Summer Splash 2020: Entropy Title: Manami Kuroda(c) vs Hazumi Hazama: Submission Match

Harumi truthfully didn’t understand her opponent in the slightest. The woman’s thirst for power, her desire to prove her strength through bullying and mutilating her opponents, and the selfish way she carried herself. No respect for anyone, yet an ego so swelled with pride that Manami practically wore it alongside the belt she carried over her shoulder. All of this was clear to see, yet Manami clearly had some talent. It was not as if the Entropy belt was simply handed to her on a silver platter. She had to earn it somehow and whether that be through her fighting ability or her unique way of psyching out her opponent’s, it simply meant that Manami was a dangerous foe even without the knowledge of her previous bouts. Despite being disgusted with her, Harumi was expecting quite a bit from Manami.

So when the Wolf Mother had decided to move in to lock up with Harumi, the Judoka couldn’t help but click her tongue in annoyance. Despite claiming to know her fighting background, Manami had still thought rushing into a grabble was a smart opening move. Well, Harumi was happy to prove her wrong. The Hiza Guruma happened so quickly that most people were not completely sure what had happened. One moment, Manami was about to come down on her lesser known opponent and the next, The Wolf Mother was suddenly tossed over her prey and slamming hard into the canvas with a reverberating SMACK! In what seemed to be a single instant, Harumi had managed to acquire a valuable position in the fight in hardly any time at all! A fact the Judoka seemed aware of as her emerald gaze glared down at the trapped woman beneath her.

Already, Harumi was beginning to twist and pull back on her opponent's trapped arm, looking to inflict what damage she could and get an early advantage. She was well aware of how easy it would be simply to dislocate Manami’s shoulder and be done with the woman then and there...Harumi knew that she deserved it and maybe even worse! Not just for what she had done to Eka, but to all her opponents! To be broken down so early in the fight with her opponent leaving without so much as a scratch would be the ultimate execution for this woman.

But that was not Harumi’s preference. Foolish as it was, Harumi didn’t want to stoop down to Manami’s level. To break the girl simply because she had the opportunity to do so stood in the way of everything she had been taught. So, Harumi just continued to pull back on Manami’s arm. Making sure she never had any reprieve from the painful submission.

But Manami wasn’t giving up either~

Almost as soon as Harumi got Manami into position for the standing armbar, she felt the Wolf Mother’s limb tense up! Resisting the submission hold and even making it rather difficult to maintain. The ugly sneer Manami might have called a smile returned on her face as her arm slowly began to work its way downwards. Soon Manami managed to grab a hold of her own wrist, which greatly aided her limb’s descent. To the point where Harumi herself was beginning to have to adjust her position to keep pressure on the arm! Her grip was strong, but Manami’s arms were just a bit stronger! The Judoka had to constantly adjust herself to the point where she hadn’t realized just how far her upper body had begun to dip down. Just as Harumi realized what the Wolf was doing she had already fallen into her trap!

“Agh!”

Manami quickly pushed off the floor and sent a crescent kick upwards towards Harumi’s face! The blow managed to crack her across the jaw, earning a pained grunt from Harumi as she stumbled to the side and unintentionally let Manami go free! The feeling of Manami’s arm slipping through her fingers was almost as bad as the kick to the head, but Harumi’s priority was to try and get a bead on Manami! Wiping some blood off onto her sleeve, the Samurai's eyes scanned the ring! Hunting her opponent the same way Manami seemed to do with her. She didn’t trust leaving the Champion out of sight for even a split second! She knew all too well what usually happened when the champion’s opponents let her roam free...

Was that the undeniable air of shock that she was feeling beyond the confines of these ropes? Manami couldn’t see the sheep through the thin blinds of pain cast by this damn hold on her arm, but she could sense it out there. Someone was surprised by this. For all the raw negative energy that gave life to the opening seconds of this particular match, the brutal streak of the infamous champion remained at the forefront of everyone’s minds. They expected her to be the one making the strongest impression, to set the tone. But for every step the Wolf Mother took forward, the Silent Samurai pushed right back with equally great resolve. Her defiance struck louder than whatever chords of despair Manami could attempt to harmonize in such a short time.

