Heart and Gold Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament Qualifier: Sanae Saitou vs. Chris Yukine

[CaptainL]

Sanae might have gone down in the first round - but she had no intention of letting this be the end! She still had two rounds she could still pull ahead in, and as the second fall began, she had made a pledge to herself - she would do everything she possibly could to ensure that she wouldn't lose to Chris again. She still had the chance to win this match, and she would do everything in her power to make that a reality!

That determination in her had given Sanae the strength she needed, leaving her ready and reenergized for the next round. That had let her catch Chris off guard as she grabbed her leg and took her down - and from there, she could roll her into a figure four leglock, putting even more strain on the white-haired girl's already weakened limb! The sight of Sanae's defiance had caused her fans to break out into cheers. Sanae wasn't going to let Chris get the upper hand on her again. She was fighting back hard, and she wasn't going to give up control!

However, Chris was still on the move, and she too wasn't about to give up the fight! She began to rock herself from side to side, building up momentum with which to power her way out of Sanae's hold. Feeling her opponent's struggles, Sanae hissed through her clenched teeth, giving her legs another squeeze to try and slow Chris down. But in the end, no matter how much strain she'd have to put on herself to get there, Chris still managed to roll herself over, turning the force of the leglock back around on Sanae!

The idol let out a pained squeal as she felt the aches and pains shoot through her legs. When Chris squeezed harder, her teeth gnashed and her hands squeezed tight, digging her nails into her palms. However, Chris wouldn't keep the hold in for too long before she broke away. That left Sanae flat on her stomach, panting a few times to try and catch her breath and get her bearings. But, on the whole, it could've been worse. And when she pushed herself back up and looked over her shoulder at Chris, Sanae knew she had a job to do - she had to keep at it! She couldn't let this keep her down!

With a huff, Sanae pushed herself back to her feet. She winced as she straightened her legs, still sore from how Chris had contorted them, but she could still get back up, and Chris was still open. Sanae stopped a moment longer to rub at her legs, trying to massage the soreness out of her muscles - but then, she would take off toward the ropes, hoping to jump onto the middle rope as she came near. If she could do that, she'd spring backward off of it with her next motion, trying to hurl herself into Chris hip-first to bowl her over with a senton!

[GolemGuardian]

Chris grit her teeth as she flipped the figure four. Unlike Sanae, who had a decent upper body, the rocker heavily relied on her speed and lower extremities. The more damage they received, the less she could rely on that. An obvious Achilles heel that the idol wanted to take advantage of.

But, the same went for Sanae. It seemed her skills were similarly tied to speed, given their explosive back and forth. So rather than merely escape, Chris had turned the hold around on the greenette. Only long enough for the pain in her own legs to die down, before she released her opponent. While smarter to keep the pressure, she wouldn't risk Sanae reversing it and into a somehow worse submission move.

As Sanae remained on the ground to deal with her own pain, looking over her shoulder at the white haired lightweight, Chris said nothing. All she did was motion for Sanae to get back up, to come at her again. Goading the idol to take action, so she could initiate a counter that would no doubt surprise her and the audience. Even as the girl massaged her legs, she did nothing.

And then she acted, running right at the closest set of ropes. Not to rebound, but to leap onto and springboard off. While not entirely what the rocker had expected, that didn't matter for what she had in store. As Sanae rolled in the air, no doubt aiming for a Senton, the rocker sprinted into action.

Like a spring allowed to retract, the rocker suddenly lowered herself and sent her shoulder to the middle of Sanae's back, catching her attack with a violent spear. The crowd would gasp from the counter, given the spear wasn't really something Chris did other than in her penultimate match with Veronika. Let alone to counter a fellow highflyer. If it went as intended, Chris would bring the Young Lioness down to the mats, ready to regain her momentum after the little hitch.

[CaptainL]

After taking all the force Chris had unleashed against her legs, Sanae was going to need a moment to catch her breath, gather her thoughts, and let the aches die down before she launched herself back into the fray. Her legs still felt numb. But, at the same time, she knew this battle was far from over. She knew that Chris wasn't going to give her the chance to lie around and nurse her wounds - both women were agile high-speed fighters who could strike like lightning, and Sanae couldn't afford to let Chris get the edge on her! When she looked back at Chris, Sanae did indeed see her opponent motion for her to get up. But her eyes just narrowed into a piercing glare. Whether or not Chris was prepared for her, Sanae wasn't going to let it slow her down. She too was quick on her feet and had picture-perfect reaction time. No matter what Chris was anticipating, the idol was confident she could catch her off guard!

