Post by alyadmirer on Oct 20, 2015 6:59:55 GMT
A modicum of hush fell over the crowd when the Announcer stepped into the spotlight at the center of the ring. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit. Introducing first, hailing from Woodsboro California, she stands at five feet six inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty seven pounds. Making her LAST Fawnamania appearance, she is the Technical Marvel, the Woodsboro Mangler, the brunette buzz saw… SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
Those assembled turned to the stage as the booming gong of ‘Wherever I May Roam’ called the Technical Marvel through the curtain. Greeted by more noise than ever before, the usually stoic brunette worked very hard to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of that ’PLEASE DON’T GO!’ chant. Winning the battle after a moment or two, she raised a hand, brushed a thumb against the tip of her nose, then lifted an index finger to the rafters. This gestured was repeated by the thousands, thus providing a remarkable background when she turned to the camera that’d dollied up to greet her. “Come a long way from the beach on Spivey Point, haven’t we Jenny?” That said, she started down the ramp.
SYDNEY DESCHAIN:
To mark her final appearance as an active competitor of FAWN’s grandest stage, the brunette wore a dark purple bottoms with thin black trim and matte black boots and pads. As had become her custom as of late she wore her newest and presumably last offering from the FAWN merchandise stand, a dark blue tank-top that read: ’Tap Out Tour 2015’ in faded white script. For once the veteran made a point of slapping hands with each and every one of the fans who sought her out. She still didn’t see herself leading cheers anytime soon, but this was her last Mania and dammit she meant to enjoy it. Once she’d made the rounds not just on the aisle but on each side of the ring, Syd climbed the steps to the apron, swiped off the soles of her boots and slipped through the ropes.
Alone save for senior official Nick Castle, Deschain took up residence in the center of the ring and promptly peeled off her tank-top to reveal a matching purple, black-trimmed tankini top beneath. Letting her eyes sweep along the floor seat fans, she noted a girl of perhaps thirteen waving a sign that read:
I CAME ALL THE WAY FROM CALIFORNIA
TO WATCH THE MARVEL WRESTLE THE INNOVATOR!
“Me too, kid.” Syd pointed to her to make sure none of the more overzealous types got any mooching ideas. Then she threw the tank-top to the sign waver and made her way to the far corner. “My last Mania, Jenny.” the veteran said under my breath. “And I have no intention of looking at these lights, even if it means spoiling your homecoming.”
By way of answer the Announcer raised his mic a second time. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Antonio Bay, California, she stands at five feet four inches tall and weighs in at one hundred twenty seven pounds. Making her return to the FAWN Arena for the first time in a year, this is the Innovator of Offense, the NorCal Sensation, the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds… JENNY JACOBS!
JENNY JACOBS:
Already on their feet, the Mania crowd damned near drowned out the opening to ‘Jenny Says’ with their thunderous ovation. Shortly thereafter the woman in question burst through the curtain with those J’s raised high. Already grinning from ear to ear, Jenny had to turn her head for just a second to make sure the camera didn’t catch the shine of tears. Amidst the cacophonous cry of ‘WELCOME BACK!’ Jacobs gathered her nerves, then looked out over the sea of faces and beamed. “IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?” she bellowed. “THIS IS MANIA, PEOPLE! LETS. GET. LOUD!” They rose to the challenge at once, so much so in fact that the production department had to lower the speakers on their end so as not to blow out folks watching at home.
Nodding her approval, dropped the J’s and headed for her first match since All Hallows Eve 2014. For this most joyous occasion the blonde bombshell wore the star-spangled version of her usual indigo briefs, as well as a matching halter-style top that featured equally celestial cups held together by a small metal buckle in the shape of a star. Her boots and pads were still the same crisp white and her hair still curled in a sleek golden bob that fell to just below her ears. Almost to the ring, Jacobs put on the brakes to scope out a sign that read simply:
WE MISSED YOU, JENNY
She walked over and planted an impulsive kiss on the dude’s forehead. Grinning as he flushed deep red, Jacobs said, “I missed you too, pal. Now sit back and watch, the show’s about to start. Jenny was off in a wink, sprinting the rest of the way down the aisle and springing to her feet as soon as she’d cleared the bottom rope.
J’s raised one more time, she turned to Sydney and nodded. “I’m so ready for this it hurts. Are you, Syd?” Deschain nodded in return. “Good. See ya back here in a sec.” Then she swatted Nick Castle on the arm and jogged to her corner to await final inspection.
The bell sounded and the crowd immediately broke into dueling chants. ‘LETS GO JENNY!’ and ‘LETS GO SYDNEY!’ seemed about dead even and that was probably the case considering that most of the FAWNatics were lending their voices to both. All but overwhelmed since she’d blasted through the curtain a few minutes prior, Jenny Jacobs took several deep breaths not because she had the jitters but because she didn’t want to bawl five seconds after the opening bell. After a moment Jacobs got at least a passable grip on her emotions and she managed to raise the double J’s without so much as a tremor. She mouthed ‘thank you’ to everyone who showed the J’s in return, then turned her attention to the woman on the other side of the ring.
Sydney Deschain, the woman who’d given Jenny her first real trouncing at the age of eighteen. Sydney Deschain, who’d provided invaluable insight and advice not just during the formative years of Jenny’s career, but any time the Innovator had asked for it. Sydney Deschain, who’d pinned or submitted her more than a dozen times since their first meeting on the beach at Spivey Point. Jenny’s rivalry with the Marvel was one sided to put it mildly, but she had one more shot. Ring rust be damned, tonight she was gonna hang an ‘L’ on Sydney Deschain.
Completely uninterested in keeping the grin off her face, Jenny Jacobs bounded out to the center of the ring.
Sydney didn’t quite bound, but she sure didn’t make the blonde wait long either. Joining Jenny a few seconds later, Deschain started to circle, then stopped abruptly when the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds stuck out her hand. The Marvel accepted and they shook amidst cacophonous approval from the FAWNatics. “I take no pleasure in breaking this streak you’re on, Syd.” Jenny said over the din. “But I’ve been on the shelf for almost a year now and I have no intention of losing at back to back ‘Mania’s.”
Deschain smiled faintly as she backed off and resumed circling. “No pleasure, Jenny? Not even a little?”
Jacobs winked. “Well… maybe a little. Ready?”
“Bring your best, Innovator.”
Jenny pounced and Sydney did the same, blonde and brunette meeting with the solid ‘SMACK!’ only heard from the sturdiest of fireplugs. No slow feeling out process here, Jenny immediately crooked an arm around the back of Sydney’s neck and reefed her down into a Side Headlock. Hands clasped tight, Jacobs worked the veteran’s temple against the point of her hip, then ‘hupped’ Syd up n’ over to THWHUMP her to the mat with a Headlock Takedown. “OH YEAH, DOES THAT FEEL GOOD!” Jenny told her fans as she squeezed Deschain’s noggin in the triangle of her bicep, forearm and torso. “IT’S BEEN TOO DAMNED LONG SINCE I UUURRRGGHHH!”
Sydney kicked her right leg up, hooked it over Jacobs’s chin and forced her back far enough to secure a Headscissors. “That feel good too, Jenny?” Deschain asked as she gave the returning blonde a taste of her thighs. “It’s not too often I hear a girl wax nostalgic about getting caught in a Headscis-”
The Innovator rolled back as best she could, pulled her knees in close and pumped ‘em forward to kip to her feet and break the Scissors at the same time. Syd was right behind her but the half second’s head start gave Jacobs plenty of time to line up the Forearm Smash she THWHAPPED off the brunette’s mouth. Rocked back on her heels, Deschain didn’t even realize Jenny’d slipped an arm between her legs until she felt the blonde squeeze her butt and by then it was already too late. With her other arm hooked over Sydney’s right shoulder, Jacobs popped her hips to take the other woman up, over and DOWN with a Power Slam made all the more emphatic because Jenny landed on her chest Crossbody style. Hooking the leg simply because she was there and powerless to do otherwise, Jenny leaned into the pin and nodded along for…
POWER SLAM @ 00:04
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUjSmPGKuFs
ONE!
Sydney kicked out with authority, just as Jacobs knew she would. “Gimme all you got, Syd.” Jenny told the veteran in the midst of hauling her up with a handful of hair. “I always give you everything I’ve got and I want the same from you.” No response other than a low grunt, not that Jacobs needed any more confirmation to know Deschain had heard her.
A quick European Uppercut tested the strength of Syd’s chin and allowed Jenny to catch her in a Front Facelock with no hassle at all. Then she slung Syd’s far arm across her shoulders, snatched a huge handful of purple trunks and muscled her all the way to high noon. The Jacobites were more than ready to count for as long as Jenny wanted to hold the stall, but the NorCal Sensation was too full of energy to stay in place a second longer than necessary. And so she broke into a shambling run that ate up a great deal of mat before she hopped up and laid out on her back.
RUNNING SUPLEX @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyObhFkHrak
THWHAM! The Vertical Suplex slammed Deschain into the mat full length, then bounced her to a seat, where she would’ve stayed if Jenny hadn’t cupped her shoulders and forced her down flat again. Up and off in a flash, Jacobs hit the strands at a dead run and came back that much faster. Taking flight when she was almost on top of the grounded technician, Jenny threw herself into the head-first, inside out back flip that was the hallmark of any good Shooting Star Press. It landed a direct hit on Deschain’s midsection but Jenny didn’t hook the leg that time. Rather she popped up, stepped over the prone brunette and peeled off another gorgeous back flip. THWHAP! Jenny’s tummy hammered down on Sydney’s and when Deschain’s legs shot up the blonde was waiting to bundle them in her arms. Impressed by the utter lack of ring rust he’d seen thus far on the returning battler, Nick Castle dropped to one knee and counted…
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ which pleased Jenny a great deal. “Not gonna give you any time to breathe, Syd.” Jacobs chided after Castle confirmed the count. “I’ve been sitting on my hands for most of a year and I’ve just been itching to hit my top gear again!” She scooted around into place above the Mangler, stretched her legs at a welcoming angle and slid forward until the back of Syd’s head was snugged against her lap. Ankles locked, she squeeeeeeeeeezed down on the Headscissors and raised a pair of J’s high overhead. “God, I’ve missed this!” Jacobs alternately tensed and relaxed her thighs, making it that much harder for Sydney to adjust to the pressure grinding at her ears and cheeks. “Not gonna give up on me, are ya Sydney?” Jenny brushed a few strands of hair off her opponent’s forehead, then put both hands against the mat and lifted her butt off the mat by a good six inches.
The Technical Marvel had only waggled a finger ‘no’ at Castle up ‘til this point, now she snorted and huffed, “I’m not even going to think about ending this until I’ve shown you how to do a proper Headscissors.”
Jenny’s blue eyes gleamed competitively. “Oh, is that so, baby? Then I can’t wait for you to show me!” she reached forward with her right hand and patted / swatted Deschain’s belly half a dozen times. “Do you need me to let you go so you can HWOOAAAHH!”
Sydney wrapped her arms around Jacobs’s knees, knotted her hands together and rolled over onto her stomach. This didn’t free her from the Headscissors, indeed it made her predicament that much more uncomfortable. It did however let her get her hands and knees braced against the mat. Jenny shook her head ‘no’ and squeezed all the harder, trying to crush the fight out of the Marvel before she could ‘PWOP!’ Syd wrenched her head loose of the Scissors, then she kicked her legs forward and sat down so that her tush was wedged against the backs of Jenny’s thighs.
In the next instant she looped her arms around the blonde’s ankles and threaded her feet under Jacobs’s armpits. Sitting up a little straighter, she clamped down on Jenny’s wrists, then pulled her legs loose and laid them over her foe’s shoulders. Jenny shook her head ‘no, no, no!’ alas it wasn’t enough to stop the Mangler from hooking her feet against the sides of opposing noggin. Perched far more comfortably than her opposition at the moment, Deschain leaned forward to ease some of the strain, then doubled down on it by leaaaaaaaaaaaaning all the way back.
ROCKING HORSE STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd9MngoX0wA
Eyes squenched tight as she went for a ride on the Rocking Horse, Jacobs barked, “NO!” when the senior official asked if she wanted to throw in the towel.
