Yuki Kazikura vs. Rose Gold II - Unsanctioned Match

[CaptainL]

Riding off the momentum of her swing, Yuki hit the crest of her motion - and her feet buried themselves deep in Rose's abdomen, landing with enough force to bowl the Sinister Siren off her feet. Gasping and sputtering, she was hurled back through the air and landed against the canvas with a thump, causing the ring to rumble under the impact. Her legs kicked into the air, her body tumbling over a half-turn before she dropped onto her face, but then she was still. The moment she touched down, the fans burst out in a cheer - to see Rose take the fall seemed like a long-awaited moment of comeuppance, after not only the rigors Yuki had endured at her hands, but after all she had done to the lightweights of LAW under her reign of terror. But such cheers hardly reached Yuki's ears. She knew this wasn't over, and what she had done wouldn't be enough. No, this was only the beginning.

When her feet touched down on the apron, Yuki leaned in against the ropes, taking a few slow, deep breaths to steady her nerves. Her eyes locked in on Rose, and her fingers gripped the ropes tighter. She had her down now, she thought; that meant that if she wanted to pursue the advantage, Rose would be wide open. But then, Yuki knew better than to take anything about Rose Gold at face value. This could well be a trap. Even if she was to move in for the kill, she would have to be ready for whatever he blonde had up her sleeve.

At last, Yuki rolled back through the ropes. Whether or not she could really say she was ready, it didn't matter - there was no time to waste, and she knew just what she had to do. She studied Rose for the moment she saw her body begin to rise - and as soon as it looked like she was getting back to her feet, Yuki took off toward her at full speed, putting the lessons she'd learned from Aoi Fukiwara to good use! As she closed in on Rose, she drew back her arm, prepared to hit her with a lariat!

But Yuki's suspicions had been right - Rose was indeed prepared. When she looked back to see Yuki closing in on her, all she could do was grin a sinister grin. Rose had grown so infamous for her dirty tricks that one could well have forgotten that she was a judo expert and a veritable master of counters and reversals. But she would remind the world of that now - just as Yuki's arm swept out toward her, she reached out and grabbed it! With a twist of her body, she went to spin Yuki in place - and the dark-haired girl looked out with a gasp to find the force of her charge now guiding her right down into the mat, as Rose threw her onto her knees, where she landed with a thud!

Yuki's face contorted in a pained wince as she dropped to the canvas - and as she went skidding a few inches forward, her knees rubbing up against the mat. Rose, though, could only chuckle to herself, drumming her finger against her chin as she circled around to Yuki's front. To her, anything Yuki might have done was so hopeless, so woefully ineffective, that it was little more than a joke. "Now, whatever am I to do next?" she mused aloud - but the sight of Yuki on her knees made the devious grin on her face flash even brighter. As a matter of fact, she knew exactly what she was going to do next.

Rose saw the moment Yuki lifted herself onto one knee, the other bent in the air like a stepstool. Then, she came running toward her. If she closed in quickly enough, she could use that knee as a stepping-stone to jump up on, propelling her other knee into Yuki's face with the momentum of her following stride. It was the perfect setup to a Shining Wizard - or, rather, to the Gilded Wizard, one of her own signature moves!

...Which was exactly what Yuki had wanted to give her.

Yuki knew what sorts of moves Rose used, and what she depended on. If Rose had certain moves she wanted to use...that made her predictable. If Rose was going to counter, Yuki could play at that game, too! Right now, Yuki had offered Rose the Gilded Wizard, and Rose had taken the bait! As soon as she stepped up onto Yuki's knee, that was the moment the Japanese girl struck - she snapped her arms into place around Rose's sides, locking her in her embrace! The blonde would barely have the time to gasp before Yuki lifted her higher into the air - and then, threw herself backward to bring her down head-first into a German suplex!

[CaptainL]

In coming charging toward Yuki, Rose had already provided half the momentum she needed. As soon as their bodies met, Yuki's arms snapped into place around the blonde's sides, and her body bent backward at the waist, sending Rose hurtling over her shoulder! Suddenly, it didn't matter that Yuki had nearly been choked out with the ropes a moment ago, or that her eyes had been burning from having her face rubbed against them before that. The picture-perfect counter she had executed against the Sinister Siren was enough to reignite her passion and her energy. She could do this, she told herself. The impact she'd just scored was proof enough - and the cheers of the fans celebrating her efforts were a testament to her success!

