Alena Stepanova vs. Spectre

[CaptainL]

Alena had been a firm believer in success through her own virtues. She was committed to her own success, but she wasn't going to take any shortcuts to get there - every time she stepped onto the mats, she was out to show she was the better woman, and she would do that through her strength and her force of will. She firmly believed that the only way to call oneself a true champion was to have made it there through training, talent, and drive, not by circumstance - and that was what had fueled her through her own career, shaping her body and mind into a potent machine. Above all else, when she issued the challenge to Spectre, she wanted to prove that no matter how fearsome the masked woman's reputation might have been, her skills would be enough to surpass it.

But all of Alena's dedication and moral fortitude couldn't defend herself against a poke in the eye. And with that, the tables turned. Her vision blurred and her eyes watered; the world around her spun. A searing pain shot through her whole system, and she could barely focus. She did know one thing, though - and it was that Spectre was a shameful excuse for a fighter if she had even thought of doing something like that!

"Cheat-! Cyka..." Alena hissed under her breath. She was in no position to fight back, still reeling from the eye rake, but she still wanted to get a word in edgewise, just to make sure Spectre knew what she really thought of her. Unfortunately for Alena, words wouldn't save her now. As long as she was stunned, she was in a prime position for the redhead to dominate. And that was something she'd quickly set to work on, as she grabbed onto Alena's hair and hurled a few punches into the back of her skull!

With each blow that landed, the Russian planted face-first against the ground, crying out in pain. A numbing sensation ran all through her nerves, only silenced when another punch rocked her body once more. To see Spectre go for such cheap tactics was whipping the crowd into a fervor of boos. Alena, in volunteering herself to step up to this threat, had become something larger than just one woman. She was the champion the people needed to believe in - she was an icon; a force of justice that was finally going to show Spectre where she belonged. So when Spectre turned that around on her, it was as though evil had triumphed!

Now, as Spectre hooked Alena's arms around her legs, took hold of her jaw, and pulled back hard, the grappler's whole body erupted with the pain of the camel clutch! Her face contorted in a breathless howl, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Her back was being bent further and further than it was ever meant to, until she was practically folded in half! Turning her head to the ceiling, she let loose a scream. Every moment felt like an agony for Alena. But if there was one thing she knew...it was that she couldn't give in now!

"Y-You...won't...win-!!" she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of desperation. She tried to wriggle her hips from side to side to worm her way toward the ropes, or to shift Spectre's balance - anything to break her hold on her! Trapped in such a position, it was the best Alena could do. But she would take it!

[Monsy]

Cheat?

As Alena put it. Cyka.

In one world, she might’ve giggled! Guffaw. Chortle. That bit of rage, the curse coming from Alena was positively scrumptious, inviting and motivating. Now she couldn’t help locking this hold in. Then, in response to Alena so loudly declaring her defiance, Spectre took her index and middle finger and pulled the tip of Alena’s nose up and back into her face.

Piggy-nose.

Now she rocked back and forth with it, having a hand claw into her scalp and one pull the nose-tip back, letting everyone see… The crowd wasn’t in on it. With their tight-buckled pants and shaven ordinary faces, scowling and disapproving of the disrespect. Japan was always a tough crowd to please.

“Come on, Alena! Get out of there!”
“Yeah, turn it around!”
“Fight!”

Oink-Oink. Just one would’ve been amazing. She might’ve really laughed if she could squeeze it out of them, a precious and prestigious top-tier MMA specialist. A piggy. Must be so rough for them to be trapped here, but it was bound to get worse.

She leaned forward over Alena’s shoulder, then let go of Alena’s nose to wrap around her windpipe and back around to the throat. A sleeper! One she intended to pull back, with Spectre’s hips sliding back to Alena’s legs. She sought to fold them backwards with their legs anchored by Spectre’s weight, then have their back arc in a new chokehold that seemed just a little too loose.

“Say that again. Say… (You won’t win to me), Stepanova.”

Her fingers trailed down, with her finger-tips touching on Alena’s now freshly exposed belly if she got this far. She started near the naval, then caressed up to the ribs, just to give a hint of the oncoming… HAMMER FIST! Into the belly. Then, what’s this? HAMMER FIST!! Twice. She couldn’t get enough of this… If Alena would be so kind, then they’d stay here for a long time, with only one action in mind.

HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIST. HAMMER FIS--

[CaptainL]

Alena could feel Spectre's nails digging into her face, not only pulling back at her head and stretching her spine, but scouring her cheeks and her nose as well. She clenched her teeth in a hiss - her muscles went rigid, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as every part of her tensed. Not just from the pain, but from how Spectre was mocking her; how she was turning up her nose to make her look like a pig. Insult and injury in equal measure - and all of it a sign that Spectre had no respect whatsoever for Alena or for the effort she put into her craft. Alena was a proud woman, and Spectre was testing that pride just as much as she was testing her endurance. But Alena grit her teeth nonetheless, trying to wriggle her way closer to the ropes. She could hear the fans cheering her on, urging for her to keep up her efforts. She couldn't stop now!

But Spectre could adapt, too - and she could change her tactics. When she released Alena's face, the Russian grappler didn't even have more than half a second to take in a breath before Spectre's arm snapped shut around her throat, pulling her head back in a sleeperhold! Alena sputtered and gagged as the air was squeezed from her lungs, but even worse than that was how Spectre had stretched her back into a painful arc, folding her over backward and forcing her spine into positions it was never meant to bend in. Alena let out a squeal. As her upper body was stretched taut, she tried to wriggle from side to side, but it was no use - Spectre had her held on tight.

Even still, Alena wasn't going to back down. Spectre had challenged her, but she would remain as defiant as ever! "You won't win!!" she barked back, rejecting the very notion that she was powerless against her masked foe! When she felt Spectre's fingertips drumming against her taut abdomen, a tremble ran up through her skin, but she sucked down a breath, her body stiffening as she tried to brace herself against whatever was to come. But at that, Spectre would deliver - she began to rain down punch after punch into Alena's stomach!

Every time another hammer fist came down, Alena sputtered and writhed, tossing from side to side in Spectre's grasp. Every blow seemed harder than the last, painting a splotch of red, then purple across her midsection. Her teeth clenched and her eyes squeezed shut. But the last thing Alena wanted to do now was to give Spectre what she wanted - she would reject that to the end!

"Y-You..!! You won't! GAH! You-ACKH! You won't win!!! Gah! You WON'T!!" she roared. Her words came in between hoarse, ragged coughs, spraying spittle with every loud thud of Spectre's fist against her gut, until she was foaming at the mouth. But she shook her head hard. No matter what happened, Alena wouldn't let herself be proven wrong! Reaching up with both arms, she would attempt to grab onto Spectre's arm and pry it off her throat, hoping that it would compromise her balance as she kept squirming from side to side. At the very least, it was an act of defiance - a show that Alena wouldn't stand for this!

[Monsy]

You won’t win!!

Alena not only yelled, but shot her voice past the white noise of everyone, trying to silence her struggle inside the hold. She was the centre. Royalty of the ring. Being stretched, writhing and locking the sleeper in tighter as Spectre turned the girl into her personal fist-holder. The Duchess's body was firm, soft at the same time. Fit. And she can see her belly flexing to breathe, loading up another breath to curse. Spectre treated it like whack-a-mole. When she belly expanded from inhaling, a fist crushed it back down.

And even then, Alena kept up.

"Y-You..!! You won't! GAH! You-ACKH! You won't win!!! Gah! You WON'T!!"

Still defiant. Even after Spectre’s arm started to burn from hammerfists. The muscle was spent down to the core, at least for now. A warm numbness, slowing her arm down, then losing control of the tapering strength delivered to Alena’s purpled belly. Spectre began to pant.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

“Let's go, Stepanova!”
“Don’t quit! Keep fighting!”

Voices from the front-row, leaning against the barricade, clapped and shouted encouragement, starting a movement within the stadium as Alena clearly fought to get her arm free. Her wiggling made Spectre’s torso lean and jerk with it, but her base still stuck to the ground. So far. Spectre re-adjusted, slipping her second underneath, locking with the second wrist. She looked left then right while moving her hips back. Her nose curled into a disgusted sneer before turning head to look at Alena directly, saying coldly…

“I already have.”

