Lacey Whitman vs. Arizona [D]

[CaptainL]

Lacey had thrown herself hard at Arizona, hoping that if she came at her swinging with enough force behind her, she just might be able to break through her defenses. But Arizona had a plan ready for that, too - and she was prepared to counter the green-haired girl's attack! As Lacey was quickly finding out, Arizona wasn't just tougher than she looked, she was stronger than she looked, too. Not only had she weathered the brunt of every impact Lacey tried to throw against her, when she came into range, Arizona was able to hoist her up into the air, despite her smaller size!

Finding herself suspended in the cowgirl's grasp, Lacey's eyes went wide, and she let out a gasp as her legs kicked in the air. She had sworn not to underestimate Arizona, and to be ready for anything she might throw at her, but she still didn't quite see this coming! Even the fans had to let out a cheer as they saw the lightweight show off her strength - and soon after, she threw Lacey straight down onto her knee, landing a backbreaker!

A crack rang out as the green-haired girl struck Arizona's knee. Lacey threw her head back with a cry of pain, her back bending into an arc off the force of the blow. With her eyes squeezed shut in a wince, she rolled off her opponent's leg. And from there, Arizona jumped on top of her to go for the pin!

"One!"

Almost as soon as the referee made the count, however, Lacey kicked her leg up to break free. Rolling onto her side, she panted for breath, rubbing at her back to try and dull the sore sensation - but she just as quickly shook her head. There was still a chance. When it came to high-flying, Lacey was sure she'd have the edge! And right now, she was willing to go after that hope!

Throwing her weight over to the side, Lacey went to roll herself over to the ropes. When she got there, she grabbed onto the middle rope, going to lift herself up onto it. Panting for breath and balancing on the middle rope, she slowly rose to her full height, her arms stretched at her sides to keep her footing. Lacey was hoping that Arizona would dare to come closer - if she did, she'd hurl herself off the ropes to throw herself at her, her leg whipping around to try and hit the back of Arizona's head for an enziguri!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona would stagger a bit before regaining her footing and cracking her neck muscles.

Arizona: That the best you got?

[CaptainL]

Lacey had thrown her kick with all the momentum of her leap across the ring behind it, spinning around in place as she descended toward her foe, and striking as hard as she could. The green-haired girl was a firm believer in sending the fans home happy and putting on a good show, and she had planned the move to be as spectacular as it was effective. Certainly, she got a few cheers for her showmanship, not to mention how hard it looked like it had to hit! But even as her foot slammed into the back of Arizona's head with a crack, when Lacey touched back down on the mat, Arizona was still standing!

"What..!?" Lacey's mouth hung open in a gasp - she could hardly believe it! She could have sworn she put everything she had behind that strike! If Arizona was still standing at the end of it, the lightweight cowgirl truly was made of stronger stuff than she looked! Nevertheless, Lacey shook that thought aside, and her teeth clenched as she locked a glower on her opponent. It didn't matter - she couldn't lose sight of the goal, just because Arizona had surprised her. She needed to keep her foe on the ropes, and if she let down her guard, she could only pay the price for it!

"Nngh...guess I'll just need to try harder, then!" Taking off in another charge across the ring, Lacey drew her arm back before flinging it in an arc to strike at Arizona with a lariat! If that hit, she hoped it would leave the cowgirl stunned enough for her to circle behind her with the last of her momentum - if it did, she would throw her arms around Arizona's waist and try to lift her up for a German suplex, throwing her back over her shoulders!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona however would grab her arm to counter with an Irish whip before following up with a drop kick and pin her.

Arizona: Got’cha on the rebound!

[CaptainL]

Lacey had shot herself back at Arizona with all the momentum of her charge behind her, her arm raised and ready to deliver a stinging smack. But Arizona was ready. While Lacey was running all around her to attack from all angles, it would appear the cowgirl had favored a different strategy - she was going to hunker down in place, preparing herself for every incoming impact. It seemed like it was doing her some favors - she was able to counter Lacey's next move, grabbing her by the arm as she came in close!

The green-haired girl let out a gasp as she found her forward momentum halted in its tracks - with Arizona grabbing onto her arm, she skidded to a stop, only seconds before Arizona sent her flying across the ring. And as soon as Lacey bounced back toward her, Arizona flung herself into her, her feet burying themselves into her stomach! The crowd winced as Lacey fell back, head over heels; thrown off her balance, she tumbled onto her back with her arms laid out around her and her knees still bent up into the air.