The sound of a loud thud echoed through the arena as Rose's head and shoulders came down against the mat with the force of a meteor's landing. Her legs kicked up into the air, and her head snapped back as her jaw dropped in a silent scream, with all the air knocked out of her lungs from the landing! When Yuki let go of her, her body fell flat, her arms and legs splayed limp around her as her chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. When she looked up at the lights shining down from above, her eyes were wide and glassy. Part of that was from the impact, but just as much came from disbelief. How could Yuki - the same timid girl whose strength had melted under pressure every other time they crossed paths - possibly have countered the Gilded Wizard?

Even Yuki herself needed a moment to stop and breathe. Almost as soon as she stopped, as the adrenaline rush passed through her system, the fatigue in her body caught up to her. She turned to face Rose, but then she doubled over forward bent at the waist, clutching at her ribs as she gasped and groaned. Her body shrugged under the weight of her own fatigue; a bead of sweat ran off her brow and fell against the mat at her feet. She could only stare down at the canvas beneath her, and her feet spread apart to try and brace the weight of her quivering body. But Yuki just grit her teeth, pushing herself up straighter. No, this couldn't stop her. In any other match, this might slow her down. But not here. Not against Rose Gold - not against the woman she was this determined to best! This was her one chance to set everything right. To correct how she'd failed before. Yuki wouldn't dare let that opportunity down! The more she thoght about it...the more she knew she needed to do this!

Rose had begun to rise, getting onto her knee - but this time, it was Yuki's chance to intercept her! Her hands balled into fists, steeling herself as she took off in a charge toward the downed girl. As she came near, her leg whipped out in an arc, going to slam Rose in the back of the head with a hard hitting enziguri! A loud crack rang out, causing Rose's head to spin to the side as her body was whipped into an arc. She cried out in pain, falling forward onto all fours as Yuki landed at her side, on one knee. Her eye twitched and her teeth clenched as her body shuddered from the dull, throbbing pain in the back of her head. She could only look back at Yuki out of the corner of her eye, and her words came in between huffs and gasps.

"You're quick, Yuki-chan...but then, I knew you were quick," she hissed. Even in a moment like this, even if she was in pain, Rose wouldn't dare concede the upper hand to anyone. No one could believe this was anything more than a minor setback. She was in control. She always would be in control! "Care to show me something I don't know?"

Yuki's response came as only a cold, stern "Gladly." After performing the enziguri, she'd fallen to one knee. Now, she braced that foot beneath her and sprang up to her full height, using the momentum of her rise to pivot around in place. She spun on her heel in a circle - where she would swing out her leg, prepared to catch the blonde upside the head with a roundhouse kick!

However, once again, Rose was a step ahead of her! Suddenly, her arms shot out - her hands grasping for Yuki's ankle, and halting her kick in mid-motion! Now that the joshi wrestler was on one foot, her balance was compromised. All Rose would have to do was to disrupt that balance, and she could bring her down. Down, and at her mercy. She snickered to herself with a sinister grin as she pulled forward on that leg...

...But right then, Yuki suddenly kicked out with the other leg! Her foot slammed right into Rose's face, and this time, it hit its target! The Venomous Vixen's head cracked backward with a groan as a spray of spittle was flung from her mouth, and she swayed tenuously before falling to her back again. At the same time, Yuki dropped down to the canvas, having taken her footing out from under her with her feet pointed toward Rose's head. But she had planned this all along. She knew that, in going for another strike so soon after the first instead of pressing her advantage, she would give Rose time to set up a counter. But that would only be an opportunity for Yuki to set her up for an even more punishing predicament!

[CaptainL]

Both rivals had gone to the ground now - on their backs, Yuki's feet pointed to Rose's. But Yuki knew she couldn't breathe easy just yet. A skilled grappler was no less dangerous on their back than on their feet, if not more - and Rose Gold was certainly a skilled enough grappler for that to become an issue. The dark-haired girl panted for breath, but her fist still balled at her side as her muscles held tense. She couldn't let her guard down. She still had to be ready for anything.

In fact, Rose was giving her a reason to be wary just now!

The blonde bristled underneath the force of the impact. As she struck the mat with a thud and her hips bounced up into the air, her face contorted in a wince as she squeezed one eye shut, her teeth locked in a grimace. Yuki had outsmarted her - and the fact it was Yuki, of all people, who had done so just twisted that knife harder. Looking up at Yuki, she hissed under her breath in disgust. But Rose had no intention to let Yuki told the advantage for long. When Yuki had gone down, she had landed with her legs apart, her vulnerable groin unguarded. Rose knew the human body had its weak points - and she knew that by targeting those points, through whatever means she might, she could keep her foes underneath her thumb. Lifting her leg, she went to deliver a swift stomp, aiming the sole of her boot squarely between Yuki's legs! If this hit, she thought, the pain would be enough to paralyze Yuki right where she lay!