AFW was home to many shining stars, but none seemed keener to shine tonight than Harumi Hazama. Whether it was for personal glory, monetary reward, or some higher purpose, no one could answer for sure. What was certain was that she was special. It was rare for a relative newcomer to have this level of initiative. Not anyone in recent memory, at the least. Not since...well, Manami Kuroda.

Perhaps it was fitting that the wolf found herself in this position, then. Manami just found it annoying. Tiring, even. It was hardly the first time she’d had her arm seized in such a manner. Even if Harumi had placed some violent, vengeful torque into this particular technique, it was a far cry from the pain she preferred to inflict. The kind that she’d nurtured by hand.

Harumi was a strong woman, yes, but strength had its limits. The exact kind that Manami excelled in breaking. Inch by inch, she wormed the warrior closer, using that stubborn resolve against her until just the right moment when everything connected. The kick landed flush and with all the satisfaction Manami could have hoped for. From the ground, Manami took only a second to watch her stumble away. There was that playful smile on the corner of her lips again. Her mark was stunned. Now she had to get closer.

The instant her arm came free, Manami put it to work getting back on the attack. While flat on her back, the Wolf Girl threw her legs back over her head into a backward roll. At the peak of her motion she pushed off the floor into a handstand, shooting her legs out to lock around the samurai girl’s neck. If she could secure a strong hold, in the next moment Harumi would find herself being yanked forward and thrown headfirst toward the ground from a sudden hurricanrana.

The sudden blow to the jaw was more shocking than painful. Truthfully, most of Harumi’s research into Manami was how the Wolf Mother reacted and strategized in a dominant position of a fight rather than when she was in a tight position. There was simply more material to study of the former than the latter, but that was still no excuse for falling for an easily avoidable counter. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, and already the Judoka was thinking how she could have easily punished Manami had she been paying more attention. Still, it felt as though she at least was making some headway. Manami’s arrogance was a weapon she could use to put the Wolf into some painful situations. And Harumi never fell for the same trick twice!

Harumi quickly found her escaped opponent not far from where she left her. The Samurai had expected Manami to fall back or retreat even just a little. But Manami had not moved an inch. She didn’t roll away, or scooch back, but actually sat and watched Harumi with a thin smile on her lips. Manami still didn’t think of Harumi as a threat, so there was no need to retreat. Even after enduring a rocky start, Manami was still comfortable with observing her prey. It was telling to see that she did not strike when her foe was stunned. No…

Manami was waiting for Harumi to see it coming!

The very second Harumi had begun to move her head back to search for Manami was the moment she sprung into action! In one swift, fluid movement, the champion seemed to be prepared to kip up back onto her feet. A reasonable assumption, given her history. But rather than that, she instead fired off into a sort of makeshift handstand with her legs wrapping around Harumi's neck! The shock and surprise of the attack was enough to make Harumi blink in confusion for a split second before her hands instinctually went to grab ahold of Manami’s ankles! The Samurai quickly attempted to ground herself by moving her legs apart and lowering her center of balance! Her grip around Manami’s leg helped her tug at the Champion's hold for a split second before she felt Manami’s strength uprooting the Judoka from her position!

It wasn’t the first time Harumi had been thrown. Usually it was a shoulder toss or some other sort of counter, but the Hurricanrana wasn’t like either of those. It felt like she was being thrown a lot higher than those other attacks, and the move was just a bit slower to execute, but the impact more than made up for those. Everything moved so quickly, Harumi’s eyes couldn’t register anything but the green of Manami’s costume! It made hitting the canvas not only painful, but shocking as well!

“Gah!”

A sharp, stabbing pain exploded in between the Samurai’s shoulders and crawled its way up her neck to the base of her skull! The pain was intense right out the gate, With Harumi maliciously guessing that Manami had originally intended to drive her skull into the canvas rather than her upper body! The only reason she hadn’t succeeded was due to Harumi shifting her balance, upsetting what was likely supposed to be the original arc of the Hurricanrana. Had the Wolf succeeded not only would Harumi have been practically done in, but the chances of Harumi suffering a serious injury were insurmountably high! Even if that wasn’t the case, Harumi had even more desire to put Manami down then before!

