SMILE TIL IT HURTS
----------------
The heat was intense. Her body ached as it slowly stretched. She kept smiling as sweat poured over her. Her dirty blonde hair stuck to her, on her face and down her back. She felt pain, but forced herself to be strong as she told herself that she was her only opponent in the steamy room she exercised within.
"Good work, everyone."
Mercifully, the workout ended. She collected her mat and went to get changed.
----
"You've got to try and smile when it hurts," she said, a bit of sweat still on her brow. "It builds your spirit."
"Hard to smile when your face is beat in and your back's about to break," replied Constance, in her light french accent. "Trixie, that hot yoga is melting your brain."
"Opening it up, Constance," replied Trixie. "I feel ready. How about you?"
"Hoping I get you tonight, so I can open up your face with my fists," said Constance, in a deadpan.
Trixie laughed. "You're such a sparkle of sunshine. I'm still so proud that we got invited."
Constance snorted. "You would be proud if pig told you it had a shit."
"That didn't make any sense, Constance." Trixie looked at the french girl, confused.
"Not make any sense," muttered Constance, mostly to herself. "Look at you, and you talk about sense."
----
"Trixie Scott," said Trixie to the registration desk. "Combatant."
"Constance Dupont," said Constance, also checking in. "Combatant."
The two girls had arrived early, and the locker room was mostly empty as they got changed. The venue itself was an abandoned gymnasium, quickly transformed for the evening by the tournament organizers. It was dim and dingy, with yellowed bulbs spotlighting the raised fighting platform that served as a ring.
"This place is not what I expected," said Constance, as she pulled off her boots. "And by that I mean it is shit."
"They brought in good medical equipment, though," replied Trixie, as she also changed her clothes. "I even saw KadeTech back there."
"How nice, now I can be practically killed and wake up with a sore jaw," answered Constance with a dry venom. "Godless trash that encourages maniacs."
Constance Dupont was a fair-skinned french girl with slender-yet-strong features, and very heavy eyeshadow. Her hair was dyed black in a bob cut, as dark as her painted finger and toenails. She wore a black tank-top and matching bike shorts, and pulled on some black-and-white striped fingerless armsocks.
Trixie Scott wore her hot-yoga clothing as a combat outfit, which left most of her body bare. The small top and tassled briefs were a mixture of deep purple and maroon. She had a little bit of glitter around her lined eyes. Trixie looked like a stunning girl-next-door, her bright smile lighting up her slim features. She let her dirty blonde hair hang loose and wild.
"I am waiting by the ring," said Constance. "You will be doing your silly overheating ritual until it is time, yes?"
Trixie simply smiled at her, and then went into the showers. Turning on several faucets of hot water, she sat cross-legged on the tiled floor and let her body soak in steam and light sprays of water for nearly thirty minutes. Her toned figure glistened with perspiration, and would remain that way for some time. It helped her feel loose and free in the ring, and kept her mind somewhat calmed to the danger of the fight for at least the opening round.
----
"Welcome, to the 5th Annual Ryuuketsu Invitational Tournament!" Cheering, a large crowd had assembled to watch the action. "A hand for our brave competitors this evening!" The fighters sat on a set of bleachers that stood 10 feet off the ground, with a raised ramp that would lower to connect to the ring. "They are a healthy mix of skills, from proven veterans to courageous rookies. Each match tonight is no submission, no TKO...two fighters face each other until one can no longer continue!" After waiting for another cheer to die down, the announcer continued. "The first round will begin shortly. Place your bets!"
"Tres bien," muttered Constance. "Dangerous enough for you?"
"I'm not looking for danger," answered Trixie patiently. She sat in a lotus position next to the dark-haired french girl.
"Well, it has found you. I see many painful ways to die, seated with us in these bleachers." Constance scowled at the other fighters. "Ugly shits."
"You would be amazed," said Trixie with a light smile, "at the empowering feeling of positive visualization."
Constance made a mocking gesture with her hands. "You would be amazed at the crippling feeling of your back being broken."
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - TOMMY SOL
Trixie moved slowly and smoothly, her loose stance based somewhat on Aikido. She flipped her hair back and smiled as she watched her opponent, a taekwondo fighter named Tommy Sol. He wore black bike shorts and a blue bandana, which kept his long blonde hair back out of his eyes.
Tommy threw the first attack, a high kick that Trixie avoided by turning slightly and stepping forward. She pushed a palm up against her opponent's chin, and shoved forward. Tommy flipped over, hitting the mat hard and a little confused. Trixie was smiling at him as he stood, which only made him angry.
Dodging another high kick, Trixie reached to take Tommy down again. He rolled under her, springing up and connecting with a hard side kick to her flank. Trixie gasped, staggered by the hit long enough for Tommy to wind up and strike her face with a spinning heel. The blonde girl rolled across the mat, and her opponent ran after her to finish her off.
Raising one leg, Tommy drove down an axe kick. Trixie lifted her feet up, rolling over and catching Tommy's ankle between her legs. Their combined momentum twisted his leg and forced him to fall down. Keeping her legs tangled with her opponent's, Trixie continued rolling and applied an ankle lock as she did so. Tommy began to sit up, and then felt a pop as one of his feet suddenly felt as though it were on fire. He screamed, reaching for the dislocated joint. Trixie grabbed his wrist, standing up as she forced her opponent to turn over. In one motion, she stamped on the back of Tommy's head and popped his shoulder, before releasing his hand. Tommy's arm flopped to the mat, the combined pain and impact overwhelming his senses and knocking him out.
Trixie bent over, stretching her arms and back. Then, she righted herself and bounced on her heels, waving to the crowd with a warm smile before returning to her seat.
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - KISHI KOIZUMI
Kishi was a short-haired japanese girl in a pink-and-black spandex ensemble of shorts and a sportsbra. She looked intimidated as she hastily broke eye contact with Constance and looked at the floor for a moment. The french girl continued to look over her opponent with a hard gaze, sneering slightly as she raised her hands and bent her knees in a grappling stance.
Trading a few blows with Constance, Kishi took a punch to the jaw before sidestepping and striking the french girl twice in her flank. With a shout, Kishi tried to end the match prematurely with a hard spinning backfist. Constance wrapped the japanese girl's incoming arm over her shoulders, grabbing a leg and lifting her into the air. Turning with Kishi's momentum, Constance span once before dropping Kishi headfirst onto the mat.
Constance wasted no time, kicking Kishi square in the face as she began to get up. The japanese girl flipped over in place with a spray of spittle arcing out of her mouth. A hard stomp to her chest made her gag, and Kishi quickly raised her hands in surrender. She managed to whimper before Constance kicked her in the stomach and pulled her to her feet. Lifting the girl into the air by her waist, Constance turned around and then threw her onto the floor. Kishi once again hit the mat headfirst, and was nearly dead weight as her opponent lifted her up and executed one final belly-to-belly suplex.
Stepping over Kishi's unconscious body and glaring down, Constance pushed a foot against her a few times to see that she was out cold. The french girl lowered her arms, spitting on Kishi before leaving the ring.
----
"Looks like you're moving on," said Trixie.
Constance sat down before responding. "She only knew three moves, of course I am moving on."
DEVON PRICE - VERSUS - HOLLY BROCKLER
A bald african-american wrestler in a blue singlet awaited Holly as she got into the ring, wearing an orange tank-top and red briefs. The hawaiian fighter brushed back her curly hair and advanced immediately, attacking with a series of knee strikes and high kicks.
Trixie tilted her head, watching the match in a relaxed position. "I saw that girl at the Kumite last month. I like her attitude."
Constance sighed, shaking her head. "You always confuse attitude with prowess."
Wiping some blood from his mouth, Devon let Holly get up so he could recouperate. Still shaky from the suplex, Holly missed a spinning elbow strike and found herself being lifted off the mat by her waistline. Devon turned, slamming his opponent once again.
"Tell you what," said Trixie, "I'll bet you she wins."
"Really?" replied Constance.
Groggy and dazed, Holly was at Devon's mercy as he executed a textbook german suplex. The hawaiian girl's body was upside-down for several seconds after hitting the ground, until her opponent began to stand and take her with him into another suplex. Holly bounced once, and lay sprawled on her face as Devon moved in for the kill.
"You're serious," continued Constance. "Fine. Fifty dollars."
"I'm always serious," mused Trixie, smiling kindly.
There was a pause as Devon found his next suplex blocked when Holly locked her leg around his own. The hawaiian girl threw a hard right hook, forcing the wrestler to release his hold. Before he could retaliate, Devon took a knee square between his eyes. Holly kicked her opponent hard in the gut, catching her breath as he doubled over. With a loud cry, she leapt up and drove her elbow down into the back of his head. Devon fell to the mat, unconscious.
Trixie never turned to look at Constance, simply watching the ring with a grin as Holly celebrated her victory and Devon was dragged away. Eventually, she waved at the hawaiian girl as she returned to the bleachers. "Great job, Holly!"
"Uh...thanks," replied Holly, looking a little bit confused and a little bit grateful.
"Fuck you," muttered Constance.
"I'll see you in the next round," continued Trixie, cheerfully. "Let's have a good fight!"
