Lacey Whitman vs. Arizona [D]

[CaptainL]

Hearing that Arizona wasn't too upset, Lacey breathed a short sigh of relief. Maybe it seemed silly to worry about, but when the green-haired girl viewed every new person as a potential new friend - and especially when she was just now defining her image in a new league - she couldn't help but worry about offending Arizona, or giving her the wrong impression of what kind of person she was. Or anyone watching, really. She saw the cowgirl had a firm belief in what was right and wrong, and she wasn't going to compromise on her principles, and she could accept that; she just hoped Arizona wouldn't think twice about her. Luckily, Arizona wasn't going to let that hold her back. And when she bid for Lacey to keep at it, she nodded her head to her with a smile. "I promise I'll do right by you!"

Bending at the knees and leaning closer in a stance, Lacey had begun to strafe around Arizona, watching her for an opening. Unfortunately, it didn't look like the cowgirl would be taking the bait, and she stayed put right where she was. Lacey bit at the inside of her cheek, muttering something under her breath in frustration - this would mean she was going to have to adjust her plans on the fly. But then, she still had an idea.

So far, Arizona had given Lacey trouble every time the green-haired girl tried to close the distance and engage her face to face. That would prove challenging if Lacey couldn't even get close enough to line up her shots. But if she could change things up, mess with Arizona's expectations, and hit her where she least expected it...that could work!

Her feint was twofold. As her eyes narrowed in a glare, Lacey pushed herself back up and charged straight toward Arizona, looking to be on a collision course as she held her arm up seemingly for another lariat. But at the last minute, she would instead swerve behind Arizona to hit the ropes behind her instead, using their momentum to bounce her back! And as she closed in, she would try and fake Arizona out one last time as she lifted her leg before adjusting the angle on the fly to land a question mark kick upside her head!

Spoiler

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona falls on the mat face first, caught off guard by the kick before growling.

Arizona: Lucky shot, but now yer in for a hurtin’!

[CaptainL]

Sure enough, Lacey's plan had worked out wonderfully! By keeping in constant motion and switching up the direction from which she both approached and aimed her shots, she was able to catch Arizona off-guard - and not only did her kick land, it did so with enough force to bowl the cowgirl off her footing! The crowd let out a cheer to see Lacey take control of the match, and she pumped a fist in the air triumphantly with a grin. But she knew things weren't over yet. She had managed to bring Arizona down, but the newcomer was far from out - she'd already said as much! But then, Lacey would just have to press the advantage while she had it!

"Not so fast!" Looking to keep using her speed and momentum to her advantage, Lacey took off running to close the distance on her opponent. As she came into range, she would jump up and grab Arizona by the head so that when she came down, she would slam her face-first into the mat with a bulldog!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona would end up countering her advance with a European Uppercut, before grabbing her by the waist to follow up with a Tombstone Piledriver and then following up with a Texas Cloverleaf.

Arizona: Lemme know when ya had enough.. (She starts to apply pressure to the hold.)

[CaptainL]

Lacey was hoping that as long as she could keep the pressure on Arizona, she just might stand a chance. She had already managed to floor her with the kick - if she kept striking her with the same speed, she could keep up her momentum, and that might well be all she needed to propel herself to victory! Her previous successes were spurring her onward as she came charging at the cowgirl, ready to grab her by the head and spike her face-first into the mat. But just as she was coming near, Arizona got up - and cut her off at the pass when she swung an arm right into the green-haired girl's jaw!

"Kyaaah-!!" At once, everything changed. Lacey felt the smack of Arizona's forearm against her chin, and the way her teeth clattered as her lower jaw was driven into her upper jaw. She bent back in an arc, her limbs flailing through the air as she spun in place. Everything around her was spinning, and she could barely keep track of where her opponent was and what direction she was coming from. So much so that when Arizona grabbed her by the waist, she could barely tell what was happening - until it was too late!

She let out a scream as she was hoisted higher into the air. Her legs kicked wildly all around her, and she tried to grab and push at Arizona's arms to break the grip she had on her. Her eyes had gone wide in a panic, and her heart was racing with anticipation of her fate. But before she knew it, Arizona had already turned her upside down - and before Lacey even had a chance to hold up her skirt (not that anything would show anyway, given she wore gym shorts under it), she hurled her head-first into the mat with the sound of a thud!