“Get...Off!”

The muscles in her back and shoulder stung with the impact, and they viciously protested being strained so soon. But it was either that, or remain in the Wolf's jaws. Against those two options, the pain was well worth the reward. Struggling with Manami’s legs, Harumi barely managed to pry her opponent's limbs apart long enough to flee! She growled with effort before squeezing her head through the gap, her temples feeling the solid, crushing force of her opponents legs! With one final tug, she found herself free, and quickly retreated to what she thought was a safe distance by rolling away! Already a small, sharp cramp was beginning to bug Harumi’s right shoulder! The best she could do to sooth it after coming to a stop was roll it a few times, leaving a few seconds for each fighter to recover.

“Looks like your aim was off. Perhaps you aren’t as efficient as you claim to be, Manami?”

The Samurai’s tone was cool, collected. She was playing it off as though the Hurricanrana had not shaken her at all, but merely inconveniencing her! Mistress Paige had taught her the value of deception in her first match long ago, and that even having a mental edge could be enough to turn a battle in your favor. Despite her shoulders screaming, her stoic face actually bent into a soft smile, trying to add some taunting pride into the deception.

“Hardly the bite I’d expect from a wolf.”

The beauty in watching the Wolf Mother dance was in how effortless she made it all appear to be. The sheer glee she could derive from rending another body limb from limb played no small part in that. The primal energy was infectious to the weakest of hearts and that spoke for itself in the rallying cries that echoed around her. Harumi was in the wolf's den now. Naturally, she was going to get torn apart. Of course, battle was never that simple was it?

No, Manami understood that better than she would have some years ago. As much as it pained her to admit, Harumi had some talent. She held her ground better than most that found themselves between their crosshairs. Her stance was impeccably solid, her approach methodical, and quick on exploiting openings. She plied her trade exceptionally well.

A frontal assault was never going to work at this stage. The champion had to whittle her prey down before attempting anything fatal. That necessitated a bit of creativity on her part.

Never thought she would take something out of that damn Doll's playbook. A rana was not something the crowd expected to see tonight from either competitor if the sudden chorus around them were any indication. But the Wolf Girl hadn't simply spent her time brooding from atop her lofty position. She was observant, and most importantly, adaptable. There was plenty to look forward to, for both them and Harumi.

Manami expected a harsher impact given the speed and the angle at which the Silent Samurai was heading for the ground. The hurricanrana was a fairly familiar sight in professional wrestling and hardly liable for many injuries over its lifetime, but in the hands of the Wolf Girl it could unleash its true potential. Manami was looking forward to demonstrating that fact for everyone here, but when she felt the a sudden dampening where Harumi’s skull should have been, that hint of surprise upon the champion’s face quickly faded into a bemused smile.

Oh well, crushing her head into paste would have to do. The Wolf Girl managed to get a few strong pumps, pulsing her steel thighs around the judoka’s head before the worm managed to wiggle free. Just as quickly as Harumi rolled away, Manami rolled forward and popped onto her feet, turning around to face her adversary. Her smiling adversary. Well, now. Manami expected that stoic mask to stay a little longer. Of course, it was forced. For all the time Manami had spent drifting in the shadows of underground leagues, knowing a fake smile became second to knowing who to fight. Harumi didn’t want to show weakness. An important trait for any warrior, but physical wounds were easy to conceal.

“Really now? Eka didn’t seem to think so.” Manami chuckled to herself as she began slow and easy steps to the recovering judo girl, gathering a few refreshing breaths of her own. “You actually think of this as a real fight. All for some vapid wench whose lack of talent is only exceeded by her cross-eyed obliviousness to her own idiocy. It would be rather endearing in hindsight if the sight of you two didn’t make my heart sink with pity.”