"Yeah!" answered Holly, nodding as she continued on to her seat. "You too!...I guess."
Trixie turned back to the ring, ready to watch the next match.
"Fuck you," muttered Constance again.
----
BEAST MULDOON - VERSUS - BOBBY TAYLOR
A dreadlocked wild man in tattered khaki pants slapped his hairy chest and hooted loudly. His far-smaller opponent was a younger fighter dressed in blue MMA tights, brown-haired and fair-skinned compared to Muldoon's dark tan.
"Well, this will be predictable," scoffed Constance.
Bobby inched forward, and then threw a right hook that barely phased Muldoon. Two more punches connected before Muldoon roared back in response, causing Bobby to retreat.
"You tried to predict Holly's match," said Trixie.
Constance ground her teeth slightly. "You can't be on a first-name basis. You've known her for 10 fucking minutes."
Stepping forward, Bobby turned and slammed a kick into Muldoon's chest. The young fighter dove in after the blow connected, grabbing Muldoon and trying to take him to the ground. The dreadlocked man retaliated by grabbing hold of Bobby himself, lifting him off the floor, and slamming him headfirst into the mat. Bobby managed to roll over before Muldoon pulled him into the air, raising him overhead in a show of raw power. The young fighter cried out, fearfully surrending several times before he was thrown an impressive distance across the ring.
"Well?" asked Constance.
Bobby was barely conscious when Muldoon walked towards him. The dreadlocked fighter quickly yanked his opponent into the air again, dropping his back over one knee and finishing the boy off with a simple backbreaker. After an involuntary cry of agony, Bobby lay unmoving over Muldoon's knee until he was pushed aside.
"Well?" repeated Constance, a bit louder.
Trixie shrugged, her eyes closed as she smirked. "It was a fifty-fifty chance."
----
More fights came and went, and Constance ground her teeth. She glared at Trixie now and then, who sat in a lotus position next to her. "I am going as stiff as a cadaver," muttered Constance. "Punch me, will you? I may fall asleep."
Trixie took another deep breath, followed by another long exhalation. "It's pretty warm in here. Why don't you concentrate on that?"
"This humidity," replied Constance. "It is putting me off concentrating on how much I am sweating from just sitting here. Where is the fucking water cooler?"
BLAIR BUCHANAN - VERSUS - ALALA
Clad in a white toga-style leotard, the blonde grappler named Alala stood with her hands on her hips as her opponent arrived. Blair was a brown-haired street fighter wearing a grey hoodie and sweatpants. She rolled her sleeves up and smirked, bouncing lightly as she raised her fists.
Blair moved forward, connecting with two light jabs. That was all Alala took before she clapped her hands around Blair's head, boxing the girl's eardrums. Blair clutched at her ringing skull, stumbling around long enough for Alala to get in position to execute a high-angled belly-to-back suplex. Pulling her stunned opponent off the mat, Alala went on to deliver a relentless series of suplexes that left Blair's body bouncing off the ground every few seconds.
Constance sat back down with a cup of water. "She is just showing off to us. The bitch."
On her knees and barely conscious, Blair's head was kept upright by Alala's firm grip on her scalp. The blonde grappler called out to the crowd, "MERCY, OR NO MERCY?" After hearing the audience's roaring response, Alala slowly wrapped Blair up in a cobra clutch chokehold and began to violently wring the life from her. Then, she planted her feet and lifted Blair into the air, maintaining the chokehold until she dropped the girl headfirst into the ground with a crack. Blair's neck bent painfully before she came to a rest, facedown and barely breathing. Alala stamped a foot onto the back of Blair's head, pushing the beaten girl's face into the floor as she played to the crowd.
----
"Your sister's a fighter too? That's cool." Trixie nodded as she chatted with Holly Brockler.
Holly sighed. "Not really. She's a bit of a bitch, honestly." Holly glanced beside Trixie. "What's your friend doing?"
Constance lay splayed out on the bench, staring at the ceiling. "I am imagining myself dead, because it is more fun than either of you."
"Constance is a joy, for real." Trixie shrugged. "Oh hey, looks like the second round's beginning. Good luck, Holly!"
"Thanks." Holly smiled back, and headed for her seat.
After a pause, Trixie turned her head. "You ARE a joy." Constance replied with a raised middle finger.
----
HOLLY BROCKLER - VERSUS - BEAST MULDOON
"Oh Holly," said Trixie. "Kick some ass!"
Holly looked visibly shaken by Beast Muldoon's roaring as she stepped onto the mat. She shook her head, curly hair bouncing as she warmed up and circled the edge of the platform.
"I will bet you that she will do a fantastic job," said Constance, sneering.
As his opponent approached, Muldoon took a wild swing at her head. Holly ducked beneath the attack and jabbed Muldoon in the gut, quickly following up with a hook to his kidney. Muldoon swang the same arm in a backhand arc, once again only swishing through the air as Holly avoided his fist. She punched him twice more in the same spot, before turning and connecting with a powerful kick that made the dreadlocked man stagger one step to the side. As she closed in, Holly managed to gasp before a sudden lariat smashed into her face and flipped her over. Raising his arms, Muldoon smashed both fists down onto the hawaiian girl's back while she tried to stand, leaving her facedown and stunned. Leaping into the air, Muldoon executed an elbow drop. Holly rolled out of the way at the last second, hearing her opponent's elbow nearly cave in part of the mat behind her and audibly cursing as she scrambled to retreat.
Still stepping back, Holly looked on intensely as Muldoon roared and ran headfirst towards her. She leapt forward, aiming her body to the side of her opponent's path as she slammed one foot into his cheek. Muldoon kept running a few more steps, giving Holly time to step in and ram an elbow into his flank. Twice more she struck the dreadlocked fighter, before rearing back and sinking a hard knee strike into the beaten spot on his body. Muldoon gagged, clutching his side and falling to one knee. Diving onto her opponent's back, Holly began to lock in a chokehold. Muldoon reached up, grabbing hold of her head and throwing her over his shoulder before sinking back to one knee. Holly winced from the impact, taking a moment to get off the mat and push herself back towards Muldoon and throw a hard kick straight into the side of his head. Reeling back, Muldoon blinked a few times and then slammed a fist into Holly's stomach. The hawaiian girl doubled over and nearly coughed something up. She grit her teeth, her eyes showing her pain through the curly hair that hung over them, and shouted desperately as she kicked Muldoon's head again. She grabbed hold of a dreadlock and began beating her elbow into her opponent's skull.
"She's so fired up!" Trixie clapped. "Look at that!"
Driving a knee into Muldoon's forehead, Holly looked on in tired disbelief as he continued to simply teeter back and forth on one knee. She caught her breath as quickly as she could before circling around him and jumping onto his back once again. Holly applied a chokehold, and then wrapped her legs around her opponent's muscular body and locked her ankles. "COME ON!" she shouted, wrenching the hold as she flexed her thighs as hard as she could to squeeze the air out of Muldoon's body. "COME ON!!"
"Come on!" cheered Trixie.
Muldoon began to sink forward, pushing his palms down on the floor to keep himself off the ground despite the passenger that was wrapped onto his back. He began breathing louder, and then faster, before audibly huffing. Muldoon got louder, beginning to get up while Holly desperately tried to choke him out. The hawaiian girl looked wide-eyed and upset, shaking her head as her opponent found a second wind and got back to his feet. "No! No no no!!" Holly had put all her strength into the submission combination, and wanted it to end the match. "GO DOWN!!" she shouted, straight into Muldoon's ear as she clutched onto him.
"RAAAARGH!" Muldoon slowly pried her arms off of him, holding them wide open as he gripped onto her wrists. He began pulling up, while Holly's legs flexed to their limit to maintain the bodyscissor. Both fighters were screaming as they tried to out-power one another, until Holly finally screamed "NNNNO!!" before her legs came loose from around Muldoon's body. The dreadlocked fighter immediately pitched his opponent over his head, slamming her hard into the ground in front of him. He grabbed the back of Holly's head, controlling her as he made her stand up. "YOU GO DOWN!!" he bellowed right into her face, putting a look of fear on Holly's face before his lariat smashed through her defenses. Holly flipped sideways in place, landing on her head before messily crashing to the mat.
"A fantastic job," said Constance, watching Muldoon bellow to the heavens before reaching for his opponent's dazed form.
Holding his struggling opponent, Muldoon delivered a headbutt that sent a visible shockwave through Holly's body. The dreadlocked fighter lifted Holly off her feet, holding her waist as he turned and threw her back onto the ground. Stepping over her body, Muldoon grabbed the hawaiian girl by the throat and lifted her straight back to her feet. As she choked and beat at his hands, Muldoon went on to raise his arms up and strangle Holly as he held her in the air. Holly's eyes were wide as she gasped, kicking her legs and finding only the air. Muldoon began walking forward, and then tossed his opponent straight ahead and over the edge of the fighting platform. Holly cried out as she fell, and landed on the dirty gymnasium floor with a crack.
"Poor Holly," sighed Trixie. "Are there ring-outs?"