Once again, Arizona went down on top of Lacey, going to hook her leg. Once again, the referee moved into place. But this time, she wouldn't even get the first count in. Lacey was too tired to make much of a move, but she did have all the energy she needed to counter the pin Arizona was going for! When she kicked her leg out of the pin, she would just as quickly throw it around Arizona's arm, while her other leg swung up to meet it. If all went well, she would roll to her side to force Arizona into an armbar!

"It's not...gonna be that easy-!"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona would start trying to bridge her way out of the hold, gritting her teeth as she does.

[CaptainL]

Lacey was quickly starting to realize that if she kept charging toward Arizona and trying to hit her as hard as she could, it wasn't going to work out well - the cowgirl was just too tough to keep down so easily. Considering she was a high-flyer who made such momentum-fueled strikes a cornerstone of her arsenal, that was going to prove a challenge. But if she was going to have to think outside the box, then so be it! She was quick to kick out of the pin as soon as Arizona went to keep her down - and it didn't take her long to realize she could turn their positions to her advantage, as she kicked out again to grab Arizona's arm between her legs!

Gritting her teeth, Lacey tried to bridge her back upward, yanking back on Arizona's arm with all her might and stretching it as far as it could go. But Arizona was going to fight back, too, as she bent up with her back, rising off the ground! Lacey was lifted higher into the air as she did, and with every time she rose, her balance was tested, leaving her teetering as her feet threatened to be lifted from the canvas. She grit her teeth and grumbled under her breath - if she lost her footing now, her hold would be all but useless. But if she had to improvise, that would be what she'd do!

As Arizona pushed up again, Lacey suddenly jumped back up to her feet, letting go of the lightweight's bicep with her legs. But she did keep a hold of her wrist - and she would only crank that down even harder, as she tried to exploit whatever she could in her current position, transitioning to a wristlock!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: *Gritting her teeth* I ain’t giving up.. and I ain’t lettin’ you break my arm!! (She uses her other arm to elbow her in the face, allowing her to roll forward and get some distance if successful) Y’all clearly need to learn that breakin’ bones ain’t right, and it never will be!

[CaptainL]

Arizona had definitely tested Lacey's skills so far - she'd managed to intercept her momentum more than once, and that had forced the green-haired girl to adjust her strategy accordingly. If she couldn't get anywhere by striking at Arizona from a distance, perhaps she would be better off with sticking to close quarters and whittling down at her stamina as long as she could keep her in a favorable position. Now that she had Arizona's arm caught, she wouldn't look back! Her teeth clenched in a snarl, trying to summon all the strength she could to twist back at the cowgirl's wrist. But Arizona was stubborn - and she was willing to take that out on her opponent, as she whipped her other arm around to slam an elbow into Lacey's face!

Letting out a yelp, Lacey reeled backward in pain, coughing and sputtering as her head cracked backward in an arc. She dropped Arizona's arm and stumbled back a couple of steps before her balance gave out and she fell to a seated position. She rubbed her temples to try and dull the ache, but sucked in a breath and got her feet underneath her, beginning to rise...right when Arizona chided her for trying to break her arm.

For a moment, the color drained from Lacey's face. Had she gone too far and crossed a line? She had only been hoping to make Arizona sore, and restrict how much use she could get out of that arm going forward to soften any incoming blows, but she did have to concede she could well have done more serious damage than she had intended if things went south. The very thought made her feel a pang of guilt in her stomach. Lacey wasn't like that, and if she was just starting out in LAW, the last thing she wanted was to give anyone the wrong idea of who she was. Her fans meant too much to her!

"So sorry!" Clasping her hands in front of her, Lacey bent forward in an apologetic bow - even if neither of the two girls were Japanese, she figured that for anyone watching, her adherence to the local customs would help make it clear she hadn't intended for things to get out of hand. "I promise I'm not trying to hurt you! I'm just giving this my all!" Lacey sucked in a breath, putting up her fists to assume a guard. Maybe, she thought, the solution would have to be seeing if Arizona would come to her - for now, she would keep up her stance and strafe slowly around her foe, ready to counter if she came close.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: It’s.. fine really, let’s just keep wrasslin’ without us goin’ too far. (She would start to follow her opponent’s lead, waiting for her next move)