Bachiko the Grappler Ch. 04

"Most certainly not, oba-san!" Kaito couldn't help feeling miffed. "He was late to the battle, which angered Kojiro's supporters, and then during the duel, it was likely he made use of positioning and the sunlight to gain a crucial advantage."

Fujiko nodded, seemingly satisfied. "And what of his earlier duels? With the Yoshioka clan?"

The utter humiliation and dismantling of the Yoshioka clan at the hands of the greatest swordsman who had ever lived was also common knowledge. "He defeated the brothers who were the heads of the clan... three times... three separate duels... and that was when he developed his style of fighting with two swords. Niten-ichi, 'two skies as one'. Isn't that so?"

"What special tactic do you think he employed in those duels? Specifically, boy, how did he survive the ambush prepared for him at the third and final duel?"

He was starting to recall more about the stories of Musashi. "He had arrived late for the first two... so for the third he did something entirely unexpected and actually arrived quite early, so that he could counter-ambush his ambushers!"

"Good! You're astute." Fujiko took another sip of her tea. "Musashi did not need to know all that much about his prospective opponents beforehand. When he defeated Agon, one of the Seven Pillars of the Hozoin, with a single blow, he was nothing but a vagrant would-be warrior who had just shown up on the doorstep of the Hozoin Temple. Did he use the Internet, hm? Did he formulate a strategy based on exhaustive research?"

Kaito had to concede that Musashi had not.

"Yet he was a warrior of the mind, for sure. He found chinks in the Yoshioka armour, provoking them to blind anger. He created a false impression of himself, and at the right time made full use of his enemy's erroneous understanding of his ways. He unnerved enemies with psychological warfare. And through it all, he was using his way, his style, of doing things.

"Bachiko is not yet at that level. Far from it. She is a precocious child, though, and she is a prodigy. She is a Hanma woman. The seed of it is in her. You worry, Kaito-kun, about Polina Petrovna's true power unleashed. Let me tell you something you should know about your girlfriend, Kaito-kun. You haven't seen the full extent of her power either."

With that reassurance in mind, Kaito watched as the opening of the match commenced.

Polina "The Pulverizer" Petrovna came in through the Azure Dragon entrance this time, in her signature Soviet-themed robe, which she threw off without much ceremony before stepping onto the dais. Her blue eyes seemed cold and flinty as she smiled and struck up a few poses, flexing her massively developed muscles for the audience. She was completely nude – no underwear, not a strip of clothing on her.

Then Bachiko came in, through the White Tiger, already fully in the nude as well. She looked magnificent, with her gleaming skin – Kaito had, minutes earlier, applied body oil all over her, so that was his handiwork. Her hair was starting to grow out a bit, and now reached down slightly past her chin. She appeared relaxed and confident as the announcer called out her height and weight – she had apparently gained a few pounds, mostly in muscle.

But Polina still towered over her and at 255lbs had almost 100 pounds on Bachiko! She was like a pale mountain of muscle facing off with Bachiko, standing with arms folded across her broad chest, looking impassive, as the table was brought out. Bachiko stood in a neutral stance, with her hands by her sides, looking calm but ready. She was exuding that same aura Kaito sensed every time she was in this ring – she was a different Bachiko than the one he knew outside this place. Here, she was a warrior.

Polina crouched over the table and shifted her stance, her legs positioned to provide a great deal of stability. Her left hand gripped the edge of the table, and she seemed to hunch up her whole body as she put her right arm up in mute challenge. Her arm wrestling posture seemed almost professional, her elbow placed close to her body and in line with her shoulder. She now took on the appearance of a boulder, an icy hunk of rock.

"Of course, she wouldn't do the single-arm version Kaori wanted," Kaito mused aloud. "She's all about the crushing pressure she can exert. She would want to use as much of her upper body strength as possible."

Fujiko said nothing, but nodded slowly and approvingly.

And as ever, Bachiko backed down from no challenge, implicit or otherwise – she hunkered down, copying the pose, and put her hand up. From up where he was, Kaito could not help seeing the size disparity between the two women. He fretted silently to himself about how huge Polina was. Could Bachiko really beat her in a contest of brute strength?

