Akari Ito vs Charlotte Ravel

[skip-stop]

It wasn't hard to see that Akari was trying to figure out exactly how Charlotte intended to attack her. Surely if the Frenchwoman had chosen a more straightforward approach, the brunette would have been able to react in time and evade the attack. Therefore, this time the Sand Lizard decided to use a much more non-standard attack. By abruptly changing the trajectory of her kick, she was able to hit Akari right in the stomach. It might have seemed like a real success because Charlotte's monstrous legs strength was well known. But…

“Hm?”

The pink-haired woman's eyes widened as she quickly realized that something was wrong. Yes, her kick was really successful and she hit the brunette in the stomach without hindrance. But after that Akari remained standing in place like a stone wall. She didn't even move an inch. Perhaps it was at this moment that Charlotte realized better than ever that if she wanted to win today, she would have to put in a lot more effort than in any of the matches she had gone through.

One of the main rules of any martial art is that a fighter needs a stable position to punch or kick. Charlotte hurried to return her attacking foot to the mat, but the Sea Turtle beat her to it. Akari grabbed the Frenchwoman's ankle and then swung her right leg, sending a hard knee strike into the inner side of the Sand Lizard's thigh.

“Grrhhh!!”

The muscles in her legs were like steel, but this part of her leg was one of the most vulnerable. Pain shot through Charlotte and her other leg involuntarily bent at the knee, only willpower and composure didn't allow her to fall to the mat in the same second. Charlotte gritted her teeth. Now her position was extremely unstable and it seemed to many that all paths were open for Akari to develop her success because now Charlotte could not fully use punches and kicks. Some would even call such a situation hopeless. But Charlotte firmly believed that there were no hopeless situations.

Akari held her right ankle with a death grip, and this was her advantage because this was the reason for the unstable stance of the martial arts master. But sometimes the best way to win is to turn the opponent's advantage against them. Through the pain, Charlotte intended not just to straighten her other leg, but to push off the mat with force, turning to the right side at the same time. She was going to use Akari's grip on her right ankle as a fulcrum to swing her left leg and send an outstanding enzuigiri kick into the Sea Turtle's face!

[Misfit_Alien]

Go figure, leave it to the pink-haired Frenchwoman to be so...adaptable...even as a sense of dread was beginning to overwhelm her and Charlotte's leg came flying in like a heat-seeking missile, Akari couldn't help but feel a sense of joy and elation. Stuff like was...fun...those brief in-between moments where time slows down and you're in the midst of various actions, calculated and instinctive, colliding together to see which would come out on top. Seconds wind down to a screeching halt, sound fades away, and you're left to briefly ponder your mistakes or celebrate your victories in your mind. In this case, Akari was clicking her tongue internally as she knew she was about to take the short end of the stick in this trading of blows. Fortunately for her, this wouldn't be the first time she was put in the hot seat like this. The sandy reptile wasn't the only adaptable animal in this environment...

Like when a boxer was conditioned on how to take a punch, Akari tried to roll with the impact, wanting to minimize how much damage was being taken and recover as smoothly as possible. Of course, this was Charlotte Ravel we were talking about. Regardless of what Akari did to lessen the impact, hits like these would HURT. Still, she managed to turn an attack that would be a near-knockout hit into a mostly glancing blow, although Akari was being generous with that notion in mind. Calling it a 'glancing' blow was just a means of conditioning her mental fortitude. She defended with it as well as she could; no use in bogging herself down and throwing her mental game off. Of course, had she been any slower, the match might've been called then and there...however, it wasn't, meaning that Akari had more than enough of a chance to turn things around. As she pivots on the ball of her foot, she twists around with an emergency Back Fist, swinging her arm around suddenly as a means of clearing space in case Charlotte tried to get greedy and proceed any further. After all, one couldn't afford to be too cautious around the Sand Lizard...especially not in a scenario like this.