Syd noted the resistance without comment, nodded to herself and raised her feet, which in turn wrenched Jenny’s neck at an unpleasant angle. “Sure you didn’t come back a little too soon, Jen?” the Marvel asked following ten seconds of nothing but wriggling from the grounded blonde. “Or did you actually get nostalgic for looking up at those lights?” Syd pulled back that much farther, Jacobs wasn’t actually on her knees, but she was more than halfway there and the small of her back was feeling every bit of the strain.
Nick saw the pain etched on her features, knew the answer she’d give and asked anyway. “Want me to call it, Jenny? Just say the word and I’ll WHOAH!” The ref backed off fast when Jenny twisted her right hand free of the brunette’s five-fingered manacle.
Unaware that her swipe had almost taken Castle’s nose off, Jenny prized at the ankles bracing her cheeks until the Marvel was forced to pull them away. Still caught at wrist and ankle, she pressed her feet into the sides of Sydney’s chest as best she could. It wasn’t much, but it proved distracting enough for Deschain to abandon her control over the remnants of the Rocking Horse. Far too aware of her own vulnerability to enjoy her hard-fought freedom, Jenny rose to all fours and hurried toward the ropes.
“You know how I feel about the rope breaks, Jenny.” Sydney said a heartbeat before she dipped down and coiled both arms around the other woman’s waist. “Only for use in case of an emergency. Is this really an emergency?” Jenny didn’t get a chance to reply because the Mangler set her feet and slooooooowly muscled her off the canvas in a slow motion bridge. It picked up a lot of speed heading for the crest and practically flew down the opposite side, leaving Jenny to THWHAM down on the back of her head and shoulders. Waistlock still firmly in place, Deschain pushed onto her tiptoes to await the count…
DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZMCJfVhtsA
ONE…
TWO…
Jacobs kicked out almost simultaneous with ‘TWO!’, a good sign as far as Sydney was concerned. On one knee beside the aching Innovator, Syd ‘flicked’ her trunks back into place before patting her opponent’s tush. “You ready for more, Jen?” she asked without malice.
“I’ll tap when I’m not.” the blonde huffed.
“Good girl.” Swinging around so she was sidled in against Jacobs’s left, Deschain braced one hand against Jenny’s glutes and the other between her shoulders. Properly set, she pushed up into a near-perfect handstand, then swung down the way she’d came and THWHUMPED her knees into Jenny’s lower back. Jacobs moaned, pushed up on her hands and groaned a little louder when Deschain cupped her chin. “I could strap you to the Bridge right now, Jenny.” Syd told her even as she reached for the other Californian’s ankles. “And I will too, if you don’t start fighting back in the next five NNNNGGGGHH!”
Jenny twisted onto her back, sat up with a noticeable wince and PWAAAKED Sydney across the tits with a Forearm Smash. The Marvel rocked a little but showed no other signs of disengaging so Jenny cupped her free hand across the back of the brunette’s neck to keep her under control while she pounded home three more forearms. “This what you were looking for, Syd?” Jenny chided while grinding the bony ridge of her forearm back n’ forth against the veteran’s chest. “A little bra-busting beatdown on the biggest stage of them OOOOFFFFFHHH!”
Sydney swatted the younger woman’s arm aside and ‘clacked’ her teeth with a European Uppercut. Jenny swayed dangerously but didn’t fall over. Alas this gave the Marvel all the impetus she needed to snatch a hold of Jacobs’s top and pull her into a right hand that shoveled home just above the navel. “Missed that sass, no question.” Deschain slung an almost companionable arm around the blonde’s shoulders as she slumped into the gut-churning blow. “Now get up, Jen. I’m not done welcoming you back yet.” Twining her fingers in Jacobs’s golden locks, Syd treated ‘em to a healthy yank as she hauled the both of them to boot leather. A Kneelift continued the work started by the body blow and kept the leader of the Jacobites sucking wind long enough for the Mangler to slip both arms around her waist. Careful to lock her hands against the small of Jenny’s back, Sydney pulled her opponent in close and used those couple inches of height advantage to jerk Jenny onto her tiptoes.
Forcing herself to take shallow breaths so the Bear Hug couldn’t force even more air from her lungs, Jacobs smacked a few hard slaps against the brunette’s ribs to little effect. Just because she felt like it, she curled her hands into claws, sank them into Sydney’s hair and yanked hard, a blatant receipt for the tugging she’d endured only moments prior.
“Hands out of her hair, Jenny.” Nick tapped her left wrist to emphasize the point.
“Oh, let her pull, Castle.” Deschain said with the tiniest bit of ice in her voice. “If pulling my hair is the only one of those millions of maneuvers she can think of, why should I tell her NUUFFFHHH!”
Jenny used the hair pull to yank the Marvel into a Headbutt across the bridge of the nose. “Know what you’re doing, Syd. You‘re tryin‘ to motivate me by pissing me off.” Jenny jabbed her elbows into the meat of her foe’s biceps and started fighting to get her arms beneath Deschain’s Hug.
Sydney blinked the shine from her eyes, leaned in a little closer and poured on that much more squeeze. “Is it working?” she grunted.
Redoubling her efforts to get through the veteran’s coil, Jacobs muttered, “You tell me.” The NorCal Sensation forced her elbows down one more time and THAT finally gave her the inside track on this Bear Hug contest. But before Jacobs could so much as lock her hands the brunette jerked her into a retaliatory Headbutt! Senses momentarily scrambled, Jenny couldn’t stop Deschain from reclaiming her grip, nor could she stop the Marvel from tossing her up, over and down with a BOOMING Overhead Belly to Belly Suplex. Jacobs bounced to a seat, her arms crooked into hunched, useless claws until Syd palmed a shoulder and laid her out flat. Pressed down in a Crossbody immediately thereafter, Sydney hooked the far leg for…
OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvMPIfKkKDM
ONE…
TWO…
Jenny shoved loose at ‘TWO!’ and turned into her attacker to keep Deschain from having an easier shot at her back. “Smart move, kiddo.” the brunette admitted as she cupped her hands over Jacobs’s ears. “But hiding your back isn’t going to keep me off of it.”
Case in point, the Marvel peeled her foe off the mat and sidled in on her left side. From there she curled her right arm across the blonde’s waist and braced her left arm against the pits of Jenny’s knees. Hooks set, she muscled the Innovator off the mat and-- let out a little ‘eep’ of surprise when Jenny pushed off in an unexpected back flip. The extra momentum tore her loose from Syd’s clutches and she landed on her feet directly beside the startled brunette. Thwhap-thwhap-THWHWAP! Jenny pounded a trio of Kneelifts into Deschain’s tummy and quickly pulled her into a Front Facelock when she doubled over. Rather than go for a Suplex, DDT or other head drop, Jacobs cupped her foe’s chin in her right hand and spun around so they were standing back to back. Left hand raised high, Jenny showed the J to her followers, then twisted on through and dropped to her belly to THWONK Deschain down on her forehead with a beautiful Rolling Facebuster.
ROLLING FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl5-7vTIeYg
Syd bounced to her knees instead of flopping over onto her back, not that it discomfited Jacobs in the slightest. Scrambling to her feet, she circled around behind the penitent Marvel and bounced off the ropes. She stayed the course until the very last second, then peeled off a sharp somersault, curled her right arm around the back of Deschain’s neck and laid out flat on her back to THWHONK her foe’s noggin for the second time in as many minutes. The Somersault Cutter did what the Facebuster had not, rolling the stunned brunette over onto her back. Jenny was right there to capitalize, ‘smecking’ across Syd’s tummy in a miniature Splash. In the next instant she hooked the far leg and pulled it close for…
RUNNING SOMERSAULT CUTTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDq98zb6_8
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain kicked out with authority, lest the Innovator think she was lolling on the edge of semi-consciousness. Jenny hadn’t considered that possibility for even a moment, which was why she wasted no time in dragging the veteran up with a double handful of hair. “Hey, do my boots look scuffed to you?” The NorCal Sensation slammed a Kneelift into Deschain’s gut to get her looking at the canvas, after that she looped her arms around that wheezing midsection and demonstrated considerable strength by muscling Sydney up onto the point of her right shoulder. “Yeaaaaaaaaaahhh!” Jacobs stomped to the middle of the ring, making sure to bounce each step to put that much more ache in her opponent’s spine. “How you doin’ Syd, wanna give it up? Don’t answer that, I know you don’t, I just like to askmmmpppgghhh HEY!”
Sydney curled a hand around the blonde’s mouth, an impromptu Palm Smother that Jenny broke in less than three seconds. “And I just like to throw you off your game.” Syd sounded amused despite the painful curve in her back. “Shouldn’t be so easy after all these yeaSSSEERRRGGHH!” Jenny bounced that much harder, then hunched forward a little so she could spin in a rough circle. The Mangler groaned and closed her eyes, not that it did much for the nauseated lurch in her stomach or the growing fire at the small of her back. Relief only came when Jacobs drew to a halt and even then she didn’t enjoy it for more than a second or two because the blonde swung her forward ‘n down and dropped to one knee, all the better to THWHUMP the brunette’s exposed midsection. Sydney flopped clear and rolled away with both arms swaddled tight against her roiling tummy.
GUTWRENCH GUTBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1urDyR-H0Kg
Above her, Jenny surveyed the damage done with not only obvious satisfaction, but a clear understanding of what came next. More than ready to act, she forced the Marvel onto her belly with a stomp to her lower back. Feet planted on either side of the downed battler’s hips, Jenny dropped to one knee and pulled Deschain’s feet off the mat. “Nothing’s gonna come easy tonight, Sydney.” the Innovator muttered as she trapped Syd’s ankles in the crooks of her elbows. “You’ll have to knock me out if you wanna beat me. And if I’m gonna beat you….” she locked her hands, stood up and leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaned forward to put a serious kink in her rival’s spine.
[b[INVERTED BOSTON CRAB @ 1:38[/b]
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E85xMLAI96g
Sydney didn’t scream, but she sucked in a pained wince that Castle knew would’ve registered as a wail from just about anyone else. Careful to keep himself clear of Deschain’s path to the ropes, he crouched beside her and asked, “What do you say, Sydney? You got this?”
Syd gripped Jacobs’s left ankle and tried to pull her off balance, emphasis on ‘tried’ as Jenny only shook her head and applied more torque. “Yeah, I’ve got it, Nick.” the brunette grunted. “Jenny may know a million holds but she still hasn’t mastered the concept of leverEERRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!”
Jacobs leaned forward almost to the point of overbalancing. Key word ‘almost’, as she held the tricky position like a champ. “That’s the kinda leverage you talkin’, about Syd? That’s the kinda leverage that breaks streaks… and backs.”
Sydney held her tongue as she tried to stretch out and inch her way across the mat. Not to much to reach the ropes (though she’d certainly accept their assistance at this point) but to alleviate the worst of the pressure on her lower back. Stretched as far as she could go without making an unmistakable escape attempt, the Mangler didn’t bother to look at the Innovator as she replied, “If you think you’re going to break my back you really haven’t learned anything from all those beatings I’ve AAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH DAAAAAAAAAYYYYUUUMMM!”
Tired of working to maintain that admittedly delicate balance, Jenny abruptly dropped to one knee. Doing so actually lessened the pain on her opponent’s vertebrae, yet it also made it far easier for Jenny to snatch a huge double handful of hair. “I learned PLENTY each and every time you kicked my ass, Sydney. I may not have a W in my column yet, but don’t even think of implying that I haven’t gotten a helluva lot better. That high school girl that tried to jump you on the beach early one morning? She never could’ve done this.” Jacobs pulled Deschain’ hair back into a short ponytail and transferred it to one hand. The other she flattened into a paddle and patted the Marvel’s cheeks, first one side and then the other. “And there’s no way she would’ve pulled off something like this!” The grinning blonde put her thumb against one cheek, her index finger against the other and pressed together, smooshing Deschain’s usually elegant features into an embarrassing ‘fish face’.
Syd didn’t struggle at first, but after several seconds she twisted her head to one side and snapped at the blonde’s encroaching fingers. “That all you’ve got?” she sniped “Obnoxious little tricks? I thought you weren’t going to waste my time tonight Jen--” the Girl of 8,675,309 Moves went to cup Deschain’s chin and that’s when the Mangler snatched hold of her wrists. Eyes wide and startled, Jenny rose up about halfway, then dropped down to THWHUMP her butt into the small of Sydney’s back.