Muldoon pressed his panicked and protesting opponent overhead as the nearby members of the audience took pictures, before turning and throwing Holly back onto the platform.
"Not at all," answered Constance. "I had been wondering."
Tired and gasping as her curly hair plastered to her face and neck, Holly put up no fight as Muldoon moved her back to a wobbly standing position. She made a tired noise as she was scooped up, eyes fearful and resigned as she tried to prepare herself for defeat. Muldoon finished her with a backbreaker, hearing the hawaiian girl scream in pain as she lay over his knee. Grabbing her throat and thigh, the dreadlocked man slowly stood up and pressed her limp body overhead in victory. Holly was already beaten, a trophy for her opponent before her let her drop. She lay facedown on the mat behind him as he pumped his fist and roared.
"Poor Holly." Trixie looked down at her crossed legs, her mouth still quirked in a sobered smirk.
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - BREENA SINCLAIR
Impatience stoked a growing frustration in Constance as she continued to approach her retreating opponent. Breena Sinclair was a red-haired teenager wearing lime-green two-piece tights. She was also a cautious fighter, playing it safe and keeping her distance from Constance, only pausing to try and score a glancing hit before running away. Baring her teeth, Constance dashed forward and grabbed hold of Breena's upper body. As Constance wrestled with the girl, Breena threw a few desperate blows into her body. Constance lifted Breena off her feet, but the teen fighter clapped her hands over Constance's ears to stun the french girl. A chop to her eyes forced Constance to drop her opponent as she staggered back, clutching her head.
Getting up to see Constance still reeling, Breena flashed a grin before letting out a battle cry as she charged to drive a knee into her opponent. The cry was cut off as Constance lifted a foot and rammed it into the oncoming teen's face. Hissing a variety of unpleasantries in french, Constance stepped over Breena's stunned body before stomping down onto her head. Grabbing the back of Breena's neck along with one of her shoulders, Constance hauled her back to her feet. Breena's vision became less blurry just in time for her to wince as Constance spat in her face. One of her arms was locked, and as she raised the other, she felt a hand grab it firmly by the wrist.
"Little bitch shit," snarled Constance. Breena was shaken by the image of the angered french girl with the swelling cut under one eye, but the image was momentary before Constance gave her a vicious headbutt between the eyes. Breena felt both her arms get released, but barely managed to raise them before a hard kick to her groin left her breathlessly squeaking as she slowly doubled over and fell to her knees. A strand of spittle fell from the teen fighter's mouth as she shivered and tried to recover.
Muttering more french obscenities, Constance slid her arms around Breena's waist before flipping her over with a belly-to-belly suplex. Breena's body curled up after hitting the mat, but once she took a second suplex, she simply bounced once before sprawling out in a heap. Constance dug her fingers into Breena's scalp to pull her up to her feet, and span her around into a rear chokehold. Locking it in hard enough to force a few gags out of Breena's mouth, constance then arched her back and lifted Breena with her in a modified chokehold suplex. The teen fighter's neck bent slightly as her head hit the mat.
Rolling her opponent over onto her back, Constance sat down on Breena's chest and grabbed the girl's throat with one hand. Breena's eyes were shut, opening slightly with reflex as her throat was clenched. Constance reached a finger to touch her own face just beneath her eye, seeing blood as she drew her hand back. With an angry shout, she punched Breena's face once, totally knocking the girl out. Lowering her fist as she calmed down, Constance spat on Breena once more before angrily standing up and walking away.
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - MICKEY UNDERWOOD
Trixie took another punch as she tried to grapple with her opponent. Mickey Underwood's outfit of a tank-top and shorts made her easy to grab, but her hard boxing skills kept Trixie from doing anything. Two more jabs pushed Trixie back, and a spinning backfist forced a spray of sweat and spittle to fly from her face as she span and fell to the mat. Getting to her hands and knees, Trixie's mane of blonde hair hid her face as she looked over her shoulder. Mickey cracked her knuckles, grinning as she prepared to beat the fallen yoga girl bloody.
The boxer's eyes widened as she suddenly felt something lock around her ankles. Trixie's feet scissored around Mickey's, and a twist of her hips brought the surprised fighter down to the ground. Staying focused on her opponent's legs, Trixie wrapped herself around them and began to pull the captured limbs into a pretzel-like hold. Mickey struggled to sit up, pounding her fists into Trixie's feet and shins whenever she could find purchase, and falling backwards each time she threw a punch. Trixie endured, gritting her teeth as she shifted and twisted to trap Mickey's legs in a painful position. The boxer girl began to cry out, angrily and in pain, as she desperately tried to find a way to escape. Trixie homed in on one ankle, and simultaneously twisted it while hyper-extending its attached hamstring. Mickey's voice went up several octaves as something popped and a new kind of pain washed through her right leg. Trixie stood up, keeping a grip on Mickey's legs as she turned and fell back down to the mat. Mickey's left knee nearly dislocated as she screamed and slapped the mat, trying to end her suffering and surrender.
Trixie released the girl, and crawled up her body to scissor her legs around Mickey's head. The boxer was nearly delirious from the injuries in her legs and put up little resistance other than her constant writhing. Trixie sat on the girl's back, and then tightened her legs in a modified lotus position that quickly choked Mickey out. Smiling gently as she held out her hands in a meditative stance, Trixie maintained the cross-legged lotus headscissor hold until Mickey began shuddering limply beneath her.
----
"Fucking little show-off," said Constance, glaring at Trixie as the yoga girl returned to her seat and crossed her legs.
"C'mon," said Trixie, smiling as she closed her eyes and took some deep, relaxed breaths. After she found her centered state, she added, "I've been wanting to try that all week."
The next few matches passed by as Trixie continued breathing lightly in a lotus position, and Constance dabbed a towel at the cut under her eye.
"Would you spit on me if you beat me?" asked Trixie, breaking the silence between the two.
"What do you mean 'if' I beat you?" snapped Constance.
Trixie sighed with a lopsided grin. "It's just something you've been doing more often, lately. I can't tell if it's your temper or just your habit."
"Don't piss me off and it won't be your problem," muttered Constance.
"Thanks," said Trixie.
"Hey look, it's semi-finals time," said Constance, immediately changing the topic. "Fifty-fifty chance you get to find out if I decide to spit on you after I fuck you up."
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - BEAST MULDOON
Trixie stayed seated for a few moments, breathing calmly. Constance exclaimed, "Hah! Have fun joining your little friend Holly, getting broken by that oaf."
Standing up and walking towards the ring as Beast Muldoon stood waiting, roaring and pounding his chest, Trixie kept a small smirk on her face as she stepped onto the mat and limbered up. As the match began, she stayed loose and light on her feet while Muldoon came stomping towards her. Trixie had no trouble slipping under and around several lariat swipes as Muldoon tried to take her head off with his powerful arms. As his fist came towards her face once again, Trixie turned and pulled on Muldoon's arm, using his enormous momentum to throw him down onto the mat. Heading towards the downed Beast to keep him on the floor, Trixie was surprised to see the large fighter push himself off the canvas and into her body like a rocket. Tackling his opponent and pinning her down benath him, Muldoon began pounding on Trixie's body. The yoga girl squirmed and twisted, taking many heavy strikes before she managed to get her legs out from underneath Muldoon. Pushing her feet up against the dreadlocked fighter's chest, Trixie shoved him back and pushed herself away from him in one motion.
After both fighters got to their feet, Muldoon threw a heavy punch at his opponent. Trixie easily countered it, but as she began to take hold of Muldoon's arm, the large fighter suddenly closed distance and slammed his forehead into her face. Trixie was stunned, blinking rapidly until another headbutt caused her to fall to one knee. As the yoga girl tried to regain her sense, Muldoon scooped her off the mat and then pressed her body overhead. Then, he threw her across the ring, immediately charging towards her as soon as she hit the ground. Trixie managed to push herself off the floor before she was scooped up again, waving all of her limbs as Muldoon pressed her overhead once again. The Beast turned around, unphased by Trixie's struggling movements, and then threw her across the ring one more time. Trixie bounced once, loudly winded by the canvas as it smacked against her stomach, and rolled to a rest near the edge of the platform.
Grimacing as she held her stomach and flipped onto her back, Trixie's eyes widened before she suddenly rolled to one side, barely avoiding Muldoon's thundering stomp as it slammed into the canvas that once lay beneath her head. Scuttling along the mat, Trixie slid around her opponent's legs and sprang up behind him, hopping onto his back. She locked one of Muldoon's arms before twisting his shoulder, pounding on the joint as she applied the hold. The Beast shouted angrily, turning from side to side as he reached behind himself with his free hand to try and get ahold of his opponent. Finally, with a roar of pain, Muldoon swang his trapped arm along with his entire body and managed to throw Trixie down onto the floor. Grabbing his shoulder as a sharp needling sensation ran through it, he rammed his foot into Trixie's body as she got up, shoving her back several feet and sending her back to the canvas.
