Trial by Fire: Hikari Nakano vs Sanae Saitou

[Bare]

Standard Apex Match: Winner to be determined by pinfall, submission or ko - This match will count towards both competitors apex qualifiers.

"You know what will happen if you lose tonight right?" A stoic voice rang out the porcelain and metal room that was the women's lockers the dim light matching the heavy atmosphere given off by none other than the Venus of Submissions herself Toshimi Minami. The person she was speaking too was Hikari Nakano. A once promising LAW prospect that had been all but forgotten about by management for her lack of ability to connect with the audience. Minami's tone was making it clear exactly what was on the line for the young girl as she nodded to the woman that had been assigned to coach her.

"Yes ma'am, I won't let you down." Hikari responded obediently to her sensei as she got up form her position cross legged on the bench and sat up fully. Turning to a rack and picking up the long kimono she used for her entrance Hikari would throw it over herself, tying it off and turning to Minami with a bow. "This Sanae girl will be done within five minutes." Hikari said confidently to a evil smirking Minami as she got up and followed her student towards the guerilla position as Hikari's entrance music started.

Spoiler

Coming out to the music Hikari would immediately be greeted by boos due to her association with Minami, not that it bothered either woman much as they each regally made their way down the ramp and splitting off at the ring. Hikari going up to climb inside and Minami turning to make her way tot he commentary desk to join them for this match. After all, it was Minami's student acting as a road block to someone Minami wanted to make an example out of, that being one Sanae Saitou, and Minami was eager to see the wanna be idol brought to her knees at the hands of her student with a front row seat.

While waiting for her opponent Hikari would untie the sash of her kimono and throw the garment off her, into the air and out of the ring, showing off the bodysuit she wore for matches and gazing up seriously at the ramp. Similar to her mentor Hikari wasn't fond of people like Sanae, and wa eager to please the woman by utterly dismantling this idol and making her as damaged as possible when she went to face her master at Apex... with a loss behind her as well, because Hikari did not plan on letting herself lose here.

[CaptainL]

When it was Sanae's time to enter the ring, her entrance and Hikari's were like night and day. While Hikari was stoic and composed, Sanae was bursting with energy, charging the entrance ramp with a grin on her face and her fists thrown into the air the moment her name was called. While Hikari put her traditional style front and center with her kimono and the classical instrumentation of her theme music, Sanae exuded modernity, coming from behind the curtains as the upbeat, energetic tones of pop music blared behind her and colored lights shone down from above. While Hikari was booed by the fans, Sanae was greeted with cheers and applause that made her heart race and her grin grow a little wider just listening to them. And while Hikari paid no heed to the fans, passing them by undeterred, Sanae was riding high off the fuel of their support, slapping high-fives down the line as she ran toward the ring, where she sprung up onto the middle rope to vault herself over the top and into the ring in an acrobatic display that won her some cheers in and of itself.

There was one thing that both women could agree upon, though - both were willing to take this match with the utmost of seriousness. Hikari wanted to make her mentor proud. And Sanae knew that Minami had selected an opponent she thought was capable of beating her - and she wanted to prove her wrong to the world! As soon as her music began to fade, so too did the smile fade from Sanae's face. She glanced back over at Minami where she sat at the commentary desk, giving her a look that told her she knew what was on her mind. But soon, she rolled out her shoulders, stepping closer to Hikari, and she bent at the knees to lower herself into a stance. The aspiring idol knew she had to be ready. She knew this wouldn't be easy...but an easy victory wouldn't prove anything!

"I'm ready for you, whether you believe it or not" she said with a nod, all the more emboldened after her victory against Alizeh Midori. "Don't hold back!"

Spoiler

[Bare]

Hikari would look up at her opponent entrance with distaste not unlike her mentors. She didn't like how flashy it was or how blatantly Sanae played up the audience. A wrestler in her opinion should only gain favor with the crowd through their ring work and nothing else. 'Honestly its no wonder Toshimi Sama hates her.' Hikari thought to herself as Sanae entered the ring, finally putting on a serious expression as she did so, though in comparison to Hikari's own grave expression it may as well have still been a smile bright enough to light up the night sky.