But that blow never landed. Once again, Yuki was a step ahead! The raven-haired girl hadn't only shared a ring with Rose Gold before - Rose had occupied her every thought for years now, always looming in the back of her mind. She couldn't focus that intently on Rose without becoming wise to her tactics. As such, Yuki knew that Rose had managed to turn the tide of more than one match to her favor with a boot to the groin at just the right moment, throwing off her opponents' momentum and allowing her to take control! Yuki knew better than to expose her crotch to Rose, and the second she realized what was going to happen, she had already readied her defense. Her legs kicked into the air - and snapped shut around Rose's knee, scissoring it between Yuki's thighs!

The moment she realized her attack had been intercepted, Rose's eyes went wide in shock. "What!? What is this!?" she sputtered. "How did you know-!?" It seemed almost inconceivable that Yuki Kazikura - that same timid little Dynamite Schoolgirl she faced all those years ago at We Are LAW, who melted away into a quivering puddle the moment she was thrown for a loop - could have not only seen her tricks coming, but managed to counter them. But the Yuki of today wasn't the same as the Yuki of back then. She wasn't a naive high school girl in over her head - now, she was a seasoned veteran. Now, Rose was up against an opponent who knew what she was going to do, and was ready for it. Her worst nightmare had come true!

"You aren't as tricky as you think you are," Yuki cut back. "How many matches have you won that way? You can't keep falling back on the same tricks expecting them to work. Sooner or later, someone's going to learn how you think...and that someone is me!"

Rose tried to kick her leg and foot as hard as she could, in a desperate attempt to free it from her rival's grasp. But Yuki reached up to grab at her toe, and pulled her foot back to stretch the joints in an ankle lock! As the pain went coursing through her leg, Rose threw her head back with a wail of pain. Yuki was getting the better of her!

[CaptainL]

Yuki's fingers were locked down around Rose's ankle in a white-knuckled grip, pulling back as hard as she could. Her whole body had gone rigid, like every fiber in her muscles had become steel; her teeth were locked in a grimace, and her eyes were narrowed in a focused glare that she wouldn't let break for anything, not even for the bead of sweat she felt trace its way along her cheek. She had come too far and made too many strides to relinquish her grip now - and she knew that Rose was too much of a danger to let loose, anyway!

But Yuki knew from both experience and from speaking to experts that Rose Gold was no one to trifle with. She was, after all, an expert of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a style famed for its versatility and usefulness in ground grappling. She wasn't out of the woods yet. At any moment, Rose might still have another trick up her sleeve, ready to pull at a moment's notice. That was why it was more important than ever that Yuki keep watch over her!

Right now, though? Rose was definitely taking the brunt of the punishment! As Yuki torqued her ankle this way and that, the blonde thrashed her head back and forth, her body slamming against the mat with a thud every time it whipped from one direction to the other like the throes of a dying fish, and each time punctuating her words with cries and gasps. She tried to pull her leg free, but with Yuki's firm thighs holding it in place, she could barely bring it to budge! She did have one saving grace, though - her other leg! Yuki was only trapping one leg; Rose still had the other! No matter how much it hurt her to move as Yuki held on for dear life, Rose was still prepared to do it. Her temples were throbbing, and tears of pain were budding beneath her eyelids. But if she showed any weakness to Yuki, here and now, that would shatter the entire pedestal she stood on. She wouldn't dare do that!

Bringing her free leg up and bending it at the knee, Rose managed to plant her foot against the side of Yuki's thigh. She hissed through her clenched teeth; the veins in her neck bulged under the pressure. But still, she pushed and shoved as hard as she could! "Rrrgh...move!!" she roared in frustration. "MOVE, damn you-!"

Yuki had balanced all her weight on her hips in order to put the hold on Rose's leg, and when Rose pushed at her like this, it caused her to rock from side to side, testing her tenuous balance. She sucked down another breath, her whole body rigid. Yuki leaned her head inward, and her brow furrowed in focus. She had to keep herself still. More than anything else right now, she couldn't allow herself to move. She gave another tug to her rival's ankle - even if this hold didn't finish Rose, every bit of damage and every bit of strain Yuki put out would pay off in the long run!

