Yuki Kazikura vs. Satsuki Hayano - POW Match

[FreestylePoet]

As far as Satsuki could tell, she was no sadist. But the resounding thud of Yuki's face meeting the compacted leather of the turnbuckle pads brought her a sick satisfaction. Every blow was another tick closer to her victory, after all, and this latest one brought a puerile grin to her face as she waltzed happily towards her opponent.

"Aww, it's alright." She patted Yuki on the top of her head. "You can try one more time. We can even make a fun little game out of it!" Satsuki didn't know whether or not Yuki had heard of her, but maybe her penchant for wagers had preceded her. The following scratch of her chin would have felt more at home at a chessboard than in a ring. More likely to punctuate a strategic thought for a board game than the threat she prepared to levy against Yuki. "If you can land a hit on me in the next 10 seconds, I'll let you put me in any hold you want. If not, though... I think I'll just beat the shit out of ya."

Ten seconds was a long time in a fight. Satsuki knew this, so she wasted no time in stepping back. The ropes remained to her left as she moved along the side of the ring. Once more, she goaded her foe into charging her. And if Yuki did, that was when Satsuki would strike!

If Yuki ran at her, Satsuki would quickly push off her left foot, sidestepping the blow with all the lateral quickness of an ice hockey goalie. Then, she would run back, leaping and swinging through the top and middle ropes like a parkourist with a street sign! The motion looked quite like a 619, until she followed the swing through into a wide circle. "Hiiiyah!" Then, she released the ropes and kicked her feet out, hoping to fire herself at the small of Yuki's back! If this acrobatic dropkick landed, she would hopefully send Yuki sprawling into this next corner!

[CaptainL]

Yuki groaned, sinking against the turnbuckles with her exhalation. Her head was still spinning, and her skull throbbed. But even if she was lost in a haze of pain and fatigue right now, she was lucid enough to know she was being mocked. When she felt Satsuki's hand pat against her head, the brunette sucked in a hiss, her teeth clenching and her muscles growing stiff. It was so condescending, and so belittling, that Yuki questioned if Satsuki even believed she was capable of winning the wager at all. But if that was the case...she'd just have to prove she could.

The motivation to silence her opponent's taunts gave Yuki the added motivation to get back up and keep fighting, inspiring her just as much as the determination to take back her good name had already done. Her hands reached up, and her fingers coiled around the ropes, exerting a firm pressure as she pulled herself to her feet. Turning around, she faced Satsuki with a huff and shook some hair out of her eyes, but those same eyes narrowed into a glare. If Satsuki wanted to take bets, Yuki would make sure she made good on them. "Don't worry. I won't even need your help to beat you - but if you want to make it easy, so be it!"

As soon as Yuki had finished shouting out in defiance, she lowered her head and broke out into a charge, running straight across the ring to close in on her opponent. As she came closer, she leaned down further, prepared to turn her forward momentum to her advantage in readying a running tackle toward the pink-haired girl. But just then, Satsuki stepped around her charging foe. Yuki's eyes widened as Satsuki got out of the way, but she was already moving too quickly to change her course. If Satsuki had let Yuki keep running into the corner, no doubt it would have been an effective blow against the Dynamite Schoolgirl in and of itself. But Satsuki didn't want things to come easy. She had to go the extra mile.

After hopping aside from Yuki's charge, Satsuki hurled herself at the ropes, grabbing onto them and letting the momentum carry her through into an arc - an arc that culminated in her launching herself straight toward Yuki's back! She sailed through the air with an acrobatic flourish, one that caused a few fans to cheer even if they were hesitant about her true intentions. Yuki, however, had no praise to show Satsuki - she just had to take the impact!

Yuki let out a yelp as she felt the soles of Satsuki's boots bury themselves in her back. Swept off her feet by the momentum, she began to fall forward, flopping to the mat with all the grace of a dead fish. Her forehead landed with a thunk against the corner post before she fell to her face, where her legs kicked off the mat before coming to rest.

For a moment, Yuki lay there groaning. But she knew she had to get back up; the stakes were too high! Rolling herself to her back, and groaning as she righted herself, Yuki tried to crawl backward toward the corner, where she took hold of the ropes to try and guide herself up into a seated position.

[FreestylePoet]

Hook, line, and sinker. Every single move of the last few minutes -- the leg sweep, the taunts, the pat on her head -- was like another shake of a soda can, building up the pressurized gases of Yuki's frustration. And this final challenge pulled the pop tab. That defiant call served as proof: She'd preyed on Yuki's pride, and now was the time to reap the rewards.

Once more, Satsuki dodged Yuki's charge, and once again, she quickly turned the tables with a counter. This time, however, she did so in an even more acrobatic way than before! She swung through the ropes, earning oohs and ahhs despite her malicious intent. And then she struck! Planting her soles in the small of her opponent's back. The Queen of Clubs couldn't see for sure, but the second resounding thunk told her all she needed to know.