Once stable, Akari reset her stance and decided to proceed at her own pace, jumping right back into the fray with a mix of quick, snappy jabs aimed at Charlotte's head, lunging forward with a dash to close that gap again. It probably wasn't the smartest move, but it was one that was genuinely 'her'. After that opening exchange, Akari's heart was POUNDING. She didn't want to waste any more time dancing around. Hitting and getting hit, dishing out and receiving the rougher end of a trade...all of it made the Sea Turtle's soul stir with excitement. She wanted to fight. For better or worse, she'd get exactly that as she aimed a swift kick at Charlotte's midsection. Although much akin to their spar, she'd switch things up on her opponent, suddenly transitioning from a standard martial arts side kick to an unconventional wrestling-styled Question Mark Kick, aiming to bring her shinguard-covered foot down across the side of Charlotte's cranium!

[skip-stop]

Charlotte had already realized that there was no point in asking questions. It might have been just the beginning of the match, but she was already tired of asking herself how her opponent managed to do what she was doing. She got the impression that Akari was on a completely different level and that no matter what she did, it wouldn't bring success anyway. The Frenchwoman's position was not the best, but she hoped that her movement would be enough to at least slightly surprise the brunette. Like so many times before, she was wrong.

After the Sand Lizard swung her leg with an enzuigiri kick, her foot only lightly grazed the top of her opponent's head. Yes, Akari released her other leg, but she avoided any damage again. By the time Charlotte got to her feet, the Japanese woman had gone on the attack. First of all, several punches flew into the pink-haired woman's head, forcing her to raise her arms in an attempt to block them.

“Ghh...ghh...” a few painful groans escaped her lips.

Since all her actions turned out to be a failure, she was forced to go on the defensive, while Akari apparently found her pace. When Charlotte raised her arms, the brunette immediately kicked her in the stomach. The Frenchwoman's body wasn't made of metal, so this kick knocked her breath away. Her eyes widened due to the pain and she involuntarily leaned forward.

And, of course, it was a mistake on her part.

Taking advantage of the Sand Lizard's weakened state, Akari swung her leg, sending an incredibly powerful kick straight at the pink-haired woman's head. When the foot collided with the skull, an unpleasant click reverberated through the arena. Charlotte's head jerked to the side, and then she collapsed onto the mat face down, clearly stunned by this amazing attack, which showed in all its glory how good Akari was.

[Misfit_Alien]

When Akari's leg made contact with Charlotte's head, she could feel the impact reverberating through her body, stirring her soul once more as her vision sharpened with clarity. This was it...that SPARK...the feeling of drive and passion found only between the ropes. Charlotte's body fell as if she were suspended in slow motion. Everything else seemed to blur past and fade away, but the pink-haired woman's figure moved so slowly and gently, even as she crashed against the canvas, lying on her belly. Their previous exchange left the Sea Turtle a little banged up, but she responded in kind by gaining the first true 'fall' of the match by putting Charlotte down. Not one to waste the opportunity, Akari would lunge after the Sand Lizard, rolling her over onto her backside. With Charlotte stunned, Akari had a free opening to take advantage of, so she'd go for a quick pinfall...but she knew that this wasn't enough to keep a woman like Charlotte down. In all honesty, she wasn't pinning her to try and potentially win. Well, if she managed to do so, she wouldn't complain about it...it might feel disappointing, but a win is a win, especially one as fair as this. It'd just feel...empty...

No, Akari was doing this for the intimacy of it all. She wanted to feel that specific type of warmth. The kind of sensation you'd only experience through that brief instance of body-on-body contact amid a grueling, passionate competition of skill and strength. But she also wanted to make a statement to Charlotte. This was just the beginning, and she'd better not be thinking about giving up just yet. Akari's chest would press against Charlotte's, their abdomens softly brushing against one another as their legs touched briefly before Akari wrapped her arm beneath Charlotte's leg, hooking her at the back of her knee, letting her finger tips trail along the edges of her skin before sliding her hand down and cupping the toned curves of her thigh in her palm, caressing it gently as she wound the woman's leg back, adding tension and pressure to the pin as she forced Charlotte's shoulders to remain on the mat...a display of dominance, friendly...spirited...but competitive nonetheless. A clear declaration from the raven-haired woman...



"1...!!!"