The two hands hovered together for a while... then slapped together with an audible smack, and grunts from both women. Immediately, Polina's power was on display – without waiting for any kind of signal, she began pulling on Bachiko's arm. The slabs of muscle on her arm and shoulder shifted. The peak of her biceps appeared rise by a full inch, maybe two, visible even from that distance. And Bachiko gritted her teeth, but allowed a groan to escape her throat – her arm was being pulled down.

That in itself was an amazing sight to Kaito. He had seen Bachiko perform one-arm pull-ups in sets of 80, 100 if she exerted herself to her limits. He had seen her perform bicep curls with weights that he couldn't even deadlift properly. He had been awed by Hanayama Kaori's strength, but even Kaori hadn't gained any arm wrestling advantage over Bachiko with her iron grip technique. And now, with all her upper torso muscles seemingly flexing in tandem, the massive Russian blonde was clearly outmuscling his girlfriend.

Bachiko threw back her head and uttered a choked cry, and managed to halt Polina's progress halfway down. Her left hand gripped the side of the steel table so tightly, through the viewing glasses Kaito could see her knuckles go white. Every muscle on her back was standing out, that marvelous pattern of ridges resembling a topographical map of a mountainous region, but it did not seem to be availing her tonight.

"Come on Bachiko-chan... use the Iron Grip!" he muttered.

Fujiko glanced sharply at him. "So... the Hanayama princess taught it to Bachiko?" she said, musingly.

He gave a curt nod, too engrossed in the match to observe all niceties. "Yes. Come on Bachiko... crush her hand!"

"It may be that our Bachiko is still as yet unfamiliar with the technique. She would need a certain amount of concentration – wait, look. There it is, I think!"

Fujiko was right. Kaito leaned forward eagerly, watching avidly through the viewing visors. Bachiko, having held Polina off to a standstill, seemed to be gathering herself for something. The look in Polina's flinty blue eyes turned into one of surprise, then growing concern. Their trembling arms did not move, but Bachiko's arm muscles writhed in a certain way... and Polina suddenly opened her mouth and screamed.

It was only a short, sharp scream and nothing changed in their arm positions, but it was music to Kaito's ears. The effect was still not very perceptible, but he knew Bachiko was performing the Iron Grip, grinding away at Polina's hand. Now it was up to Bachiko to make her muscles work together with sufficient synergy.

But Polina was no slouch at all. She grinned, for the first time showing a significant change in facial expression. "You are strong," she said, in her badly accented and slightly ungrammatical Japanese. "Strongest Japanese girl I have met until now. But you are not strong enough to destroy my ability to endure pain. Hanma Bachiko... you cannot crush my hand, you cannot crush my spirit!"

Slowly, their arms began moving down again. Sweat was flowing freely down both women's faces and bodies. Polina was gasping constantly, visibly in pain, but it was as she said – Bachiko's Iron Grip was as yet not powerful enough to break her. Her pain threshold was as high as Bachiko's... possibly even higher. Kaito's mind flashed back to the reports he had compiled. The kind of pain Polina had grown inured to in the course of her inhuman training, in the remote wilderness of the Tunguska region... even broken bones wouldn't hinder her much.

"Only one woman beat me before," Polina managed to say, as she pulled Bachiko's hand down to within a few inches. "Your mother. After I beat you... I will challenge her again, and win."

And just like that, something changed in Bachiko's posture. Her head snapped up, and despite the distance Kaito found himself recoiling by reflex. That feral grin was back in full force, and something else was behind it. Something wild, something savage.

"Oh that's right," she said, her teeth bared in that grin. And even Polina, who had faced down roaring bears, who had defeated entire squads of Spetsnaz in unarmed combat, seemed taken aback by the look in Bachiko's eyes. "I remember that match."

Their trembling arms began moving again, but upwards. Bachiko was pulling back, regaining lost ground. Somehow, Polina was now on the defensive. The look of astonishment was now unmistakable on her face. She dug deep – but Bachiko dug even deeper. She knuckled down – Bachiko knuckled down even harder. Slowly, but unstoppably, Bachiko pulled Polina back up to the center, and then over.

"I remember how you tried, and tried... and you couldn't crush my mother, not even a little bit... with your Iron Curtain. She took it as a joke."

Now Polina's composure had broken, like the splintering surface of a frozen lake thawing in the spring. The look on her face showed that she could not fathom how Bachiko, a girl without her girth or her span, smaller than her all over, was outmuscling her. And her wrist was getting bent back... and cracking sounds could be heard now, as Bachiko relentlessly applied her vise-like grip.

