Mothers Battle - Part 3
By Kyoko
Mariko and Aki arm wrestle again with left arms

Aki is now up by one point. Despite this setback, my mother still looks 
determined to win. It seems she will have to work harder now, because we had 
counted on Aki losing both arm wrestling matches. I am regretting the fact 
that we underestimated both Aki and Yuko badly. If my mother should lose the 
whole contest somehow.

No, that doesn't bear thinking about. I am not concerned about my forfeit if 
my mother loses. It will be humiliating, and painful. But I am thinking of 
my mother. She deserves to win. She is the bigger, stronger, and better 
woman. It is simply not fair if she doesn't beat the stuck-up Aki.

But now they are locked in a test of arm strength and starting from an even 
position, unlike in the first round when Aki got the jump on my mother 
Mariko. My mother should be able to overpower Aki now and pull back a point 
to equalize.

Both their left arms are both very sculpted. Right now, their definition is 
extremely impressive. Even I have to admit that Aki's arm is a 
strong-looking specimen. It looks like every muscle is tensed on her corded 
forearm.

The veins on my mother's forearm are still bulging slightly from the flexing 
just now. I wonder if their left arms are fatigued from the extended posing 
during the first round. If either of them are tired, however, they are both 
trying not to show it. Aki and my mother are staring each other in the eye, 
in a contest of wills, over their clasped hands.

"Ok. go!" Yuko brings her hand down sharply.

At first there appears to be no change, since both their arms were already 
fully flexed. After a while, a subtle trembling starts to appear in their 
hands. Throughout the match so far, the two women have been as motionless as 
statues, except for the play of rippling muscles under their oiled skin.

"Now I show you what real strength is," Mother says softly, looking 
confident. Slowly, she begins to gain an advantage.

Aki's lips curl in a snarl. Sweat is flowing freely down their faces and 
bodies. She flexes hard and stops my mother's progress.

"What's the matter, huh? Feeling tired? Feeling muscle fatigue?" she taunts. 
She appears to have a really mean streak. "Think you can last through this 
match?"

Frowning a bit in surprise, Mother pulls slightly harder, ramping up the 
force. She increases her lead over Aki by a little bit, but Aki still looks 
confident even though she is straining at a noticeable disadvantage now.

I know my mother so well that sometimes I can almost read her mind. Right 
now, there is a look of worry in her eyes that she is trying to conceal. 
Intuitively, I look at her beautiful left arm, sculpted to perfection, and 
observe closely how her muscles are flexing. Suddenly I realize what is 
worrying my mother, and my heart jumps.

The flexing just now had already fatigued her left arm. This was probably a 
plan of Aki's, which is why Aki chose to challenge my mother to keep up the 
pose during the match itself. Aki is probably banking on her great muscle 
endurance gained from her martial arts and gymnastics history. She probably 
used to hold many poses for long periods at a stretch, so her muscles would 
be more used to prolonged flexing. Whereas my mother is extremely strong, as 
a former weightlifter and bodybuilder, but her training lacks the same 
emphasis on muscle endurance.

Now I see where this contest might be going. Aki matched strength against 
strength in the first round with my mother, and won. Now she is going to try 
and pit her endurance against my mother's.

My mother must win quickly, or she will lose. No matter how big or strong 
her muscles are, if they're tired, they won't be able to do much.

"Mother," I say urgently, "beat her quickly! Pull as hard as you can! You 
must win quickly now!"

"Listen to your daughter giving you bad advice," Aki mocks. "She wants you 
to waste your strength! She must really want to take it in her rear from my 
daughter!"

Mother replies grimly, "It will be my daughter above yours, piercing her 
from behind, when this is over."

She turns to me, sees the anxiety in my eyes, and nods at me. Our eyes meet, 
and a current of love passes between us. I know she will trust me with 
anything, and as she turns back to Aki I sense her changing tack. Their 
hands start trembling violently as she exerts all her strength to pull Aki 
down.

Aki grits her teeth and pulls back just as hard. Staring at each other, they 
both bare their teeth as they engage in this titanic contest. Yuko and I 
begin shouting encouragement to our mothers again.

Their hands move back and forth across the center of the table, as first one 
woman gets the upper hand, then the other. Both are grunting like wild 
animals in heat with the effort they are giving. But neither is able to gain 
an advantage over the other.

Soon, both our mothers seem to have weakened. Their hands remained clenched 
tightly in the middle of the table as they try to recover from the long 
exertion. My mother has not managed to use her strength to win quickly. Now 
she has to try and win in a longer drawn-out contest, which will play right 
into Aki's hands. I hope her endurance is superior to Aki's. she must win! 
If she loses. she will be 2 points behind.

Aki looks tired out by the struggle, but she has a faint smile on her lips. 
She knows the situation, and she can feel my mother's strength through her 
arm. What she is sensing must be giving her confidence, which does not bode 
well for Mother. Mother looks chagrined that she did not manage to gain even 
a slight advantage with the power struggle she initiated. She huffs as she 
takes several deep breaths, getting her left arm ready for a test of 
endurance. Aki does the same. The two muscular women hunker down to their 
contest in earnest.

They lean forward slightly, moving their faces closer together. Both have a 
look of grim determination on their faces. Their locked arms do not move 
except for a constant fine trembling. They are both putting forward just 
enough strength to match each other. The woman whose arm muscles fail first 
will lose the match in a long, slow, agonizing fashion.