Seeing that her last attack had left an impression, Trixie scrambled to get back up and ran towards Muldoon. Kicking a leg up and over his injured shoulder, Trixie twisted as she leapt up and began to lock herself around his arm. As she turned through the air, Muldoon grabbed the back of her scalp and used her momentum to twirl her up into his grasp. Before she could come to terms with the world spinning around her, Trixie was driven down onto Muldoon's knee in a backbreaker. Grunting sharply before sliding down onto the mat, Trixie got to her hands and knees before Muldoon began clubbing her spine and forcing her to stay face-down on the ground. Once she stopped getting up, the large fighter grabbed Trixie's head and yanked her straight up into a standing position. Spinning her around, Muldoon then lifted the yoga girl onto his shoulders.
Once again snapped back to her senses by a painful sensation, Trixie screamed as her body was wrenched in an argentine backbreaker hold. Muldoon roared, twisting his opponent as he bent her across his powerful frame. Screaming again as her trained flexibility was pushed to its limits, Trixie's free arm and leg flailed in the air wildly. She clawed at the hand around her chin and wriggled, twisting her back even further and forcing herself to endure another layer of pain. Once she turned over far enough, Trixie hooked her free leg around the shoulder of the arm that pulled down on her other thigh. Then, forcing her chin free, Trixie slid down across Muldoon's back and threw an arm around his throat. Slithering herself into a pretzel position, Trixie locked in a chokehold with her arms and a leg scissor around Muldoon's shoulder. She arched her back, shrieking as she tightened both holds and pulled Muldoon's head and arm back as far as they could go. The Beast roared several times as he span left and right, slowly sinking to his knees. As Trixie gave one last shout of agonized effort, Muldoon slumped back and fell to the mat. Trixie was squashed beneath her opponent's weight as he lost consciousness, and lay still for several seconds before crawling out from underneath the fallen fighter. She shivered as she got up, cradling her back but grinning broadly as she raised her arms in victory.
Staggering back to her seat, Trixie sat heavily and began to painfully pull her legs into a lotus position. "Got him," she cooed, smirking and wincing at the same time.
"And he got you," retorted Constance. "Softened you up nicely for the finals match, too."
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - ALALA
Neither fighter wasted time getting to the ring, glaring at one another with locked gazes that held even as they began to approach one another on the mat.
After another long stare, Alala and Constance launched into each other with a loud smack, grappling violently in the center of the ring. Alala pulled Constance into a headlock, but the french girl punched her in the flank and began to lift her off her feet. Twisting and turning around in mid-air, Alala got herself back onto the mat and continued to wrestle with her opponent. The blonde grappler snapped a headbutt into Constance's face, and managed to slip around her and suplex her. Constance grunted as she hit the canvas, and neither fighter was willing to let go of the other as they both got to their feet and continued to fight for dominance. Stamping on Alala's foot, Constance clapped her arms around the blonde girl's waist and lifted her to deliver a belly-to-belly suplex. Both fighters lay on the mat for a few moments before getting up at almost the same time.
Their palms smacking together loudly, the two combatants locked fingers and snarled as they engaged in a test of strength. Their arms flexed and toes dug into the canvas as they fought for dominance. Slowly, Constance began to push Alala back, slowly forcing the blonde grappler’s knees to bend. Alala’s eyes widened as her body shook, trying to overpower her opponent. After several seconds of standstill, Alala let her arms go slack. Constance leaned forward, but her hungry expression turned into one of stunned pain as her opponent used her momentum to deliver a skull-cracking headbutt. The blonde fighter headbutted her opponent once more, grabbing the back of the dazed french girl’s hair before throwing a merciless punch straight into her groin. Constance howled, her eyes nearly bugging out as she doubled over and crumpled onto the mat.
Stomping down onto the back of Constance’s head, Alala then pushed her foot into the french fighter’s back. Reaching down and grabbing hold of each of her opponent’s wrists, the blonde grappler proceeded to pull back. Constance gritted her teeth as her spine bent and her shoulders stretched, kicking her legs to try and squirm free. Alala licked her lips as she finally felt in control of the match, and then twisted her heel before yanking on her opponent’s arms. Constance gasped as her back audibly cracked, trying not to scream as Alala’s foot ground into her suffering spine. After feeling her dominance asserted, the blonde grappler stepped back and hauled her opponent off the ground. Constance could do little more than struggle before she was locked into an abdominal stretch hold, and after a few moments of twisting, she screamed in agony as she felt muscles tear within her body.
“Beg for mercy,” snarled Alala, twisting her opponent further in the hold. “Beg!”
“FUCK YOU!” spat Constance, tears running from her eyes as her body began to give out under the strain.
Torturing more screams out of the french fighter, Alala continued the abdominal stretch until she felt her opponent grow silent and limp. Constance’s tearful eyes had rolled back and half-closed, as foamy spittle began to drip over her lower lip. Throwing Constance down as she released the hold, Alala planted a foot onto the back of her beaten foe’s head and raised her fists, while the unconscious french girl beneath her softly convulsed.
----
Trixie sat cross-legged, ignoring everything around her for a few long moments and only listening to the sound of her own light breathing. She was pleasantly surprised to find herself in the finals of the tournament, but saddened that Constance would not be the one to fight her. The sharp tingling in her back also reminded her that her opponent had one easy target to go for, and she would have to be ready to endure a brutal battle before the night was done.
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - ALALA
Stepping into the ring, Trixie gave a smile in response to her opponent’s glowering expression. Alala wasted no time closing distance with her, crouching slightly as she attempted to grab hold of the injured yoga girl.
With no room to retreat, Trixie moved through her opponent’s grapple attempt and clambered onto her back. Alala whipped from side to side, trying to get a solid grip on her opponent as Trixie’s arms and legs slid into position for a bodyscissor sleeperhold. The blonde grappler began to force Trixie’s locked legs apart, so the yoga girl quickly opened them and swivelled to re-close them around one of her opponent’s arms. Alala proceeded to pry open the arms around her head and neck. Trixie prepared to disengage, but realized that a hand had grabbed hold of one of her ankles. Just as she released the sleeperhold and wrapped herself around Alala’s other shoulder, Trixie began to realize that her opponent had been prepared for her unconventional and flexible grappling style. Alala grabbed a handful of Trixie’s mane of dirty blonde hair. Holding her opponent’s scalp and ankle, the blonde grappler snarled as she slowly overpowered Trixie’s lithe body. Alala forced her opponent off of her shoulders, swinging Trixie over her head and into a bodyslam position. Squirming and twisting as she kicked her legs wildly, Trixie almost slipped free before Alala threw her down into a backbreaker. Like a machine, the blonde grappler immediately lifted her opponent and dropped her over her other knee, repeating the maneuver one more time. The first two backbreakers forced gasps and grunts out of Trixie, but the third popped something in the injured girl’s back and caused her to scream.
Pressing down on Trixie’s chin and hips, Alala roared in satisfaction as her opponent’s arms and legs flailed desperately. Finally finding herself shoved onto the mat, Trixie lay quivering as she tried to find her center and will herself through the agonizing pain in her spine. She was denied any tranquility as Alala grabbed hold of her waistline and lifted her straight off the floor and into a belly to back suplex. Holding on tightly after the brutal impact, Alala twisted and threw Trixie into a flat-backed german suplex. The yoga girl was dead weight, her legs flopping as she was turned over once again. Alala slid her arms up, and then gave her opponent a full nelson suplex.
Once her vision finally stopped spinning, Trixie realized she was still in a full nelson hold as she was dragged to her feet. “MERCY, OR NO MERCY?” bellowed Alala, hearing an immediate and bloodthirsty roar from the crowd. Trixie heard it as well, feeling one more surge of adrenaline as she struggled to get free. The hold was locked in tight, however, even as Trixie was slowly lowered facedown onto the mat. Alala knelt down, seating herself on Trixie’s back as she applied a modified full-nelson came clutch. All of her flexibility and endurance was long spent, causing Trixie to let out a long scream as her spine and shoulders began to creak and pop. Her bare feet kicked helplessly against the canvas as her often-smiling face became awash in agony. Alala began yanking back, drinking in the sounds of her opponent’s broken will as she came close to giving the yoga girl a broken back. Trixie blacked out from the pain, violently spasming as her entire body went limp in her opponent’s dominating grasp. Alala let the yoga girl flop to the mat before stomping a foot onto the back of her head, standing atop her defeated foe as the champion of the evening’s event.
----
Trixie awoke to the sound of Constance's voice, hissing at her. "Piece of shit even smiles in her sleep."
Cradling her back as she sat up, Trixie asked, "Did I win?"
"You are a proud second-place loser," replied Constance, "and I am a proud semi-finalist loser. Fucking blonde wrestler mutant!" The angry french girl swang her arm and threw a chair across the room, and then muttered to herself as she reached to hold her still-aching abdomen.
"Third place, congrats!" Trixie grinned, wincing as she felt the cold floor of the tournament's medical facility beneath her feet. "Oh well, there's always next time."
"Fucking silver-lining shit," spat Constance, making a point of pushing past Trixie as the pair headed to the locker room. "I don't know why I don't put you out of my misery when you're out cold."
"The cosmic balance of yin and yang?" Trixie smiled broadly as Constance kicked a locker door. "C'mon, dinner's on me."