Finding strength through her determination to stand up to her foe, Sanae sprung back to her feet and took off to the ropes. With one stride, she jumped up onto them and sprung herself toward her opponent, catapulting herself backward through the air! She could feel the rush of the air around her, anticipating the impact!

And an impact did come, all right. Just not the one Sanae had counted on, nor the one she wanted! No matter how fast Sanae was moving, Chris could move fast too! Before the green-haired girl had a chance to make impact, Chris was back up on her feet - and sent herself hurtling toward her with a spear! Sanae only had a fleeting second to realize what was happening to her, looking back over her shoulder with a gasp - but by then, it was too late! The two girls collided with a crack, and Sanae was thrown down against the canvas! The fans gasped - Chris would have to have timed things perfectly to pull off such a counter. But she had done it!

Sanae's legs kicked up into the air as she made impact, skidding a few feet backward. There, she collapsed, her legs dropping to the mat as she crumpled with the air knocked out of her lungs. All the momentum she had put into her senton had turned back around on her, and she'd eaten it hard!

[GolemGuardian]

Sanae was a great opponent, that much Chris could admit. She had great technical knowledge, was powerful, and nearly as fast as her. The two were playing off one another perfectly, getting the perfect reaction from the crowd. There honestly was no one else she'd rather fight in this qualifier, even if the greenette repped the worst music genre.

As the two rose, Sanae immediately went for a springboard senton to bowl her over. Not what Chris had honestly expected when she decided she'd try for a crowd pleasing counter, but one she'd happily take advantage of. Rather than try and dodge as many likely expected, if she had time to at least, the rock star sprung right at her fellow high flyer. Coiling up like a spring, waiting for the perfect moment, before intercepting Sanae midair with a spear that left the audience gasping.

The Young Lioness crumpled against the mats, left gasping for air as Chris kipped back up. Rather than merely let Sanae up again, the rocker went for a quick basement drop kick to the side of the idol's head. Just a little something to keep the greenette down for a bit longer. "Iku zoooouuuuuu!!" Chris screamed as she threw up a pair of devil horns, receiving a rocking pop from the fans.

The rocker then ran to the ropes, bouncing off and running right towards her opponent. Once she was close to the obstacle that stood before her chance at gold, she jumped and summersaulted, before landing back first onto her. As if to rub salt in a wound, Chris went for her own senton onto the prone girl.

[CaptainL]

Chris and Sanae were both high-speed, agile high-flyers, and both of them were using that fact to their full advantage - they were bouncing off every corner of the ring to come back at one another, practically moving faster than anyone watching could keep track of! The audience knew one thing, though - with both girls applying their natural talent for showmanship just as much as their in-ring skills, they were certainly getting a spectacle well worth the price of admission!

Chris's spear had managed to intercept Sanae while she was in motion, deflecting the green-haired girl into the mat. The determined look on her face turned to a wide-eyed gape as she was thrown backward - and as she came crashing into the mat below, leaving her sputtering and panting as the air was driven out of her lungs on the impact! Already, Sanae's head was spinning from the rapid motions she'd been put through. But Chris was about to knock her for a loop anyway - as she went gliding forward, her feet came crashing into Sanae's skull with the sound of a crack, causing the idol to cry out in pain as she rolled over onto her side!

Sanae's teeth clenched in a stifled hiss. She curled up on the mat, bringing her hands up to her temples to try and shield herself. For a moment, her whole body felt achy, and her head was spinning. But Sanae had just enough strength left in her to glance back over her shoulder - and there, she saw Chris jump off the ropes, shooting herself right back at her! Her jaw fell open in a gasp. She recognized it immediately, and she knew exactly what her opponent was trying to do. Now, Chris was the one setting up the senton - trying to beat Sanae at her own game!

The idol was still groggy, and there was still a ringing ache in the back of her head. But she knew she wouldn't need to do a lot to counter Chris's senton now that it was in motion. All she needed to do was to get out of the way! She'd made up her mind about it - if Chris wouldn't let her land this move, she wouldn't let her have that luxury either! And she would say as much as she threw her weight over to the side, trying to roll away just before Chris could make impact! She didn't have the strength in her yet to do much, but she could at least do this, and that would be enough!