"And then she crushed you with it, using your own move on you... you sobbed and drooled as the air was squeezed out of your lungs, until you submitted with your last breath."

Bachiko looked into Polina's furious eyes. "You won't challenge her again... and you won't be the one to beat her. Because... the one who'll beat her... is me!"

And with that last roar of hatred Bachiko slammed Polina's arm down with huge force, and held it there for a moment, before Polina staggered a step backwards, clutching at her forearm, a look of amazement mingled with fear crossing her face. Bachiko's breath steamed from her nostrils as her chest and shoulders heaved.

The crowd was roaring at this upset, but it was a dim sound to Kaito. He realized that he'd broken out into a sweat all over, and blood was rushing through his ears. He had spilled his green tea on his lap, and it wasn't even registering.

"Feel it, boy?" Fujiko said, slyly. "Your very own adrenalin surge. What you're feeling now... this is what we in the world of this Arena live for. Everything you're feeling right now... I know it very, very well. You can't wait to see how the match plays out, can you?" And she cackled. Actually cackled, like a witch from European folk tales.

But she was absolutely right. He sat at the edge of his seat, hands gripping the sides of his chair, trying to imagine how his girlfriend felt – trying to imagine the feeling of power coursing through her muscles, the delicious tightness coming with each little movement she made, the heightened senses.

They were just standing and staring at each other now. The table had been carried off and the signal to begin had already been given, but neither seemed to be in a rush to engage. Polina flexed her fingers experimentally, and seemed grimly satisfied that everything was still in working order. She swung her arms backward and forward, causing her massive pectoral muscles to stretch and swell – they were simply massive armor plates, there was no other way to describe them. No man Kaito had ever seen had pectoral muscles to match.

Polina seemed to be timing her breathing. As she pulled her arms backwards, she inhaled, then exhaled slowly as she crunched her chest together, making the cords of muscle there ripple.

"Systema Spetsnaz breathing techniques," Fujiko remarked.

"Systema Spetsnaz? I came across that... it's the Soviet Union's Special Forces unarmed technique, copied from our aikido... but according to my research, she wasn't trained in it! She was too strong to need it..."

"Your research told you that much, boy? Then it should have also told you, it is more than just the fighting style! Breathing techniques, ways to maintain calm, survival skills... all are integrated in their system. Polina is formidable not just because of her sheer physical might, you know. As splendid as that may be."

Polina raised her arms and stretched them out, and began striding towards Bachiko, moving at what seemed like a glacial pace. Her icy composure had returned. Now she was like the inexorable advance of the Russian winter, their greatest weapon in war since ancient times... and Bachiko was directly in the path.

Step after step Polina took, and Bachiko stood her ground, muscles tensed, without flinching. Finally, just as Polina came within range, Bachiko raised her arms and met Polina's open hands with her own, lacing fingers with her. She backed away from her much larger opponent not one bit. It just looked so utterly uneven, this contest. How would it play out?

The test of strength began without any ado, perceptible because of the visibly straining muscles on both competitors' bodies. Their breathing remained even, growing only gradually more labored as the seconds ticked by. Then seconds became a minute... and there was no movement, only trembling. They posed like erotically sculpted statues, sweating and trembling.

"Seems they're evenly matched," Fujiko remarked, her eyes narrowing slyly. "Do you think so, Kaito-kun? Tell me what you think."

Slowly, Kaito shook his head. "No. No they're not. It looks that way but... in fact..."

"Who is the stronger, pound for pound? Who is the one with superior muscular power?"

"... It's Bachiko!"

At that answer Fujiko sat back and nodded with a look of satisfaction. "Not bad, boy. You're acquiring a good eye for these things."

It was true! Polina had a significant size and height advantage, and her leverage was the only thing preventing Bachiko from outright outmuscling her in this test of strength. Pound for pound... his Bachiko was the stronger girl! But he still felt unease. Polina wasn't just brute strength, he knew full well.

Barely a moment later he was proven right – Polina suddenly broke the stalemate and wrapped Bachiko in a headlock with lightning speed, held it for a split second, then performed a hip toss before Bachiko could break out and counter. She moved with impressive speed for a behemoth her size.