“Perhaps some insects merely exist to be crushed.” Manami lunged forward, drawing her leg back as she went to swing a soccer kick straight to Harumi’s chest. It was a clear, obvious maneuver, and that was the very point. If Harumi’s hands went to intercept it, it would keep her head clear. In that moment, Manami would jump up and kick her other leg into the air, bringing it down hard as she fell with the weight of a blade down towards the Samurai’s head with an axe kick from on high.

The corners of Harumi’s lips stayed curved in an ever so faint smile. A small act of defiance towards Manami and her sadistic tendencies. A bluff was only so good so long as you could maintain it, and showing even the slightest bit of defiance grabbed Manami’s attention better than even a strike to the face could. Going through her past matches, Harumi noticed that the champion absolutely adored crushing her foes when they gave her even the slightest bit of resistance. But curiously, Manami almost seemed to get rougher the more enraged she made her opponents. Broken bones, clawed faces, all of her worst executions came from those that openly and aggressively opposed her. Manami seemed to have a domineering personality with a bit of a superiority complex, and she was eerily intelligent despite the brutal methods she used. While it was all such a hypothesis, it made the Judoka wonder what exactly were the tactics that the Champion used. Specifically, if she was intentionally playing mind games to enrage and entrap her opponents. It had already worked on Harumi. She accepted the fight with the champion despite being realistically outclassed because of what she did to Eka. Because of her anger.

Already, the wolf’s comment added another spark to the flame in Harumi’s stomach! But she had long grown adept at wearing her expression like a mask. There was no sense in giving Manami the pleasure of a reaction. Especially when Harumi was banking on her talking a bit longer, earning them both some recovery time. No matter how short. The Wolf seemed to love the sound of her own voice more than tormenting others, something the Judoka had figured she could use ever since she had met her in person. Part of the thrill was the hunt, right? A drawn out fight, turning a proud warrior into a squealing welp...without that prospect, there isn’t much to entertain Manami. Of course she would play along.

“You hold very interesting views, Manami Kuroda. I would never have thought that someone with your ego would stand wasting her time challenging an opponent she thought of as a bug. Perhaps your near wins with Valley and the others have shaken your resolve more than you think?”

Manami was getting closer. She was moving in slow, trying to build up the pressure, increasing the panic in her opponent. Even that fanged smile was like a dagger in the hands of a maniac. A deadly promise to anyone foolish enough to get close. Still, her opponent's slow pace gave the Judoka enough time to get back on her feet and wipe a small bead of sweat from her brow.

“Although I never thought I’d find myself agreeing with you, Manami Kuroda. This isn’t a fight! A fight is between two combatants...and you’re little more than a thug with a belt. In my book, that makes Eka a much stronger opponent then you will ever be.”

It seemed Manami was through talking for the moment. Instead refocusing her efforts on crushing her foe once again as she lunged forwards towards Harumi. The teal warriors arms instantly went on the defensive, unsure exactly how the champion planned on capitalizing her previous attack. It was surprising to see that after all that bluster, Manami was just going to throw a simple kick! The Wolf’s speed was still impressive, even with an obvious kick like that. Still, Manami should know something like that wasn’t effective enough to stop her opponent. Did she really think so little of Harumi? Or was that kick just an opener for something else?

Honestly with Manami, it could have been either answer.

But Harumi wasn’t going to just stand there and be kicked! Watching Manami carefully, Harumi stepped into the arch of the kick, looking to wrap her arm around the champion’s thigh in a swift, fluid motion! Harumi’s intent was to sweep Manami’s supporting leg and throw her to the floor. A Osoto Gari counter. But just as she was about to perform the sweep, Manami’s leg jumped off the floor! Swinging around, it looked like the Wolf had planned on sending another blow to her head. While her target was much closer than before, that didn’t stop the champion from sending a knee toward Harumi's face! With her free arm, Harumi brought up a quick defense that hardly stood up to the thunder strike of a knee that crashed into her arm and head. With the Champion’s weight suddenly dropping to the floor, the Judoka grit her teeth and made an attempt to grasp the Wolf’s other foot while maintaining her hold over her thigh! If she managed to grp her target, she would have at least a modicum of control over the Wolf! Control that she would use to flip the grounded wolf over onto her stomach and apply yet another submission, this one a simple Boston crab!