Rose realized this wasn't working - she was going to need another avenue to take back power over Yuki. She huffed under her breath - this girl was frustratingly persistent. But then, she had a plan. Taking her foot off Yuki's leg, Rose instead braced it against the mat and pushed off. Throwing all her weight to the side, she sent the two of them toppling over! Yuki dropped Rose's ankle, but she still held her opponent's leg between her own, bringing the Sinister Siren along with her.

As she rolled over, Rose gasped from the inward rotation of her hip and femur. Now, she and Yuki were on their sides, both of them panting and gasping. Rose was tired, and her brow slick with sweat. But even still, there was a spark of eager malice in her eyes as she realized Yuki was just as spent as her - and just as open! She brought her free leg up again, and she moved to press her foot against Yuki's bottom leg. Now that Yuki had been upended, she wasn't able to hold her legs together quite as hard. That meant Rose could push up on her trapped leg, trying to lift the leg on top of hers and bring it just a little higher. And if she could do that...she would swing her now-freed leg around Yuki's bottom leg to further restrain it before she pivoted her body around to lay perpendicular to Yuki's. Finally, she would crane her back inward to reach for Yuki's top leg, attempting to yank that outward with a leg spread - the Petal Puller!

Spoiler

However, Yuki wouldn't let Rose get that far! She felt the blonde's fingertips tickling her thigh, and she knew what was coming - she knew enough to counter it! Yuki too swung her top leg outward, jerking it up into the air with enough force to swat Rose's hand away! And then, she wasted no time in snapping that leg back down around Rose's knee, holding it between her thighs once again, only to roll onto her side away from Rose - this time, rolling her legs and hips to force Rose's leg to bend outward in a kneebar! As a stand-up striker, this sort of grappling had never been Yuki's area of expertise...but against Rose, she needed to learn, and to adapt!

[CaptainL]

Gritting her teeth, Yuki clenched her legs as tightly as she could, bracing her grip around her opponent's knee. Her heart was pounding in her chest - she couldn't allow herself to fail; not now. It was true, this wasn't usually something that she did. But she had Rose right where she wanted - she had the very thing she had been striving for all these years! She couldn't back down now! With her eyes squeezed shut as every muscle in her body contorted and went stiff, Yuki pushed up with her hips to stretch Rose's knee out even further - and a scream was ripped from the blonde's lungs, echoing up to the rafters, as she felt every tendon in her leg stretch taut!

With Yuki putting Rose in a submission hold, the fans cheered even louder. The fact that she was standing up to Rose Gold and giving the Sinister Siren some long-overdue comeuppance was exciting, of course. But those who had been following Yuki's career knew that submissions had never been an area she was all that good at. Yet, she wasn't going to let the past shape her. If she was going to confront her fears and move past her shortcomings, she needed to take that stride forward! She had trained in all the areas she felt weak in; where she knew that Rose might be able to exploit holes in her strategy. She had learned from Rose's own mentors, seeking to understand her style and incorporate its teachings into her own. Now, she had grown - and now, she was showing that growth to the world! It was the success story everyone wanted to believe in!

Everyone, that was, except for Rose herself. When she heard those cheers - those cheers directed toward Yuki, not even acknowledging the setup she'd put into place and nearly landed - she could feel the rage bubbling up inside of her. Her teeth clenched from the strain she was under, but even more she went tense from knowing it was her rival who was being showered with the praise and adoration. That same praise she was getting only a year ago. No, this wasn't how this was supposed to work. They were supposed to be cheering for her! She balled a fist, striking at the mat in frustration. She wasn't going to let Yuki get away with this - she'd set things right!

With how Yuki had turned herself to the side to apply the leglock, Rose was facing her back. She tossed and turned her head from side to side as she reeled from the pain, but when she looked at the back of Yuki's head...it gave her an idea. She hissed through her teeth - but just then, she struck out, delivering a thrust with the heel of her palm, aimed right at the base of the Japanese girl's skull. Right at the medulla oblongata. Her target was only a couple of inches wide - but if she struck in just the right place, it would make all the difference. And she was firing from point-blank range, right when Yuki least expected it.

The moment she struck, everything changed. Yuki's whole body went numb. She let out a gasp, and she jerked and spasmed from the surge of pain that shot through every pore! Forced to let go of Rose in the commotion, Yuki tumbled over onto her face with a scream, her legs kicking at the air while she clutched at the back of her neck. The crowd lit up with boos at Rose's cheap shot - but that wouldn't slow her down for long. Sooner or later, the Sinister Siren thought to herself, she would have everyone's attention once again, when she had Yuki begging at her feet!