----------------
The heat was intense. Her body ached as it slowly stretched. She kept smiling as sweat poured over her. Her dirty blonde hair stuck to her, on her face and down her back. She felt pain, but forced herself to be strong as she told herself that she was her only opponent in the steamy room she exercised within.
"Good work, everyone."
Mercifully, the workout ended. She collected her mat and went to get changed.
----
"You've got to try and smile when it hurts," she said, a bit of sweat still on her brow. "It builds your spirit."
"Hard to smile when your face is beat in and your back's about to break," replied Constance, in her light french accent. "Trixie, that hot yoga is melting your brain."
"Opening it up, Constance," replied Trixie. "I feel ready. How about you?"
"Hoping I get you tonight, so I can open up your face with my fists," said Constance, in a deadpan.
Trixie laughed. "You're such a sparkle of sunshine. I'm still so proud that we got invited."
Constance snorted. "You would be proud if pig told you it had a shit."
"That didn't make any sense, Constance." Trixie looked at the french girl, confused.
"Not make any sense," muttered Constance, mostly to herself. "Look at you, and you talk about sense."
----
"Trixie Scott," said Trixie to the registration desk. "Combatant."
"Constance Dupont," said Constance, also checking in. "Combatant."
The two girls had arrived early, and the locker room was mostly empty as they got changed. The venue itself was an abandoned gymnasium, quickly transformed for the evening by the tournament organizers. It was dim and dingy, with yellowed bulbs spotlighting the raised fighting platform that served as a ring.
"This place is not what I expected," said Constance, as she pulled off her boots. "And by that I mean it is shit."
"They brought in good medical equipment, though," replied Trixie, as she also changed her clothes. "I even saw KadeTech back there."
"How nice, now I can be practically killed and wake up with a sore jaw," answered Constance with a dry venom. "Godless trash that encourages maniacs."
Constance Dupont was a fair-skinned french girl with slender-yet-strong features, and very heavy eyeshadow. Her hair was dyed black in a bob cut, as dark as her painted finger and toenails. She wore a black tank-top and matching bike shorts, and pulled on some black-and-white striped fingerless armsocks.
Trixie Scott wore her hot-yoga clothing as a combat outfit, which left most of her body bare. The small top and tassled briefs were a mixture of deep purple and maroon. She had a little bit of glitter around her lined eyes. Trixie looked like a stunning girl-next-door, her bright smile lighting up her slim features. She let her dirty blonde hair hang loose and wild.
"I am waiting by the ring," said Constance. "You will be doing your silly overheating ritual until it is time, yes?"
Trixie simply smiled at her, and then went into the showers. Turning on several faucets of hot water, she sat cross-legged on the tiled floor and let her body soak in steam and light sprays of water for nearly thirty minutes. Her toned figure glistened with perspiration, and would remain that way for some time. It helped her feel loose and free in the ring, and kept her mind somewhat calmed to the danger of the fight for at least the opening round.
----
"Welcome, to the 5th Annual Ryuuketsu Invitational Tournament!" Cheering, a large crowd had assembled to watch the action. "A hand for our brave competitors this evening!" The fighters sat on a set of bleachers that stood 10 feet off the ground, with a raised ramp that would lower to connect to the ring. "They are a healthy mix of skills, from proven veterans to courageous rookies. Each match tonight is no submission, no TKO...two fighters face each other until one can no longer continue!" After waiting for another cheer to die down, the announcer continued. "The first round will begin shortly. Place your bets!"
"Tres bien," muttered Constance. "Dangerous enough for you?"
"I'm not looking for danger," answered Trixie patiently. She sat in a lotus position next to the dark-haired french girl.
"Well, it has found you. I see many painful ways to die, seated with us in these bleachers." Constance scowled at the other fighters. "Ugly shits."
"You would be amazed," said Trixie with a light smile, "at the empowering feeling of positive visualization."
Constance made a mocking gesture with her hands. "You would be amazed at the crippling feeling of your back being broken."
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - TOMMY SOL
Trixie moved slowly and smoothly, her loose stance based somewhat on Aikido. She flipped her hair back and smiled as she watched her opponent, a taekwondo fighter named Tommy Sol. He wore black bike shorts and a blue bandana, which kept his long blonde hair back out of his eyes.
Tommy threw the first attack, a high kick that Trixie avoided by turning slightly and stepping forward. She pushed a palm up against her opponent's chin, and shoved forward. Tommy flipped over, hitting the mat hard and a little confused. Trixie was smiling at him as he stood, which only made him angry.
Dodging another high kick, Trixie reached to take Tommy down again. He rolled under her, springing up and connecting with a hard side kick to her flank. Trixie gasped, staggered by the hit long enough for Tommy to wind up and strike her face with a spinning heel. The blonde girl rolled across the mat, and her opponent ran after her to finish her off.
Raising one leg, Tommy drove down an axe kick. Trixie lifted her feet up, rolling over and catching Tommy's ankle between her legs. Their combined momentum twisted his leg and forced him to fall down. Keeping her legs tangled with her opponent's, Trixie continued rolling and applied an ankle lock as she did so. Tommy began to sit up, and then felt a pop as one of his feet suddenly felt as though it were on fire. He screamed, reaching for the dislocated joint. Trixie grabbed his wrist, standing up as she forced her opponent to turn over. In one motion, she stamped on the back of Tommy's head and popped his shoulder, before releasing his hand. Tommy's arm flopped to the mat, the combined pain and impact overwhelming his senses and knocking him out.
Trixie bent over, stretching her arms and back. Then, she righted herself and bounced on her heels, waving to the crowd with a warm smile before returning to her seat.
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - KISHI KOIZUMI
Kishi was a short-haired japanese girl in a pink-and-black spandex ensemble of shorts and a sportsbra. She looked intimidated as she hastily broke eye contact with Constance and looked at the floor for a moment. The french girl continued to look over her opponent with a hard gaze, sneering slightly as she raised her hands and bent her knees in a grappling stance.
Trading a few blows with Constance, Kishi took a punch to the jaw before sidestepping and striking the french girl twice in her flank. With a shout, Kishi tried to end the match prematurely with a hard spinning backfist. Constance wrapped the japanese girl's incoming arm over her shoulders, grabbing a leg and lifting her into the air. Turning with Kishi's momentum, Constance span once before dropping Kishi headfirst onto the mat.
Constance wasted no time, kicking Kishi square in the face as she began to get up. The japanese girl flipped over in place with a spray of spittle arcing out of her mouth. A hard stomp to her chest made her gag, and Kishi quickly raised her hands in surrender. She managed to whimper before Constance kicked her in the stomach and pulled her to her feet. Lifting the girl into the air by her waist, Constance turned around and then threw her onto the floor. Kishi once again hit the mat headfirst, and was nearly dead weight as her opponent lifted her up and executed one final belly-to-belly suplex.
Stepping over Kishi's unconscious body and glaring down, Constance pushed a foot against her a few times to see that she was out cold. The french girl lowered her arms, spitting on Kishi before leaving the ring.
----
"Looks like you're moving on," said Trixie.
Constance sat down before responding. "She only knew three moves, of course I am moving on."
DEVON PRICE - VERSUS - HOLLY BROCKLER
A bald african-american wrestler in a blue singlet awaited Holly as she got into the ring, wearing an orange tank-top and red briefs. The hawaiian fighter brushed back her curly hair and advanced immediately, attacking with a series of knee strikes and high kicks.
Trixie tilted her head, watching the match in a relaxed position. "I saw that girl at the Kumite last month. I like her attitude."
Constance sighed, shaking her head. "You always confuse attitude with prowess."
Wiping some blood from his mouth, Devon let Holly get up so he could recouperate. Still shaky from the suplex, Holly missed a spinning elbow strike and found herself being lifted off the mat by her waistline. Devon turned, slamming his opponent once again.
"Tell you what," said Trixie, "I'll bet you she wins."
"Really?" replied Constance.
Groggy and dazed, Holly was at Devon's mercy as he executed a textbook german suplex. The hawaiian girl's body was upside-down for several seconds after hitting the ground, until her opponent began to stand and take her with him into another suplex. Holly bounced once, and lay sprawled on her face as Devon moved in for the kill.
"You're serious," continued Constance. "Fine. Fifty dollars."
"I'm always serious," mused Trixie, smiling kindly.
There was a pause as Devon found his next suplex blocked when Holly locked her leg around his own. The hawaiian girl threw a hard right hook, forcing the wrestler to release his hold. Before he could retaliate, Devon took a knee square between his eyes. Holly kicked her opponent hard in the gut, catching her breath as he doubled over. With a loud cry, she leapt up and drove her elbow down into the back of his head. Devon fell to the mat, unconscious.
Trixie never turned to look at Constance, simply watching the ring with a grin as Holly celebrated her victory and Devon was dragged away. Eventually, she waved at the hawaiian girl as she returned to the bleachers. "Great job, Holly!"
"Uh...thanks," replied Holly, looking a little bit confused and a little bit grateful.
"Fuck you," muttered Constance.
"I'll see you in the next round," continued Trixie, cheerfully. "Let's have a good fight!"