“You want this to be over, Syd?” Jenny taunted after another Butt Drop. “Then let me show you the door!” Fiddling with her hands just enough to wrest control of their handfighting, Jenny stood up and used the Wristlocks to hoist Deschain to her knees. While there was plenty she could’ve done from that position, Jacobs only tugged the brunette’s arms across her own chest Straightjacket style. Then she circled around front, forced Sydney’s head between her thighs and slooooooooooooowly hoisted her upside down. No stalling once the inversion was complete, Jenny hopped up, kicked her legs forward and landed on her tush to SPIKE the crown of Sydney’s skull courtesy of the Straightjacket Piledriver.
STRAIGHTJACKET PILEDRIVER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcc3So4risM
The Marvel jolted out, landed on her back near the ropes and might’ve managed to slide out to the floor if Jenny hadn’t caught her at ankle and wrist. Way too motivated to let the veteran out of her sight (or even sniff the possibility of a rope break) Jenny dragged her out into deep water, tossed those limp limbs aside and flopped down in a Crossbody. Hooking both legs for extra insurance, she folded the purple-clad battler in half for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Sydney rolled hard to one side, shooting her left arm into the air a half second before Jenny could claim her first win in a year. Angry but not frustrated, the NorCal Sensation clamped a hold Deschain’s left wrist and used it to haul both of ‘em to boot leather. Crimping it into a Hammerlock she sidled around behind the brunette’s back and dipped under her right arm. With her left hand preoccupied in maintaining the Hammerlock, Jacobs extended her right full length and twisted into Syd, meaning to take her head off with a Captivating Lariat.
But this plan hit an unforeseen snag when the buzzsaw turned toward Jenny and pounded a stiff Kneelift into her belly. Jacobs doubled over or at least started to, she’d made it less than halfway when Deschain spun into position on her six and forced her upright with a Half Nelson on her right arm. The Mangler’s left arm snugged around her waist and even in her dazed state the blonde went struggled mightily. This was after all the set-up to a staple in her own expansive arsenal. T’wasn’t gimmick infringement however, while Jacobs favored a Half Nelson Backbreaker Sydney preferred something a discombobulating. Thusly she bent her knees deep and bridged back full force to hurl the blonde with Half Nelson Suplex so emphatic she landed flat on her face, chest and belly.
HALF NELSON SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em7LxxgItoY
Jenny reared back on her knees and for a moment it looked like she’d crumple backward over her own haunches. That would’ve been very bad if Deschain had sought a cover and Jenny must’ve known it because she rocked forward and landed awkwardly on her left side. Sydney didn’t mind one way or the other as she wasn’t of the mind to finish this fight just yet. She liked Jacobs more than most and she didn’t take the blonde’s trash talk and head games personally but that didn’t mean she was going to let them go unanswered.
Anyone who managed to display Sydney Deschain was going to pay dearly for the privilege.
Working a hand into the Innovator’s sweat-damp locks, Syd peeled the woozy warrior off the canvas and hooked her left arm over Jacobs’s right shoulder so she could palm the back of her neck. In the same move she tossed Jenny’s left arm over her left shoulder so she encountered no resistance when she curled her right arm around Jenny’s left knee and pulled it up in a sharp cradle. No squirming from Jacobs this time ‘round, she was still deep in Suplex Shock and it got that much worse after the Marvel flung her up, over and down with a cradled Exploder that THWHUMPED her down flat on her back.
CRADLED EXPLODER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMQlWkrTHG0
Jenny went rolling the instant she touched down, presumably an attempt to either reach the ropes or keep her shoulders off the mat. She succeeded with the later but not the former, her momentum dying with several feet still between herself and the bottom rope.
On her feet by this point, Deschain saw the grounded battler reaching for the strands and put a stop to it by dropping a quick, heavy knee across the other woman’s forearm. “Nothing for you out there, Jenny.” the brunette explained as Jenny rolled onto her back and held that aching arm against her chest. “If you wanna beat me you’re going to do it between these ropes.” Jenny didn’t answer with words but she flopped onto her stomach, planted both hands against the ropes and started to rise. Deschain took that as a good sign so she posted up behind the younger lass, then bent down and wrapped both arms around Jacobs’s hips. Hands locked, Syd settled into a crouch and muscled her burden off all fours. It was yet another flawless bridge and even the most devoted of Jacobites murmured their amazement when Deschain PLANTED their heroine with her second Deadlift German of the evening. Arched save for the soles of her boots and the crown of her skull, Sydney kept JJ folded in half real nice while Castle counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Jenny pulled loose and flopped over onto her tummy. She didn’t move much beyond that, though she did manage to curl one swaddling arm over the back of her head. Not the slightest bit put out by her foe’s escape, Sydney got up and stood beside Jenny. After a moment’s deliberation she raised a foot and planted it between her rival’s shoulders. This got some boos from the Jacobites but her own fans were more than enough to drown them out. “That’s three Suplexes in a row.” she told the crowd. “Think she can take a few more?”
The FAWNatics thought Jenny was more than tough enough to take whatever the Mangler dished out and told her just that. Syd nodded her agreement, then removed her foot so she could sink down and work her arms around the other woman’s waist. Hands locked against the NorCal Sensation’s midsection, Deschain puuuuuuuuulled Jacobs off the mat and bundled her in close against her left side. With Jenny trapped in her clutches like little more than laundry, Sydney repaid the Fish Face by halving the Waistlock just long enough to swat the blonde’s backside in delightfully condescending fashion. Jenny shook her head and kicked her legs a bit, which did nothing to dissuade the idea that Syd was dealing with a cranky, oversized toddler. Doubling down on her grip before the other Californian could engineer an escape, Deschain backed toward the center of the squared circle and proceeded to spin around once, twice, three times. Upon completion of the third she came to a dead stop and finally finished the throw by flipping Jacobs onto her back with a heavy THWHAM!
SPINNING GUTWRENCH SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVhpTUpM5vY
Jenny sat up like the mat was electrified, one hand flying to the small of her back while the other reached for the ropes. The Mangler didn’t give her any time to tend to either problem-- she cupped Jenny’s chin in both hands, hauled her to verticality and folded her over with a Kneelift. This was followed by another Gutwrench, no theatrics this time ‘round though, the brunette only gathered her reserves before hoisting her prey up oh so high before flipping her over and dropping to her butt to THWHUMP Jenny full length into the mat courtesy of a ring-shivering Powerbomb. Waistlock still in place, the brunette leaned into Jacobs’s haunches and laid her heels atop those lolling biceps for the…
GUTWRENCH POWERBOMB:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvB2-NxmYhw
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Jenny shot a shoulder off the mat, not only that, she curled her index finger and thumb into a J to let everyone know she wasn’t gonna lose at back to back ‘Manias. Sydney looked thoughtful, but anyone who paused to check her expression spied something that might’ve blossomed into frustration if given enough time. But Sydney had no intention of giving the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds that much time, she meant to end Jenny’s return bid in no more than a minute, perhaps less. Sliding away from the flattened Innovator to regain her footing that much quicker, Deschain helped herself to a handful of hair at the nape of Jenny’s neck and peeled her off the mat in stages.
“Gave me a good fight, Jenny. You’ve always given me a good fight, even when you didn’t know it.” Sidled against Jacobs’s left flank, the Marvel reached under Jenny’s left arm with her right and cupped the back of her neck. Once she’d pulled the NorCal Sensation into a slight crunch, Syd crooked her left arm under Jacobs’s left leg and hoisted it up in another unpleasant cradle. “But you’re not going to beat me tonight. Good as you are… you can’t beat me.” Jenny punched her in the ribs once and would’ve done it quite a bit more if Deschain hadn’t hurled her high and hard with the Stir of Echoes. Jenny SLAMMED down on the back of her head, rolled through and bounced up in a drunken seat. She was very close to the ropes and Syd thought she’d pull herself under the bottom rope to the floor but Jacobs slipped an arm over the middle rope and slowly, sloooooooooowly pulled herself to boot leather.
STIR OF ECHOES @ 1:00
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYFYue_cdzA
“Tuff to the end, huh Jenny?” Deschain said under her breath. “That’s why I’ve always liked you.”
Jacobs’s back was to her so Syd stalked over and slapped a Waistlock around her midsection. She’d *just* pulled JJ to her chest when the blonde snapped her head back, striking her attacker across the bridge of her nose. Sydney staggered a step or two, then found herself pulled right back in because Jenny had snugged her right hand against the back of her neck. Pushing off by a little bit, the Innovator crouched deep and launched herself straight up to go over Deschain’s head in a flawless somersault. Knees raised high against her chest, she stuffed the joints against Syd’s chest and laid out on her back to THWHUMP the stunned beauty with a flawless Spivey Point Driller! The Mangler bounced off Jenny’s knees to land in a stiff-backed seat, one hand pressed to her wounded spine, the other reaching for the ropes which were inches away.
SPIVEY POINT DRILLER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODOMpwweGDQ
Her fingers actually brushed the bottom rope for two whole heartbeats before Jenny snatched hold of her wrist and used it to pull the brunette to jelly-legged verticality. Jacobs moved damned fast for someone on the receiving end of a Suplex Parade and she wanted to make the best of it because she damned well knew the adrenaline high wouldn’t last more than a minute, if that. Dragging her stunned opposition to the center of the ring, Jenny slammed a Toe Kick into Deschain’s belly, then forced her into a Standing Headscissors the instant she started to double over. A Waistlock followed shortly thereafter and that led to a savage Powerbomb lift that did nothing for the hurts in her shoulders and back. Jenny halved her Waistlock as soon as Syd took a seat on her shoulders, that made it all the easier for her to shift her right arm between the Marvel’s gams. Elbow crooked up in front of her right ear, Jenny laid out on her side, a shift which THWHAMMED Sydney flat on her back while simultaneously THWHUMPING an Elbow Drop into her crotch.
SLEDGE-O-MATIC:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjMJ1L9AfKk
Sydney sat up at once, although this reaction was due almost entirely to the pain in her nethers rather than an indication of any weak sauce delivered alongside Jenny’s Sledge-O-Matic. The NorCal Sensation reached for Syd’s shoulders for a split-second, then called an audible and sprang to her feet. Wheeling around in a quick one-eighty, she threw herself into the ropes in front of her opponent and came back almost twice as fast as she left. On a collision course with the brunette from start to finish, Jacobs pivoted on her left foot and THWHONKED a huge Running Knee into Sydney’s forehead. Sydney went down for the third time in less than a minute and this time she didn’t immediately sit up.
RUNNING KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VwirUSXoA
The Jacobites roared for their heroine to go for a cover but Jenny was already heading for the nearest corner. This changed their tone quite considerably it the reaction grew all the more favorable when Jenny took the top rope in both hands and vaulted into the air. Twisting around mid-ascent to land in a crouch facing the rest of the ring, Jacobs held her perch just long enough to catch her balance. She must’ve used some of that time to plot an arc between Deschain and herself because she leapt out into the void with no hesitation whatsoever. Touching her toes long before she reached the apex, the Innovator stretched out full length and angled herself sideways, all the better to THAWHAM the point of her right elbow into Sydney’s sternum.
BOSOU ELBOW @ 00:38
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY-p95ALHyk
The veteran’s legs kicked up in a breathless puff that was entirely lost in the roar of those assembled. Jenny didn’t move quite fast enough to hook either of ‘em before Syd’s heels returned to the mat, but she damned sure hooked the far leg as soon as she’d turned into a Crossbody. Teeth bared in a ferocious, satisfied grin, Jenny yelled along with the crowd as they timed out Nick’s count…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Sydney pulled her leg loose and turned onto one side, her back presented to the incredulous blonde. “C’mon Nick.” Jenny panted. “That was three.”
“It was almost three.” Castle corrected. “And you and I both know you don’t want your return match tainted by a quick count.”
Jacobs shook her head, he was right even if she hated to hear it. “All right.” she flipped hair out of her eyes even as she filled her hands with Sydney’s dark locks. “No one bought a ticket to see me win a match with an Elbow Drop anyway.
