That’s Mr. Steele To You! (for CaptainL and SimplyWoo)

[SimplyWoo]

Natalie didn't even have to turn to challenge Rylie, for as soon as Natalie turned to beckon how extreme Rylie could get, Rylie was already two steps into charging at Natalie. If she was able to, she would lunge at Natalie to hook her arm around the back of Natalie's neck too hook around the front as she would pull Natalie's head down to the side of her body as she would let her body swing around to twist the both of them as she would then pull down and back in an attempt to connect Natalie with a tornado DDT.

[CaptainL]

Chelsea was intent on meeting Natalie head-on. After all the skater had done to stoke her anger, she might as well have been facing down a bull ready to charge, and the Englishwoman was about to lay into her with everything she had! This was a match she simply couldn't lose, not when her dignity was resting on it. She needed to prove that silly little wagers wouldn't keep her down, and that she had no tolerance for disrespect. But just as much as Chelsea's single-minded fury would drive her onward, it also meant she wasn't paying as close attention to her surroundings as she probably should've. Just before she was about to make impact, Natalie ducked down, skating in between her legs!

Chelsea's eyes went wide as she skidded to a stop, suddenly reminded of the fact she needed to stay on her toes. Natalie's skates were going to make her far harder to keep track of, which made the whole ordeal that much more irksome. She turned her head over her shoulder to look at Natalie...only to see her coming flying at her feet-first with a dropkick! Chelsea didn't have any time to react before the skates slammed into her back, throwing her off her balance and sending her falling forward against the turnbuckles. Her face struck the pads with a thump, and she began to sink down lower in a daze, her arms dangling over the ropes to her sides.

---

Elsewhere, Brianna had locked up with Lyra in order to kick off their spar, but barely a moment had passed into their struggle that the Tornado kicked up her leg to land a few well-placed kicks! She smirked, feeling the impact of her boot against Lyra's stomach, and how she wavered on her feet after the shock of the blow. "Didn't see that one coming, did you?" she teased, winking toward Lyra. "Remember, just because you're in a lockup doesn't mean you're safe. Your opponent can just as easily close that distance with an attack..."

With that, she shoved back at Lyra, breaking the lockup as she backed away. She took a step forward to tail after her foe, and, as she raised her other leg, she eyed Lyra up, lining up her shot so that she would swing a kick right into her jaw! Little did she know, Lyra already knew that was coming...

[Pegasus]

Natalie turned to taunt at Rylie, but the raccoon gal already had her move in mind. Rylie grabbed Natalie by the head and swung her around in order to impact the skater head first into the canvas with a patent Tornado DDT! Natalie flipped over on her back sitting up as her head was feeling dizzy and she had to hold it while the wheels on the bottom of her skates spun out of control with no canvas to skate on. Natalie laid back and looked back at an upside down Rylie trying to get her mind straight, but she was vulnerable to anything else Rylie had up her sleeves. Rylie could keep her momentum going on Natalie, go after a vulnerable Chelsea, or go grab some “toys” to really get the fun started. It was no rules after all.

————

Lyra caught Brianna’s leg just before it made contact as per her vision and she smirked towards her opponent. Brianna forgot that Lyra had the universe on her side and it would prove twice as difficult to surprise her. Not to mention, Lyra had taken on some tough players already which put her in contention for Apex and she wasn’t the same Lyra that Brianna faced in the past. Back then, they were about even despite Lyra pulling out two submission victories in the same match. This time, Brianna had to work double the trouble to get Lyra to stay down.

Lyra tried twisting the leg getting Brianna to fall down on her stomach and then mount her back to pull on the leg for a Single-Legged Boston Crab!

[SimplyWoo]

Rylie rose back up to her feet as she looked over at Natalie now laying on the mat. She knew there was no rules and she could go grab whatever she wanted, but the smirk on her face meant she already knew what weapon she wanted to use, and that weapon was none other than mischief. Taking advantage of Natalie being down, she approached her feet and bent over. She grabbed the laces of both of Natalie's skates and gave them a tug to untie her shoes, she then tied the two inner laces together to make Natalie's skates be tied to each other as she then rose up to look over at Chelsea and noticing her draped over the ropes. She then ran towards the opposite ropes to bounce off of them as she attempted to charge at Chelsea and leap at her to try to splash onto her back with her body.

[CaptainL]

Chelsea was just starting to catch her breath, coming back from the daze she had landed in. She took hold of the ropes in her hands, moving to push herself up higher and stand straight enough to look back at the other two women in this match - where she would see Rylie making short work of Natalie, taking the skater to the ground. Chelsea was still shaking the cobwebs out of her head, but nevertheless she couldn't help but smile to see Natalie get her comeuppance. When she saw Rylie tying the girl's shoelaces together, that only caused her to burst out into a chortle. It only seemed like poetic justice to see Natalie undone by the very thing that made her so annoying to Chelsea in the first place. "Oi! Now dat's more like it!" she cheered, raising a thumbs-up to Rylie. "Dat's some sound as a pound thinkin' thuz!"