Manami did not enter this fight intending to destroy Harumi's career. It would have been pointless. They had met only once and she could already tell the judoka would be too stubborn for that. Her precious 'acquaintance' Eka had no reason being in AFW, but that was a reality she could alter with her own two hands. That woman was weak, malleable, riddled with self-doubt beneath that flowey demeanor. Harumi was nothing like that. She was focused, methodical, robust, and curiously determined even upon friendlier terms. No matter how badly she was beaten and broken tonight, there was nothing that was going to disuade her from the path she sought for herself. Manami knew that look in her eyes. She had seen it in herself many times before. There was no bone she could break that could make Harumi give up on herself. It just wasn't going to happen.

But she was sincerely obligated to try the more she heard the "Silent" Samurai speak.

The smile on her face slowly faded. A blank stare bore into the stoic girl's visage oozing faux confidence. It wasn't so much what was being said as it was the tone that Harumi chose to accompany it. So sure of herself, so above it all. That self-righteous attitude stained with arrogant defiance. Manami bared her teeth as she approached. She felt like throwing up. As if this dirt beneath her heel knew the first thing about her. Harumi was content to dig them back up and her grave alongside them. So be it.

"And that's why you'll fail right along with that stupid cu-!" When her leg came up, the Wolf Girl had to choke back a slight gasp of surprise seeing Harumi suddenly seize the initiative. Her knee was there to make up for what her feint failed to achieve, finding shallow purchase so close to the jaw if not for the arm in the way. That was fine. The real attack would be coming right now as she leapt up and swung her other leg high to-

Crash. Manami felt the crash before anything else. It happened so quick, so suddenly that she was half-convinced she'd tripped over herself. The stinging pain in her back told her otherwise. Harumi hsd slammed her. The rat actually managed a counter and was quickly fumbling her way into a submission move against her. Her. The champion clicked her tongue.

This is what I get for indulging my curiosity.

Manami didn't have to see Harumi to know what she was going for. It was a smart idea; taking the wolf's legs away from her while wearing her down at the same time. A respectable strategy, but not one that a champion would just allow to happen.

The second she was flipped onto her stomach, Manami planted her hands to the floor and moved to twist herself again onto her back. She pulled her legs back in the circular motion in an attempt to slip at least one of them free from the judo girl's grasp. If she succeded in that, Manami would curl that leg close before shooting a swift kick to Harumi's lower back, seeing as she was so keen to make it such a presentable target. It would br far from a damaging strike, but that wasn't what she was after in this instance. She needed space and plenty of it before this trash got better ideas.

Manami was starting to become easier to read.

Harumi’s stoic mask instantly fell back onto her face the minute she made her lunge towards the Wolf Mother! Her eyes were watching Manami’s body rather than her face, looking for any countermeasures the champion might have for her. But even before she wrapped her arm around Manami’s thigh, Harumi had seen the small look of shock flash in those ugly eyes of hers. Perhaps the champion didn’t think Harumi was capable of the counter, or maybe her own irritation clouded her judgement. It really didn’t matter, though. What mattered was Manami’s not-so-graceful slam to the floor! Even the audience seemed surprised, as the numerous Wolf fans stopped their cheering just at the point of impact! Leaving the reverberating impact to echo out almost entirely unimpeded. Only a few voices dared to speak during the sudden impact!

Harumi had achieved her goal in maintaining her grasp around Manami’s legs. Even the muscles in the Champion’s legs feel extravagant and strong. Maintaining a hold on them was difficult, but not quite a challenge. That title belonged to the task of keeping Manami down! As soon as Harumi flipped around and carried Manami with her, the woman and green immediately began to push off the floor! More accurately, Manami was pushing off and attempting to counter Harumi’s submission even before the Judoka had flipped around! A troublesome observation, but one that did not distract her from her attempts to hold onto her quarry. Manami was putting up a valiant struggle! One that Harumi was quickly beginning to succumb to!