On her feet after a brief deliberation, the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds stood over the prone grappler and raised a pair of J’s to the rafters. “JENNY-CIDE!” she bellowed to the maddened throng. Bolstered by their near deafening response, Jenny bent down, grabbed Syd by the ears and peeeeeeeeeled her off the mat. Dipping slightly as soon as the brunette was upright, Jacobs threw Deschain’s right arm over her right shoulder and curled her own right arm over the other woman’s chest. Then she cupped the back of Sydney’s neck, dipped her knees and--”NNNGGHH!”
The Mangler’s limp right arm came to life in a flurry of motion that pounded her elbow against the side of Jacobs’s head half a dozen times in perhaps that many seconds. It wasn’t the first time Jenny’d endured such a response during her series with the veteran and so she toughed it out as best she could but Syd didn’t give up either and eventually one of those strikes caught her cheek full force. Blinking away involuntary tears, Jenny abandoned her clutch and went staggering in one direction while Deschain headed in the other.
The wobble in her knees steadied out quickly once she wasn’t getting elbowed in the head and Jenny was quite pleased to see Sydney still looking quite shopworn when she turned to find her. The NorCal Sensation charged her flat out, leapt and twisted to one side for a Crossbody that might secure a surprise pin at best or put her in good position for the Ladder at worst. That was her thinking at least. Unfortunately, Sydney had some thoughts of her own and they took precedence when she stretched her arms wide and plucked Jacobs from the air with minimal staggering. Curling her left arm around the back of Jenny’s head as soon as she caught her balance, Deschain spun sharply to the left with the intention of disorienting her notoriously adaptable opposition. In this she was successful but the unexpected rotation also caught Castle off guard and the poor dope took Jacobs’s boots smartly upside the head. As of yet unaware of the accident, Sydney angled the Crossbody up n’ over so the blonde was practically at high noon above her head. Then she laid out on her back and TWHONKED the crown of Jenny’s skull into the mat compliments of a Brainbuster from deep in left field.
Jacobs popped into a blasted starfish and had her far leg cradled almost at once. Leaning into her cover, Syd heard the crowd jeer but was more concerned with why Castle seemed to be slow in getting into position. That was when a heavy Double Axehandle slammed into the back of her neck.
LISA DREAM:
“I’ll deal with this one!” Lisa Dream barked as she dragged Sydney away from the stunned blonde. “You two make sure I never have to soil my hands with that Wannadream ever again!”
DEBORAH HURT:
KRISTIN MANNERS:
The Sisters of Mercy didn’t have to be told twice. After Jenny’s dared spoil their destruction of Maddy Crane they were just as eager to punish the Innovator as their flawless patient. Hauling Jenny to her feet with a pair of Wristlocks. Deborah Hurt and Kristin Manners stepped back and hurled Jenny into a far corner as hard as they could. Jenny turned into the run and hit the buckles with a BWUUUNG that made your fillings ache. Her already unenviable position grew that much worse when Kristin (aided by a powerful Irish Whip from her partner) raced in, sprang up and slammed both knees into the blonde’s chest.
Knees still raised high, Nurse Manners hooked an arm around Jacobs’s head and twisted in a half circle so that she was seated on the top turnbuckle. That left Jenny trapped in a Front Facelock, which meant she had no idea Nurse Hurt was bearing down on her position for a second THWHUMPING Double Kneelift. Kristin released her Facelock then but only so Deborah could wrench Jenny’s head back for an Inverted Facelock. Then she turned in a quarter circle so that her right shoulder was pointed at the corner.
“Stick her, Kristin.” Nurse Hurt growled. “Give this bytch the needle.”
`Nurse Manners boosted herself to a seat on the top turnbuckle and jumped off. Pistoning her legs down as gravity took over, Kristin stomped into Jenny’s midsection, thus providing the signal for Deborah to drop to her tush with Jenny in tow. The Inverted DDT THWHUNKED Jenny down on the back of her head and shoulders, leaving the once energetic blonde sprawled in the shadow of the turnbuckles.
THE NEEDLE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCg0JYFSbOk
Over on another patch of canvas, Lisa Dream was doing something almost unheard of. She was working in silence. Careful to position herself behind the so-called ‘Marvel’, Lisa jerked Sydney to her knees with a double handful of hair, then crooked her fingers into claws and raaaaaaaaaaaaaked the penitent woman’s eyes with as much venom as she could muster. Deschain wailed and reached for the encroaching claws. Lisa didn’t resist, she only gripped Syd’s noggin and slammed a Kneelift into the back of her neck. That dropped the brunette’s hands to her sides, making it child’s play for Dream to drag her opposition to sludgy-legged verticality.
Literally biting her tongue to keep from tipping off the Wannadream, Lisa turned Sydney to face her and slung the Marvel’s right arm neatly over her right shoulder. With her own right arm belted snugly across Syd’s chest, the Ultimate Image of Human Perfection fashioned her left hand into an ‘L’, which she promptly raised for the infuriated FAWNatics. Then she sank into a crouch and launched the both of them into a gorgeous back-flip that culminated in the most perfect Jenny-Cide ever delivered. Bounced back on her haunches following the forceful THWHAM, Dream was halfway to her feet before she remembered Celia’s last bit of advice.
DREAMY GIMMICK INFRINGEMENT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElA3nbcLX8
Following as closely as she’d followed the rest of her therapist’s plan, Lisa motioned to Deborah Hurt an instant prior to stretching out across Sydney’s chest in a Crossbody. Perfectly aware of what Lisa wanted (Blassenville had in fact shared the plan with her nurses well in advance of Dream herself) the lissome brunette menace swooped in to place and smacked the canvas….
ONE…
TWO….
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Lisa felt the kick out coming and let it occur without complaint. Under any other circumstances she would’ve scraped her prey off the mat and spiked her skull with a Daydreamer. But tonight she only sprang to her feet with a wicked smirk painting her perfect features. “Pull her over here.” she told the Sisters in regards to Jenny, who was still flattened out following her date with the Needle. She didn’t even have to make the order, Nurses Hurt and Manners already had the Innovator by the wrists and were draaaaaaaaaaaaggging her toward the oblivious Marvel.
The Sisters of Mercy worked quickly, depositing Jenny within an arm’s length of Deschain. Stage set as perfectly as could be for a scene that didn’t involve herself, Lisa slid through the ropes and headed up the aisle with the Kristin and Deborah on her heels. They didn’t retreat all the way though, Lisa and her medical team stopped about halfway up the ramp. Far enough to claim innocence for any wrongdoing in the ring, more than close enough to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
The aforementioned fruits ripened several seconds later when first Sydney, then Castle and finally Jenny started to stir. One hand pressed to her stinging face, Deschain rolled to one knee, blinked away the worst of the world’s waver and saw Jenny struggling to all fours. Taken in a flash of anger for what she assumed was Jacobs’s raking her face, Sydney snatched a huge double handful of hair and did her very best to rip it from the blonde’s head when she yanked her upright. Jenny yelped, reached for her blistering scalp and so left herself wide open for the Kneelift that slammed into her navel. Sydney wedged Jenny into a Standing Headscissors the moment she doubled over and caught both arms in the Double Underhook just as fast. Too consumed with battle lust to hear the crowd trying to explain, Syd hoisted Jenny upside down, pushed onto her tiptoes and kicked her legs straight out to THWONK her opponent’s skull into the mat. Jacobs bounced violently, landed on her belly and might’ve stayed there for the duration if the Mangler hadn’t slapped on a Half Nelson and shoveled the blonde onto her back.
DESCHAIN DRIVER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElA3nbcLX8
Angry but not enough to really pour it on, Deschain slung a leg over, planted her tush on Jenny’s chest and hooked both legs behind the knees, all the better to fold her in half while the weary referee counted…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Sydney undid the Matchbook, stood up and raised a triumphant hand. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the Announcer called over a decidedly mixed reaction, “your winner via pin-fall… SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
While it didn’t show on her face, Syd was more than a little hurt by the boos. She understood the disappointment from Jenny’s fans, but this was her last ‘Mania and she’d been looking forward to an appropriate send off in victory or defeat. “What’s their deal?” she asked Nick. “That was a great match. And it’s not like I raked her…” The veteran was about to say ‘eyes’ when she turned to the stage and saw the trio loitering on the ramp. It was about that time that the production crew cued up a replay of everything following Castle’s unfortunate encounter with Jenny’s boot. “You petty… jealous… bytch.” Sydney whispered. “I’m going to break your legs and tie them in a knot.”
“The f*ck you are.” Jenny Jacobs rose up, stumbled into the brunette and might’ve gone to one knee if it wasn’t for Nick hooking an arm around her right bicep. Jenny’d seen the footage too and she was angrier than the Marvel, if that was even possible. “I’m gonna kill her.” Jenny said under her breath. “Book me right now, because I’m going to kill her.”
She started forward only to have Syd grab her shoulder. “Hold on. You might not have to.”
As of yet unaware of the threat creeping through the curtain, Lisa took two giant steps toward the ring and spread her arms wide. “THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR SCREWING WITH ME, WANNADREAM! NEXT TIME KEEP YOUR FUGLY NOSE OUT OF MY BUSINESS OR I’LL--”
BWAAANG! Lisa whirled around, her eyes wide with shock as Deborah crumpled to her knees. A bit quicker to react (Hurt was her partner after all) Kristin Manners sprang at the intruder and ate a THWHUMPING chair shot to the tummy.
Finally alone with the woman who’d cost her not one, but two landmark victories, Maddy Crane raised the steel chair and tickled the rounded edge against Lisa’s chin just as the Dreamy One was about to pounce. “Not so fun is it, Lisa?” Crane asked quietly. “Having something you’ve worked so hard to achieve ripped away by some lunatic who just won’t remember her place. F*cking sucks, doesn’t it? Answer me.”
Lisa didn’t dare take her eyes off the redhead, not with the cool steel on the undershelf of her chin. After a moment she growled, “You have no idea who you’re playing with, Wanna--”
Maddy pushed her weapon forward, not much, but more than enough to silence the former World Champion. “I have a name, Lisa. Say it.”
Dream sneered imperiously despite her dangerous position. “What do you want, Wan… Crane?”
The Happy Anarchist’s legendary grin made its first appearance. “To give you a choice, Dreamy! There are three options, so listen carefully. A, you back off, hop the barrier and scurry back to Celia by making your way through the crowd. B, you turn around, hit the ring and hope Syd and JJ don’t tear you apart for shytting up their match.” Crane titled her head to get a better look at blonde and brunette. Both crowded the ropes and looked ready to come for Lisa at a moment’s notice.
Lisa didn’t need to turn to see this, she saw it laid out in perfect detail on the giant screen above the entryway. “My third option?” she asked with feigned boredom.
Maddy’s smile got a little wider. “Get by me. Get by me without your nurses, without your headshrinker, without ANYONE but yourself. Not easy, but then, you’re perfect. Right, Lis?”
Lisa was silent for a long time. “You’ll pay dearly for this, Maddy. You thought what I did to Jacobs was bad? It’s nothing compared to what waits for you.”
“So that’s C, then?” Crane wasn’t smiling anymore, in fact she looked as furious as the Ultimate Image.
Dream didn’t answer with words. Rather she took a few careful steps backward, then whirled to her right and vaulted into the FAWNatics.
Left with the stunned wreckage of the Sisters, Maddy raised her eyes to the women in squared circle. Sydney got a single companionable nod, Jenny got a single sentence. “Now we’re even, JJ.” Balance settled, she turned around and sauntered up the ramp with the chair swinging jauntily at her side.
Simultaneously enraged, disgusted and disappointed, Jenny shook her head, then turned to Sydney. “I can’t not offer you a handshake, Syd.” she said. “But this one hurts. More than all the other times you put me down, this one hurts.”
Sydney took her hand and pulled the weary blonde in for a hug that finally got the crowd cheering again. “I know Jen, believe me, I do. I’m not gonna say I’d have been happy with an ‘L’ next to my last Fawnamania match, but I’d take that over an asterisk any day.” the Mangler pulled away with a thoughtful look on her face. “It just occurred to me, loss or not, you are coming away from this match with something I don’t have.”
Jenny arched an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
Deschain gave her a smile Maddy would’ve been proud of. “A whole glorious decade in which to beat Lisa Dream’s pathetic, interfering ass.”