"So, maybe you've picked up a couple new tricks, Yuki-chan...guess what? That won't matter! You're still not good enough! You're still not the Ace!" Rose rolled back up, getting to her feet. As she put pressure on the leg that Yuki had targeted, her stance buckled, and she hissed through clenched teeth. But as long as Yuki was under control, that wouldn't matter. She leaned over to where Yuki was laying on her face, and her fingers snatched a big handful of hair from the back of her head. With a sharp jerk, she lifted Yuki's head up off the mat - and then, slammed her face down into the canvas hard, making her land with another thump!

"BEG, Yuki!" she called out, slamming her head into the canvas again and again. Every time she was lifted, Yuki let out a squeal, one that was stifled just seconds later when her head met the mat with another hard thump. "Beg for mercy!!"

[CaptainL]

Yuki was making a strong showing to this match - and none of that was an accident. She was driven. Her whole life, she had been driven for success in the wrestling world, always out to prove herself and to rise to whatever challenge lay in her way - to show the world she belonged there at the top of the card, with all the greats. Tonight, there was more than ever on the line. This was about righting a wrong. This was about standing up for the integrity and honor of a sport that Yuki had made her life's purpose. Above all, this was about showing the new Yuki Kazikura to the world. She wasn't going to let any of her past failures - all the letdowns, all the disappointments - get in her way. She had to win this match - she had to prove it to Rose!

But Rose Gold was just as driven. If Yuki was determined to build herself up, then it was Rose's job to tear her down. She had to show Yuki that all her boasts were built on pillars of sand. She had to show the world that she hadn't grown at all - that she was still the same weak, mewling little girl she always was, and that it was only her delusions of grandeur that had gotten bigger. And yet, Yuki was stifling those efforts at every turn! It only stoked Rose's anger more and more. She had no right, she thought, to be struggling this much against Yuki. Even getting in her head and throwing her off - that very thing that seemed so easy all those years ago - was now a task she actually had to work for. Preposterous! Now, though, she'd finally managed to catch Yuki off guard - and she relished every moment she had to bask in that.

Rose took in a deep breath, puffing out her modest chest as she licked at the corners of her lips. She sauntered over to Yuki's fallen form, planting the sole of her boot against the back of the joshi wrestler's head as she leaned in closer, her hands resting on her hips. "I'm sorry," she continued, "not answering? Yuki-chan...I believe I specifically told you. I want to hear begging!" Her teeth clenching as she shot down a scowl from above, Rose rubbed her ankle back and forth, grinding her heel into Yuki's scalp.

The Japanese girl's face contorted in pain, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth locked in a grimace. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, digging into the surface of the mat. The sensation at the back of her head felt like burning - as though there was a smoldering hot coal being placed against her skull. Rose's heel had worked its way against the very roots of her hair, and every twist of her ankle torqued at her nerves. But Yuki knew she couldn't give in. She couldn't - no, that would be giving Rose what she wanted. And Yuki was stronger than that. She'd never make that mistake again - she'd never give her the power she craved! Looking back out of the corner of her eye, her brows narrowed and her body stiffened. "I'll never..! Not...to you..!"

A hateful glare flashed across Rose's face, too. Normally, when she was posed like this atop a beaten foe, she was proud, confident, and basking in that rush of domination - that very feeling that gave her life. But now, there was nothing but bitterness inside of her. Now, she had Yuki quite literally beneath her heel, and she wasn't giving her the satisfaction she craved! She'd come out all this way to make Yuki's scheme blow up in her face, and yet, Yuki was stifling her plans at every turn. Even in defeat, she wouldn't lie down, roll over, and be the pretty little victim she was born to be!

"...Hmmph!!" Rose shoved her foot against the back of Yuki's head with an unceremonious stomp, knocking the brunette's face down into the mat. Yuki let out a muffled groan as she fell, but there she stayed, her head still throbbing from the blow. And it was about to get a whole lot worse.

Bending at the knees, Rose lowered herself down to Yuki's level. Her arms snaked around the girl's slender midsection, hauling her up off the mat and into her arms. "That's IT, Yuki! If you aren't going to make this easy..!" Slinging her weight around, Rose went to hurl Yuki over her shoulders, about to bring her down on her head in a German suplex!

Except...even when Rose dropped off her feet and tossed Yuki back, that resounding thud she was looking for just didn't come. There was no satisfying rumble of the canvas beneath her, and no pained scream; no whimpered begging for mercy. When she looked back over her shoulder, what Rose saw was enough to make her gasp. At the last minute, Yuki had gotten her hands braced against the mat, stopping herself from coming down on her head! She still dangled in Rose's embrace, her hair cascading down to the mat as she hung upside-down. But she had countered the suplex!