Suddenly, Harumi felt Manami’s boot slip through her fingers! The second the green boot went past the Judoka’s legs, it immediately returned in the form of a kick! Harumi felt the impact in her lower back, but it had more effect in forcing her off the champion rather than harming her. The blow was enough to earn Manami her other leg and cause the Judoka to stumble away, but the Judoka continued to stumble far past what she was reasonably expected to.

What was once a stumble turned into a sprint! As Harumi ran, she rebounded off the ropes and returned to Manami faster than before! It seemed the martial artist had little interest in giving Manami any breathing room! Or time to think!

Should Manami have found her footing, then Harumi had planned on making her regret it! A palm strike was pulled back, ready to launch like an arrow right for Manami’s abdomen in an attempt to rob the woman of her air! The Judoka wanted to strip away Manami’s ability to think! To attack her faster then she could predict! To rob her of her deceitful plans and tricks! All while subtly punishing her for her actions and words against Eka with a deceptively cold and tactical state of mind!

Were her impressions off?

To be certain, Manami came into this entire arrangement fully intending to stoke the samurai's ire. It worked halfway, forcing her into a match she couldn't possibly be prepared for. But this time it felt different somehow. The anger exuding from that stoic demeanor seemed to have a direction, an arrow with its own will. Focused and controlled, rather than restrained. Had Manami felt something like this before? What did that mean, exactly?

Thoughts for another time, a time when her leg was free and it was samurai begging for a freedom that she knew would never come. Could Manami defeat Harumi with only one leg? It was a solid "maybe", which Manami wasn't entirely comfortable with admitting. The frustration on her brow spoke for itself. This was fsr and away the quickest Manami had become annoyed by someone between these ring ropes. Giving Harumi an advantage this early was bound to spell problems for the champion later.

Mananami chambered her leg back and kicked hard to the Judo Girl's lower back with an audible smack of flesh and leather. The wolf was quick to stand as she watched the woman stumble farther and farther away. For a second Manami believed she'd simply caught her adversary on bad footing. That all changed the instant she saw Harumi break into a sprint and rebound off the ropes straight back at her. Manami's gaze narrowed with a slight hint of surprise beneath the focus. Her movements were fasst. It was almost too fast to react.

Almost.

"Pathetic!" Manami grabbed the judoka's wrist tightly, bracing her feet as she felt herself shift backward ever so slightly from the force stopped only an inch from impact with her chest. One hand reached higher to grasp the underside of Harumi's upper arm as Manami turned on the spot, leading with one foot and summoning her strength to throw the Judo Girl over her shoulder. Her intent was to dump Harumi flat on her fat ass and facing out toward the crowd. Maybe she could read the look on their faces and see what was coming next, as the Wolf Girl drew her leg back and would deliver a roundhouse kick to the back of her head.

She could appreciate that the martial artist was finally showing her fangs. Unfortunately for her, that meant the opportunity to forfeit had long since passed. Only one of them would leave the ring tonight and it wouldn't be of their own power.

The palm strike Harumi threw at Manami had everything behind it! Her speed and momentum was at its peak, the shift in her body helped her use all the proper muscles to intensify the impact of the blow, and she had the element of surprise on her side! It was a blow that likely would have given Harumi a great advantage and maybe even swung the match securely into her own favor! The Judoka’s focus was as sharp as a razor! Everything but her target blurred away as she threw her palm directly at Manami’s solar plexus with the intent of shattering any defense the woman’s muscles could conjure up!

The impact Harumi felt up her arm was fierce, but not the one she was expecting! For all the speed Harumi had and the strength she put into the blow, Manami’s metaphorical jaws would suddenly pop out and clasp themselves around the Samurai’s wrist! Instantly, the wolf’s squeezing hands sent a quick jolt of pain up Harumi’s arm, but still the Samurai pushed on, intent on sinking her blade into the creature with her precise and cold thrust! Manami’s grip held true, but the sheer momentum of her foe caused the two’s collision to create a rippling impact on the canvas! When Harumi was forced to stop, she thought she might have gotten the wolf, her hand a bit numb from Manami’s grip. But with a glance, she quickly realized her attack had been stopped just shy of the target! Once again, the two found themselves eerily close to each other. To the point where Harumi could actually smell her opponents breath. The Samurai’s emerald orbs narrowed in frustration, baring her fangs in a sneer as she swung her free arm around to try and get at Manami’s unprotected face!

