Viper Hoshiwara vs. Thea Paradise [D]

[CaptainL]

With no energy left to resist, Thea would find herself swept up onto Viper's shoulders, the deathmatch veteran leaving her perched atop her. A hushed silence went through the stands as the fans pondered the impending impact through nervous grimaces, only able to imagine how much the collision would hurt. When Viper at last fell back, a few gasps, groans, and screams could be heard, with Thea's safety and well-being called into question. But despite the reception she got, it seemed Viper couldn't care less. The flat expression on her face hardly changed - even as, at last, the two of them struck the mat with the sound of a thud, Thea's spine being the first to absorb the force of the blow as the ring shook around them. To Thea, this was a gateway into a world of pain, on the levels she could hardly imagine. To Viper, though, it was barely anything worth getting worried about.

She continued to look on with a dispassioned stare, even as she broke away from Thea and rolled to the side. For a moment, all was quiet. With Viper staring down at a lifeless, motionless Thea, many would suspect the match was already over. There was no way that the lightweight could possibly get back up from this; she was at Viper's mercy, and it was only up to the green-haired woman herself how she would take advantage of the fact. Would she pin her? Bend her body into a submission? Something even worse?

But Viper did none of those things. Instead, she simply straightened herself to her feet, casually dusting herself off before locking her eyes onto Thea and prodding at her side with her foot. Viper didn't wrestle to hurt people; she wrestled to feel something worth caring about - and so far, Thea wasn't delivering. "Get back up," she muttered. "You can do better than that...don't waste my time."

[Monsy]

The world went black. Thea’s back bore a burning agony, numbness and spiking sensations. A cocktail of pain, perhaps stewed further by nausea, the impact sending her eyes into a spinning cairn. Alas, she didn’t wish to stand anymore. Perilous exhaustion weighed her down from head strikes and the recent powerbomb. It wasn’t just her back, but her skull too.
Though, her recovery wasn’t uninterrupted. A foot tapped her side, an echoing voice spoken through a canyon.

“Nnghhh...”

Silence consumed the ranks of spectators. Both they and Viper wanted the same thing, to get back up and fight.

“Kehhh… I…”
Her eyes fluttered open like awakening from a dream. She saw her hands, then two legs at her flank. A gasp slipped from her tongue as she rolled onto her back. Towards Viper’s hues, Thea propped her upper half up with her arms and stared. Pale swathed over her complexion, flush of colour and brazen. She continued heaving out breaths, winded and erratic.

“I...”

Understandably, Thea was weary.
It felt pathetic too, having to be to stand, the dissatisfaction written on their face. That of the audience as well. They craved more, and she struggled to meet that demand. All of that proved so internally infuriating. She couldn’t lay down so quickly—she WOULDN’T.
And so, she hurried back, carving a safe distance before slamming a boot into the canvas. Both arms piled on with strain burst inside her back, but she bit her tongue and brought the other foot down. Knees dug inward like unsupported metal beams. Her stumble was that of a newborn doe that clambered and hobbled; her exhaustion all too bleak. A hand combed her hair as she stood upright, the minute sensation helping her to regroup.

Finally, she stood tall.
“... I’m ready,” She started, bouncing foot-to-foot, “What’s it going to be now, hm? Another knee?”

And now Thea opted for an offensive.
More than ever, she needed something to penetrate this impervious aura. So, she ran straight ahead with safety gone to the wind. Though her pace was sluggish, hampered by the powerbomb and knee, she vested everything into a leap, one where her knee shot upward and sought to ram into their chest.

[CaptainL]

By all means, Viper could easily have won the match there. It would have been an effortless victory, an easy win for her record that she wouldn't even have had to try too hard for. Thea would have crumbled, and Viper would have stood tall, appearing all the more as the unstoppable juggernaut she put forth the image of.

But it was exactly for that reason that she didn't go ahead and finish the match. Viper didn't just wrestle for money, or for glory, or to intimidate those around her. Those didn't hurt, sure, but they weren't why she was there. What she really cared about was having something that could make her feel something - the rush of adrenaline, or the exhilaration of coming so close to danger. If her opponent merely lay down and let Viper walk all over her like a cold fish...that wouldn't be worth her time. If she wanted to make this match count, she wanted Thea to test her, to give her something to work for!

The green-haired girl took a step back, giving Thea the room to move. All the same, many onlookers winced as they saw the idol slowly get to her feet. She definitely looked worse for wear, and yet she was going up against Viper, a truly fearsome foe who knew no mercy. Would she be able to make it out of this in any condition to fight?

Either way, Viper was unmoved. She stood there motionlessly watching Thea, her stance casual and unhurried. She didn't even bother to lower herself, as though she didn't believe the match had truly started back up. To Thea's challenge, she blinked, but then shrugged her shoulders. "Eh. Whatever. Don't think I'd be so predicta-"

Ironically, it wasn't Viper who proved to be unpredictable this time. It was Thea herself! Suddenly the girl burst into motion, charging toward Viper before throwing herself forward, with a knee kicked out to land against her sternum. Viper had been expecting Thea to still be hampered by the damage she'd taken, and she certainly hadn't prepared herself for a comeback like this!