[skip-stop]

How could Charlotte feel at that moment? Perhaps nothing but disappointed. It really felt like their sparring. Then and now, Charlotte couldn't demonstrate anything at all. Trying to take at least one step forward, she ended up two steps behind Akari anyway. Is she kicking? Akari kicks twice as hard. Is she acting fast? Akari acts twice as fast. Is she trying to be creative? Akari turns out to be twice as creative.

All this led to the fact that the Sand Lizard was lying face down on the mat. One kick, of course, wasn't enough to make her completely lose consciousness, but she was severely stunned. The Frenchwoman desperately tried to force herself to gather her strength, but her body simply refused to obey her.

Because of this, nothing prevented the brunette from turning her over on her back. Despite the wild headache, Charlotte opened her eyes slightly, thinking that Akari was probably preparing to continue the offensive. But she was wrong again because the brunette had completely different thoughts on this matter. Sinking down, she pressed her body tightly against Charlotte's, pinning the pink-haired woman. It didn't take long for the referee to lie down next to the fighters and then slap the mat.

“ONE!”

"Merde..."

Charlotte gritted her teeth. Even though she was used to maintaining her composure, there were too many thoughts in her head at that moment. And most of them were not the brightest. She hadn't been able to demonstrate much during their sparring, and the situation was pretty much the same now. Whatever she was trying to do, Akari was just being ten times better. Therefore, among all the thoughts in the Frenchwoman's head, the question sounded more clearly than anything. How can you defeat such an opponent at all?

“TWO!!”

Clenching her fists and taking a deep breath, the Sand Lizard first strained her entire body, and then violently jerked to the side to throw off Akari and thereby break the pin. Apparently, she had too few chances against this brunette, but in any case she was used to fighting to the end. Maybe if she kept trying, at least something would really work, so she couldn't give up yet.

[Misfit_Alien]

There was no telling what was going on in Charlotte's mind, but Akari couldn't really focus on that. She was curious, but any single slip-up could mean her downfall, especially when fighting someone of Charlotte's caliber. She wasn't privy to the self-doubt or frustration that Charlotte was dealing with in her head, but she was feeling something similar. Charlotte seemed so capable and strong, even as Akari held the advantage over her in their spar or while pinning her here...but Akari always felt lucky, so to speak. She was strong, sure, but during their spar, she felt like she wouldn't have been able to beat Charlotte if they continued further. She felt as if she was holding back somewhat, or that the fifteen-second rule got in the way of things. Charlotte could've certainly broken free if given enough time...and she most likely would've mopped the floor with the Sea Turtle...

Akari racked her brain on ways to try and take Charlotte down, and all it boiled down to was to try and outpace her as best as she could...but for all her talk and excitement, Akari felt this tinge of doubt in the back of her mind. Was she really fast enough? Skilled enough? Strong enough? She was taking Charlotte down and matching her blow for blow, but she felt as if she was just barely beating her out, as if she was fighting on borrowed time before Charlotte inevitably destroyed her.

For now, she was enjoying the moment, trying to ignore those thoughts, savoring the sensation of the pinfall and the adrenaline coursing through her body as she fought against these negative thoughts to the best of her ability. They did nothing for her, only taking away from the spark she was feeling between herself and Charlotte, two warriors trying to bring out the best in each other, to truly see who would come out on top, and to truly enjoy a proper battle where they could both demonstrate their skill sets. This was another reason she admired Charlotte. She managed to suppress these things, such as her disappointment following the spar, moving without losing a single step, and still retaining absolute command over her students.

The pin was broken, and Akari was thrown off Charlotte's body as the Sand Lizard sprang back to life, demonstrating that things were far from over. Even as the situation mirrored their spar, there was no fifteen-second rule holding Charlotte back, nothing to stop them from continuing further...nothing preventing Akari from savoring that spark, that rush, that DRIVE that she felt while between the ropes, clashing against another talented soul. "I knew that wasn't enough to stop you, but-...I wanted to give it a shot. I never got to experience how it felt pinning you back at the gym..." She said, brushing her hair back as she rose to her feet. "Your body feels a lot softer than I expected-" She chimed, blushing ever so slightly. Her comments were meant as verbal jabs to poke at Charlotte's ego or dig up any potential old wounds. Nor were they meant to be overly sensual comments, trying to dig beneath the Sand Lizard's skin. They were just...little observations...a little self-indulgent, sure, but nothing too overt.