Her landing was not as rough, and she was able to find her feet quickly. Satsuki breathed sharply through her teeth, failing to hold back a giggle. "Ooh, better luck next time!" She summoned all of the condescension of a tired game show host, and none of the tact. As she waltzed to the center of the canvas, a ringside camera pointed itself at Satsuki's face, and she shook her head in mock exasperation.

She took two steps back, lining herself up with Yuki in the corner. "Still..." A single leather-covered leg bent up for a stretch. Then the other, before finding its place behind her. Clearly preparing for a running start. "A deal's a deal." One more bend, this time at the waist.

"Goodbye, Yuki."

Then she ran, quickly picking up speed as she bounded towards the helpless Yuki. Satsuki leapt into the air, knees thrust forward like two .50 caliber bullets. If Yuki was unable to dodge, then she would soon find those knees driven into her skull with speed! It was a move she'd used in her debut, and her time in this league had only made it faster, stronger, more brutal: The Pocket Rockets!

Pocket Rockets

[CaptainL]

Yuki didn't want to admit it. She worked best when she could stay cool, composed, and under control, ensuring that she was alert to every movement her opponents made and would be able to react to it and counter it if need be. But she was far past that point now. Satsuki had been chipping away at her composure little by little, keeping her guessing as to what would happen next and where the next blow would come from. Yuki couldn't keep up with her any more - she had to focus on pure survival. And even in that regard, she was falling behind.

When she heard Satsuki taunt her from the center of the ring, Yuki's teeth clenched, and her brows furrowed in thought. She wanted to do something - to lash out, to say something in her defense - that would let her take back control of the action, and hold onto her dignity. But she didn't have the strength in her yet. All she could do was to grab a hold of the ropes to either side of her with a white-knuckled grip, attempting to pull herself back up when her body was aching and her back shuddered with each inch it bent.

But when Yuki lifted her head to look back at Satsuki, everything went still. She let out a gasp, and her mouth hung open, without even letting the air back into her lungs. Satsuki was taking off toward her, and then she leaped off the ground, her knees outstretched to collide with Yuki's head.

Yuki knew what was about to happen. She'd seen what had happened with too many before her who ended up in the same position she did. The way Satsuki reeled back to draw on the momentum of her charge, the way she threw her knee forward - it all brought to mind a Shining Wizard. Or, rather, a Gilded Wizard - one of the moves Rose Gold had grown infamous for.

In that moment, Yuki could feel memories flooding back into her head. She'd seen Satsuki's matches before. She knew what she could do. And she was keenly aware of how she had won her first match against Vanessa Vixen - where she had used a shame hold. The same hold Rose had brought Yuki to tears with as she begged and pleaded for mercy in the lowest moment of her life.

The actual charge only lasted a few seconds. But that was long enough for all the thoughts to flood Yuki's mind - and just as Satsuki was about to make contact with her head, Yuki let out a panicked yelp of "NO!!". The woman she saw hurtling toward her wasn't Satsuki Hayano any more. It was Rose Gold herself!

But barely a second had passed since Yuki had cried out that Satsuki's knees plowed into her skull. With the sound of a loud thud, Yuki reeled backward. Her head struck the turnbuckles behind her with a crack, and her weight gave out beneath her, leaving her dropped flat on the canvas.

[FreestylePoet]

A sickening crack rang through the arena as Satsuki's knees struck home. The planting of Yuki's skull onto the pads behind would have been the sweetest sound in the world for Satsuki Hayano. Would have been... if not for that blood-curdling scream that preceded it. Ordinarily, a LAW wrestler would have loved to cut off a foe's shriek with a devastating attack. But as Satsuki propped herself up on her knees and steadied herself on the bottom ropes, she couldn't help but feel rather different about the whole thing.

Satsuki loomed over Yuki. Wide, pink eyes with dilated pupils stared into Yuki's no-doubt dazed ones. Half of her dreamt of all the things she'd do to Yuki after winning her for the night. But the other half... the other half just couldn't shake off that scream. There was nothing in that yelp, she realized. No desire to do something. No lament at her inability to do anything. No frustration or desperation or effort. She'd seen all these things before in her foe, even in the last few seconds, but she found none of it now. Just noise.

As the seconds ticked by, silence filled We Are LAW 5. The audience stood and angled themselves, trying to see if Satsuki was doing anything of interest to Yuki in the corner. But she wasn't. She was just kneeling there, staring more through Yuki than at her. Her mind ran like the Enigma Machine, seeking to decode the mystery of Yuki Kazikura.