The prospect made Jenny smile. “Know what? I’ll take it. And I won’t waste a single day.”
Those assembled turned to the stage as the booming gong of ‘Wherever I May Roam’ called the Technical Marvel through the curtain. Greeted by more noise than ever before, the usually stoic brunette worked very hard to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of that ’PLEASE DON’T GO!’ chant. Winning the battle after a moment or two, she raised a hand, brushed a thumb against the tip of her nose, then lifted an index finger to the rafters. This gestured was repeated by the thousands, thus providing a remarkable background when she turned to the camera that’d dollied up to greet her. “Come a long way from the beach on Spivey Point, haven’t we Jenny?” That said, she started down the ramp.
SYDNEY DESCHAIN:
To mark her final appearance as an active competitor of FAWN’s grandest stage, the brunette wore a dark purple bottoms with thin black trim and matte black boots and pads. As had become her custom as of late she wore her newest and presumably last offering from the FAWN merchandise stand, a dark blue tank-top that read: ’Tap Out Tour 2015’ in faded white script. For once the veteran made a point of slapping hands with each and every one of the fans who sought her out. She still didn’t see herself leading cheers anytime soon, but this was her last Mania and dammit she meant to enjoy it. Once she’d made the rounds not just on the aisle but on each side of the ring, Syd climbed the steps to the apron, swiped off the soles of her boots and slipped through the ropes.
Alone save for senior official Nick Castle, Deschain took up residence in the center of the ring and promptly peeled off her tank-top to reveal a matching purple, black-trimmed tankini top beneath. Letting her eyes sweep along the floor seat fans, she noted a girl of perhaps thirteen waving a sign that read:
I CAME ALL THE WAY FROM CALIFORNIA
TO WATCH THE MARVEL WRESTLE THE INNOVATOR!
“Me too, kid.” Syd pointed to her to make sure none of the more overzealous types got any mooching ideas. Then she threw the tank-top to the sign waver and made her way to the far corner. “My last Mania, Jenny.” the veteran said under my breath. “And I have no intention of looking at these lights, even if it means spoiling your homecoming.”
By way of answer the Announcer raised his mic a second time. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Antonio Bay, California, she stands at five feet four inches tall and weighs in at one hundred twenty seven pounds. Making her return to the FAWN Arena for the first time in a year, this is the Innovator of Offense, the NorCal Sensation, the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds… JENNY JACOBS!
JENNY JACOBS:
Already on their feet, the Mania crowd damned near drowned out the opening to ‘Jenny Says’ with their thunderous ovation. Shortly thereafter the woman in question burst through the curtain with those J’s raised high. Already grinning from ear to ear, Jenny had to turn her head for just a second to make sure the camera didn’t catch the shine of tears. Amidst the cacophonous cry of ‘WELCOME BACK!’ Jacobs gathered her nerves, then looked out over the sea of faces and beamed. “IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?” she bellowed. “THIS IS MANIA, PEOPLE! LETS. GET. LOUD!” They rose to the challenge at once, so much so in fact that the production department had to lower the speakers on their end so as not to blow out folks watching at home.
Nodding her approval, dropped the J’s and headed for her first match since All Hallows Eve 2014. For this most joyous occasion the blonde bombshell wore the star-spangled version of her usual indigo briefs, as well as a matching halter-style top that featured equally celestial cups held together by a small metal buckle in the shape of a star. Her boots and pads were still the same crisp white and her hair still curled in a sleek golden bob that fell to just below her ears. Almost to the ring, Jacobs put on the brakes to scope out a sign that read simply:
WE MISSED YOU, JENNY
She walked over and planted an impulsive kiss on the dude’s forehead. Grinning as he flushed deep red, Jacobs said, “I missed you too, pal. Now sit back and watch, the show’s about to start. Jenny was off in a wink, sprinting the rest of the way down the aisle and springing to her feet as soon as she’d cleared the bottom rope.
J’s raised one more time, she turned to Sydney and nodded. “I’m so ready for this it hurts. Are you, Syd?” Deschain nodded in return. “Good. See ya back here in a sec.” Then she swatted Nick Castle on the arm and jogged to her corner to await final inspection.
The bell sounded and the crowd immediately broke into dueling chants. ‘LETS GO JENNY!’ and ‘LETS GO SYDNEY!’ seemed about dead even and that was probably the case considering that most of the FAWNatics were lending their voices to both. All but overwhelmed since she’d blasted through the curtain a few minutes prior, Jenny Jacobs took several deep breaths not because she had the jitters but because she didn’t want to bawl five seconds after the opening bell. After a moment Jacobs got at least a passable grip on her emotions and she managed to raise the double J’s without so much as a tremor. She mouthed ‘thank you’ to everyone who showed the J’s in return, then turned her attention to the woman on the other side of the ring.
Sydney Deschain, the woman who’d given Jenny her first real trouncing at the age of eighteen. Sydney Deschain, who’d provided invaluable insight and advice not just during the formative years of Jenny’s career, but any time the Innovator had asked for it. Sydney Deschain, who’d pinned or submitted her more than a dozen times since their first meeting on the beach at Spivey Point. Jenny’s rivalry with the Marvel was one sided to put it mildly, but she had one more shot. Ring rust be damned, tonight she was gonna hang an ‘L’ on Sydney Deschain.
Completely uninterested in keeping the grin off her face, Jenny Jacobs bounded out to the center of the ring.
Sydney didn’t quite bound, but she sure didn’t make the blonde wait long either. Joining Jenny a few seconds later, Deschain started to circle, then stopped abruptly when the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds stuck out her hand. The Marvel accepted and they shook amidst cacophonous approval from the FAWNatics. “I take no pleasure in breaking this streak you’re on, Syd.” Jenny said over the din. “But I’ve been on the shelf for almost a year now and I have no intention of losing at back to back ‘Mania’s.”
Deschain smiled faintly as she backed off and resumed circling. “No pleasure, Jenny? Not even a little?”
Jacobs winked. “Well… maybe a little. Ready?”
“Bring your best, Innovator.”
Jenny pounced and Sydney did the same, blonde and brunette meeting with the solid ‘SMACK!’ only heard from the sturdiest of fireplugs. No slow feeling out process here, Jenny immediately crooked an arm around the back of Sydney’s neck and reefed her down into a Side Headlock. Hands clasped tight, Jacobs worked the veteran’s temple against the point of her hip, then ‘hupped’ Syd up n’ over to THWHUMP her to the mat with a Headlock Takedown. “OH YEAH, DOES THAT FEEL GOOD!” Jenny told her fans as she squeezed Deschain’s noggin in the triangle of her bicep, forearm and torso. “IT’S BEEN TOO DAMNED LONG SINCE I UUURRRGGHHH!”
Sydney kicked her right leg up, hooked it over Jacobs’s chin and forced her back far enough to secure a Headscissors. “That feel good too, Jenny?” Deschain asked as she gave the returning blonde a taste of her thighs. “It’s not too often I hear a girl wax nostalgic about getting caught in a Headscis-”
The Innovator rolled back as best she could, pulled her knees in close and pumped ‘em forward to kip to her feet and break the Scissors at the same time. Syd was right behind her but the half second’s head start gave Jacobs plenty of time to line up the Forearm Smash she THWHAPPED off the brunette’s mouth. Rocked back on her heels, Deschain didn’t even realize Jenny’d slipped an arm between her legs until she felt the blonde squeeze her butt and by then it was already too late. With her other arm hooked over Sydney’s right shoulder, Jacobs popped her hips to take the other woman up, over and DOWN with a Power Slam made all the more emphatic because Jenny landed on her chest Crossbody style. Hooking the leg simply because she was there and powerless to do otherwise, Jenny leaned into the pin and nodded along for…
POWER SLAM @ 00:04
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUjSmPGKuFs
ONE!
Sydney kicked out with authority, just as Jacobs knew she would. “Gimme all you got, Syd.” Jenny told the veteran in the midst of hauling her up with a handful of hair. “I always give you everything I’ve got and I want the same from you.” No response other than a low grunt, not that Jacobs needed any more confirmation to know Deschain had heard her.
A quick European Uppercut tested the strength of Syd’s chin and allowed Jenny to catch her in a Front Facelock with no hassle at all. Then she slung Syd’s far arm across her shoulders, snatched a huge handful of purple trunks and muscled her all the way to high noon. The Jacobites were more than ready to count for as long as Jenny wanted to hold the stall, but the NorCal Sensation was too full of energy to stay in place a second longer than necessary. And so she broke into a shambling run that ate up a great deal of mat before she hopped up and laid out on her back.
RUNNING SUPLEX @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyObhFkHrak
THWHAM! The Vertical Suplex slammed Deschain into the mat full length, then bounced her to a seat, where she would’ve stayed if Jenny hadn’t cupped her shoulders and forced her down flat again. Up and off in a flash, Jacobs hit the strands at a dead run and came back that much faster. Taking flight when she was almost on top of the grounded technician, Jenny threw herself into the head-first, inside out back flip that was the hallmark of any good Shooting Star Press. It landed a direct hit on Deschain’s midsection but Jenny didn’t hook the leg that time. Rather she popped up, stepped over the prone brunette and peeled off another gorgeous back flip. THWHAP! Jenny’s tummy hammered down on Sydney’s and when Deschain’s legs shot up the blonde was waiting to bundle them in her arms. Impressed by the utter lack of ring rust he’d seen thus far on the returning battler, Nick Castle dropped to one knee and counted…
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ which pleased Jenny a great deal. “Not gonna give you any time to breathe, Syd.” Jacobs chided after Castle confirmed the count. “I’ve been sitting on my hands for most of a year and I’ve just been itching to hit my top gear again!” She scooted around into place above the Mangler, stretched her legs at a welcoming angle and slid forward until the back of Syd’s head was snugged against her lap. Ankles locked, she squeeeeeeeeeezed down on the Headscissors and raised a pair of J’s high overhead. “God, I’ve missed this!” Jacobs alternately tensed and relaxed her thighs, making it that much harder for Sydney to adjust to the pressure grinding at her ears and cheeks. “Not gonna give up on me, are ya Sydney?” Jenny brushed a few strands of hair off her opponent’s forehead, then put both hands against the mat and lifted her butt off the mat by a good six inches.
The Technical Marvel had only waggled a finger ‘no’ at Castle up ‘til this point, now she snorted and huffed, “I’m not even going to think about ending this until I’ve shown you how to do a proper Headscissors.”
Jenny’s blue eyes gleamed competitively. “Oh, is that so, baby? Then I can’t wait for you to show me!” she reached forward with her right hand and patted / swatted Deschain’s belly half a dozen times. “Do you need me to let you go so you can HWOOAAAHH!”
Sydney wrapped her arms around Jacobs’s knees, knotted her hands together and rolled over onto her stomach. This didn’t free her from the Headscissors, indeed it made her predicament that much more uncomfortable. It did however let her get her hands and knees braced against the mat. Jenny shook her head ‘no’ and squeezed all the harder, trying to crush the fight out of the Marvel before she could ‘PWOP!’ Syd wrenched her head loose of the Scissors, then she kicked her legs forward and sat down so that her tush was wedged against the backs of Jenny’s thighs.
In the next instant she looped her arms around the blonde’s ankles and threaded her feet under Jacobs’s armpits. Sitting up a little straighter, she clamped down on Jenny’s wrists, then pulled her legs loose and laid them over her foe’s shoulders. Jenny shook her head ‘no, no, no!’ alas it wasn’t enough to stop the Mangler from hooking her feet against the sides of opposing noggin. Perched far more comfortably than her opposition at the moment, Deschain leaned forward to ease some of the strain, then doubled down on it by leaaaaaaaaaaaaning all the way back.
ROCKING HORSE STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd9MngoX0wA
Eyes squenched tight as she went for a ride on the Rocking Horse, Jacobs barked, “NO!” when the senior official asked if she wanted to throw in the towel.
Syd noted the resistance without comment, nodded to herself and raised her feet, which in turn wrenched Jenny’s neck at an unpleasant angle. “Sure you didn’t come back a little too soon, Jen?” the Marvel asked following ten seconds of nothing but wriggling from the grounded blonde. “Or did you actually get nostalgic for looking up at those lights?” Syd pulled back that much farther, Jacobs wasn’t actually on her knees, but she was more than halfway there and the small of her back was feeling every bit of the strain.