Meanwhile from outside the ring Minami would have a stone cold expression on her face as she caught the look from Sanae, but otherwise didn't react to it. Even as the other commentators tried to pressure a response. Not that she'd give. No she was barely giving Sanae the time of day. Something she knew would drive the idol crazy. Plus thats not what this match was about. This match was about learning and beating Sanae down before Apex, so she would sit back, relax, and enjoy as her student picked and broke Sanae down in the ring.

Inside the ring, still in a standing position Hikari would merely crack her neck while looking disinterestedly at Sanae. "I won't be holding back, but I don't expect to use too much to beat you." Hikari said with a almost bored look as the bell ring. "Evne if this wasn't for my teacher, I wouldn' let a doll like you break my undefeated record." Hikari said boldly, reminding Sanae that Hikari was still undefeated in the ring, even if she hadn't competed much, and the moment the bell wound ring Hikari would try and show Sanae why that was the case as she broke out into a dash, trying to blitz Sanae before leaping up for a flying kick to the jaw!

[CaptainL]

Sanae noticed that Minami didn't even acknowledge the look she sent her way - and when she did, her body grew a little bit tenser. She squeezed one hand into a fist, and she bit at her lip to try and quell her nerves. Her mind flashed through a million possibilities as to what this could mean, and none of them were good. Was Minami so confident in Hikari's abilities that she saw no possibility of the aspiring idol winning this match? If so, then Sanae had an uphill battle in store for her. Did she simply find Sanae so far beneath her that her thoughts and feelings were too insignificant to bother with? Because that would mean that if the green-haired girl made it all the way to Apex, she'd have to contend with someone with that much confidence face to face. Or was she just trying to fake her out to put her off her guard, letting her protege take an early lead? If that was the case, judging by all the thoughts running through Sanae's head, it was working - but she couldn't let it get to her for long. She looked back up at Hikari, and her stance stiffened as she took a step forward to meet her with a glare. No matter what, she needed to win this match; when Minami was watching, it was all the more important that Sanae prove her worth! The first step toward that was proving she wasn't afraid!

*DING DING DING*

Hikari seemed so placid and disinterested that Sanae could be forgiven for assuming she could take her time. But as soon as the bell rang, it was a different story. Minami took off in a charge, moving faster than her foe could keep track of! As her jaw dropped in a gasp, Sanae attempted to brace herself for impact, raising her arms to protect her face, but she would barely even have a moment to do so. Hikari had caught her off guard with her lightning-fast reflexes - and when she jumped up and slammed a kick right into the jaw, it hit hard!

Sanae was thrown off her feet, the blow catapulting her into the ropes behind her as she let out a scream. Her hair was swept back like a green wave as her head cracked backward, reeling away from the impact. There she landed with enough force to shake the ring before she sank lower against the cables, groaning. Slowly, Sanae would turn away from her opponent, still hugging the ropes, and rubbing at her chin to try and dull the pain, but she was off to a rough start, and it would be hard for her to shrug off a move like that!

[Bare]

Hikari remained calm and stoic all throughout Sanae's entrance, barely giving the girl time of day. All except for a disdainful reply to the girl's words. How could she afford the girl much more than that after all? It wasn't as if she had respect for the girl, nor did her mentor hold anything remotely similar. Despite the lack of respect for her opponent however it didn't meant she would be giving less effort towards Sanae, quite the contrary in fact. Hikari cared far more about pleasing Minami than this match itself, so she would be looking to hurt Sanae more than anything and finish this match as fast as possible.

So the moment the bell rang Hikari took off as fast as possible, dashing at her opponent with blinding speed, leaping towards her and catching the green haired girl off guard to slam a kick right into her jaw! Landing on her side on the mat Hikari would turn herself over onto her side before pushing herself to her feet in order to stare Sanae down after sending her into the ropes with the force of her kick and left hugging them while down on the mat. Perfect positioning for Hikari's next attack.

Looking to take advantage of the downed girl Hikari would dash at the woman leaping up once more as she approached. Rather than land another kick however Hikari would instead aim to land perched on the middle rope while holding onto the top. If successful she would push off the middle rope while letting go of the top, pulling her legs in as she came down to drive her knees into Sanae's side with spring board double knee drop!