"WHAT!? HOW!?" Rose spat, her face growing red in desperation! At every turn, it seemed, Yuki was outwitting her! From upside down, the Japanese girl looked at her with a smirk. "Your problem," she explained, "is that all this time...you've expected things to stay the same. That you would always stay on top, and that no one was going to rise to your level. You thought I'd be the same girl that you faced back at We Are LAW...but I'm not that girl any more, Rose! I'm something even better!"

With that, Yuki bridged her hips upward, lifting herself higher and pulling herself out of Rose's control. Then, she threw her thighs around the blonde's head - and with a roll of her hips, she bowled her over to the ground with a hurricanrana! Rose struck the mat with a thud, her legs flying into the air. And the crowd cheered even louder as Yuki proved everything she'd just said!

[CaptainL]

As Yuki rolled back, pulling Rose along with her with a twist of her hips, she could feel her heart pounding harder in her chest. The blonde landed against the canvas with a thump, and there Yuki realized that she was poised atop her - closer than ever to finally taking her arch-rival down. A shiver ran down her spine. Now more than ever, she could truly feel the eyes of everyone watching her and everyone counting on her, witnessing her now in her moment of glory. The Yuki she'd been all those years ago, in their first confrontation, was gone now. She wasn't going to freeze up in terror any more. She was going to meet Rose face to face, and face her as the would-be champion she was always meant to be! And when she heard all the cheers heading her way, she could feel the goosebumps on the back of her neck. Those cheers said enough - they were the proof of how far she'd come.

Of course, Yuki couldn't just stand there and contemplate her success forever. She needed to keep up her momentum - and more importantly, she needed to keep Rose down before her rival could find something else she could use to tip the scales in her favor. Luckily, she still had Rose's head in between her thighs, so she already had all the leverage she needed. She arched her back, bringing down her hips, and went to pin down Rose's shoulders!

"One!" the referee counted - and with that call came another roar of applause from the fans at seeing Yuki come this close to taking Rose down! But as much as Yuki was basking in the attention, Rose was furious. Rose was pinned down, at her mercy. Everyone was watching her dominate, and they were cheering! For her! All that attention was rightfully hers and hers alone, and if Yuki was stealing that attention, she had to be punished for it - even the fact that she had gotten a single count on Rose was a count too far. Rose's teeth clenched in a snarl, and her body quivered with pent-up rage. The referee's hand rose a second time - but then, Rose managed to kick out, shoving Yuki aside!

"NOT ENOUGH!!" she roared. Yuki went tumbling over, rolling to her hands and knees; still, she skidded across the canvas, the momentum whipping her hair behind her. Her eyes narrowed, and her teeth clenched in a snarl. She watched as Rose began to pick herself up, wringing the stiffness out of each joint, and as her glare focused in on Yuki as her foot pawed at the ground like an angry bull. Rose was out for retribution. And Yuki needed to be ready for it.

Rose came charging closer. But right at that moment, Yuki leaped to her feet. Rose threw a forearm in the dark-haired girl's direction, but Yuki brought her arm up to parry, as though the motion came to her as effortlessly as breathing. When Rose swept another arm at Yuki, she grabbed it by a fraction of a second, and pulled it in, spinning Rose around as she reeled her in closer to her chest.

"You're making a mistake," Yuki huffed. Her arms snaked underneath Rose's own, and she gave a sharp pull back, stretching her opponent's arms out to the side to restrain her with a Nelson hold. Indeed, it was a mistake Yuki knew all too well. Rose was getting frustrated, and in her frustration, she was leaving holes in her strategy. In their first encounter, Yuki had been the one to lose her cool, and that had cost her. But now, Rose was the one who couldn't keep her composure - and Yuki was the one reaping the benefits!

[CaptainL]

As she hauled back hard on her opponent's arms, Yuki's teeth clenched in a grimace, and her face went red from the strain. She had to hold Rose back with all the strength she could muster! She knew that when it came to Rose Gold, she could afford nothing less. Rose was testing her on every level, forcing her to compete at the limits of her potential. She was testing not only Yuki's strength and endurance, but her willpower, her reflexes, and her attentiveness to her tricks. The momentum of the match shifted back and forth at every second - one woman barely had the advantage for more than a few scant seconds before it was countered and turned back on them! And in the face of such a challenge, Yuki couldn't afford anything less than her best! Above all, Yuki knew that she couldn't stand to fall behind Rose. She owed it to herself, and to the world, to deliver the justice that everyone was counting on her to deliver. And she needed to bring the closure for herself!