"While I'm curious how it feels to be on the other end of that, I won't give you the opportunity so easily...so get back up, Charlotte." She commanded, desiring more out of the Frenchwoman, her eyes alight with that familiar competitive passion. "We wanted the best out of each other, so let's have at it-..." She said, inviting the woman to take another crack at her.

[skip-stop]

Even though the Sand Lizard had broken the pin, thus avoiding defeat, she knew well that this was the easiest part. The fact that she stayed in the game didn't really mean anything because she was still many steps behind her opponent. Mentally, the pink-haired woman was trying to find at least some options on how to deal with this brunette.

It was obvious that she was lagging behind Akari in strength and even speed, although speed was admittedly Charlotte's calling card. Technique? Apparently not an option either. And, of course, Charlotte wasn't so naive as to try to win with endurance, because that wasn't her strong suit. In all previous matches, she was superior to her rivals in at least one parameter, but today, for the first time, she faced an opponent against whom absolutely nothing worked.

In any case, Charlotte didn't have time to rest, so she put her palms on the mat and pushed up, thereby rising to one knee. Her opponent, apparently, decided not to rush and also rose smoothly to her feet. She even found time to tease the Sand Lizard, which made the Frenchwoman purse her lips for a moment.

“I have no doubt…" Charlotte muttered, then straightened to her full height.

She really had no doubts that Akari wasn't going to give her even the slightest opportunity. Clenching her fists and taking a deep breath, Charlotte took her fighting stance. There was still a question in her head that she couldn't find an answer to. How do you defeat an opponent against whom your attacks just don't work? How to defeat someone invulnerable? Invulnerable…

That word reminded her of something. Closing her eyes for a moment, she imagined the face of her best friend, Astrid. Yes, that's right, her first title defense. After that match the Norwegian woman said that at one point her opponent seemed invulnerable to her. Charlotte did not think that she would ever find herself in literally the same situation. But at least that memory gave her hope. Astrid won in the end, which means the conclusion was simple. There are no invulnerables.

Perhaps this hope was very weak, because the facts said that Charlotte was far from Akari, but at least in a way it helped the Frenchwoman to gather her courage. Maybe if she stubbornly continues to act, then at least one blow will really work. There was only one way to check it.

The Sand Lizard rushed forward. Having shortened the distance enough, the pink-haired woman swung her left leg in a low arc, but instead of aiming a low kick at the brunette's kneecap, she intended to sharply bend that leg at the knee and then place it slightly to the right of her right foot. With this feint, she wanted to take an extra step forward to close the distance even more, Charlotte intended to allow her body to spin to the right while bending her right arm at the elbow in an attempt to ram Akari's head with a feint back elbow strike.

[Misfit_Alien]

"Oh-" That was all Akari managed to say before her world flashed with white before suddenly fading to black. Her vision spiraled and blurred, everything going hazy and dark with none of her senses assisting her. It was as if her nervous system was hit with a sort of EMP, short-circuiting and frying her whole body from head to toe. She never saw the feint coming, despite being so dialed into the fight. She looked out for every tell, yet she overanalyzed the kick, expecting a precise attack directed at her knee to try to debilitate her, slow her down, and force her to give up relying on those strong legs of hers. How wrong she was...as Charlotte stepped forward, their calves brushing against one another briefly as time slowed down for the Sea Turtle, who felt every bit of contact from the Sand Lizard's devastating Elbow Strike.

Charlotte's attack landed with surgical precision, as her elbow made stiff contact with its target. A loud -THUD- could be heard coming from the point of contact, reverberating through the ring as bone and flesh collided. Akari's eyes shot wide open for a moment as the Sea Turtle felt a sharp pain in her cheek and jaw, only for it to numb moments later...along with the rest of her senses, her body slowly began to shut down as the hit shocked her to her core, leaving the Sea Turtle off-balance and in a heavy daze, stumbling backward into the corner behind her as her eyes started to glaze over.

If not for the adrenaline fueling her legs and her own trained instincts keeping her upright, the Sea Turtle...practically out on her feet...might've collapsed then and there. Though perhaps falling to the canvas near the ropes would be more preferable than being asleep at the wheel with a dangerous martial artist as an opponent looming over you, ever so slowly closing the distance now that an opportunity had presented itself to her.