"Yeah!" answered Holly, nodding as she continued on to her seat. "You too!...I guess."
Trixie turned back to the ring, ready to watch the next match.
"Fuck you," muttered Constance again.
----
BEAST MULDOON - VERSUS - BOBBY TAYLOR
A dreadlocked wild man in tattered khaki pants slapped his hairy chest and hooted loudly. His far-smaller opponent was a younger fighter dressed in blue MMA tights, brown-haired and fair-skinned compared to Muldoon's dark tan.
"Well, this will be predictable," scoffed Constance.
Bobby inched forward, and then threw a right hook that barely phased Muldoon. Two more punches connected before Muldoon roared back in response, causing Bobby to retreat.
"You tried to predict Holly's match," said Trixie.
Constance ground her teeth slightly. "You can't be on a first-name basis. You've known her for 10 fucking minutes."
Stepping forward, Bobby turned and slammed a kick into Muldoon's chest. The young fighter dove in after the blow connected, grabbing Muldoon and trying to take him to the ground. The dreadlocked man retaliated by grabbing hold of Bobby himself, lifting him off the floor, and slamming him headfirst into the mat. Bobby managed to roll over before Muldoon pulled him into the air, raising him overhead in a show of raw power. The young fighter cried out, fearfully surrending several times before he was thrown an impressive distance across the ring.
"Well?" asked Constance.
Bobby was barely conscious when Muldoon walked towards him. The dreadlocked fighter quickly yanked his opponent into the air again, dropping his back over one knee and finishing the boy off with a simple backbreaker. After an involuntary cry of agony, Bobby lay unmoving over Muldoon's knee until he was pushed aside.
"Well?" repeated Constance, a bit louder.
Trixie shrugged, her eyes closed as she smirked. "It was a fifty-fifty chance."
----
More fights came and went, and Constance ground her teeth. She glared at Trixie now and then, who sat in a lotus position next to her. "I am going as stiff as a cadaver," muttered Constance. "Punch me, will you? I may fall asleep."
Trixie took another deep breath, followed by another long exhalation. "It's pretty warm in here. Why don't you concentrate on that?"
"This humidity," replied Constance. "It is putting me off concentrating on how much I am sweating from just sitting here. Where is the fucking water cooler?"
BLAIR BUCHANAN - VERSUS - ALALA
Clad in a white toga-style leotard, the blonde grappler named Alala stood with her hands on her hips as her opponent arrived. Blair was a brown-haired street fighter wearing a grey hoodie and sweatpants. She rolled her sleeves up and smirked, bouncing lightly as she raised her fists.
Blair moved forward, connecting with two light jabs. That was all Alala took before she clapped her hands around Blair's head, boxing the girl's eardrums. Blair clutched at her ringing skull, stumbling around long enough for Alala to get in position to execute a high-angled belly-to-back suplex. Pulling her stunned opponent off the mat, Alala went on to deliver a relentless series of suplexes that left Blair's body bouncing off the ground every few seconds.
Constance sat back down with a cup of water. "She is just showing off to us. The bitch."
On her knees and barely conscious, Blair's head was kept upright by Alala's firm grip on her scalp. The blonde grappler called out to the crowd, "MERCY, OR NO MERCY?" After hearing the audience's roaring response, Alala slowly wrapped Blair up in a cobra clutch chokehold and began to violently wring the life from her. Then, she planted her feet and lifted Blair into the air, maintaining the chokehold until she dropped the girl headfirst into the ground with a crack. Blair's neck bent painfully before she came to a rest, facedown and barely breathing. Alala stamped a foot onto the back of Blair's head, pushing the beaten girl's face into the floor as she played to the crowd.
----
"Your sister's a fighter too? That's cool." Trixie nodded as she chatted with Holly Brockler.
Holly sighed. "Not really. She's a bit of a bitch, honestly." Holly glanced beside Trixie. "What's your friend doing?"
Constance lay splayed out on the bench, staring at the ceiling. "I am imagining myself dead, because it is more fun than either of you."
"Constance is a joy, for real." Trixie shrugged. "Oh hey, looks like the second round's beginning. Good luck, Holly!"
"Thanks." Holly smiled back, and headed for her seat.
After a pause, Trixie turned her head. "You ARE a joy." Constance replied with a raised middle finger.
----
HOLLY BROCKLER - VERSUS - BEAST MULDOON
"Oh Holly," said Trixie. "Kick some ass!"
Holly looked visibly shaken by Beast Muldoon's roaring as she stepped onto the mat. She shook her head, curly hair bouncing as she warmed up and circled the edge of the platform.
"I will bet you that she will do a fantastic job," said Constance, sneering.
As his opponent approached, Muldoon took a wild swing at her head. Holly ducked beneath the attack and jabbed Muldoon in the gut, quickly following up with a hook to his kidney. Muldoon swang the same arm in a backhand arc, once again only swishing through the air as Holly avoided his fist. She punched him twice more in the same spot, before turning and connecting with a powerful kick that made the dreadlocked man stagger one step to the side. As she closed in, Holly managed to gasp before a sudden lariat smashed into her face and flipped her over. Raising his arms, Muldoon smashed both fists down onto the hawaiian girl's back while she tried to stand, leaving her facedown and stunned. Leaping into the air, Muldoon executed an elbow drop. Holly rolled out of the way at the last second, hearing her opponent's elbow nearly cave in part of the mat behind her and audibly cursing as she scrambled to retreat.
Still stepping back, Holly looked on intensely as Muldoon roared and ran headfirst towards her. She leapt forward, aiming her body to the side of her opponent's path as she slammed one foot into his cheek. Muldoon kept running a few more steps, giving Holly time to step in and ram an elbow into his flank. Twice more she struck the dreadlocked fighter, before rearing back and sinking a hard knee strike into the beaten spot on his body. Muldoon gagged, clutching his side and falling to one knee. Diving onto her opponent's back, Holly began to lock in a chokehold. Muldoon reached up, grabbing hold of her head and throwing her over his shoulder before sinking back to one knee. Holly winced from the impact, taking a moment to get off the mat and push herself back towards Muldoon and throw a hard kick straight into the side of his head. Reeling back, Muldoon blinked a few times and then slammed a fist into Holly's stomach. The hawaiian girl doubled over and nearly coughed something up. She grit her teeth, her eyes showing her pain through the curly hair that hung over them, and shouted desperately as she kicked Muldoon's head again. She grabbed hold of a dreadlock and began beating her elbow into her opponent's skull.
"She's so fired up!" Trixie clapped. "Look at that!"
Driving a knee into Muldoon's forehead, Holly looked on in tired disbelief as he continued to simply teeter back and forth on one knee. She caught her breath as quickly as she could before circling around him and jumping onto his back once again. Holly applied a chokehold, and then wrapped her legs around her opponent's muscular body and locked her ankles. "COME ON!" she shouted, wrenching the hold as she flexed her thighs as hard as she could to squeeze the air out of Muldoon's body. "COME ON!!"
"Come on!" cheered Trixie.
Muldoon began to sink forward, pushing his palms down on the floor to keep himself off the ground despite the passenger that was wrapped onto his back. He began breathing louder, and then faster, before audibly huffing. Muldoon got louder, beginning to get up while Holly desperately tried to choke him out. The hawaiian girl looked wide-eyed and upset, shaking her head as her opponent found a second wind and got back to his feet. "No! No no no!!" Holly had put all her strength into the submission combination, and wanted it to end the match. "GO DOWN!!" she shouted, straight into Muldoon's ear as she clutched onto him.
"RAAAARGH!" Muldoon slowly pried her arms off of him, holding them wide open as he gripped onto her wrists. He began pulling up, while Holly's legs flexed to their limit to maintain the bodyscissor. Both fighters were screaming as they tried to out-power one another, until Holly finally screamed "NNNNO!!" before her legs came loose from around Muldoon's body. The dreadlocked fighter immediately pitched his opponent over his head, slamming her hard into the ground in front of him. He grabbed the back of Holly's head, controlling her as he made her stand up. "YOU GO DOWN!!" he bellowed right into her face, putting a look of fear on Holly's face before his lariat smashed through her defenses. Holly flipped sideways in place, landing on her head before messily crashing to the mat.
"A fantastic job," said Constance, watching Muldoon bellow to the heavens before reaching for his opponent's dazed form.
Holding his struggling opponent, Muldoon delivered a headbutt that sent a visible shockwave through Holly's body. The dreadlocked fighter lifted Holly off her feet, holding her waist as he turned and threw her back onto the ground. Stepping over her body, Muldoon grabbed the hawaiian girl by the throat and lifted her straight back to her feet. As she choked and beat at his hands, Muldoon went on to raise his arms up and strangle Holly as he held her in the air. Holly's eyes were wide as she gasped, kicking her legs and finding only the air. Muldoon began walking forward, and then tossed his opponent straight ahead and over the edge of the fighting platform. Holly cried out as she fell, and landed on the dirty gymnasium floor with a crack.
"Poor Holly," sighed Trixie. "Are there ring-outs?"
Muldoon pressed his panicked and protesting opponent overhead as the nearby members of the audience took pictures, before turning and throwing Holly back onto the platform.