Lacey let out a scream, only for it to be silenced as she fell into a daze, a hollow breath forced from her lungs. As her body sagged lower in Arizona's arms, many a fan winced and looked away, only able to imagine how much it hurt. But just as many were cheering Arizona as the action was escalating faster and faster with every move she pulled off. And those cheers reached their crescendo as she stepped over to Lacey where she lay crumpled on the mat in a heap, twisting her legs around her own, and turning her over to wrench at her back in the Texas cloverleaf!

Lacey's head was still spinning from the piledriver, but as the pain shot through her spine, it was enough to rouse her from her daze. Suddenly she flung her head up from the mat, screaming in agony. She had just been through a whirlwind of offense, and her whole body was still aching - with Arizona bending her back further and further, every pain she felt was amplified tenfold! Her eyes squeezed shut and her brow furrowed; she didn't know how much more she could take.

Her only hope lay in making it to the ropes so the ref would get Arizona to release her. And if that was what it would take, she'd go for it! Biting at her tongue to try and stifle the pain, Lacey clawed desperately at the canvas with one arm, trying to pull her within reach of the ropes. Her other arm stretched out as far as it could go, her fingers grasping at the air. It was her last chance!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: Oh no ya don’t! (She continues to add pressure to the hold, all the while keeping her in the center of the ring.)

[CaptainL]

Lacey knew she couldn't take much more of this. When she was already winded, the piledriver alone had quite nearly taken her out; even now, the world around her felt like it was spinning, and the edges had begun to blur. She could still feel the throbbing pain in her head. And even that was dwarfed by the pain that shot through her back as Arizona twisted her leg in the Texas cloverleaf! At every moment, her back felt like it was being stretched, her vertebrae pulling tighter and tighter against her spinal cord. Her teeth locked into a grimace, and her eyes squeezed shut as sweat poured down her brow from her nervousness as much as it did from the effort she was putting herself through. At this moment, all of her energy had to be focused on bringing herself to the ropes - that was the one thing she knew that could save her! She scratched and pulled at the canvas to drag herself just a little closer - but Arizona would silence that soon enough, with another yank at her leg!

"G-Gaaahhh..!!" Against the strain she was under, Lacey toppled forward and planted right on her face. She simply couldn't keep herself upright any longer - everything hurt. And so too, she soon realized, she wouldn't have enough left in her to make it to the ropes. She didn't want to give up...but it seemed like she would have no choice. Her whole body hurt to move. And she sucked down a gulp, reaching out to tap her palm against the canvas.

"I...I give-!" she cried. Her teeth clenched in a grimace to think she was saying such words, but she was out of options!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

The bell rings as Arizona releases her, raising her fist in the air as the crowd cheers.

Announcer: The winner by submission, ARIZONA!!

[CaptainL]

It was over. Lacey had fought her hardest. After her first match had seen her lose by just a hair, she was all the more determined to ensure that she could flip the script on the second. She didn't want anyone to believe that she was a hopeless jobber or that she only had failure after failure to look forward to now that she'd left the indies - when she was accepted to LAW, she was sure it could propel her to stardom, and she wouldn't get there if she couldn't live up to the challenges in store. But this defeat was even worse than the last. At least with Reiko, Lacey had given it an even fight right up to the end, and if things had gone any differently she easily would've emerged victorious. But here...she got a couple of good hits in, but Arizona had dominated through most of the match. And in her first match at LAW, at that. If Lacey couldn't keep up, what good would she be?

Much as she wanted to smile for the fans and to stay as optimistic as ever, deep down, Lacey couldn't shake the feeling that this was her fault - that try as she might, she just wasn't good enough. With a sigh, she pushed herself back up to her hands and knees as Arizona got off of her, but she still clenched her teeth in a pained grimace as she was reminded of the ache in her back, and her hand shot behind her to rub at her sore muscles. "Gaah...ow..." After that, though, she bowed her head lower with a long, dejected sigh, not even willing to face the fans. "I'm sorry, everyone," she muttered - but it was barely above a whisper. She didn't even want the fans to know how hard she was taking this. She knew, after all, it would just kill the mood. Lacey Whitman wasn't about that.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Arizona: (She looks her way and walks over to her) You feelin’ okay?