But Manami was quicker. The Champion totally disregarded Harumi’s attempt, instead moving her hand further up the Judoka’s trapped arm while yanking her in a sudden show of force! Harumi didn’t even get halfway through her second swing before she was being tossed over Manami’s shoulder like a total novice! The Wolf Mother didn’t bother holding back, and the canvas of the ring was nowhere near as soft a landing as the mats used in most dojo’s.

“Argh!”

The paint yelp was almost drowned out by the sound of the impact! Harumi didn’t so much fall on her ass, as she was thrown hard enough that her body managed to bounce into the proper position for what Manami had planned next! The martial artist didn’t even get a chance to prepare, only seeing Manami’s shadow make a sudden move across her own before a heavy impact threw her entire body forward!

“Oof!

A dull throbbing feeling was rampaging inside the martial artist’s head. Sparks and stars  clouded her eyesight as her entire body refused to respond! At least, not in the way she was used to. Everything felt slow and sluggish. The most she could feel was her fingers twitching and her legs slowly shifting about before finally slumping over to the right.

Damn it! She got me! I didn’t think she could move that fast!

Despite not being able to see, Harumi knew she was in a bad spot. She couldn’t just lay there and wait for Manami to make her move, so she was going to have to move! Her arms slowly pushed against what felt to be the nearest hard surface, trying to sit herself back up and she began to breathe through clenched teeth!

That made her feel quite a lot better.

Harumi was quickly proving herself time and time again to be one of the many thorns in her side that this league of pretenders was just so keen to jab into her at every turn. She couldn’t simply lay down and die with the rest of them. Heroic ideals and an imagined sense of valiance guided their actions. As if they hadn’t simply come to this arena for easy pay with minimal effort. None of them were true predators. Nobody had what it would take to destroy what stood against them.

Harumi had that ambition inside of her. Manami could see it from the faintest glance she’d stolen between the girl’s eyes when she first saw her, blazing with unquenchable flame in the form of focused steel. The wolf considered herself fortunate to have even the smallest sample of her true fury. She was curious to see her perform as she truly was; without those restraints on her mind and half-tinged with the blood of battle. She had the funniest feeling that she wouldn’t be disappointed in the results. And neither would Harumi.

Unlike now.

There was nothing but contempt in Manami’s eyes for the samurai to stare and drown within as they closed tight against one another for the briefest instant. The Wolf Girl sniffed the air between them. She smelled of mizuhara oak and fresh lilies. Her face flushed with a renewed aggravation, Manami braced her feet and doubled into the effort, feeling Harumi's lithe body flying through the air and slamming down obediently before her. The back of her head exposed, helpless, and tender. A perfect target. Manami took only a single step back, leaning into the weight of her rear leg before suddenly flashing forward and shooting it out with the ferocity of a whip.

The crack that followed stifled a few rallies of support that were starting to build around them. That was right. Fall silent. As little as she cared for prestige and a pretentious font above her name, Manami was the champion. Her actions were only as strong as the audience believed them to be. Hope in another was dissent against her. She couldn’t have that. And Harumi’s limp body falling to one side was just the sight she needed. Her hand came to her hip as she stood tall behind the pathetic judoka. Pondering her options for the briefest moment she had.

“Here…” Manami reached out and grabbed for the Judo Girl’s wrist, linking her fingers with a tender touch around each one. She raised them with care from the floor to either side of Harumi’s head. “Let me help you.”

Suddenly, Harumi would find her arms crossing over each other. As if tying a knot, Manami looped one arm over the other beneath Harumi's chin before pulling back with a sharp and relentless tug. The Judo Girl’s own arms would dig into her neck, cutting off the airflow with a quick and efficient straight jacket choke from behind. The champion’s knee dug into Harumi’s back, keeping her upright as Manami paid her retribution in full to this oh-so-promising newcomer with dreams of more.