But Bachiko was just as fast, and well-trained – she landed on her feet, stopping the toss, and with a single adroit movement too quick to catch slipped out of the headlock, holding onto Polina's left arm with both of her own. Immediately she tugged on Polina's captive arm with her right, pulling it straight, and angled her body to drive her left elbow down on Polina's shoulder.

In the blink of an eye she was flat on her back, with a look of surprise on her face – Polina had reacted almost instantly, even as her left arm was being pulled on, with a leg sweep, knocking Bachiko off her feet from behind.

"Sambo!" Kaito breathed. Combined with Spetsnaz-style force transfer! So she had indeed learnt those techniques, even if the records showed she rarely ever had to use them!

Polina swung her body around 180 degrees, preparing to entrap Bachiko's head between her massive thighs – a truly frightening prospect. But Bachiko had already curled up into a defensive ball. Displaying flexibility worthy of a contortionist, she drew her knees up to almost her chin, extended her legs and somehow managed to plant her feet on Polina's chest right by the armpits. With a single powerful thrust, all 255 pounds of Polina Petrovna went flying away. Again displaying an almost unnatural agility and preternatural reflexes, Polina landed into a backward roll and came up again on her feet. In turn, Bachiko performed a handstand with negligent ease, and pushed herself up into the air, flipping herself around as she landed nimbly on her feet to face Polina again.

There was an eruption of applause – within the space of a few seconds, both women had demonstrated that in addition to massive pure brute strength, they possessed superb physical control and dexterity, as well as a high level of situational awareness. It was clearly enjoyable spectacle, the way they moved and countered.

They began circling each other again, closing in. Both looked warier than before, and more cautious of the other. Polina did not walk up to Bachiko brazenly like she had done minutes earlier, and Bachiko had put her arms up in a basic guard. The circle gradually tightened, and the tension grew.

Then Bachiko made her move, diving in straight for Polina's near leg. A jiujutsu single-leg takedown! In an instant she had an arm wrapped around Polina's leg. Her head went to the outside, and her other hand pushed against Polina's sculpted abdomen...

... but the blonde giantess didn't topple! In fact, she barely moved an inch!

"She's made a beginner's mistake, our Bachiko-chan," Fujiko murmured, even as Polina bent over to wrap her massive arms around Bachiko's waist and trap her in an inverted bear hug.

The tactic was sound on the face of it – since Polina commanded such a height and weight advantage, as well as possessing longer limbs, a smaller opponent ought to negate that advantage by going for a ground submission. A fighter skilled in ground work and who had initiated the ground game well would be able to overcome a larger or even stronger opponent with relative ease.

Unless that opponent was Polina, who had planted her feet and braced her body so well, shifting her center of gravity, so that even Bachiko could not topple her!

And now Bachiko was in trouble, caught in Polina's grasp in a disadvantageous position, unable to counter the next move. Polina gathered herself... then with a huge heave, lifted Bachiko straight up into the air, somehow managing to flip Bachiko head over heels as she did so. Her arms were then around Bachiko's hips, and in the next moment Bachiko had been slammed down on her back, hard, against the unyielding floor of the arena. It was a move Kaito had only seen performed in pro-wrestling – the jackknife powerbomb!

It appeared to have driven the breath from Bachiko's lungs, for she did not resist as Polina grabbed a hunk of her hair and pulled her to her feet again. Bachiko swayed unsteadily, her muscular arms hanging limply by her sides. She seemed stunned, held upright mostly by Polina's hand. The Soviet juggernaut inspected her, grunted with satisfaction, and suddenly pushed Bachiko's head in between her thighs, clamping down securely.

Kaito sat on the edge of his seat, gripping the balustrade in front of him tightly. One mistake... just one mistake could be so costly!

This time Polina executed a flawless jackknife powerbomb instead of the slightly sloppy first one. The sound created by Bachiko's thick back smashing into the floor made Kaito flinch. He could just imagine, despite the sheath of muscle protecting her back, that her breath was being driven out of her lungs by the impact. And then the sequence repeated itself yet another time – Bachiko was pulled upright, apparently barely able to stand, and yet another powerbomb smashed her onto the floor!

"Could this be..." Fujiko murmured, "... the end of her untarnished record, so quickly? Perhaps... I should not have agreed to make Petrovna-san her opponent so soon..."