Her eyes squeezed shut and her brow furrowed as Yuki yanked back on Rose's arms as hard as she could. The blonde let out a squeal as her arms were twisted backward, squeezing her back between her own shoulder blades. Her face contorted in a wince, and her chest was thrust out, the black fabric of her top pulled taut against her modest bosom. She tossed her head back and forth, desperate not to give in against Yuki. But now, Yuki had her right where she wanted her. Rose was on the ropes. She was vulnerable - and the whole arena was cheering and chanting for Yuki to deliver the moment they were all waiting for!

Yuki hissed the words out through her teeth. "Do you give up?" But even if Rose could feel the muscles and tendons in her arms and back stretch to their breaking point, she could still hear those words. And at those words, her whole body went rigid. No matter how much it hurt, Rose understood that Yuki was calling on her to submit...and she hated it. With that question came with it the very possibility that Rose could tap out - and to Yuki, of all people! No, that would never happen! She didn't fear anything! She didn't even come close! Any fear she might have had over the potential of being bested was forgotten, now - now, she was determined to do one thing, and one thing only. Prove Yuki wrong! She'd show everyone just how much fight she had left in her!

The mask of pain her face had warped into changed. Her haggard breaths began to slow. Her teeth grit. And when she looked back up, her voice rose with every word. There was one thing Rose Gold would never do - and that was submitting to anyone, especially not Yuki! ""NOT. ON. YOUR. LIFE!!!"

It was as though Rose's sheer fury had given her a second wind, and she yanked back on her arms with an unprecedented vigor, nearly pulling them straight out of Yuki's clutches. The strain was building up on Yuki - her brow ran with sweat, and her muscles trembled the longer she had to hold Rose in place; her own body was starting to lock up on her. Her arms burned with the sting of lactic acid. All she knew was that she couldn't let Rose go. And she was about to have no choice. But if she still had Rose in the Nelson hold, she was going to take advantage of it!

Yuki, too, had shored up her determination, and that determination was going to bring her strength! She shoved off the mat with a firm push from her feet, hoisting Rose higher into the air. Just before Rose could pull herself free, Yuki flung herself backward...and catapulted her head into the mat, hitting a dragon suplex!

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

From the moment Yuki locked her hold in on Rose, the blonde was kicking and struggling, trying to worm her way free. Rose Gold knew what she wanted. She wanted to be on top no matter what - to reign supreme in the ring. She wouldn't even stand to let anyone have the honors of defeating her, just so that she could go out with her head high. But it was that same ego that had drawn her back to the ring, when Yuki issued her challenge. Rose wasn't about to let her rival write the end of her story. She couldn't let herself be remembered as the woman who had dodged a challenge. If she could have one more glorious victory over her greatest foe, she would take it. But now, the tables had turned - and now, Yuki had her caught up in her embrace!

But Yuki knew it wouldn't be easy to keep a hold on Rose for long. She knew how she thought - she had to know, in order to bait her out like this. Rose's pride was important to her, and she wouldn't dare surrender. As the Sinister Siren writhed back and forth, her legs kicking in the air, Yuki could feel her grip on her start to slip. She hissed through her teeth as she began to lean back further and further, her face contorted in a grimace of sheer will. She knew she was going to have to let go soon - but when she did, it would be with explosive force, as she hurled her opponent straight back into the mat head-first!

Rose could feel herself going sailing through the air. As she felt her balance leave the mat, she threw back her head and let out a scream, but by then, it was too late. Only seconds later, she came crashing down with a thud that shook the mat; a thud that could be heard loud and clear through the arena! The stands burst out into cheers, seeing Yuki land such a decisive blow! And it landed with no small force. Rose came down on her head like a hammer, and the impact was so great it caused her to bounce backward in an arc, tumbling head over heels, before she landed against the ropes. There, she lay slumped - her arms hanging off the lower rope, her head turned to the side with her jaw hanging slack, and her legs spread at her sides.

Yuki needed a moment to collect herself after that. She rolled herself over onto her stomach, then began to pick herself up to her hands and knees, practically gasping for air. The muscles in her arms felt like they were on fire from all the effort she had to exert to keep Rose in place. But slowly, she lifted her head and brushed some hair out of her eyes to see where Rose had fallen in the corner. In the end, it had worked. She had still taken Rose down. And it was that sight that gave Yuki strength - her eyes narrowed in a glare, she shoved herself back up to her feet in a single bound!

