlackAkuma]

“Not so smug now, are we…”

Muriel could hear Ms. Knox’s words, but they seemed distant, drowned out by the crowd. She was only vaguely aware of what was going on in the world around her, barely able to respond as her face was manipulated. Not quite unconscious, but she frankly wished that were the case. If it were, she wouldn’t have to deal with the blazing pain in her skull, feeling as if someone had hit her with a sledgehammer.

A comparison that might not have been too far from the truth. Ms. Spencer never used brass knuckles, but it wasn’t a weapon she was unfamiliar with - Aisha had used them often when she was in her ‘Sista A’ phase. The kiss of them on her skull brought back memories, painful ones, and there was no mistaking it. The so-called Golden Girl had cheated.

There was nothing she could do about that at the moment, however, as her opponent was already trying to make her exit. Muriel looked up as she rolled to the apron, where a conflicted Valley Doll awaited her. The young woman looked her way, unsure, before focusing back on her friend and putting on a weak smile as she hung off the apron. She reached out, let Ms. Knox slip into her arms, and proceeded to make her way up the ramp as the crowd showered them both with fanfare—quite a scene, to be fair.

”Next time.” The ex-teacher murmured under her breath as the referee tended to her bleeding forehead, already making a few mental notes about her future with Ms. Knox…