But Chelsea had momentarily overlooked that she was just as much a target in this match as Natalie was. That was, until Rylie reminded her when she bounced off the ropes, coming flying back toward her! The Englishwoman's jaw dropped open in a gasp; the sight sent a shock to her system, and in a moment all her fatigue was forgotten under the rush of adrenaline and the will to survive. Thinking quickly, Chelsea dropped down into a roll, hoping to get out of the way so that Rylie would crash into the ropes!

---

Chelsea wasn't the only person to overlook something about their opponent. Brianna had hoped that by striking quickly, she could catch Lyra by surprise - but Lyra had all the time in the world to prepare when she already had visions of what her opponent would do next! In a flash, her leg was caught, and she only had a second to let out a gasp before Lyra swung her to the ground before twisting her leg behind her for the Boston Crab!

The Wildcat Champion's face contorted in a scowl of pain, her eyes squeezing shut and her teeth clenching into a grimace as a groan was ripped from her lungs. "You know," she muttered, "I wonder how much training you need when you already have all the answers..." Regardless, she would attempt to crawl away as she twisted her hips and shoulders from side to side, trying to throw her opponent off balance - though she hissed and winced each time as every motion put more strain on her already stretched spine.

[Pegasus]

Natalie groaned as she shook her head and tried to regain her vision after her brain got jumbled around after taking a painful DDT. She didn’t even notice Rylie tying her shoelaces together and after the raccoon went after Chelsea, Natalie tried standing up as her vision was clearing up. Determined to get back in the fight, Natalie tried going after both of her opponents, but she tripped on her face groaning and annoyed as she rubbed at it. It was then she looked back to notice her laces tied together.

“You got to be shitting me! Thanks a lot, Rylie!” Natalie exclaimed at her best friend before throwing a middle finger up at Chelsea for her comment that she surprisingly understood.

Natalie got back on her feet balancing herself out and scratched her head thinking out how she was gonna get around this. However, Rylie was huddling over there in the corner and Chelsea rolled out of the way to get some space so Natalie figured a quick revenge shot would be necessary. She couldn’t skate, but she could jump and use the ropes. Natalie jumped over to the top rope and used momentum to roll herself towards Rylie in the corner for a Corner Clothesline outstretching her arm! If she hit it correctly, Natalie would then back out of the corner using momentum again to back up towards Chelsea jumping for a Cutter to the Englishwoman!

———————

Lyra would try to hold Brianna in place, but the champion would try to thrash around on the mats in an attempt to get Lyra off her back. Lyra got turned on the side and breathed heavily as she had to think fast before the Tornado got to her. Another vision came soon enough of Brianna chopping her in the back, but she couldn’t tell when Brianna might be able to hit it.

[SimplyWoo]

"Dude! Don't..AAHH!" To which Rylie's scream converted into a squeak as Chelesea moved out of the way and Rylie ended up landing with the middle rope between her legs as Chelsea managed to move out of the way, leaving one arm hooked around the top rope as she bent over a little as she groaned out. "Oooof, good thing I don't want kids." She joked her eyed then widened to look at Natalie flying towards her. "Nonono Ack!" She yelped out the clothesline impact knocked her onto her back onto the mat before she rolled out of the wing, landing on her stomach on the ground outside as she groaned out, leaving Natalie and Chelsea in the ring by themselves as Rylie rolled over onto her back keeping a hand between her legs while the other rubbed at her neck as she needed some recovery time.

[CaptainL]

As she got out of the way, Chelsea rolled back up to her knees, taking a look around to survey the situation. A smirk came to her face - everything seemed to have worked out perfectly. She'd managed to dodge Rylie's attack, leaving the raccoon girl tangled up in the ropes in a predicament that was surely as painful as it was difficult to untie herself from - she was sure that would slow her down. And Natalie herself was tied up in her own shoelaces, spitting a volley of curses and frustrations that caused the Englishwoman to chuckle to herself at her opponent's misfortune. It looked as though they were both hopeless to escape, and that meant it was Chelsea's time to shine. Dusting herself off, she began to lift herself to her feet...just in time to see Natalie jump to the top rope and catapult herself into Rylie, knocking her out of the ring!

"WHAT!?" Chelsea was simply astounded that the skater had it in her. If she was capable of pulling off such mind-blowingly acrobatic feats with her shoes literally tied together, she had to have incredible control, so much so that Chelsea could never possibly see it coming! She was still staring wide-eyed and in shock at the after-effects of what she'd just witnessed that she was in no position to protect herself from Natalie's next move, or to get out of the way. By the time Natalie had grabbed her for the cutter, it was too late - Chelsea was dropped down onto her face, sending a rumble through the canvas as she collapsed in a heap!