"GAH-!?" Letting out a sputtering cough as she doubled forward, Viper was sent staggering back a few steps from Thea's knee. For a few seconds, her eyes bulged in shock. She clutched at her chest, left panting for breath, and she raised her head just enough to glare back at Thea from where she stood. But her head was still spinning, and she was still stunned. With the element of surprise, Thea had won out!

[Monsy]

She did not prepare for things to go this way. From a knee to a bomb, the match became a massacre since the bell, and her body ached like it battled for hours. Alas, she needed to fight back. Anything to unnerve this early sense of peril, to surprise the onlookers that witnessed the rudimentary dismantling, and undo that ironclad apathy that appeared to drown her in disapproval.

Sure, she felt a sense of fear. Sure, she wanted to rest. And sure, no dose of morale could fix the outcome. But she’d try. She faced strife before. This was no different; the only means she knew were to stand and face it! This carried her back up, as it has done many times before. And without a semblance of caution, she blitzed and struck, accompanied by a yell to coax all fear. “HAAAH!”

When her footing skipped onto the ground unmolested, there was a sense of disbelief suspended in her widened eyes, where an arm huddled across her chest and retreated two steps.

Her lips were dry, but a smile would meet their glare. Invigorated with this success, Thea hopped foot to foot; a rally to inject some fire into her debut! Her eyes peeked back and sighted the ropes. She whipped around and hurried, latched an arm over the top and hopped onto the middle, then exploded off, sent skyward as her body turned horizontal and threatened to crash down upon her larger opponent!

[CaptainL]

It was rare that Viper ever showed any emotion that wasn't boredom or disdain, but for once, Thea had actually managed to get through to her. She had expected her opponent to be laid out helpless and stunned by the powerbomb, and she could have ended things there, were she not too bored by the prospect of it. She had given Thea a chance to get back up just in the hopes of making this more interesting than a complete squash. But Thea would soon make Viper eat her words - with energy the deathmatch veteran was convinced she wouldn't have, she sprung back to her feet, dazing Viper with a knee to the chest!

Coughing, the green-haired woman doubled over. She dug her heels against the mat to hold herself up, though she was still left folded over forward and clutching at her sternum to dull the pain. At first, she was in shock. But soon, she looked back up, staring Thea down with a fiery glare as she hissed through her clenched teeth. Maybe Thea was doing better than she expected, but she'd just need to hit her harder!

Viper lifted herself back up, staring her opponent down. She narrowed her eyes toward the idol, adopting a firm, solid stance and clenching her fist at her side. She would make sure she was prepared as Thea shot herself off the ropes, turning herself to get into position for a crossbody as she came near. Even with Thea coming closer by the second, Viper made no effort to block or get out of the way, simply standing by nonchalantly. But that was because she saw her chance.

Right as Thea came into range, Viper would reach out and throw her arms around her, pulling her in close to her chest and turning her face-up. Then, she would drop to one knee to drive the girl against her leg with a backbreaker!

[Monsy]

Fire vestiges inside her eyes. One that refused to be snubbed, one that raged with passion. Undeterred focus through pain and strife. She wouldn’t crumble without showing everything she had, to the audience, herself, her opponent, and a particular few back home. And even when the world seemed to turn on her, she punched back and found a glimmer of momentum once her knee battered an unsuspecting chest. Now, it was time to go high. Her feet couldn’t move faster, her arms couldn’t latch on quicker and she could soar no higher.

Only then, once the mist had cleared, she met the eyes of her apathetic foe, who stood waiting to receive the debuting star. Seconds. A second. That’s all she had to regret, as arms enveloped her frame, the most feared hug she’d ever received. Her body turned like a sandbag, a squeal slipped as her head whipped towards the ceiling and dipped alongside her body, then crashed upon the spear-tip that was Viper’s knee. A short, ear-raking scream salvoed, her arms flailed above her head, with her knuckles brushing the canvas. Her feet also touched, then banged again and again to stomach the pain that left her nauseous. Wetted eyes scrunched, her lips wound tight as she whined.

Alas, Thea was left an open canvas arched over Viper’s knee. That powerbomb did her no favours.

[CaptainL]

There was no question that Thea had passion. She was up against Viper Hoshiwara, a woman who had no shortage of victories to her name and a fearsome reputation to match, and yet she still charged into the action without a care. Even if it meant risking life and limb, she was determined to stand up to her foe, even if she was yet unproven in the League and even if Viper eclipsed her in size. Thea had spirit, and that's what she was counting on.

But spirit could only take her so far - and as she closed in on Viper, she found herself swept up in the green-haired girl's embrace, her own momentum turned against her as she realized she'd delivered herself right into Viper's arms! The deathmatch veteran stared back at Thea coldly and uncaringly as she brought her higher, just before bringing Thea down hard onto her raised knee!

