Haruka Date vs. Valley Doll - Back in the Saddle

Valley dropped into a runner's stance the moment she let go of Haruka's wrist and sent her flying with the Irish Whip. Sure enough, she turned at the last moment and let her spine take the brunt of the damage, slumping down and presenting the perfect target for Valley's next move. Haruka looked like she wasn't on the planet currently, but then, she'd looked about the same during the entire match. Risky, dangerous, but if she could hit, a gauranteed clincher. She had no choice.

Valley broke into a full sprint and dashed across the ring, turning into a furious blur of white, pink, and gold as she stormed towards the corner. She steeled herself, planted her feet down hard, and jumped up at the exact last moment, leaving the canvas and letting momentum take her the rest of the way. All Valley did was spin around in mid-air, trying to slam her back into Haruka's chest and sandwich her against the turnbuckle.

Haruka knew a thousand ways to deal with a punch or a kick. Duck it, side step it, move back, or Haruka's personal favor, move it to the side and hit her opponent with a quick counter. Every muscle in her body contracted and was ready for action as she saw Valley barrel towards her, prepared to avoid the attack and return the pain tenfold. But Valley didn't play along and Haruka's muscle memory failed her- Haruka felt the brunt of Valley's full body rudely acquainting Haruka's back with the turnbuckle once again.

She shot her arms up in defense but Valley's momentum was too much. Haruka yelped with pain was made into a purple-haired sandwich. She found the meal less than satisfying and slumped down into a sitting position, resting against the turnbuckle. The Japanese woman begged her body to go into action to try and get up and get going, but for the time being the pain in her back was too much.

As powerful as the move was, there was a certain fear factor to it. When she leaped into the air and swiveled her body around, presenting her back to Haruka, there were a dozen things that could go wrong. Haruka could move. She could bring her knees up. She could shoot her leg out. A dozen ways to turn the situation to her advantage, a dozen ways to make Valley regret even attempting it.

Fortunately, Palaestra, the goddess of wrestling, was on her side today. The move worked beautifully. Even better than Valley had planned, really. Haruka was down and reeling, looking ready for any move that she could think of, and she had just the right one in mind, too.

She reached down and lifted Haruka back up to her feet, grunting along with the effort. When she was high enough, Valley tried to pull her into a reverse headlock - nice and simple, not much to start with, but a good setup for better things.

Haruka clutched at Valley trying to jostle her way out of the headlock. The purple haired woman twisted and turned and tried to wiggle her way out of the headlock. She had been dragged up to her feet and offered no resistance. Well the resistance was beginning to foment into something fairly mighty now- Haruka thrashed against her opponent for all she was worth.

Haruka could smell Valley being pulled against her. The unmistakable scent of effort filled her nostrils. The taste of victory which was once on the tip of her tongue was beginning to fade ever so slightly. Her eyes were downcast focusing on Valley's soft skin, seeking any way out of this mess.

The Silent Phoenix needed a burst of energy to help her fly away now. And if that failed, all she could do was brace for impact.

Valley wanted to hit Haruka was a DDT, then get her into a Bow and Arrow hold for the submission. That was the plan, anyway, and on paper it was a damn good one. Focusing on the back, exacerbating the injury, pushing her right to the limit with a solid hold. It should've worked. It could have worked. The only problem was that Haruka refused to sit still for it.

Valley tried to ride down the thrashing, but it just proved too much. She had to let go, had no other choice, and she did it by pushing her away with a sudden jolt, letting her go like the crazed livewire she was.

Getting dominance over Haruka was hard enough, and Valley planned to get it back, immediately - only a scant second passed before she surged back towards Haruka with her arm outstretched, trying to knock her flat with a clothesline.

Haruka was a bit surprised that her uncoordinated thrashing worked even if her face didn't register it. Valley discharged her with a quick push and Haruka was happy to get that little distance between them. She quickly took up her stance. Her opponent was still on the move and Haruka had to be as well.

Valley lurched forward with an arm out and fire in her eye. Haruka was ready for something. Maybe not that but something. She quickly ducked under Valley's strong arm and with a spin tried to knock Valley off her feet with a spin. The counter was quick and well rehearsed- the clothesline was a staple in a lot of women's repertoires and Haruka knew how to get around it.

Valley bolted towards Haruka at top speed, trying to close in before she had the chance to recuperate and reign in her senses, but that might have been a fruitless effort from the start. Haruka Date was not a woman who was easily caught off her guard, it seemed. Years of wrestling and wrestling training shone through.

Everything happened so fast that Valley wasn't 100% exactly what brought her down, but it hardly mattered - Haruka's counter hit her hard in the back and sent her down to her knees, and getting a step-by-step replay wasn't going to change that harsh fact. The only thing Valley could do was to try and roll forward, increase the distance between them before her position could be abused.

The strobic bundle of purple hair and austerity managed to bring Valley to her knees. Haruka was ready to pounce on her but was denied that opportunity. The blonde woman managed a quick roll away and gained some distance between them in a hurry. That stoic look on Haruka's face was beginning to crack around the edges. Her lips sagged into a frown and she could not hide the fatigue in her eyes. She had gotten lots of hits in, sure, but she had a nagging feeling this match was slowly moving out of her grasp just like the rolling blonde woman.

She did her best to shake off her doubts and advanced slowly. There was no rush and the crowd was still cheering from the counter. And Valley seemed battle hardened and ready...

A shuffle forward was enough to get her in striking range. An open hand extended at lightning speed towards Valley's ample chest. The open hand strike came slamming in, more of a pushback. And a hammer of a kick was sure to come afterwards...

Valley managed to avoid getting put into another submission hold. That was the good news, as scant as it was, and she was more than happy to take it. It was hard to think of a spot on her body that wasn't aching, either because Haruka had done damage to it or because she was just getting dead tired or both. She'd fought longer matches, but few that even came close to the same intensity. It was starting to show. Her body was starting to revolt against the harsh treatment.

She rolled to her feet, got back up, and was immediately greeted with a harsh blow to her chest, lightning-fast with stinging pain behind it. Valley's cried out, winced, and started to recoil at the blow, but she steeled herself and kept planted. If Haruka got her on the ropes again, there'd be no escaping it. Forward was the only direciton worth going.

Valley did a quick duck, then surged back upwards with a rising knee, leaping forward and putting her weight behind the blow as it shot towards Haruka's chest.

Haruka was kicking herself for so grievously underestimating Valley time and time again. Of course the open hand strike wasn't going to faze the woman even if it came in hard and fast. It did give her some pause but Haruka lacked the time to launch one of her lethal kicks. The blonde woman used the second to come forward with blinding speed.

Haruka found the knee to be under appreciated and under utilized here at AFW. It looked like Valley appreciated the patella a fair amount and Haruka began to admire it a bit less as Valley's knee slammed into her chest. Haruka felt all the wind get knocked out of her at once and couldn't even stagger back a step or two before falling to the mat.

The fans went nuts for the brutal knee and Haruka gasped for air, eager to restore some air to her now deflated lungs.