She'd hit Rose hard, but she knew this wouldn't be good enough. Rose would find a way out - she always did. And Yuki knew that after all she had done, Rose deserved far more. The rush that could only come from knowing she was finally standing up to the woman who had ruled her life with fear took hold of her then, and her muscles flexed at the ready. She had everything she needed to sustain herself - she was going to make Rose pay!

Taking off running, Yuki charged her foe! She closed in on the former champion, never once letting her out of her sights. As she came closer, Yuki prepared to throw her knee forward - but in all the time she had spent catching her breath, Rose had the chance to recover, too. And just as Yuki was about to hit her...the Sinister Siren ducked lower, grabbing Yuki's legs, and shoving her forward to flip her onto her back! The raven-haired girl let out a gasp as she felt herself drop backward through the air - and the next thing she knew, Rose had leaned forward to pin her shoulders, going for a rollup!

The crowd started to boo almost immediately at the mere thought that Yuki's big comeback could be cut short by such a simple counter. Before anyone could so much as count a pin, though, Yuki quickly kicked up her leg to break free. After that surge of energy, she wasn't going to be pinned that easily. But...it was more than an attempt to end the match. This was psychological warfare. Rose was trying to make Yuki question how well she could live up to the demands she had put on herself, and by countering her momentum so simply, Rose had just thrown her a gesture of disrespect - a gesture that she wasn't worth her time. As Yuki scooted backward and away from her foe, she looked at Rose with a glare - a glare that was only met with a wide, mocking smile.

"What's the maaaaatter, Yuki-chan?~ I thought you were better than this..."

[CaptainL]

Rose's pin could never have worked. It relied on her catching Yuki off-guard, but the dark-haired girl still had plenty of energy in her, especially when she was this emboldened by the burning determination to win - the burning determination to prove Rose wrong! It was practically effortless for her to kick out of the hold and knock her rival away. But that wasn't really what Rose wanted. She knew that trying to beat Yuki this way was a fool's errand - and really, even if it wasn't, it would hardly do anyway. Rose Gold was an artist. She delighted in the tableaus of her victory, and her opponent's domination, that she could create, arranging every piece into a spectacle that all would remember, and one where she took center stage. To beat Yuki this way - in a fashion so rote, so mundane - would be doing a disservice to her glory. If she was going to beat Yuki, she wanted it to be her masterpiece.

But this would be a start. This would be one domino in the path to Yuki's undoing. If Rose could bring her down, she could remind her that she wasn't safe; that this was her ring, and Yuki was the one trying to punch above her weight. It would be a blow against the joshi wrestler's pride to show her that she could be brought low so easily; that Rose wasn't afraid of her, no matter how big she decided she was going to talk. When Rose looked up to see the anger in Yuki's eyes, she could only smirk, pleased with her handiwork.

...Or at least, she was, until Yuki quickly decided to act on that anger! She had already learned the dangers of letting her guard down around Rose, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake again. The next thing Rose knew, Yuki had sprung back up onto her feet with one well-placed lunge, and now she was rushing toward the blonde! The fury that was propelling Yuki onward was enough to make even Rose's jaw drop in a gasp - but only seconds later, Yuki latched onto her hair with one hand, yanking her back up to her feet before connecting an elbow right across her jaw!

"Ggngh..!!" Rose sputtered, her head cracking to the side with a trail of saliva running from between her teeth. And Yuki wouldn't stop there. With Rose thus stunned, Yuki ducked in closer to her, throwing her arms around her sides before she yanked her up off her feet and hurled her backward for a belly-to-belly suplex!

Rose went toppling backward over Yuki's shoulders, and the crowd had already begun to cheer what seemed like an inevitable impact. But that impact never came. Right as Yuki released her opponent...Rose, in that split-second, managed to tuck her knees in against her chest in midair, somersaulting through the air to land on her feet! It was such a brilliant display of coordination and acrobatics that even if the fans were eager to see Yuki win it all, they still couldn't help but cheer for Rose. Even Yuki herself was stunned, and she looked back over her shoulder with a wide-eyed gasp to see the Sinister Siren standing just behind her. And that moment of shock bought Rose all the time she would need, as she ducked low to grab at Yuki's legs, picking them up off the mat before flipping them back up toward her chest to dump her onto her back for another rollup pin!

Once again, Yuki kicked out just a second later. Once again, Rose's tricks wouldn't keep her down for long. But even as she sat back up, her brow furrowed in a glare, and she pounded a fist against the mat in frustration. Rose was whittling away at her patience, to be sure!