Nick saw the pain etched on her features, knew the answer she’d give and asked anyway. “Want me to call it, Jenny? Just say the word and I’ll WHOAH!” The ref backed off fast when Jenny twisted her right hand free of the brunette’s five-fingered manacle.
Unaware that her swipe had almost taken Castle’s nose off, Jenny prized at the ankles bracing her cheeks until the Marvel was forced to pull them away. Still caught at wrist and ankle, she pressed her feet into the sides of Sydney’s chest as best she could. It wasn’t much, but it proved distracting enough for Deschain to abandon her control over the remnants of the Rocking Horse. Far too aware of her own vulnerability to enjoy her hard-fought freedom, Jenny rose to all fours and hurried toward the ropes.
“You know how I feel about the rope breaks, Jenny.” Sydney said a heartbeat before she dipped down and coiled both arms around the other woman’s waist. “Only for use in case of an emergency. Is this really an emergency?” Jenny didn’t get a chance to reply because the Mangler set her feet and slooooooowly muscled her off the canvas in a slow motion bridge. It picked up a lot of speed heading for the crest and practically flew down the opposite side, leaving Jenny to THWHAM down on the back of her head and shoulders. Waistlock still firmly in place, Deschain pushed onto her tiptoes to await the count…
DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZMCJfVhtsA
ONE…
TWO…
Jacobs kicked out almost simultaneous with ‘TWO!’, a good sign as far as Sydney was concerned. On one knee beside the aching Innovator, Syd ‘flicked’ her trunks back into place before patting her opponent’s tush. “You ready for more, Jen?” she asked without malice.
“I’ll tap when I’m not.” the blonde huffed.
“Good girl.” Swinging around so she was sidled in against Jacobs’s left, Deschain braced one hand against Jenny’s glutes and the other between her shoulders. Properly set, she pushed up into a near-perfect handstand, then swung down the way she’d came and THWHUMPED her knees into Jenny’s lower back. Jacobs moaned, pushed up on her hands and groaned a little louder when Deschain cupped her chin. “I could strap you to the Bridge right now, Jenny.” Syd told her even as she reached for the other Californian’s ankles. “And I will too, if you don’t start fighting back in the next five NNNNGGGGHH!”
Jenny twisted onto her back, sat up with a noticeable wince and PWAAAKED Sydney across the tits with a Forearm Smash. The Marvel rocked a little but showed no other signs of disengaging so Jenny cupped her free hand across the back of the brunette’s neck to keep her under control while she pounded home three more forearms. “This what you were looking for, Syd?” Jenny chided while grinding the bony ridge of her forearm back n’ forth against the veteran’s chest. “A little bra-busting beatdown on the biggest stage of them OOOOFFFFFHHH!”
Sydney swatted the younger woman’s arm aside and ‘clacked’ her teeth with a European Uppercut. Jenny swayed dangerously but didn’t fall over. Alas this gave the Marvel all the impetus she needed to snatch a hold of Jacobs’s top and pull her into a right hand that shoveled home just above the navel. “Missed that sass, no question.” Deschain slung an almost companionable arm around the blonde’s shoulders as she slumped into the gut-churning blow. “Now get up, Jen. I’m not done welcoming you back yet.” Twining her fingers in Jacobs’s golden locks, Syd treated ‘em to a healthy yank as she hauled the both of them to boot leather. A Kneelift continued the work started by the body blow and kept the leader of the Jacobites sucking wind long enough for the Mangler to slip both arms around her waist. Careful to lock her hands against the small of Jenny’s back, Sydney pulled her opponent in close and used those couple inches of height advantage to jerk Jenny onto her tiptoes.
Forcing herself to take shallow breaths so the Bear Hug couldn’t force even more air from her lungs, Jacobs smacked a few hard slaps against the brunette’s ribs to little effect. Just because she felt like it, she curled her hands into claws, sank them into Sydney’s hair and yanked hard, a blatant receipt for the tugging she’d endured only moments prior.
“Hands out of her hair, Jenny.” Nick tapped her left wrist to emphasize the point.
“Oh, let her pull, Castle.” Deschain said with the tiniest bit of ice in her voice. “If pulling my hair is the only one of those millions of maneuvers she can think of, why should I tell her NUUFFFHHH!”
Jenny used the hair pull to yank the Marvel into a Headbutt across the bridge of the nose. “Know what you’re doing, Syd. You‘re tryin‘ to motivate me by pissing me off.” Jenny jabbed her elbows into the meat of her foe’s biceps and started fighting to get her arms beneath Deschain’s Hug.
Sydney blinked the shine from her eyes, leaned in a little closer and poured on that much more squeeze. “Is it working?” she grunted.
Redoubling her efforts to get through the veteran’s coil, Jacobs muttered, “You tell me.” The NorCal Sensation forced her elbows down one more time and THAT finally gave her the inside track on this Bear Hug contest. But before Jacobs could so much as lock her hands the brunette jerked her into a retaliatory Headbutt! Senses momentarily scrambled, Jenny couldn’t stop Deschain from reclaiming her grip, nor could she stop the Marvel from tossing her up, over and down with a BOOMING Overhead Belly to Belly Suplex. Jacobs bounced to a seat, her arms crooked into hunched, useless claws until Syd palmed a shoulder and laid her out flat. Pressed down in a Crossbody immediately thereafter, Sydney hooked the far leg for…
OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvMPIfKkKDM
ONE…
TWO…
Jenny shoved loose at ‘TWO!’ and turned into her attacker to keep Deschain from having an easier shot at her back. “Smart move, kiddo.” the brunette admitted as she cupped her hands over Jacobs’s ears. “But hiding your back isn’t going to keep me off of it.”
Case in point, the Marvel peeled her foe off the mat and sidled in on her left side. From there she curled her right arm across the blonde’s waist and braced her left arm against the pits of Jenny’s knees. Hooks set, she muscled the Innovator off the mat and-- let out a little ‘eep’ of surprise when Jenny pushed off in an unexpected back flip. The extra momentum tore her loose from Syd’s clutches and she landed on her feet directly beside the startled brunette. Thwhap-thwhap-THWHWAP! Jenny pounded a trio of Kneelifts into Deschain’s tummy and quickly pulled her into a Front Facelock when she doubled over. Rather than go for a Suplex, DDT or other head drop, Jacobs cupped her foe’s chin in her right hand and spun around so they were standing back to back. Left hand raised high, Jenny showed the J to her followers, then twisted on through and dropped to her belly to THWONK Deschain down on her forehead with a beautiful Rolling Facebuster.
ROLLING FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl5-7vTIeYg
Syd bounced to her knees instead of flopping over onto her back, not that it discomfited Jacobs in the slightest. Scrambling to her feet, she circled around behind the penitent Marvel and bounced off the ropes. She stayed the course until the very last second, then peeled off a sharp somersault, curled her right arm around the back of Deschain’s neck and laid out flat on her back to THWHONK her foe’s noggin for the second time in as many minutes. The Somersault Cutter did what the Facebuster had not, rolling the stunned brunette over onto her back. Jenny was right there to capitalize, ‘smecking’ across Syd’s tummy in a miniature Splash. In the next instant she hooked the far leg and pulled it close for…
RUNNING SOMERSAULT CUTTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDq98zb6_8
ONE…
TWO…
Deschain kicked out with authority, lest the Innovator think she was lolling on the edge of semi-consciousness. Jenny hadn’t considered that possibility for even a moment, which was why she wasted no time in dragging the veteran up with a double handful of hair. “Hey, do my boots look scuffed to you?” The NorCal Sensation slammed a Kneelift into Deschain’s gut to get her looking at the canvas, after that she looped her arms around that wheezing midsection and demonstrated considerable strength by muscling Sydney up onto the point of her right shoulder. “Yeaaaaaaaaaahhh!” Jacobs stomped to the middle of the ring, making sure to bounce each step to put that much more ache in her opponent’s spine. “How you doin’ Syd, wanna give it up? Don’t answer that, I know you don’t, I just like to askmmmpppgghhh HEY!”
Sydney curled a hand around the blonde’s mouth, an impromptu Palm Smother that Jenny broke in less than three seconds. “And I just like to throw you off your game.” Syd sounded amused despite the painful curve in her back. “Shouldn’t be so easy after all these yeaSSSEERRRGGHH!” Jenny bounced that much harder, then hunched forward a little so she could spin in a rough circle. The Mangler groaned and closed her eyes, not that it did much for the nauseated lurch in her stomach or the growing fire at the small of her back. Relief only came when Jacobs drew to a halt and even then she didn’t enjoy it for more than a second or two because the blonde swung her forward ‘n down and dropped to one knee, all the better to THWHUMP the brunette’s exposed midsection. Sydney flopped clear and rolled away with both arms swaddled tight against her roiling tummy.
GUTWRENCH GUTBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1urDyR-H0Kg
Above her, Jenny surveyed the damage done with not only obvious satisfaction, but a clear understanding of what came next. More than ready to act, she forced the Marvel onto her belly with a stomp to her lower back. Feet planted on either side of the downed battler’s hips, Jenny dropped to one knee and pulled Deschain’s feet off the mat. “Nothing’s gonna come easy tonight, Sydney.” the Innovator muttered as she trapped Syd’s ankles in the crooks of her elbows. “You’ll have to knock me out if you wanna beat me. And if I’m gonna beat you….” she locked her hands, stood up and leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaned forward to put a serious kink in her rival’s spine.
[b[INVERTED BOSTON CRAB @ 1:38[/b]
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E85xMLAI96g
Sydney didn’t scream, but she sucked in a pained wince that Castle knew would’ve registered as a wail from just about anyone else. Careful to keep himself clear of Deschain’s path to the ropes, he crouched beside her and asked, “What do you say, Sydney? You got this?”
Syd gripped Jacobs’s left ankle and tried to pull her off balance, emphasis on ‘tried’ as Jenny only shook her head and applied more torque. “Yeah, I’ve got it, Nick.” the brunette grunted. “Jenny may know a million holds but she still hasn’t mastered the concept of leverEERRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!”
Jacobs leaned forward almost to the point of overbalancing. Key word ‘almost’, as she held the tricky position like a champ. “That’s the kinda leverage you talkin’, about Syd? That’s the kinda leverage that breaks streaks… and backs.”
Sydney held her tongue as she tried to stretch out and inch her way across the mat. Not to much to reach the ropes (though she’d certainly accept their assistance at this point) but to alleviate the worst of the pressure on her lower back. Stretched as far as she could go without making an unmistakable escape attempt, the Mangler didn’t bother to look at the Innovator as she replied, “If you think you’re going to break my back you really haven’t learned anything from all those beatings I’ve AAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH DAAAAAAAAAYYYYUUUMMM!”
Tired of working to maintain that admittedly delicate balance, Jenny abruptly dropped to one knee. Doing so actually lessened the pain on her opponent’s vertebrae, yet it also made it far easier for Jenny to snatch a huge double handful of hair. “I learned PLENTY each and every time you kicked my ass, Sydney. I may not have a W in my column yet, but don’t even think of implying that I haven’t gotten a helluva lot better. That high school girl that tried to jump you on the beach early one morning? She never could’ve done this.” Jacobs pulled Deschain’ hair back into a short ponytail and transferred it to one hand. The other she flattened into a paddle and patted the Marvel’s cheeks, first one side and then the other. “And there’s no way she would’ve pulled off something like this!” The grinning blonde put her thumb against one cheek, her index finger against the other and pressed together, smooshing Deschain’s usually elegant features into an embarrassing ‘fish face’.
Syd didn’t struggle at first, but after several seconds she twisted her head to one side and snapped at the blonde’s encroaching fingers. “That all you’ve got?” she sniped “Obnoxious little tricks? I thought you weren’t going to waste my time tonight Jen--” the Girl of 8,675,309 Moves went to cup Deschain’s chin and that’s when the Mangler snatched hold of her wrists. Eyes wide and startled, Jenny rose up about halfway, then dropped down to THWHUMP her butt into the small of Sydney’s back.