Most in the stands likely questioned why she made no move to finish Yuki off, but anyone who knew the Queen of Clubs would have sensed the disconnect. When she saw an opponent, her theory of the case was that of a cornered animal lashing out. In that sense, psychological warfare was as valid a path to victory as any other. The fun, however, in pushing a foe to the edge came in that last desperate grasp for survival. When all other paths were exhausted but forward.

When Yuki awoke, she would see Satsuki all but straddling her, that blank, expressionless face doing nothing but watching. Watching and asking the wordless question: Did Yuki have such a last desperate grasp in her? Or would the Queen of Clubs have to go home disappointed once more?

[CaptainL]

Still reeling from the impact her head had made against the posts, Yuki's eyes were glazed over, and her chest rose and fell with short and shallow breaths as she tried to draw the air back into her lungs. At the last moment she had frozen up, and she had left herself open, ripe for the taking. Now, as she lay crumpled at the foot of the corner post, she was making no efforts to resist or to fight back. If Satsuki reached out and took the opportunity in front of her, she could end the match now. She could silence what was supposed to be a long-awaited comeback for the Dynamite Schoolgirl, halting her chances at rebuilding her good name in their tracks. Not only would Yuki lose her freedom for one night, but her career would be tarnished. Everyone would know she was a has-been; that she'd lost sight of the self-control that once brought her success, and she had only left disappointment after disappointment in her wake since her career peaked with Aoi over a year ago.

But...Satsuki didn't go for that. Instead, she just sat there, watching and waiting. As time went by, and she made no effort to capitalize on what seemed like an obvious opening, it grew more and more apparent that Satsuki didn't want the match to end here. But for those in the stands, the question was why. Was she merely toying with Yuki? Did she have something else planned for the future? Or...did she want to give her opponent a chance?

Soon enough, Yuki began to stir. She blinked the sense back into her eyes and shook herself, clearing the fatigue that had taken over her with a rustling of her hir. At first, when she looked up to see Satsuki in front of her, not even having moved from her position, she was just as dumbfounded as everyone else, and she stared back at her with widened eyes. But Yuki didn't concern herself with asking questions - she knew that would be a waste of time at a moment like this. She too saw an opportunity - an opportunity to take things back!

Clenching her teeth with a defiant glare, Yuki reached out to grab at the rope to her side. Her fingers coiled tightly around it to stabilize herself as she hoisted herself to her feet, her eyes locked on Satsuki all the while. "Rrgh...I won't lose!" she shouted back - her voice echoing through the arena, and drawing with it the cheers of several fans! And then, without giving Satsuki a moment to react, Yuki would swing an axe kick straight up in the air, attempting to boot her opponent in the jaw!

[FreestylePoet]

No matter how it looked, this was no mercy from the Queen of Clubs. This was shock, confusion, outrage. Though she'd threatened Yuki with metaphorical death but seconds ago, such an unceremonious end was hardly what Satsuki came here for. Not to mention that it seemed like a promise unfulfilled on the part of those who booked this match. Up until ten minutes ago, she had never met Yuki Kazikura, but based on everything that she'd heard, there was no way the Dynamite Schoolgirl would go down so easily. Especially not after such a pitiful noise.

That was why, when Yuki stirred, Satsuki watched with great interest. Her brow furrowed, and her nostrils flared. Meanwhile, her eyes took in every last twitch of Yuki's muscles, whether it was a wince at the face, a flex at the arm, or a quiver at the leg. Was Yuki done? There was a moment where Yuki had to catch herself -- blinking away the blear and grabbing the ropes -- and Satsuki was left still to wonder.

Then, finally, she stood, and all the steel in the world could not steady Yuki Kazikura more. That moment of weakness, it seemed, was just that: a moment. Perhaps it would still be interrogated later, but for now... The hunt was back on. All Satsuki had time to do was narrow her eyes and nod in wicked approval before-

KRAK!

Her head flew back! Unkempt pink tresses whirled into a sweat-trailed crescent. Spittle followed before spattering across the canvas. Though a yelp was forced from her lungs, Satsuki made a point to ensure that it was not so pitiful as Yuki's. Still, she rolled once, then twice before catching herself on her palms. Then she pushed up to her side, one hand still supporting her while the other rubbed at her jaw. She tried her best to scowl, but she couldn't figure out which of the three Yukis in her field of vision to glower at!

[CaptainL]

Her chest rose and fell with ragged gasps, and she had to grip the ropes tighter at her side to steady her stance. Everything ached. But...Yuki knew she couldn't be done. Not now, and not like this! She'd been through far worse than this before, and still kept on fighting. Even if she had fallen behind in terms of her successes, now was the time to turn that around. She had trained. She had grown stronger. And now, she needed to prove it! If this was going to be Yuki's proof that she wouldn't let herself be intimidated, or threatened into submission, she needed to make the most of it! And the last thing she wanted to do was to shrink away from such a challenge - that would be admitting defeat before she'd even started!