"Not at all," answered Constance. "I had been wondering."
Tired and gasping as her curly hair plastered to her face and neck, Holly put up no fight as Muldoon moved her back to a wobbly standing position. She made a tired noise as she was scooped up, eyes fearful and resigned as she tried to prepare herself for defeat. Muldoon finished her with a backbreaker, hearing the hawaiian girl scream in pain as she lay over his knee. Grabbing her throat and thigh, the dreadlocked man slowly stood up and pressed her limp body overhead in victory. Holly was already beaten, a trophy for her opponent before her let her drop. She lay facedown on the mat behind him as he pumped his fist and roared.
"Poor Holly." Trixie looked down at her crossed legs, her mouth still quirked in a sobered smirk.
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - BREENA SINCLAIR
Impatience stoked a growing frustration in Constance as she continued to approach her retreating opponent. Breena Sinclair was a red-haired teenager wearing lime-green two-piece tights. She was also a cautious fighter, playing it safe and keeping her distance from Constance, only pausing to try and score a glancing hit before running away. Baring her teeth, Constance dashed forward and grabbed hold of Breena's upper body. As Constance wrestled with the girl, Breena threw a few desperate blows into her body. Constance lifted Breena off her feet, but the teen fighter clapped her hands over Constance's ears to stun the french girl. A chop to her eyes forced Constance to drop her opponent as she staggered back, clutching her head.
Getting up to see Constance still reeling, Breena flashed a grin before letting out a battle cry as she charged to drive a knee into her opponent. The cry was cut off as Constance lifted a foot and rammed it into the oncoming teen's face. Hissing a variety of unpleasantries in french, Constance stepped over Breena's stunned body before stomping down onto her head. Grabbing the back of Breena's neck along with one of her shoulders, Constance hauled her back to her feet. Breena's vision became less blurry just in time for her to wince as Constance spat in her face. One of her arms was locked, and as she raised the other, she felt a hand grab it firmly by the wrist.
"Little bitch shit," snarled Constance. Breena was shaken by the image of the angered french girl with the swelling cut under one eye, but the image was momentary before Constance gave her a vicious headbutt between the eyes. Breena felt both her arms get released, but barely managed to raise them before a hard kick to her groin left her breathlessly squeaking as she slowly doubled over and fell to her knees. A strand of spittle fell from the teen fighter's mouth as she shivered and tried to recover.
Muttering more french obscenities, Constance slid her arms around Breena's waist before flipping her over with a belly-to-belly suplex. Breena's body curled up after hitting the mat, but once she took a second suplex, she simply bounced once before sprawling out in a heap. Constance dug her fingers into Breena's scalp to pull her up to her feet, and span her around into a rear chokehold. Locking it in hard enough to force a few gags out of Breena's mouth, constance then arched her back and lifted Breena with her in a modified chokehold suplex. The teen fighter's neck bent slightly as her head hit the mat.
Rolling her opponent over onto her back, Constance sat down on Breena's chest and grabbed the girl's throat with one hand. Breena's eyes were shut, opening slightly with reflex as her throat was clenched. Constance reached a finger to touch her own face just beneath her eye, seeing blood as she drew her hand back. With an angry shout, she punched Breena's face once, totally knocking the girl out. Lowering her fist as she calmed down, Constance spat on Breena once more before angrily standing up and walking away.
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - MICKEY UNDERWOOD
Trixie took another punch as she tried to grapple with her opponent. Mickey Underwood's outfit of a tank-top and shorts made her easy to grab, but her hard boxing skills kept Trixie from doing anything. Two more jabs pushed Trixie back, and a spinning backfist forced a spray of sweat and spittle to fly from her face as she span and fell to the mat. Getting to her hands and knees, Trixie's mane of blonde hair hid her face as she looked over her shoulder. Mickey cracked her knuckles, grinning as she prepared to beat the fallen yoga girl bloody.
The boxer's eyes widened as she suddenly felt something lock around her ankles. Trixie's feet scissored around Mickey's, and a twist of her hips brought the surprised fighter down to the ground. Staying focused on her opponent's legs, Trixie wrapped herself around them and began to pull the captured limbs into a pretzel-like hold. Mickey struggled to sit up, pounding her fists into Trixie's feet and shins whenever she could find purchase, and falling backwards each time she threw a punch. Trixie endured, gritting her teeth as she shifted and twisted to trap Mickey's legs in a painful position. The boxer girl began to cry out, angrily and in pain, as she desperately tried to find a way to escape. Trixie homed in on one ankle, and simultaneously twisted it while hyper-extending its attached hamstring. Mickey's voice went up several octaves as something popped and a new kind of pain washed through her right leg. Trixie stood up, keeping a grip on Mickey's legs as she turned and fell back down to the mat. Mickey's left knee nearly dislocated as she screamed and slapped the mat, trying to end her suffering and surrender.
Trixie released the girl, and crawled up her body to scissor her legs around Mickey's head. The boxer was nearly delirious from the injuries in her legs and put up little resistance other than her constant writhing. Trixie sat on the girl's back, and then tightened her legs in a modified lotus position that quickly choked Mickey out. Smiling gently as she held out her hands in a meditative stance, Trixie maintained the cross-legged lotus headscissor hold until Mickey began shuddering limply beneath her.
----
"Fucking little show-off," said Constance, glaring at Trixie as the yoga girl returned to her seat and crossed her legs.
"C'mon," said Trixie, smiling as she closed her eyes and took some deep, relaxed breaths. After she found her centered state, she added, "I've been wanting to try that all week."
The next few matches passed by as Trixie continued breathing lightly in a lotus position, and Constance dabbed a towel at the cut under her eye.
"Would you spit on me if you beat me?" asked Trixie, breaking the silence between the two.
"What do you mean 'if' I beat you?" snapped Constance.
Trixie sighed with a lopsided grin. "It's just something you've been doing more often, lately. I can't tell if it's your temper or just your habit."
"Don't piss me off and it won't be your problem," muttered Constance.
"Thanks," said Trixie.
"Hey look, it's semi-finals time," said Constance, immediately changing the topic. "Fifty-fifty chance you get to find out if I decide to spit on you after I fuck you up."
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - BEAST MULDOON
Trixie stayed seated for a few moments, breathing calmly. Constance exclaimed, "Hah! Have fun joining your little friend Holly, getting broken by that oaf."
Standing up and walking towards the ring as Beast Muldoon stood waiting, roaring and pounding his chest, Trixie kept a small smirk on her face as she stepped onto the mat and limbered up. As the match began, she stayed loose and light on her feet while Muldoon came stomping towards her. Trixie had no trouble slipping under and around several lariat swipes as Muldoon tried to take her head off with his powerful arms. As his fist came towards her face once again, Trixie turned and pulled on Muldoon's arm, using his enormous momentum to throw him down onto the mat. Heading towards the downed Beast to keep him on the floor, Trixie was surprised to see the large fighter push himself off the canvas and into her body like a rocket. Tackling his opponent and pinning her down benath him, Muldoon began pounding on Trixie's body. The yoga girl squirmed and twisted, taking many heavy strikes before she managed to get her legs out from underneath Muldoon. Pushing her feet up against the dreadlocked fighter's chest, Trixie shoved him back and pushed herself away from him in one motion.
After both fighters got to their feet, Muldoon threw a heavy punch at his opponent. Trixie easily countered it, but as she began to take hold of Muldoon's arm, the large fighter suddenly closed distance and slammed his forehead into her face. Trixie was stunned, blinking rapidly until another headbutt caused her to fall to one knee. As the yoga girl tried to regain her sense, Muldoon scooped her off the mat and then pressed her body overhead. Then, he threw her across the ring, immediately charging towards her as soon as she hit the ground. Trixie managed to push herself off the floor before she was scooped up again, waving all of her limbs as Muldoon pressed her overhead once again. The Beast turned around, unphased by Trixie's struggling movements, and then threw her across the ring one more time. Trixie bounced once, loudly winded by the canvas as it smacked against her stomach, and rolled to a rest near the edge of the platform.
Grimacing as she held her stomach and flipped onto her back, Trixie's eyes widened before she suddenly rolled to one side, barely avoiding Muldoon's thundering stomp as it slammed into the canvas that once lay beneath her head. Scuttling along the mat, Trixie slid around her opponent's legs and sprang up behind him, hopping onto his back. She locked one of Muldoon's arms before twisting his shoulder, pounding on the joint as she applied the hold. The Beast shouted angrily, turning from side to side as he reached behind himself with his free hand to try and get ahold of his opponent. Finally, with a roar of pain, Muldoon swang his trapped arm along with his entire body and managed to throw Trixie down onto the floor. Grabbing his shoulder as a sharp needling sensation ran through it, he rammed his foot into Trixie's body as she got up, shoving her back several feet and sending her back to the canvas.
