Shizuka Matou [D] vs. Katsumi Oshiro

[CaptainL]

For just a moment, as she lifted her head and their eyes met, Shizuka could just barely make out the slightest hint of hesitation in Katsumi's gaze. Did she really want to do this? Was she really just as frustrated about the arrangement as Shizuka herself was - did she realize it wasn't fair? After how mercilessly her opponent had treated her up to this point, to see what looked like genuine remorse was something that took her by surprise. That wasn't the Katsumi she had come to know - and it made her wonder, for a second, how much of the real Katsumi she was really seeing here.

But only a moment later, that hesitation disappeared. Both from Katsumi, and from Shizuka. The veteran snapped a taunt at Shizuka, and at that, her teeth clenched in a grimace and her body went stiff. No matter what, this match still wasn't over. Katsumi still wanted to fight - and if that was the case, Shizuka had to rise to her challenge! This was her chance to set a first impression for herself in LAW, and it sure wasn't going to be as a coward who would run away from her battles. If that was what Katsumi wanted to paint her as, it was up to Shizuka to prove her wrong. And she was going to do that, right here and now!

"Yeah, well, I'm not running either!" Shizuka snapped back, suddenly pushing herself back up to her full height as a burst of energy took hold of her. Suddenly, the aches and pains no longer registered for her - all she knew was that she had a fight to bring to Katsumi, and she couldn't hold back! She'd take off in a charge, running straight for the corner; as she came close, she'd kick off the ground and throw her legs forward in an attempt to ram into Katsumi with a dropkick!

[CyanDimitrik]

Katsumi wasn't about to just give up on the match! Even if she had some pesky thoughts swirling in her head, there was too much on the line tonight! It's one thing to wrestle with a newbie, it's another to run the risk of losing to one. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let her career falter like that. No, she needed this to be a clear spectacle.

Besides, that's what makes wrestling fun, right? The audience chiming in, laughing... or more likely, booing? Whatever, it all washes as far as she's concerned!

Though Shizuka has been getting bullied insofar tonight, just as she'd intended, she can't help but note the proverbial whippersnapper's resolve. Maybe it's more bolstered by the fact that Katsumi has been playing a bit rough with her so far. It didn't matter! As soon as Shizuka joined her in the middle of the ring, she'd get right back to it in convincing, humiliating fashion!

That is, if Shizuka could be bothered to join her in the middle of the ring like a normal person. Like a newbie might. Instead, she joins her in the air. Horizontally. Feet-fist. "What the buh?-" The boots collide with Katsumi's chest, forcing the punkette's eyes to instantly wide in shock. Even with Shizuka being noticeably smaller, she's still a full-grown human woman! And having that collide into her chest is enough to blast her down to the mat with a hard WHUMP, sending reverberations through the ring supports.

Katsumi lies flat on her back, expression twisted in pained grimace and arms crossing her modest chest protectively as her hips twist side to side in wallow.

[CaptainL]

Shizuka knew it was time to get back into this match - and she was in no mood to lag behind Katsumi when she did so. She had plenty of catching up to do, and she was going to get started with that - when she hurled herself straight toward the Punk Princess at full speed, her feet extended in front of her to come crashing into her opponent like a missile! Katsumi might have been more experienced, but she certainly wasn't prepared for Shizuka to be bold enough to go for a frontal assault like this. The bespectacled girl might have been a rookie, but she was backed into a corner - and when that happened, anyone could grow desperate enough to tap into some buried potential.

The blow landed with a crack, and Katsumi was thrown off her feet, going crashing into the canvas; Shizuka landed a short distance away from her, where she quickly rolled up onto her side. A few fans cheered at the sight of such an upset - even if Katsumi held the edge in terms of experience, now Shizuka was proving she still had it in her to bring the fight to her! It was almost enough to bring the slightest hint of a smile to the Young Lioness's face as she looked back at her handiwork. But of course, she wasn't done just yet. Now that Katsumi was down, she was vulnerable - and Shizuka was ready to take advantage of that.

Moving in closer, Shizuka would lay down on top of Katsumi, throwing her legs around her bicep. Then, she'd pull back on her arm and squeeze her thighs together, simultaneously extending Katsumi's joints while putting pressure on her shoulder and bicep with an armbar! It was a fairly simple hold, all things considered - but Shizuka was willing to make it count!

[CyanDimitrik]

Katsumi wasn't sure where it came from, or how she could've been so completely taken off-guard by it. But there she was, writhing on the mat, attempting to force the air back into her kicked lungs. One fist thumps against the mat a couple times as an external way to bleed off tension and redirect the throbbing, but there isn't much time for that.