“You want this to be over, Syd?” Jenny taunted after another Butt Drop. “Then let me show you the door!” Fiddling with her hands just enough to wrest control of their handfighting, Jenny stood up and used the Wristlocks to hoist Deschain to her knees. While there was plenty she could’ve done from that position, Jacobs only tugged the brunette’s arms across her own chest Straightjacket style. Then she circled around front, forced Sydney’s head between her thighs and slooooooooooooowly hoisted her upside down. No stalling once the inversion was complete, Jenny hopped up, kicked her legs forward and landed on her tush to SPIKE the crown of Sydney’s skull courtesy of the Straightjacket Piledriver.
STRAIGHTJACKET PILEDRIVER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcc3So4risM
The Marvel jolted out, landed on her back near the ropes and might’ve managed to slide out to the floor if Jenny hadn’t caught her at ankle and wrist. Way too motivated to let the veteran out of her sight (or even sniff the possibility of a rope break) Jenny dragged her out into deep water, tossed those limp limbs aside and flopped down in a Crossbody. Hooking both legs for extra insurance, she folded the purple-clad battler in half for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Sydney rolled hard to one side, shooting her left arm into the air a half second before Jenny could claim her first win in a year. Angry but not frustrated, the NorCal Sensation clamped a hold Deschain’s left wrist and used it to haul both of ‘em to boot leather. Crimping it into a Hammerlock she sidled around behind the brunette’s back and dipped under her right arm. With her left hand preoccupied in maintaining the Hammerlock, Jacobs extended her right full length and twisted into Syd, meaning to take her head off with a Captivating Lariat.
But this plan hit an unforeseen snag when the buzzsaw turned toward Jenny and pounded a stiff Kneelift into her belly. Jacobs doubled over or at least started to, she’d made it less than halfway when Deschain spun into position on her six and forced her upright with a Half Nelson on her right arm. The Mangler’s left arm snugged around her waist and even in her dazed state the blonde went struggled mightily. This was after all the set-up to a staple in her own expansive arsenal. T’wasn’t gimmick infringement however, while Jacobs favored a Half Nelson Backbreaker Sydney preferred something a discombobulating. Thusly she bent her knees deep and bridged back full force to hurl the blonde with Half Nelson Suplex so emphatic she landed flat on her face, chest and belly.
HALF NELSON SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em7LxxgItoY
Jenny reared back on her knees and for a moment it looked like she’d crumple backward over her own haunches. That would’ve been very bad if Deschain had sought a cover and Jenny must’ve known it because she rocked forward and landed awkwardly on her left side. Sydney didn’t mind one way or the other as she wasn’t of the mind to finish this fight just yet. She liked Jacobs more than most and she didn’t take the blonde’s trash talk and head games personally but that didn’t mean she was going to let them go unanswered.
Anyone who managed to display Sydney Deschain was going to pay dearly for the privilege.
Working a hand into the Innovator’s sweat-damp locks, Syd peeled the woozy warrior off the canvas and hooked her left arm over Jacobs’s right shoulder so she could palm the back of her neck. In the same move she tossed Jenny’s left arm over her left shoulder so she encountered no resistance when she curled her right arm around Jenny’s left knee and pulled it up in a sharp cradle. No squirming from Jacobs this time ‘round, she was still deep in Suplex Shock and it got that much worse after the Marvel flung her up, over and down with a cradled Exploder that THWHUMPED her down flat on her back.
CRADLED EXPLODER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMQlWkrTHG0
Jenny went rolling the instant she touched down, presumably an attempt to either reach the ropes or keep her shoulders off the mat. She succeeded with the later but not the former, her momentum dying with several feet still between herself and the bottom rope.
On her feet by this point, Deschain saw the grounded battler reaching for the strands and put a stop to it by dropping a quick, heavy knee across the other woman’s forearm. “Nothing for you out there, Jenny.” the brunette explained as Jenny rolled onto her back and held that aching arm against her chest. “If you wanna beat me you’re going to do it between these ropes.” Jenny didn’t answer with words but she flopped onto her stomach, planted both hands against the ropes and started to rise. Deschain took that as a good sign so she posted up behind the younger lass, then bent down and wrapped both arms around Jacobs’s hips. Hands locked, Syd settled into a crouch and muscled her burden off all fours. It was yet another flawless bridge and even the most devoted of Jacobites murmured their amazement when Deschain PLANTED their heroine with her second Deadlift German of the evening. Arched save for the soles of her boots and the crown of her skull, Sydney kept JJ folded in half real nice while Castle counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Jenny pulled loose and flopped over onto her tummy. She didn’t move much beyond that, though she did manage to curl one swaddling arm over the back of her head. Not the slightest bit put out by her foe’s escape, Sydney got up and stood beside Jenny. After a moment’s deliberation she raised a foot and planted it between her rival’s shoulders. This got some boos from the Jacobites but her own fans were more than enough to drown them out. “That’s three Suplexes in a row.” she told the crowd. “Think she can take a few more?”
The FAWNatics thought Jenny was more than tough enough to take whatever the Mangler dished out and told her just that. Syd nodded her agreement, then removed her foot so she could sink down and work her arms around the other woman’s waist. Hands locked against the NorCal Sensation’s midsection, Deschain puuuuuuuuulled Jacobs off the mat and bundled her in close against her left side. With Jenny trapped in her clutches like little more than laundry, Sydney repaid the Fish Face by halving the Waistlock just long enough to swat the blonde’s backside in delightfully condescending fashion. Jenny shook her head and kicked her legs a bit, which did nothing to dissuade the idea that Syd was dealing with a cranky, oversized toddler. Doubling down on her grip before the other Californian could engineer an escape, Deschain backed toward the center of the squared circle and proceeded to spin around once, twice, three times. Upon completion of the third she came to a dead stop and finally finished the throw by flipping Jacobs onto her back with a heavy THWHAM!
SPINNING GUTWRENCH SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVhpTUpM5vY
Jenny sat up like the mat was electrified, one hand flying to the small of her back while the other reached for the ropes. The Mangler didn’t give her any time to tend to either problem-- she cupped Jenny’s chin in both hands, hauled her to verticality and folded her over with a Kneelift. This was followed by another Gutwrench, no theatrics this time ‘round though, the brunette only gathered her reserves before hoisting her prey up oh so high before flipping her over and dropping to her butt to THWHUMP Jenny full length into the mat courtesy of a ring-shivering Powerbomb. Waistlock still in place, the brunette leaned into Jacobs’s haunches and laid her heels atop those lolling biceps for the…
GUTWRENCH POWERBOMB:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvB2-NxmYhw
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Jenny shot a shoulder off the mat, not only that, she curled her index finger and thumb into a J to let everyone know she wasn’t gonna lose at back to back ‘Manias. Sydney looked thoughtful, but anyone who paused to check her expression spied something that might’ve blossomed into frustration if given enough time. But Sydney had no intention of giving the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds that much time, she meant to end Jenny’s return bid in no more than a minute, perhaps less. Sliding away from the flattened Innovator to regain her footing that much quicker, Deschain helped herself to a handful of hair at the nape of Jenny’s neck and peeled her off the mat in stages.
“Gave me a good fight, Jenny. You’ve always given me a good fight, even when you didn’t know it.” Sidled against Jacobs’s left flank, the Marvel reached under Jenny’s left arm with her right and cupped the back of her neck. Once she’d pulled the NorCal Sensation into a slight crunch, Syd crooked her left arm under Jacobs’s left leg and hoisted it up in another unpleasant cradle. “But you’re not going to beat me tonight. Good as you are… you can’t beat me.” Jenny punched her in the ribs once and would’ve done it quite a bit more if Deschain hadn’t hurled her high and hard with the Stir of Echoes. Jenny SLAMMED down on the back of her head, rolled through and bounced up in a drunken seat. She was very close to the ropes and Syd thought she’d pull herself under the bottom rope to the floor but Jacobs slipped an arm over the middle rope and slowly, sloooooooooowly pulled herself to boot leather.
STIR OF ECHOES @ 1:00
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYFYue_cdzA
“Tuff to the end, huh Jenny?” Deschain said under her breath. “That’s why I’ve always liked you.”
Jacobs’s back was to her so Syd stalked over and slapped a Waistlock around her midsection. She’d *just* pulled JJ to her chest when the blonde snapped her head back, striking her attacker across the bridge of her nose. Sydney staggered a step or two, then found herself pulled right back in because Jenny had snugged her right hand against the back of her neck. Pushing off by a little bit, the Innovator crouched deep and launched herself straight up to go over Deschain’s head in a flawless somersault. Knees raised high against her chest, she stuffed the joints against Syd’s chest and laid out on her back to THWHUMP the stunned beauty with a flawless Spivey Point Driller! The Mangler bounced off Jenny’s knees to land in a stiff-backed seat, one hand pressed to her wounded spine, the other reaching for the ropes which were inches away.
SPIVEY POINT DRILLER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODOMpwweGDQ
Her fingers actually brushed the bottom rope for two whole heartbeats before Jenny snatched hold of her wrist and used it to pull the brunette to jelly-legged verticality. Jacobs moved damned fast for someone on the receiving end of a Suplex Parade and she wanted to make the best of it because she damned well knew the adrenaline high wouldn’t last more than a minute, if that. Dragging her stunned opposition to the center of the ring, Jenny slammed a Toe Kick into Deschain’s belly, then forced her into a Standing Headscissors the instant she started to double over. A Waistlock followed shortly thereafter and that led to a savage Powerbomb lift that did nothing for the hurts in her shoulders and back. Jenny halved her Waistlock as soon as Syd took a seat on her shoulders, that made it all the easier for her to shift her right arm between the Marvel’s gams. Elbow crooked up in front of her right ear, Jenny laid out on her side, a shift which THWHAMMED Sydney flat on her back while simultaneously THWHUMPING an Elbow Drop into her crotch.
SLEDGE-O-MATIC:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjMJ1L9AfKk
Sydney sat up at once, although this reaction was due almost entirely to the pain in her nethers rather than an indication of any weak sauce delivered alongside Jenny’s Sledge-O-Matic. The NorCal Sensation reached for Syd’s shoulders for a split-second, then called an audible and sprang to her feet. Wheeling around in a quick one-eighty, she threw herself into the ropes in front of her opponent and came back almost twice as fast as she left. On a collision course with the brunette from start to finish, Jacobs pivoted on her left foot and THWHONKED a huge Running Knee into Sydney’s forehead. Sydney went down for the third time in less than a minute and this time she didn’t immediately sit up.
RUNNING KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VwirUSXoA
The Jacobites roared for their heroine to go for a cover but Jenny was already heading for the nearest corner. This changed their tone quite considerably it the reaction grew all the more favorable when Jenny took the top rope in both hands and vaulted into the air. Twisting around mid-ascent to land in a crouch facing the rest of the ring, Jacobs held her perch just long enough to catch her balance. She must’ve used some of that time to plot an arc between Deschain and herself because she leapt out into the void with no hesitation whatsoever. Touching her toes long before she reached the apex, the Innovator stretched out full length and angled herself sideways, all the better to THAWHAM the point of her right elbow into Sydney’s sternum.
BOSOU ELBOW @ 00:38
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY-p95ALHyk
The veteran’s legs kicked up in a breathless puff that was entirely lost in the roar of those assembled. Jenny didn’t move quite fast enough to hook either of ‘em before Syd’s heels returned to the mat, but she damned sure hooked the far leg as soon as she’d turned into a Crossbody. Teeth bared in a ferocious, satisfied grin, Jenny yelled along with the crowd as they timed out Nick’s count…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Sydney pulled her leg loose and turned onto one side, her back presented to the incredulous blonde. “C’mon Nick.” Jenny panted. “That was three.”
“It was almost three.” Castle corrected. “And you and I both know you don’t want your return match tainted by a quick count.”
Jacobs shook her head, he was right even if she hated to hear it. “All right.” she flipped hair out of her eyes even as she filled her hands with Sydney’s dark locks. “No one bought a ticket to see me win a match with an Elbow Drop anyway.