"Oi, dat rags...'ow de 'ell did ye evun do dat?" she groaned, rubbing at her chin as she slowly began to push herself back up.

---

Across the room, Brianna at last managed to throw Lyra off her back as she continued to throw herself from side to side. She got her elbow propped up on the ground beneath her, panting for breath and reaching behind her to rub at her back; she winced as soon as the sensation of the pressure on her spine brought back painful memories of the hold she'd just endured. She had to admit, Lyra was good. But she was still determined to give it her all, and she didn't want Yuki or Sanae thinking she'd go down easily. Sucking in a breath, she was quick to push herself to her feet - and from there, she turned around, running straight toward Lyra before jumping off the mat to aim a dropkick to her back while she was turned on her side! Her agility was one of her greatest assets, and she wanted to put it to good use!

[Pegasus]

Natalie connected the cutter to Chelsea as her plan worked in full motion. Rylie slipped under the ropes and now Natalie could have Chelsea to herself as she smirked with a toothy grin. She knew that there would be more than one way to skin a cat and she proved that much by thinking on her feet. How did she do it is indeed the question and Natalie just shrugged at Chelsea’s asking of it.

“I got skills, matie. Now, hold still and take this L!” Natalie replied as she tried for a Dropkick.

However, the tying of her laces together put some pressure on her skates and they were tangled so she couldn’t get her skates up high enough leaving her to just land on her back as she groaned in pain and was at Chelsea’s mercy. Knowing what she did to the Englishwoman earlier, Chelsea sure had lots of revenge to dish out.

~~~~~~~~

Lyra would see Brianna come in hot launching both feet into her back as it made Lyra roll across the mats holding her back. Lyra opened one eye seeing Brianna stand before her and knew she was getting warmed-up looking to get one over on the fortune teller in this spar. She definitely had grown since their last outing and Lyra could tell Brianna was catching on to Lyra’s movements. Another vision came to her eyes as she closed them and let the universe tell her their secrets. She saw Brianna go for a chop to Lyra’s chest and then try to take Lyra on a dizzy ride with a Headscissors Takedown.

[CaptainL]

With Rylie out of the ring, Chelsea and Natalie had this match to themselves. And so far, the skater was proving that even with her shoelaces literally tied together, she could still be a force to be reckoned with. Chelsea was picking herself back up from where she had landed, getting up to one knee and rubbing her leg to dull the pain - but she looked up just then to see her opponent setting up a dropkick! When she saw Natalie lunge toward her, Chelsea let out a gasp. She froze in fear, the color draining from her face from the shock; out of instinct, she swept up her arms to try and shield herself, but she was prepared for this to hurt regardless. But then...the seconds passed by. Nothing happened. She didn't even feel a thing.

Confused, Chelsea peered over her guard - and there, she saw that with her skates tied, Natalie had wiped out, coming crashing down on her back! She blinked a few times, trying to process what she was seeing. But then, she threw her head back in a raucous laugh. In that moment, she had forgotten that Natalie was still tied up - but now she was all the more eager to be reminded of it! Now Natalie's own attempts at pressing the advantage had come back to bite her in a most embarrassing fashion. And now that she was down...it was high time Chelsea took advantage.

"Oi! Wha' wuz dat? Did ye forget about firkin thuz?" Chelsea pushed herself to her feet, storming over to Natalie, where she pointed a finger at her tied-together skates. "Oh, tew bad - now it's me tirn, like!" With that, she raised her foot, prepared to slam down a stomp against Natalie's gut!

---

Brianna had just connected a dropkick of her own, and as the blow landed with a crack, the impact proved strong enough to flip Lyra over, sending her rolling across the mat. Pushing herself back up into a seated position, a grin crossed her face as she threw a fist into the air with a cheer. Brianna might not have had her mask, but she was still getting lost in the intensity of their spar, and she was dipping back into the bombastic, dramatic theatrics she embraced as the Black Tornado! Now she had Lyra under control - and she was eager to take the advantage!

Coming up behind Lyra, Brianna would grab for her arm, twisting it behind her back in a hammerlock. With her arm anchored in place, the brunette would try and pull her back to her feet. For as much as Lyra's visions had given her advice on what to do, it seemed there were some details she was missing. Once Lyra was back up, Brianna would step back a few steps, enough to get some distance to line up her next strike but still keeping the hold in place. She would swing back one arm, delivering a chop across Lyra's back; only then would she let go, swiftly circling around to her front and swinging out her other arm to chop Lyra's chest. Hopefully, that would cause her to double over - if it did, she would hop off her feet, grabbing for Lyra's head with her legs to swing over to the side and bowl her over with the promised headscissors takedown!

As Yuki and Sanae watched from the sidelines, they gasped, astounded by Brianna's athletic potential. But they knew Lyra had beaten her before, and they had faith in her now. "Come on, Lyra!! You can do this!" Sanae called back, raising her hands to her mouth to shout some words of encouragement!