Her attention snaps into focus when she feels Shizuka's weight suddenly atop her, instantly reminding her they're in a wrestling match. But Shizuka's come in with a plan, capturing the arm previously pummeling the mat, and scissoring her legs around the bicep. Katsumi is pulled flat onto her back, and suddenly arches with a pained cry as the armbar is applied! Eyes squeeze shut, mouth left hanging open, her lower body twists and squirms on the mat as pain shoots through the joints and shoulder.

The referee-girl drops beside the pair dutifully! "Do you submit!?"

"Aaahhahow- NO!," Katsumi shouts back. Her gold-soled boots thump in a flutter of kicks against the mat as she weathers the submission hold, the audience clearly rallying for Shizuka!

[CaptainL]

The bespectacled girl clamped her legs down firmly around Katsumi's bicep, gritting her teeth to draw on all the force she could as she leaned her weight back to stretch her arm as far as possible. When she heard the crowd cheer in her favor, it almost made her heart flutter for a moment - by all means she was outweighed and outclassed horribly, and yet, the fans were still standing by her and showing their support! For the briefest of moments, a flash of confusion shot through Shizuka's head - she could hardly believe she had actually managed to win their favor here, in her first match, against a more experienced opponent. Only a second later, though, she shook that out of her head. Of course she'd taken Katsumi down - she had potential in her, and she couldn't forget that! If they were willing to take her side even in spite of the odds, Shizuka just might have had a chance!

However, she didn't have the experience Katsumi did, and she couldn't keep the hold in forever - soon, her legs began to grow tired and sore as the fatigue of keeping up the hold set into them. Shizuka hissed through her teeth at the mere thought of backing down, but when Katsumi wasn't giving up either, she was going to have to try something else. She let go of the girl's arm, letting her legs fall to the sides before she tried to scramble back up onto her knees. But if she could, she'd still keep hold of her wrist to maintain a wristlock - it wouldn't deal quite as much damage, but it would at least do something, hopefully.

[CyanDimitrik]

Katsumi might've been impressed with the sudden turn and capture of her arm! That is, if she were thinking clearly enough and not blinded by the pain shooting through her limb. It's that initial shock of agony that causes suffering, really. Even experienced technicians have to deal with it. No one's immune to it. What separates a true technician from any other kind of wrestler, however, is working out a counter when times are tough. Being able to think through a position, having the physical and ring awareness to turn a situation arou-

Oh, the strain has ended.

Katsumi hisses through her teeth as the relief floods her arm. She starts to get to her feet, but Shizuka still has ahold of her arm, managing only to get to her knees with her on the mat. Wrist twisted, Katsumi twists forward with a pained wince, one hand bracing against the mat. The referee continues to hover close, waiting for any sign of submission. But instead, Katsumi springs forward to tumble on the mat, manually unwinding her arm from the wristlock. The movement smoothly ends her in a kneel again, raising Shizuka's arm, only to try to slip in behind her and complete the reversal into a tight waistlock. Arms clamp down around the other girl's midsection, her chest pressing hard behind her shoulders, and forearms squeezing into her belly in an effort to sap her strength.

The tight quarters would see Katsumi's lips hovering near Shizuka's ear to the side, every exhale a wave of warmth against her skin. "That was ruuude," she chides quietly to her.

[CaptainL]

If Katsumi was this stubborn about not giving up, Shizuka wasn't going to let that stop her - she'd just try and adapt. As she slipped back from her opponent, her grip slipped up to take hold of the girl's wrist instead, cranking back on it hard! Shizuka clenched her teeth as the muscles all down her arm rippled under the tension, trying to pack on as much pressure as she could. This hold was less punishing than the armbar, and it wasn't likely to force Katsumi to tap out on its own. But if Shizuka could put more pressure on an arm that was already feeling the strain of the hold it was in a moment ago, maybe that wouldn't matter. Any damage Shizuka could do now was damage that would follow Katsumi through the rest of the match, and that could only play to her favor.

After a moment of torquing at Katsumi's joint, the Punk Princess managed to roll away, pulling her arm free from Shizuka's clutches by force. The bespectacled girl hissed in frustration as her grip on her began to slip - but that was the least of her worries, considering that Katsumi had now wound her way behind her and was throwing her arms around her waist to contort her midsection in a waistlock! Shizuka let out a hiss, her body going stiff from the pressure as Katsumi's arms clenched down around her diaphragm. She tried to struggle, writhing back and forth, but all that would do was cause her body to grind up tighter against Katsumi's.

The two of them were caught in tight quarters now, feeling the warmth radiating off of each others' skin as every movement they made caused them to rub closer together. Shizuka hissed to herself from the strain - but she also knew that as long as she was in close quarters with Katsumi, she could take advantage of the position just as much as her opponent could! Hissing through her teeth, she would throw her arm behind her, trying to wrap her bicep around Katsumi's head and pull it against the side of her ribs as she tried to drag it down into a headlock! "How...nngh, about this, then-!?"