The scream Thea let out caused several people in the crowd to wince, but it didn't even seem to register on Viper's stone-cold face. Barely adjusting her position, she stayed there, one leg propped up in front of her with Thea's back draped over it. Thea hadn't slipped an inch, even after incurring such an impact, and as far as Viper was concerned, that was perfectly fine with her. In fact, it only left her vulnerable to her next move!

Rather than let Thea slip off her knee, Viper would make sure this backbreaker would prove even more punishing for the idol. With one hand she pushed down on Thea's chin, while her other arm bent at the elbow before she pushed her elbow down onto her opponent's leg. Exerting such pressure, Viper would try to bend Thea in half!

[Monsy]

The discs of her lower spine felt touched by a sizzling cattle prod. Little muster was left to stop Viper’s onslaught, who settled a grip upon Thea’s chin and leg. Pressure bore down, her spine yielded and arched over Viper’s knee, so far that her knee could almost lick the canvas. Her hair dangled and features scrunched, the pain doubled, festered then burned throughout her whole back. Through quick breaths, she defied and shook her head towards any question about submission. The match was far too young, so was her spirit, so was her will.

Her voice was bottlenecked by the push, a slew of grunts and chokes as Thea’s free foot kicked and stomped the canvas with fury. Both hands rose and gripped Viper’s wrist, squeezed until the knuckles turned red. She bit down on her lower lip, fumed from her nose as she looked away, opened her eyes and glared with the fire of a dragon. That free leg rose, her knee touching her own stomach, the foot postured and sought to kick Viper’s forearm in repetitive thrusts. Again and again, she’d pound her captor’s shackle until it broke, where she’d roll off the knee and kiss the canvas face-down. A hand to nurse her spine, another to soothe her chin. Even if she escaped, there was no sign of a comeback.

[CaptainL]

Thea had made a rough collision with Viper's outstretched knee, and that had been enough to leave her stunned, her body numbed from the pain of the blow digging into her spine. But just leaving it at that - at one painful blow - wasn't enough for Viper. If she was going to hit her opponent, she wanted to do something worth her time - something that would hurt for longer than a few fleeting seconds. Grabbing Thea by the chin and the legs, she hauled down hard, digging her knee into her opponent's back. Many onlookers gasped at the sight - Viper had Thea's back bent into a painful arc, and she showed no signs of stopping any time soon, her facial expressions placid and unmoved. It looked as though Viper, if left to her own devices, wouldn't stop short of breaking Thea's back!

That was, if Thea would lie down and allow that to happen. But even if she wasn't putting up much of a fight against Viper, she was certainly trying her best! She grabbed and pulled at the deathmatch veteran's wrist, trying to force it off her chin, as her leg flailed with a few kicks into Viper's arm. Viper had to give Thea some credit - she might not be the strongest, but she was definitely tenacious!

Viper clenched her teeth, hissing at Thea with frustration in much the manner of her namesake. She might be impressed by her courage if she was a more charitably minded person, but all she cared about was trying to win this match, and she had little patience for Thea holding her back from that! Eventually, Thea had grown too bothersome to hold onto, and Viper finally let her go, shoving her roughly onto the mat. There, she took a step back, straightening herself to her feet and loosening up her joints. She rolled her shoulders and turned her neck from side to side, readying herself for their next collision.

[Monsy]

Her back was moulded like a clay sculpture. The artist’s hand dug deep and stabbed, a shot of pain that made her grow stiff. All within attendance heard her choke a scream through grit teeth. They bore and hissed, drool wetting betwixt as her sole bludgeoned their arm. It was a race against time, a fight to stay alive, a hope for escape. That’s all she needed to batter, to endure and fight. Though, anyone could see that her will was bleeding.

And when she fell, she collapsed flush. Her body a mere wet towel, an arm folded over her back as she breathed labouredly into the canvas. Whimpers and whines, the motions of nausea and pain-embers that danced up and down her frame. It felt bruised, numb and bitter. But with enough time, Thea marshalled her strength. Her hands pressed and supported her upper-half; arms quivered as she rolled her bottom lip and groaned. One knee shuffled underneath and the other, ghen both arms folded over a forward leg.
The hiss that cursed her. She could nearly recoil if her expression wasn’t so blank. A maw that used to smile now lapped for a clean inhale, those eyes widened, then fluttered shut for another blink. Her heart couldn’t skip anymore, so, her body followed suit and she stood once more.

Then she smiled. 〝Whatcha so mad about? I thought ya wanted a good match.〞

She walked left and started to circle her opponent. A shoulder kept pointed, her eyes glued as that fabricated smile grew a little more through the pants. Then she shuffled back, reversing the circle, and stopped after three steps before she moved forward once more. Her arms loosened and bounced, her footing like feathers brushed up by wind, quick and ever-moving.

〝Come on! Come get me! It’s time we have a real show!〞