[CaptainL]

Sanae was quick, and that agility had served her well. Not only did it let her pull off some impressive moves that were sure to please the crowd, it also got her out of a couple of sticky situations, and let her hit hard where it counted. But as she was quickly finding out, Hikari was just as agile! In seconds flat she had crossed the length of the ring to leave Sanae dazed, leaning against the ropes just to try and hold herself up. And Hikari wasn't finished there.

Sanae tumbled along the ropes, turning from her side to her back to try and get away from Hikari while at the same time keeping an eye on what her foe was up to. But when she looked back up, it would be to see Hikari running straight toward her on a collision course! Taken by surprise, she let out a scream. She might have been groggy, but it was still enough to make her jump up in place, her arms shooting up out of instinct to protect herself. When she saw Hikari coming her way, Sanae had prepared herself for impact, knowing there was no way she could dodge in time...so it only confused her more when instead of slamming into the aspiring idol at full force, Hikari grabbed for the ropes instead, holding herself just a hair's breadth away from her opponent.

She glanced back up at Hikari, blinking a few times to try and reason out what was going on. But she didn't have much time to ponder it. Barely a fraction of a second later, Hikari drove her knees downward, slamming them straight into Sanae's chest! The green-haired girl's head cracked backward as she cried out in pain, the air driven out of her lungs. She dropped off her feet, coming crashing to the canvas in a seated position. Sanae groaned in a daze, her head rolling limply to her shoulder as her glazed-over eyes stared out into space and her jaw hung slack. The world felt like it was spinning, and she could hardly focus.

[Bare]

Hikari hadn't been in the ring for a while. Ever since her draw with Himeko ages ago. That was all because Hikari felt disappointed with her performance there and she went back to the drawing board, building up her skill and discipline once again. It was around this point in time that she had run into Minami who took her under her wing and started to teach and hone her killer instinct even further than it had been before hand.

Now she was prepared to show it off by finishing Sanae as soon as possible. Spiking into the girl right out of the gate with a lightning fast kick to the jaw that seemed to seriously disorient the girl Hikari would follow it up with some equally fast aerial offense that further knocked the green haired girl for a loop. Landing back on her feet smoothly Hikari would turn to watch as Sanae dropped down to a seated position on the mat, her eyes glazed over and disoriented, definitely thrown for a loop by the blistering, hard hitting offense Minami had been throwing agains the aspiring idol.

Allowing herself a small smirk Hikari would do something she rarely did and turned towards the crowd, smirking sardonically at their boos and taking a mocking bow. It wasn't a grievous pandering, but enough to drive up the crowd's annoyance, and Sanae's shame that Hikari was being allowed to do so so easily.. Turning back towards her opponent, assuming she was where she had been moments before, Hikari would reach out, grabbing a handful of Sanae's hair, forcing her head back to look up at her. "I told my sensei I would have this wrapped up in less than five minutes. I intend on honoring that word Saitou." Hikari said before suddenly moving to throw her leg forward, trying to drive her knee directly into Sanae's face!

[CaptainL]

Sanae wavered where she had fallen, her upper body teetering from side to side. She looked out to see the world through an indistinct haze - she tried to focus on Hikari, only to see three - no, five - women coming her way instead. This was bad. She had already bore witness to Hikari's speed, and the agility with which she could strike. An icy chill ran down her spine when she thought about how much danger she was in - if Hikari was this quick, then as long as Sanae was dazed like this, she would all but be inviting her to tear her to shreds!

Clenching her teeth to try and steel her nerves, Sanae knew she needed to get herself back into the game, fast. The longer she stayed down, the more Hikari would have free reign to whittle away at her stamina. And yet, she wasn't quite quick enough. She tried bracing her hands against the mat, trying to push herself back up, but before she could get there, Hikari grabbed her by the hair, anchoring her in place!