On her feet after a brief deliberation, the Girl of 8,675,309 Holds stood over the prone grappler and raised a pair of J’s to the rafters. “JENNY-CIDE!” she bellowed to the maddened throng. Bolstered by their near deafening response, Jenny bent down, grabbed Syd by the ears and peeeeeeeeeled her off the mat. Dipping slightly as soon as the brunette was upright, Jacobs threw Deschain’s right arm over her right shoulder and curled her own right arm over the other woman’s chest. Then she cupped the back of Sydney’s neck, dipped her knees and--”NNNGGHH!”
The Mangler’s limp right arm came to life in a flurry of motion that pounded her elbow against the side of Jacobs’s head half a dozen times in perhaps that many seconds. It wasn’t the first time Jenny’d endured such a response during her series with the veteran and so she toughed it out as best she could but Syd didn’t give up either and eventually one of those strikes caught her cheek full force. Blinking away involuntary tears, Jenny abandoned her clutch and went staggering in one direction while Deschain headed in the other.
The wobble in her knees steadied out quickly once she wasn’t getting elbowed in the head and Jenny was quite pleased to see Sydney still looking quite shopworn when she turned to find her. The NorCal Sensation charged her flat out, leapt and twisted to one side for a Crossbody that might secure a surprise pin at best or put her in good position for the Ladder at worst. That was her thinking at least. Unfortunately, Sydney had some thoughts of her own and they took precedence when she stretched her arms wide and plucked Jacobs from the air with minimal staggering. Curling her left arm around the back of Jenny’s head as soon as she caught her balance, Deschain spun sharply to the left with the intention of disorienting her notoriously adaptable opposition. In this she was successful but the unexpected rotation also caught Castle off guard and the poor dope took Jacobs’s boots smartly upside the head. As of yet unaware of the accident, Sydney angled the Crossbody up n’ over so the blonde was practically at high noon above her head. Then she laid out on her back and TWHONKED the crown of Jenny’s skull into the mat compliments of a Brainbuster from deep in left field.
Jacobs popped into a blasted starfish and had her far leg cradled almost at once. Leaning into her cover, Syd heard the crowd jeer but was more concerned with why Castle seemed to be slow in getting into position. That was when a heavy Double Axehandle slammed into the back of her neck.
LISA DREAM:
“I’ll deal with this one!” Lisa Dream barked as she dragged Sydney away from the stunned blonde. “You two make sure I never have to soil my hands with that Wannadream ever again!”
DEBORAH HURT:
KRISTIN MANNERS:
The Sisters of Mercy didn’t have to be told twice. After Jenny’s dared spoil their destruction of Maddy Crane they were just as eager to punish the Innovator as their flawless patient. Hauling Jenny to her feet with a pair of Wristlocks. Deborah Hurt and Kristin Manners stepped back and hurled Jenny into a far corner as hard as they could. Jenny turned into the run and hit the buckles with a BWUUUNG that made your fillings ache. Her already unenviable position grew that much worse when Kristin (aided by a powerful Irish Whip from her partner) raced in, sprang up and slammed both knees into the blonde’s chest.
Knees still raised high, Nurse Manners hooked an arm around Jacobs’s head and twisted in a half circle so that she was seated on the top turnbuckle. That left Jenny trapped in a Front Facelock, which meant she had no idea Nurse Hurt was bearing down on her position for a second THWHUMPING Double Kneelift. Kristin released her Facelock then but only so Deborah could wrench Jenny’s head back for an Inverted Facelock. Then she turned in a quarter circle so that her right shoulder was pointed at the corner.
“Stick her, Kristin.” Nurse Hurt growled. “Give this bytch the needle.”
`Nurse Manners boosted herself to a seat on the top turnbuckle and jumped off. Pistoning her legs down as gravity took over, Kristin stomped into Jenny’s midsection, thus providing the signal for Deborah to drop to her tush with Jenny in tow. The Inverted DDT THWHUNKED Jenny down on the back of her head and shoulders, leaving the once energetic blonde sprawled in the shadow of the turnbuckles.
THE NEEDLE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCg0JYFSbOk
Over on another patch of canvas, Lisa Dream was doing something almost unheard of. She was working in silence. Careful to position herself behind the so-called ‘Marvel’, Lisa jerked Sydney to her knees with a double handful of hair, then crooked her fingers into claws and raaaaaaaaaaaaaked the penitent woman’s eyes with as much venom as she could muster. Deschain wailed and reached for the encroaching claws. Lisa didn’t resist, she only gripped Syd’s noggin and slammed a Kneelift into the back of her neck. That dropped the brunette’s hands to her sides, making it child’s play for Dream to drag her opposition to sludgy-legged verticality.
Literally biting her tongue to keep from tipping off the Wannadream, Lisa turned Sydney to face her and slung the Marvel’s right arm neatly over her right shoulder. With her own right arm belted snugly across Syd’s chest, the Ultimate Image of Human Perfection fashioned her left hand into an ‘L’, which she promptly raised for the infuriated FAWNatics. Then she sank into a crouch and launched the both of them into a gorgeous back-flip that culminated in the most perfect Jenny-Cide ever delivered. Bounced back on her haunches following the forceful THWHAM, Dream was halfway to her feet before she remembered Celia’s last bit of advice.
DREAMY GIMMICK INFRINGEMENT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElA3nbcLX8
Following as closely as she’d followed the rest of her therapist’s plan, Lisa motioned to Deborah Hurt an instant prior to stretching out across Sydney’s chest in a Crossbody. Perfectly aware of what Lisa wanted (Blassenville had in fact shared the plan with her nurses well in advance of Dream herself) the lissome brunette menace swooped in to place and smacked the canvas….
ONE…
TWO….
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Lisa felt the kick out coming and let it occur without complaint. Under any other circumstances she would’ve scraped her prey off the mat and spiked her skull with a Daydreamer. But tonight she only sprang to her feet with a wicked smirk painting her perfect features. “Pull her over here.” she told the Sisters in regards to Jenny, who was still flattened out following her date with the Needle. She didn’t even have to make the order, Nurses Hurt and Manners already had the Innovator by the wrists and were draaaaaaaaaaaaggging her toward the oblivious Marvel.
The Sisters of Mercy worked quickly, depositing Jenny within an arm’s length of Deschain. Stage set as perfectly as could be for a scene that didn’t involve herself, Lisa slid through the ropes and headed up the aisle with the Kristin and Deborah on her heels. They didn’t retreat all the way though, Lisa and her medical team stopped about halfway up the ramp. Far enough to claim innocence for any wrongdoing in the ring, more than close enough to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
The aforementioned fruits ripened several seconds later when first Sydney, then Castle and finally Jenny started to stir. One hand pressed to her stinging face, Deschain rolled to one knee, blinked away the worst of the world’s waver and saw Jenny struggling to all fours. Taken in a flash of anger for what she assumed was Jacobs’s raking her face, Sydney snatched a huge double handful of hair and did her very best to rip it from the blonde’s head when she yanked her upright. Jenny yelped, reached for her blistering scalp and so left herself wide open for the Kneelift that slammed into her navel. Sydney wedged Jenny into a Standing Headscissors the moment she doubled over and caught both arms in the Double Underhook just as fast. Too consumed with battle lust to hear the crowd trying to explain, Syd hoisted Jenny upside down, pushed onto her tiptoes and kicked her legs straight out to THWONK her opponent’s skull into the mat. Jacobs bounced violently, landed on her belly and might’ve stayed there for the duration if the Mangler hadn’t slapped on a Half Nelson and shoveled the blonde onto her back.
DESCHAIN DRIVER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElA3nbcLX8
Angry but not enough to really pour it on, Deschain slung a leg over, planted her tush on Jenny’s chest and hooked both legs behind the knees, all the better to fold her in half while the weary referee counted…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Sydney undid the Matchbook, stood up and raised a triumphant hand. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the Announcer called over a decidedly mixed reaction, “your winner via pin-fall… SYDNEY DESCHAIN!”
While it didn’t show on her face, Syd was more than a little hurt by the boos. She understood the disappointment from Jenny’s fans, but this was her last ‘Mania and she’d been looking forward to an appropriate send off in victory or defeat. “What’s their deal?” she asked Nick. “That was a great match. And it’s not like I raked her…” The veteran was about to say ‘eyes’ when she turned to the stage and saw the trio loitering on the ramp. It was about that time that the production crew cued up a replay of everything following Castle’s unfortunate encounter with Jenny’s boot. “You petty… jealous… bytch.” Sydney whispered. “I’m going to break your legs and tie them in a knot.”
“The f*ck you are.” Jenny Jacobs rose up, stumbled into the brunette and might’ve gone to one knee if it wasn’t for Nick hooking an arm around her right bicep. Jenny’d seen the footage too and she was angrier than the Marvel, if that was even possible. “I’m gonna kill her.” Jenny said under her breath. “Book me right now, because I’m going to kill her.”
She started forward only to have Syd grab her shoulder. “Hold on. You might not have to.”
As of yet unaware of the threat creeping through the curtain, Lisa took two giant steps toward the ring and spread her arms wide. “THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR SCREWING WITH ME, WANNADREAM! NEXT TIME KEEP YOUR FUGLY NOSE OUT OF MY BUSINESS OR I’LL--”
BWAAANG! Lisa whirled around, her eyes wide with shock as Deborah crumpled to her knees. A bit quicker to react (Hurt was her partner after all) Kristin Manners sprang at the intruder and ate a THWHUMPING chair shot to the tummy.
Finally alone with the woman who’d cost her not one, but two landmark victories, Maddy Crane raised the steel chair and tickled the rounded edge against Lisa’s chin just as the Dreamy One was about to pounce. “Not so fun is it, Lisa?” Crane asked quietly. “Having something you’ve worked so hard to achieve ripped away by some lunatic who just won’t remember her place. F*cking sucks, doesn’t it? Answer me.”
Lisa didn’t dare take her eyes off the redhead, not with the cool steel on the undershelf of her chin. After a moment she growled, “You have no idea who you’re playing with, Wanna--”
Maddy pushed her weapon forward, not much, but more than enough to silence the former World Champion. “I have a name, Lisa. Say it.”
Dream sneered imperiously despite her dangerous position. “What do you want, Wan… Crane?”
The Happy Anarchist’s legendary grin made its first appearance. “To give you a choice, Dreamy! There are three options, so listen carefully. A, you back off, hop the barrier and scurry back to Celia by making your way through the crowd. B, you turn around, hit the ring and hope Syd and JJ don’t tear you apart for shytting up their match.” Crane titled her head to get a better look at blonde and brunette. Both crowded the ropes and looked ready to come for Lisa at a moment’s notice.
Lisa didn’t need to turn to see this, she saw it laid out in perfect detail on the giant screen above the entryway. “My third option?” she asked with feigned boredom.
Maddy’s smile got a little wider. “Get by me. Get by me without your nurses, without your headshrinker, without ANYONE but yourself. Not easy, but then, you’re perfect. Right, Lis?”
Lisa was silent for a long time. “You’ll pay dearly for this, Maddy. You thought what I did to Jacobs was bad? It’s nothing compared to what waits for you.”
“So that’s C, then?” Crane wasn’t smiling anymore, in fact she looked as furious as the Ultimate Image.
Dream didn’t answer with words. Rather she took a few careful steps backward, then whirled to her right and vaulted into the FAWNatics.
Left with the stunned wreckage of the Sisters, Maddy raised her eyes to the women in squared circle. Sydney got a single companionable nod, Jenny got a single sentence. “Now we’re even, JJ.” Balance settled, she turned around and sauntered up the ramp with the chair swinging jauntily at her side.
Simultaneously enraged, disgusted and disappointed, Jenny shook her head, then turned to Sydney. “I can’t not offer you a handshake, Syd.” she said. “But this one hurts. More than all the other times you put me down, this one hurts.”
Sydney took her hand and pulled the weary blonde in for a hug that finally got the crowd cheering again. “I know Jen, believe me, I do. I’m not gonna say I’d have been happy with an ‘L’ next to my last Fawnamania match, but I’d take that over an asterisk any day.” the Mangler pulled away with a thoughtful look on her face. “It just occurred to me, loss or not, you are coming away from this match with something I don’t have.”
Jenny arched an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
Deschain gave her a smile Maddy would’ve been proud of. “A whole glorious decade in which to beat Lisa Dream’s pathetic, interfering ass.”
The prospect made Jenny smile. “Know what? I’ll take it. And I won’t waste a single day.”