Then rolling with one of her jerks, using a foot to LAUNCH a takeover, switching sides and landing so Alena was on her belly; Spectre by her shoulder, laid horizontally. She released her sleeper, then clasped a finger-locking grip over Alena’s face and WRENCHED back! A crossface! The announcer called out. The hold’s torque was at max level from the instant, hoping to make Alena arc towards the ceiling. But even as the crowd held their breath, held the line in support, they collectively gasped!

“Hold on. What’s she doing to her eyes?!” Someone said! The observant little… snitch...

At the hold’s zenith and Spectre’s creeping wear, she changed her wrestler’s grip into two sets of nails scratching against Alena’s cheek, eye and forehead! Spectre, breathing heavier, huffed audibly and growled…

“Go on… BREAK!”

[CaptainL]

With every tug Spectre made against Alena's chin and face, the Russian grappler was being stretched further and further. By now, her body had been bent into a C shape. Her head was practically folded behind her, and the pale skin of her toned midsection and the underside of her bust shone starkly under the lights. For all the world her belly looked like a target - big, open, exposed. Spectre was going to make sure it was just that. And yet, Alena wouldn't let it happen this way. Her teeth gnashed in a pained grimace as she felt all the strain of her back being folded over itself shoot down along her spine, and with every fist Spectre brought against her gut she coughed and spasmed, twisting from side to side as the air was driven out of her lungs - but she knew better than to give in now. No matter how much it hurt, or what Spectre was doing to her, Alena wanted to show the world that she was better than it - stronger, tougher, and refusing to give in! The fans were crying out for her, cheering her on to keep fighting - but Alena didn't even pay them any heed. All she needed to encourage her was her own burning determination and defiance!

Her knuckles went white as she gripped Spectre's wrist as hard as she could, straining all the muscles down her arm as she tried to wrench it off her throat by sheer force. Her face contorted and her brow furrowed under the strain she had taken on herself, but she was still going to try it! At least...she would, until Spectre grabbed hold of her arm, halting it in place. There, Alena froze. And when she looked back at Spectre's face, staring down at her from upside down, for just a moment, she froze. Alena thought things were bad enough already. But they were about to get worse.

Suddenly, Spectre shoved her down onto her face! Alena fell flat, sputtering and gagging as her sweaty skin hit the canvas with the sound of a slap. And Spectre was right behind her, grabbing a hold of her cheeks! With a sharp jerk back, Alena was pulled into an arc once again, putting even more strain against her back. Her teeth were already gritting from the strain - but as she felt Spectre's nails dig deeper into her cheeks, her pained cries gave way to a loud, shrill wail, as her body slumped lower. Whatever she'd just endured was a pittance compared to this!

There was one thing Alena didn't do, though - one thing she couldn't do. And that one thing just happened to be exactly what Spectre demanded of her. She couldn't give up! She couldn't let her opponents tell her what to do! Steeling herself with nothing less than the single-minded determination to prove Spectre wrong, Alena gnashed her teeth to try and vent the pain shooting through her system, while her fingers dug hard into the canvas, not so much to pull herself across it any more so much as to brace herself against the agony! All she knew was that she wouldn't dare give Spectre the satisfaction of breaking her spirits! Gritting her teeth, she strained herself even through the pressure wrenching at her body to plant her feet against the mat, trying to get a good grounding. If that worked, she'd try to push herself to her feet, bearing the weight of Spectre on her back, and reach for her leg to try and trip her up.

[Monsy]

Alena’s scream was a shot of vodka. It tastes fuckin’ awful. In this case, squeezing her ear drums into straws as her ankle wanted to clench from the overbearing sound. At the same time, it made her calmer. She controlled everything about that scream. The pressure delivered. Alena’s voice was hers in this moment, screaming, but not yet tearing to get away. Instead. Alena fought. She rose, with the thumps of crowds stomping their feet and Spectre stacking her weight to the back of Alena’s shoulders, only to find herself lifted by Alena’s willpower and strength outstripping Spectre’s frame. And once a singular foot was planted, that’s when the crowd's smile started to appear.

Clap-clap-clap-clap.
And on timed delivery…
Stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp.