Yuko and I lean forward to watch the contest as well. We keep silent as our 
mothers pit their strength and will against each other. Soon, the pain in 
their eyes is visible. Their sweat is coating their bodies almost as much as 
the oil is. Veins are starting to bulge on both women's arms. Their biceps 
are bulging rock-hard, and my mother's bicep especially is larger and 
rounder than I have ever seen it. Now I also notice that Aki's bicep shows a 
hint of being bifurcated. Her level of muscle definition on her arms beats 
even my mother, whose biceps lack this feature.

I am starting to get very worried on my mother's behalf. I clench my fists, 
silently urging her on.

A minute passes. To our mothers it must feel like ten times as long. Now 
they are both gasping with the burning pain in their left arms. Aki has lost 
her smug look again, and looks like she's experiencing just as much 
difficulty as my mother. This match is truly hovering on the balance.

The slightest edge could grant victory to either mother now. I decide, there 
and then, to give my mother that edge. I begin the name chant again, softly, 
whispering it to the tightly clasped hands in front of me, willing it to 
start going down on my mother's side of the table.

"Mari-ko, Mari-ko, Mari-ko."

Quickly Yuko joins in. "A-ki, A-ki, A-ki."

Both women visibly redouble their efforts. Now that their daughters are 
chanting their names, they must feel the need to win more strongly than 
ever. It would be a tremendous put-down to the opposing family, to win with 
the daughters chanting the mothers' names. It would be a powerful symbol of 
superiority.

Then, right before my eyes, a significant tremor suddenly runs through my 
mother's arm. She moans, and Aki pulls her arm towards her by an inch. My 
heart sinks. Mother's muscles have failed her - she was the first to break.

"No." she moans.

"Yes!" Aki hisses in fierce triumph. Yuko punches the air with both fists, 
thrilled at this development. She goes back to chanting her mother's name, a 
glint of sadistic delight in her eyes as she looks at me over our mother's 
locked hands, which are now going down towards Aki's side. Bit by bit, Aki 
overpowers my mother with her arm strength.

I feel the tears welling up in my eyes again. I chant my mother's name 
harder and fiercer than ever, trying to will strength back into my mother's 
arm. Don't give up, Mother. fight on. be strong.

Mother's eyes are squeezed shut with pain. Her mouth is open in a silent 
roar as she tries to reverse the situation. But Aki pulls relentlessly, not 
letting Mother's arm get any recovery time at all. Second by second, she 
pulls my mother's arm down lower, stretching and straining my mother's 
exhausted bicep. There is no comeback possible in this match. Mother's arm 
is in pain, and without the time to let it rest and recover, even her iron 
willpower cannot help her win.

It is only that willpower that is keeping her going now, despite the tears 
of pain being squeezed out of her eyes, and the pain she must be feeling 
from her left arm. But bravely she fights on, with every second a torture. 
She could end this in a moment if she wanted to, by simply giving up. But 
she has a true warrior spirit. My mother is a truly strong woman, no matter 
what Aki or Yuko say.

When my mother is mere inches away from losing, Aki says to her, "If you 
admit your defeat now, I will let your arm go. This pain can end, Mariko. 
Just say loudly, in front of both our daughters, and for the camera, that I, 
Aki, have the stronger and better arm, and the superior muscles. Say it."

My mother opens her eyes and glares at Aki, the fatigue visible in every 
line of her face. She is too breathless to say anything, and only shakes her 
head defiantly.

"Very well then," Aki says. "I will prolong your humiliation to the end."

Mother fights her for every millimeter. I chant her name for her to the very 
end. Sadly it is not long in coming. Aki presses Mother's hand flat onto the 
table almost gently, and with excruciating slowness, seeming to savor every 
last moment of painful effort on my Mother's part.

"Stop!" Yuko declares with authority. Aki holds Mother's hand down for a few 
seconds, staring deeply into her eyes, then releases Mother's aching hand. I 
can't resist anymore, thinking of the way that Mother's left arm must be 
hurting. Quickly I reach for it and stroke it up and down, rubbing the 
soreness out of it as best as I can. Mother looks away, avoiding my sad 
gaze.

Solemnly, Yuko once more takes Aki's left arm and raises it slowly into the 
air. The muscles on it stand out sharply as it is slowly raised up. Aki puts 
her right hand on her waist as Yuko announces the outcome of this round.

"The winner is, once again. AKI! And the score is now. 2 points to Aki, and 
none to Mariko!"

"Don't be ashamed, Mother," I whisper to her gently. "You were so brave. and 
strong. You are my heroine, always. I believe in you!"
Mother turns to me, a fire re-igniting in her eyes yet again. She blinks 
away her tears of shame bravely.

"I won't let her beat me, Kyoko, my dearest. We still have three more rounds 
of wrestling to go. I will die before I submit to her!" she states loudly.

Aki looks taken aback by the strength of this sentiment, but with poise she 
responds, "You may regret these words later, when I have you utterly at the 
mercy of my superior muscles, and you need to beg me for release."

She stands up, and Yuko stands with her. She raises her arms and flexes 
them.

"I have the stronger arms!" she declares. Yuko puts a hand around Aki's 
waist and smirks proudly at us.

Mother and I stand up. We cannot deny her claim. All my mother can do now is 
to fight on. And all I can do. is to hope, and cheer.