Seeing that her last attack had left an impression, Trixie scrambled to get back up and ran towards Muldoon. Kicking a leg up and over his injured shoulder, Trixie twisted as she leapt up and began to lock herself around his arm. As she turned through the air, Muldoon grabbed the back of her scalp and used her momentum to twirl her up into his grasp. Before she could come to terms with the world spinning around her, Trixie was driven down onto Muldoon's knee in a backbreaker. Grunting sharply before sliding down onto the mat, Trixie got to her hands and knees before Muldoon began clubbing her spine and forcing her to stay face-down on the ground. Once she stopped getting up, the large fighter grabbed Trixie's head and yanked her straight up into a standing position. Spinning her around, Muldoon then lifted the yoga girl onto his shoulders.
Once again snapped back to her senses by a painful sensation, Trixie screamed as her body was wrenched in an argentine backbreaker hold. Muldoon roared, twisting his opponent as he bent her across his powerful frame. Screaming again as her trained flexibility was pushed to its limits, Trixie's free arm and leg flailed in the air wildly. She clawed at the hand around her chin and wriggled, twisting her back even further and forcing herself to endure another layer of pain. Once she turned over far enough, Trixie hooked her free leg around the shoulder of the arm that pulled down on her other thigh. Then, forcing her chin free, Trixie slid down across Muldoon's back and threw an arm around his throat. Slithering herself into a pretzel position, Trixie locked in a chokehold with her arms and a leg scissor around Muldoon's shoulder. She arched her back, shrieking as she tightened both holds and pulled Muldoon's head and arm back as far as they could go. The Beast roared several times as he span left and right, slowly sinking to his knees. As Trixie gave one last shout of agonized effort, Muldoon slumped back and fell to the mat. Trixie was squashed beneath her opponent's weight as he lost consciousness, and lay still for several seconds before crawling out from underneath the fallen fighter. She shivered as she got up, cradling her back but grinning broadly as she raised her arms in victory.
Staggering back to her seat, Trixie sat heavily and began to painfully pull her legs into a lotus position. "Got him," she cooed, smirking and wincing at the same time.
"And he got you," retorted Constance. "Softened you up nicely for the finals match, too."
----
CONSTANCE DUPONT - VERSUS - ALALA
Neither fighter wasted time getting to the ring, glaring at one another with locked gazes that held even as they began to approach one another on the mat.
After another long stare, Alala and Constance launched into each other with a loud smack, grappling violently in the center of the ring. Alala pulled Constance into a headlock, but the french girl punched her in the flank and began to lift her off her feet. Twisting and turning around in mid-air, Alala got herself back onto the mat and continued to wrestle with her opponent. The blonde grappler snapped a headbutt into Constance's face, and managed to slip around her and suplex her. Constance grunted as she hit the canvas, and neither fighter was willing to let go of the other as they both got to their feet and continued to fight for dominance. Stamping on Alala's foot, Constance clapped her arms around the blonde girl's waist and lifted her to deliver a belly-to-belly suplex. Both fighters lay on the mat for a few moments before getting up at almost the same time.
Their palms smacking together loudly, the two combatants locked fingers and snarled as they engaged in a test of strength. Their arms flexed and toes dug into the canvas as they fought for dominance. Slowly, Constance began to push Alala back, slowly forcing the blonde grappler’s knees to bend. Alala’s eyes widened as her body shook, trying to overpower her opponent. After several seconds of standstill, Alala let her arms go slack. Constance leaned forward, but her hungry expression turned into one of stunned pain as her opponent used her momentum to deliver a skull-cracking headbutt. The blonde fighter headbutted her opponent once more, grabbing the back of the dazed french girl’s hair before throwing a merciless punch straight into her groin. Constance howled, her eyes nearly bugging out as she doubled over and crumpled onto the mat.
Stomping down onto the back of Constance’s head, Alala then pushed her foot into the french fighter’s back. Reaching down and grabbing hold of each of her opponent’s wrists, the blonde grappler proceeded to pull back. Constance gritted her teeth as her spine bent and her shoulders stretched, kicking her legs to try and squirm free. Alala licked her lips as she finally felt in control of the match, and then twisted her heel before yanking on her opponent’s arms. Constance gasped as her back audibly cracked, trying not to scream as Alala’s foot ground into her suffering spine. After feeling her dominance asserted, the blonde grappler stepped back and hauled her opponent off the ground. Constance could do little more than struggle before she was locked into an abdominal stretch hold, and after a few moments of twisting, she screamed in agony as she felt muscles tear within her body.
“Beg for mercy,” snarled Alala, twisting her opponent further in the hold. “Beg!”
“FUCK YOU!” spat Constance, tears running from her eyes as her body began to give out under the strain.
Torturing more screams out of the french fighter, Alala continued the abdominal stretch until she felt her opponent grow silent and limp. Constance’s tearful eyes had rolled back and half-closed, as foamy spittle began to drip over her lower lip. Throwing Constance down as she released the hold, Alala planted a foot onto the back of her beaten foe’s head and raised her fists, while the unconscious french girl beneath her softly convulsed.
----
Trixie sat cross-legged, ignoring everything around her for a few long moments and only listening to the sound of her own light breathing. She was pleasantly surprised to find herself in the finals of the tournament, but saddened that Constance would not be the one to fight her. The sharp tingling in her back also reminded her that her opponent had one easy target to go for, and she would have to be ready to endure a brutal battle before the night was done.
----
TRIXIE SCOTT - VERSUS - ALALA
Stepping into the ring, Trixie gave a smile in response to her opponent’s glowering expression. Alala wasted no time closing distance with her, crouching slightly as she attempted to grab hold of the injured yoga girl.
With no room to retreat, Trixie moved through her opponent’s grapple attempt and clambered onto her back. Alala whipped from side to side, trying to get a solid grip on her opponent as Trixie’s arms and legs slid into position for a bodyscissor sleeperhold. The blonde grappler began to force Trixie’s locked legs apart, so the yoga girl quickly opened them and swivelled to re-close them around one of her opponent’s arms. Alala proceeded to pry open the arms around her head and neck. Trixie prepared to disengage, but realized that a hand had grabbed hold of one of her ankles. Just as she released the sleeperhold and wrapped herself around Alala’s other shoulder, Trixie began to realize that her opponent had been prepared for her unconventional and flexible grappling style. Alala grabbed a handful of Trixie’s mane of dirty blonde hair. Holding her opponent’s scalp and ankle, the blonde grappler snarled as she slowly overpowered Trixie’s lithe body. Alala forced her opponent off of her shoulders, swinging Trixie over her head and into a bodyslam position. Squirming and twisting as she kicked her legs wildly, Trixie almost slipped free before Alala threw her down into a backbreaker. Like a machine, the blonde grappler immediately lifted her opponent and dropped her over her other knee, repeating the maneuver one more time. The first two backbreakers forced gasps and grunts out of Trixie, but the third popped something in the injured girl’s back and caused her to scream.
Pressing down on Trixie’s chin and hips, Alala roared in satisfaction as her opponent’s arms and legs flailed desperately. Finally finding herself shoved onto the mat, Trixie lay quivering as she tried to find her center and will herself through the agonizing pain in her spine. She was denied any tranquility as Alala grabbed hold of her waistline and lifted her straight off the floor and into a belly to back suplex. Holding on tightly after the brutal impact, Alala twisted and threw Trixie into a flat-backed german suplex. The yoga girl was dead weight, her legs flopping as she was turned over once again. Alala slid her arms up, and then gave her opponent a full nelson suplex.
Once her vision finally stopped spinning, Trixie realized she was still in a full nelson hold as she was dragged to her feet. “MERCY, OR NO MERCY?” bellowed Alala, hearing an immediate and bloodthirsty roar from the crowd. Trixie heard it as well, feeling one more surge of adrenaline as she struggled to get free. The hold was locked in tight, however, even as Trixie was slowly lowered facedown onto the mat. Alala knelt down, seating herself on Trixie’s back as she applied a modified full-nelson came clutch. All of her flexibility and endurance was long spent, causing Trixie to let out a long scream as her spine and shoulders began to creak and pop. Her bare feet kicked helplessly against the canvas as her often-smiling face became awash in agony. Alala began yanking back, drinking in the sounds of her opponent’s broken will as she came close to giving the yoga girl a broken back. Trixie blacked out from the pain, violently spasming as her entire body went limp in her opponent’s dominating grasp. Alala let the yoga girl flop to the mat before stomping a foot onto the back of her head, standing atop her defeated foe as the champion of the evening’s event.
----
Trixie awoke to the sound of Constance's voice, hissing at her. "Piece of shit even smiles in her sleep."
Cradling her back as she sat up, Trixie asked, "Did I win?"
"You are a proud second-place loser," replied Constance, "and I am a proud semi-finalist loser. Fucking blonde wrestler mutant!" The angry french girl swang her arm and threw a chair across the room, and then muttered to herself as she reached to hold her still-aching abdomen.
"Third place, congrats!" Trixie grinned, wincing as she felt the cold floor of the tournament's medical facility beneath her feet. "Oh well, there's always next time."
"Fucking silver-lining shit," spat Constance, making a point of pushing past Trixie as the pair headed to the locker room. "I don't know why I don't put you out of my misery when you're out cold."
"The cosmic balance of yin and yang?" Trixie smiled broadly as Constance kicked a locker door. "C'mon, dinner's on me."