The Frenchwoman had free rein over the Sea Turtle, having cracked through her shell for the first time in the match. Tensions were high, the crowd was on the edge of their seats, and the ball was in Charlotte's court. Invulnerable? Yeah right...She was just as susceptible as anyone else, now more so than ever. With one swift elbow, Charlotte took that window of opportunity and threw it wide open. That spar...those fifteen seconds of struggle, now a distant memory perhaps, were no longer relevant. This was the real thing, and no meager rule about time would be able to sway things in Akari's favor, not while she could barely grip the ropes adjacent to her just to hold herself up.

[skip-stop]

When her elbow crashed into the black-haired woman's skull, Charlotte experienced several feelings at the same time. First of all, she was surprised, which she had every right to be, given how events had developed before that. At the same time, she felt some relief, it was unlikely that just one successful strike could be called a real success, but at least it worked. And the third feeling came to her after she turned to face her opponent and took a step forward. What exactly was that?

It was a feeling of deja vu. Her single successful strike sent Akari staggering backwards, causing her back to press against the turnbuckles. For a few moments, the Frenchwoman seemed to have gone back in time. Yes, she had definitely been in the exact same situation before. During their sparring, her only successful one also forced the Japanese woman to step back and press her back against the ropes. At that time, Charlotte thought it was an opportunity to use one of those moves that she thought the opponent couldn't avoid in any way. However, at that time, Akari proved that anything is possible.

“Don't freeze...” the martial arts master commanded herself mentally.

Her Muay Thai skills allowed her to hit her opponent for the first time in the match, and given the amount of effort it took she simply couldn't afford to freeze in place because of the memories of their last meeting. Yes, her leaping flatliner turned out to be a defeat for the Sand Lizard that time, but at least she got a useful experience.

Without stopping, she rushed towards her opponent. The distance between them wasn't too great, but Charlotte still tried to get as much speed as possible so that she could jump forward and up. It might not seem like it made much sense because she hadn't changed her position for a dropkick or anything like that. But Charlotte wasn't the type to do meaningless things.

With this jump she intended to place her feet on the middle ropes on either side of Akari, while firmly grabbing the black-haired woman's head with both hands. Moving synchronously like a clock mechanism, she was going to immediately push back from the ropes, pulling Akari with her. Spreading her legs to the sides, she wanted to fall into a sitting position, while simultaneously yanking her opponent's head down to drive her face into the mat with a springboard facebuster.

[Misfit_Alien]

That momentary hesitation was dismissed as Charlotte rushed forward, building up speed at a breakneck pace and suddenly bursting forward in a sprint-like fashion. Was she going for a Dropkick? A Running Knee? No-...something with far more flash and substance than both other moves, and one that Akari couldn't predict or prevent, regardless of her circumstances. In one swift motion, the Sea Turtle would feel the ropes behind her begin to stretch as a red blur appeared in her dazed peripheral, Charlotte grabbing hold of her opponent's hair with a bit of a tug, ensuring her grasp would not be lost as she bounced off the ropes, bringing Akari along with her for what would be quite the ride-...

Akari's head would travel along a smooth arc as Charlotte dragged her down toward the surface of the ring, guiding the Sea Turtle toward her demise. Time seemed to slow down again just before Akari's jaw and nose made contact with the canvas first, the impact causing a loud -THUD- to ripple throughout the ring as the Sea Turtle's head ricocheted off the mat.

The attack left her quite staggered, more so than before. Even those sitting up in the nosebleeds of the venue's seating arrangements could tell that the Turtle was quite dazed, and Charlotte would have a close-up view of just how disoriented she left the woman. Akari's first instinct was to protect her head from any further harm, clutching at it tightly, her forearms and gloved fists serving as a defensive shell while she recuperated. The pain was immense, and she was left with a minor headache that was more annoying than anything. This, combined with her vision constantly spiraling left the Japanese woman in a rather unfortunate position, with the advantage remaining solely in Charlotte's court as the Frenchwoman continued to control the match's pace at her leisure.