[CyanDimitrik]

Grappling is a terribly physical sport; not one for the squeamish, or those with personal bubble issues. You either learn to be fine with excessive body contact, or you stay out of the ring. Or in Katsumi's case, you learn to love it. Not for any perverse reason - but for the unmitigated, body-to-body physicality of the competition. No pretenses, just a direct contest for bodily dominance over the other girl. She lives for that. It's raw, even primal, and pure. Sure, she enjoys other aspects of it, too. But Katsumi's tweaked in just the right way to be a professional wrestler - she gets a thrill out of trying to physically dominate people, the contest, the risk, the reward. So finding Shizuka's lithe body pressed back firmly into herself, the warmth of her skin, feeling her toned stomach against the other girl's bare back, every breath she takes straining Shizuka's stomach against her compressing forearms; it all does nothing but makes it more of a thrill.

Moreso if she can wear the other girl down into more compliance.

Shizuka has to flail a moment to find Katsumi's head and her silky blueblack mane, but she does eventually. The Punkette is pulled forward, forcing the waistlock to loosen to an inoffensive snug around her middle.

"Nnf!"

She keeps one arm around Shizuka's stomach, but the other dips low to hook beneath the girl's thigh. Knees bending, she attempts to heft Shizuka high into the air before dropping back with her, aiming to slam the girl shoulders and back-first against the mat behind her in a backdrop suplex reversal!

[CaptainL]

No matter how much the struggle intensified, Shizuka wouldn't leave Katsumi's side. Pressed as close together as they were, she could feel the warmth radiating off her opponent's skin. She could feel every breath Katsumi let out, moist and hot against the side of her neck. It was enough to make a shudder run down her spine - not one of fear, nor one stirred by any more sensual urges, but one of determination. Shizuka wasn't about to back down. She knew that she, a Young Lioness in her debut match going up against a member of the main roster, was at a disadvantage. But in spite of that, she needed to prove that she still had the strength and the tenacity to warrant herself a place at the table. The harder this struggle got, the more pressure was on Shizuka to defy the odds. But she knew what it felt like to be underestimated. It wouldn't be the first time. And if she'd done it before...she could do it again!

For each ounce of leverage Katsumi applied against her, Shizuka was going to pay her back in turn. If this match existed in a delicate balance, then she was going to maintain that, evening out whatever advantage her opponent got on her. When Katsumi grabbed her around the waist, Shizuka's arm would encircle her head, dragging her down until she was bent over at the waist. But any satisfaction Shizuka might've got from taking control would be short-lived - just moments later, Katsumi would pay her back in turn, slipping an arm around her legs and pulling her feet off the ground!

As she felt her footing leave the canvas, Shizuka's jaw dropped open in a gasp - but it was too late for her to do anything about it. Just seconds later she was thrown in an arc, sailing downward before she crashed against the mat! "GAH-!!" she cried; the air was driven out of her by the force of the landing, causing her to sink lower against the ground as her teeth clenched in a grimace. Even if she'd put up a respectable fight, Katsumi was reminding her who really held the more experience between the two.

But Shizuka wasn't going to let her hold the advantage for long. Her head was still spinning from the landing, but she'd still try and lift a leg, planting her foot against Katsumi's side. Giving a sharp shove, she'd attempt to roll the dark-haired girl off of her, enough to clear some space between them and hopefully catch her breath! She knew that nothing good could come of being held down beneath her like this!

[CyanDimitrik]

It was probably the right instinct to insist on more space between them. Because after the ring-shuddering impact of Shizuka's body against the mat, Katsumi had every intention to try to pin the smaller girl down and put her away. However, she finds a foot levied against her ribs and pushing, even if a bit blindly. That's just too much fight still to go for a pin. This mousy gal is going to need more work done. More convincing.

Katsumi rolls over onto hands and knees, her back arched inwards. With a flick of her head, she dramatically tosses her hair to the right side of her face, leaving her to glare after her opponent. With her knees tucking, the Punk Princess shoots to her full height and seems to leave Shizuka's stunned, recuperating self alone for a moment.

Boots race across the mat lateral to her as Katsumi builds up momentum. Pivoting on heel, her bare back presses into the braided cords, and launches herself forward again in a very short-lived sprint. At the last momentum, Katsumi's legs pump to cover the final stretch of distance between herself and Shizuka's prone body with an agile leap. Propelled forward with momentum, the Punk Princess whirls in a crisp backflip with her arms and legs draw back and her spine arches. Her trim midsection is drawn taut, emphasizing the toned muscles of her abdominal region primed to come slamming down across Shizuka's stomach in a standing shooting star press!