Sanae looked back up at Hikari with a gasp. She tried twisting back and forth, reaching up to grab at the girl's wrist to pull her away - but it was no use; the pain running through the aspiring idol's body was weighing her down, and her motions were slow and stiff. Something dropped in the pit of her stomach when she realized it; her eyes went wide, and the color drained from her face. When she heard Hikari's taunts, she knew her worst nightmares had come true. Not only was she faltering...she was disappointing everyone who had faith in her, and everyone who believed she had what it took to make it to Apex. And all in front of the one woman she really didn't want to expose any weakness to - Toshimi Minami. This match had been part of a concentrated effort for Sanae to prove her strength, and so far, she had done nothing but shame herself.

"N-No...I can still-!" Sanae hissed through her teeth, shaking her head as much as she could with Hikari holding it in place. But all the same, the brunette shot out with a kick, catching Sanae in the jaw! Her head cracked backward as she cried out in shock, and she flopped over backward, landing flat on her back. Her chest rose and fell with haggard pants as she tried to draw in enough breath to get her bearings. Sanae tried to roll herself to the side, hoping to get out of the way of any follow-up Hikari might have up her sleeve...but there wasn't much more she could do. The fans watched her, too tense to even blink. Was Sanae truly so outmatched?

[Bare]

Hikari was in a state that most athletes would call.. the zone. Totally focused, intent and cold like a razor blade ready for operation, striking and cutting at Sanae with deadly precision. It wasn't only enough to beat the green haired wanna be idol, no Hikari was here to destroy this girl. Break her down both physically and mentally, and utterly dominating her in physical skill was only the start breaking her down. Going off the crowd reception it was working, everyone was of course well behind Sanae, hence the loud booing was a good indicator of just how shocking and infuriating it was to see the girl already getting rag dolled less than a minute into this contest against Hikari and the girl just knew that would be weight hard on Sanae's mind.

Now was the time for some more... psychological warfare however. After driving her knee hard into Sanae's face and sending the soft girl down onto her back with a squeak, leaving her open to virtually any follow up that Hikari would want to take. Which is why all she did was lift her leg up before placing her foot firmly on Sanae's chest and leaning forward while looking up at the ref, silently commanding them to make a pin count to which they immediately obeyed.

"ONE!"

Of course Hikari knew that even with how dazed and hurt Sanae was from the string of offense Hikari had hit her with that this pin was unlikey to actually keep Sanae down for the count. But it was a cocky pin for a reason, it practically screamed that Hikari wasn't taking Sanae seriously and did this cause she did think she could win. It was all a matter of appearances and standing, and right now Hikari had both, so she'd simply let Sanae stew in the mental damage Hikari was unleashing until she kicked out.

[CaptainL]

Sanae scrambled for cover, rolling herself across the canvas in a desperate attempt to get away from Hikari. As long as she was on her back, she'd be in trouble - but at least she could still do whatever she could to protect herself until she was able to catch her breath. She needed to keep as much distance between herself and Hikari as she could. But when she was still sore, and her head was still spinning, there was only so fast she could roll - and unfortunately for Sanae, Hikari wasn't feeling merciful! As the green-haired girl tumbled over onto her back, she lay flat, her chest rising and falling as she panted for air. She knew she had to keep moving, and she wanted to get away - but she didn't have it in her. And Hikari was right behind her, bringing a foot down against her chest to pin her in place!

Sanae let out a gasp as Hikari's foot came down, the heel of her boot mashing into the soft surface of her breast. She clenched her teeth as she winced in pain, tears forming in her eyes. Twisting and turning from side to side, moaning all the while, Sanae tried to worm her way out from under the sole of Hikari's boot - but she couldn't budge. Between her fatigue, and the pressure Hikari was exerting on her, she was held in place - and the referee was counting!

"TWO!!"

Sanae hissed under her breath in frustration. If there was one thing she knew, it was that the match couldn't end like this - she had come too far, and fought too hard, to let it all end with Hikari beating her so easily, without her getting any offense in of her own! If she did that, she knew all too well that Minami's worst suspicions would be confirmed - and Sanae wasn't willing to make that a reality! With her eyes narrowing in a defiant glare, she reached up to try and grab at Hikari's leg with both hands. If she could get a good grip, she would roll to the side while she kicked up with her hips and legs, going to flip Hikari off her balance, and knock her on her face with a dragon screw!