The referee was close to the action. Would Alena collapse and tap-out? They wondered, after being pried at, scratched and abused on every end of her face. A fighter’s pride can slip when they begin to lose their mind. Or attempt… Something like tripping Spectre.

"You're not going anywhere."

She felt the leg touching behind hers already, finding position from a wide base. She immediately stepped forward to defuse any good position to back suplex or take her down by the legs or hip. Now Alena was open. Spectre turned towards the Duchess quickly, bumping her shoulder against the referee hard to force a stumble and to look away. Right then, she pulled back her leg then kicked Alena right in the crotch! Then using her grip in their hair, she yanked them around in a circle, using her shoulder to apply more weight and out-run Alena’s feet quickly.

She hoped to take her down, re-cinch the same hold with a clean wrestler’s grip over Alena’s face, then wreeeenched the hold for all she could, rocking her upper torso back and forth to supplement a new key feeling:

Her arms were tiring.

[CaptainL]

The pressure Spectre was unleashing was crushing. Even a skilled grappler like Alena had to recognize that. Her head was being wrenched back out of place, causing her spine to bend and buckle against the strain - and with Spectre's nails digging into her cheeks on top of that, her face felt like it was burning. Her eyes were watering so much she could barely see what was in front of her, and red stinging welts were rising wherever the masked woman had clawed at her. Yet, despite it all...Alena still wasn't giving up. Despite it all, she could still hear the arena chanting. Calling to her - begging for her to keep on fighting; to not surrender! It all reminded her that she had vowed to never go down without a good fight. If she still had some strength left in her - any strength at all - she was going to use it!

Sucking in a deep breath as much as she could with her neck and back contorted, Alena tried to plant a foot against the canvas. Then, the other, her legs spread far apart. Bending slowly but steadily at the knees, she lifted herself off the mat and into the air - still with Spectre on her back, and still bent over, but bearing through it all regardless! A few gasps and cheers could be heard through the arena. If Alena still had it in her to do such a thing, this was an incredible display of her endurance, to say nothing of her raw commitment to fighting with all her might! And with that, she managed to reach down and grab for her leg! The whole arena was roaring with cheers from everyone who thought that Alena was about to turn everything around!

But that wouldn't be the case. In fact, when Alena reached for Spectre's leg, she wouldn't get anything! She let out a gasp as her hands grasped at thin air! Spectre had already circled behind her - and just a moment later, she threw a kick squarely between Alena's legs!

At once, the Russian grappler's entire body seized up with pain. She let loose another wail, throwing back her head. Every muscle in her body went numb and slack. Her knees buckled. She wanted to fall over then and there, but she was being held up entirely by Spectre's grip. And just as easily, that grip could let her down - when Spectre spun her around by her hold on her hair!

"AAAAUGH!!!" Alena's pained cries echoed through the arena. Twirled around in place, her balance finally gave way and she dropped down onto her face, leaving a couple chestnut strands behind in Spectre's fingers. Her whole body was heavy and throbbing, and she gasped and groaned with every breath she took - even the mere act of taking in air caused her chest and ribs to spasm. And that was before Spectre cranked back on her spine once again!

Once again she cried out, in a voice that was growing weary and breathless. Already, Alena's back felt like it was on fire. Now, it felt like it could snap in half at any moment! Her face reddened from the strain; she didn't know what she had left in her to do! But she did feel that Spectre's grasp was weakening, and that was her one saving grace. That told her this didn't have to be forever. She just needed to last it out! She twisted and turned her shoulders from side to side, trying to rock Spectre's hold on her. The one thing she couldn't do was to give in!

[Monsy]

And stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilll, a trapped little sheep in a world of mind-breaking suck: Aleeeena Stepanovaaaa! Said one corner of Spectre’s brain.

The others were focused, locked in like her sweaty fingers, grabbing at each other desperately, clenching at maximum effort for a hand that was increasingly numb, the forearm tight and the bicep muscle warmed, loose and slowly dripping in strength. When one finger comes loose, with Alena shifting in angle, only in single degrees but enough to make her ring, index and pinky fingers slip from the grip. “Gh-” Spectre saw, then altogether the hold snapped. Her arms came free, Spectre flinched back and Alena was allowed to escape!