Acting fast, Yuki swung her leg into the air - and it slammed into Satsuki's jaw on the way up, knocking her head back over her shoulders! As she caught her breath, leaning against the corner, Yuki watched as her opponent tumbled across the canvas before stopping herself on her hands. Her ability to roll with the blows and turn the momentum to her advantage was definitely impressive. But no matter how much it hurt, Yuki reminded herself that she needed to press the offense. She had Satsuki down, and now she needed to strike!

Sucking in a breath to steel her courage, she began to climb up the corner. First, she got her hands on the middle rope, then her feet on the bottom. Little by little, she worked her way to the top rope, until she stood atop the post. The crowd began to cheer louder, encouraging Yuki to make her comeback. She stoppd only to brush some hair out of her eyes before lowering her head - and, letting out a battle cry, she hurled herself toward Satsuki's fallen form, drawing her hands back over her head to bring them down on her with a double axe handle from above!

[FreestylePoet]

At this point, she was keeping herself upright more through reflex than conscious effort. The part of her brain responsible for the latter had been rattled by Yuki's blows, and all she could hear were her own shaky breaths. That was expected, though. To truly go the distance in a bout such as this meant rolling with the punches -- or in this case, the kicks. There would always be times where a fighter had to rely on her muscle memory, and if those skills were found wanting, the match's momentum would stay squarely on her opponent's side. Still, if not for the steadying hand informed by years of parkour, Satsuki might've fallen there and then.

As it stood, though, she was still very much in the fight. Yuki surely had the advantage, but she'd need to work hard to press it. Seeing Yuki climb up the corner post, Satsuki decided to bide her time. Her addled mind had a bit of trouble keeping track of even those relatively linear movements, but Satsuki saw enough to start her game plan. Something was coming from up high, and she needed to be ready to counter. By the time the three Yukis turned to two, then one, the Queen of Clubs had coiled to strike.

And when Yuki leapt, that was exactly what she did! She saw the Dynamite Schoolgirl clasp her hands behind her head. Which left that head...

"Sukiari!! [Wide open!!]" she gasped. Satsuki lunged forward, never truly leaving her crouched position. Then, she slammed her palms onto the canvas and flipped herself forward, legs pointed right at Yuki's falling face for a sudden cartwheel kick!

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Satsuki had so far been keeping the lead in this match, thanks to one important factor. With her quick movements, flowing naturally and unpredictably from one move to the next, she was leaving Yuki guessing as to which direction she might strike from next, and the dark-haired girl could barely keep up. What brought Yuki success in the ring was her analytical mind; she was always watching her opponents to pinpoint how she could make use of the openings in their stance or their attacks, so that when she struck it would be as efficient and effective as possible. But that broke down when she had no idea what to expect. More than once, Satsuki had faked Yuki out, baiting her into closing in before hitting her with a blow she could never see coming. As time went on, it left Yuki questioning how effective her strategy could be - and that just frustrated her more and more. If she was doing what had always brought her success, and that still wasn't enough, how could she expect to succeed?

But now that she had knocked Satsuki off her feet, Yuki could at last focus her efforts where it counted. She'd bought herself a moment of peace where she could clear her head and recenter, getting ready for her next move. And when that move hit, she wanted it to make it count. Yuki had always succeeded as a high-flyer, using her agility to her advantage. If she could strike Satsuki with such a move now, it could well turn the tide in her favor! Climbing to the top rope, she hurled herself through the air, feeling the gust of wind against her face as she made her descent. She drew back her fists, prepared to bring them down hard. There was no way this could backfire!

But Satsuki would shock her most of all with her next move. As the gambler threatened her from the ground, Yuki's eyes went wide and she took in a gasp. A mere second later, her opponent's leg kicked out, aimed right for her face! Her head cracked back from the impact with a thud that left many in the crowd gasping and wincing. Her trajectory was thrown off course, and she flipped over in the air before plummeting to the mat below, landing flat on her face and stunned.

For a moment, all was still. Slowly, Yuki began to draw the air back into her lungs, her body starting to move with careful and deep breaths. As her wits returned to her, she thought back through what had happened - and she reached a chilling conclusion. Yuki thought this move would be a sure-fire success for her; it was what she did best, and Satsuki seemed exposed. But was she, really? What if she was only pretending to be open? What if all of this was a trap that Yuki had fallen into? Could she truly understand anything about her opponent - or was she truly as all-knowing as the goddess she styled herself after?

Yuki's blood ran cold at the thought - but, at the same time, she knew she couldn't let this be the end. She had to fight on! Sucking in a breath, she brought her hands underneath her, pushing up off the canvas to lift herself to her hands and knees. She clenched her teeth in an effort to steel her nerves, and she started to crawl for the ropes. But none could deny that she was lagging a bit behind. Satsuki had a grip on Yuki's inner thoughts, and it was one she couldn't escape from!