The crowd popped! And Spectre snarled quietly, uttering, “No you don’t.” Beneath her breath.

Then the Virus attempted to throw herself across Alena’s body. She was betting on Alena being spent. After all those blows to the belly, there was no way she was breathing through it normally. No way that she could focus with her scratched eyes. Alena should be desperate and just needed a little something to go out with. It's what she banked on.

“You’re mine, Stepenova.”

So Spectre tried to stay on-top of her back, grabbing at her hair with claws, attempting to pull the head back so Spectre’s second arm can loop around that windpipe, and lock in a rear-naked-choke.

[CaptainL]

Spectre's actions in the last few moments of this match had told Alena everything she needed to know. Spectre, for all her ferocious reputation, was just a snake, using every deceitful trick in the book to try and get ahead. By all means, Alena should have overcome her by now - but every time she'd come close, Spectre had managed to cheat her way out of facing the consequences of her actions. All that did, though, was fire up the crowd even more. They were growing incensed with righteous fury - they knew that Alena deserved to win this, and every time Spectre slipped through her fingers, their boos grew even louder and angrier. And it fired Alena up, too. She was in this match to show the world she was a master of her craft, and she wanted to do that by taking on a threat as grand and as infamous as Spectre - and taking that threat down. If Spectre kept slipping out of her grasp before Alena could demonstrate her talents, then the Russian grappler just needed to reach even further and surpass her limits - to give Spectre a challenge that she couldn't weasel her way out of!

And it seemed that Alena was doing just that, when she managed to wrench her way out of the masked woman's punishing hold! Little by little, as she twisted and turned, Spectre's hold on her began to slip. With every inch it budged, Alena could feel her body relax, growing just a little bit more at ease with each ounce of pressure that fell away from her. The aches and pains in her back were still crippling - every inch she moved, she hissed and groaned, feeling the pinch between her vertebrae and the stab that shot through her system. But she was still making progress, and she had to keep going. She knew that Spectre's grasp was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. And soon...Alena finally pulled herself free!

No sooner had she broken away from Spectre's grip that Alena fell forward onto all fours, panting and gasping. Her whole body shivered as she felt the aches run through her again. Her arms and legs were heavy with fatigue. But now, Alena was free - that was all that mattered!

Except, even then, that wouldn't be enough for Spectre!

Before Alena could enjoy even a second of her freedom, Spectre lunged for her once again, grabbing her from behind! She simply wouldn't allow her dominance to be delayed! Alena roared in pain as her head was yanked back again, sending another searing pain through her already burning scalp. Her teeth gnashed, and her eyes squeezed shut; she hurt along every joint down her back as she was pulled over backward. But Alena knew she couldn't submit now. She was reaching the end of her rope - but rather than give up, it just meant she would embrace the fury in her! She wasn't going to take it any more!

"BLYAT!!" Alena screamed. It didn't even matter that air was a precious commodity for her now, with Spectre choking her - all she cared was that she was angry, and she needed Spectre to know it! Her arms shot up to grab for Spectre's as it coiled around her throat, and pulled down with all her might to try and break her hold. There was no technique or discipline here, just brute force! But hopefully, Spectre's flagging stamina and Alena's surge of adrenaline would be all she needed to make a difference!

[Monsy]

"Just how is she staying in this?!" Said a sane man watching on from the front row.

Spectre could only match the anger, starting to pull her face into a glaring sneer. The hot visceral brewing as Alena raised her voice. At some point, her arm was no longer her arm, but a straining ball of numb that was shutting down and yielding to Alena's yank. The war cry filled the crowd with something to chew on. A spark to their dynamite stick. Then they popped as Alena broke Spectre's choke, pulling her burning arm down that was now fully extended, the shoulder tugged against the socket that almost saw her rising to her tippy-toes. Her body was like Alena's cape, with two shivering arms gassed and spent. She flexed her skinny arm, trying to fold it back, trying to get her elbow jutted into Alena's chest. "I-I don't think so." Spectre said with a low growly grunt. Her un-grabbed arm, now free, reached and clawed against Alena's face with black nails, then latched into place.

She leaned back. Once again, trying to bring this one back to the ground like it's a god awful pit filled with a thousand belly-punching hands.