Blair Yuen [D] vs. Finlay Zeffer - Last One Standing Match

[CaptainL]

Against the oncoming force of Finlay's punch, Blair buckled backward. Her body wavered, the impact threatening to take her off her feet entirely. But she clenched her teeth and tightened her fingers into a fist, refusing to be pushed around so easily! Blair threw herself back toward her opponent, her knee rising to connect with his chest as she threw a strike that rang out through the entire arena. The whole crowd cheered as Finlay was thrown backward, his body moving in an arc as he was rocked by the blow.

Blair fell back into a stance, collecting the air in her lungs as she took in a breath. Although the fans were roaring for her, impressed at her display of strength and fortitude in standing up to a larger foe, she wouldn't let that distract her from her true goal. Blair still needed to win the mach, and she wasn't about to let anything take her attention off of that. Through her careful focus, Blair watched as Finlay raised his leg, prepared to follow her escalation by landing a kick of his own. After how much she had been shaken from his previous attacks, Blair wasn't sure if she'd be able to take it - but then, she wasn't going to let herself take it.

At the same time Finlay was moving, with split-second precision, Blair turned on her heel with one leg and kicked up her other, looking to block with her leg in order to deflect the blow. If that worked, she would soon after direct that same leg against her foe, sending a powerful kick right at his gut!

[Bare]

Finlay had knocked Blair back a bit with tht last knee, the blow clearly doing something to his smaller opponet, a pattern both himself and tbe fans alike had noticed. But in spite of that they were going absolutely wild. The raving cheers being solit nearly down the middle for the two warriors. Some rooting for Finlay and his sheer experience and skill. Some for Blair and her hand to hand technique and ferocity. But more than anything ele that both competitors had that drew the crowds favor which the two shared, was their sheer indomitable will and defiance to stay down.

It only put everyone on the edges of their seats to wonder who would stay down for the dreaded ten count! For a moment it appeared it may be Blair, the last blow Finlay delivered had rocked her back and for just a moment she appeared to be on tbe verge of toppling over.

Only to bring herself back upright much to the roar of the crowd. Finlay meanwhile only had a moment to marvel at Blair’s tenacity before her blow sent him teetering back the same way she had been just a moment ago. Much like his dimunitive foe however the blonde refused to go down. Swinging himself back to stability to a round of cheers himself he wasted no time swing a kick at Blair in retaliation.

This time however Blair broke the pattern of strike to strike, blow for blow. Before he could react, hell barely in tome for him to recognize what she was doing, Blair had swung her leg around, smacking it into his own. Wincing for a moment Finlay cursed as his leg was forced down and he nearly lost his footing as a result. But before he could do anything to reassert himself, Blair was already moving with a second part to her move. ”Gyah!” He gasped out loudly in pain, her knee burying itself into his stomach.

This time, without being properly grounded, and just from the sheer force of Blair’s attack, Finlay had been sent stumbling over his feet he managed to get one foot behind him to keep himself from ending up on his back. However it didn’t mean he was fine. Dropping down to a single knee he leaned forward dry heaving a bit from the lingering pain in his gut following Blair’s knee. It was safe to say the girl had won their game of endurance, and now Finlay was stunned as a result and open to a attack.

[CaptainL]

It didn't matter how many of Finlay's blows hit, or how much Blair hurt, or how far she was knocked back. This had become a test of endurance, and it was one that she was determined to last through no matter what. All that mattered at the end of the day was that she could remain on her feet; to be taken down now would be to yield to Finlay and to admit that she didn't deserve to stand on his level. That was something Blair couldn't stand by - and it was her determination to prove herself that kept her on her feet, even when the aches in her body tried to tell her she couldn't. She wavered, teetering back and forth slightly - but what was important was that she was still standing. She wouldn't allow for anything less.

As Finlay's leg came toward her, Blair didn't waste any time in bringing her own leg up to halt its momentum. She watched as her opponent recoiled from the pain of striking her shin. But Blair didn't stop - she was already in motion, lining up her next shot, and that dropped Finlay to his knee. Now, everything was lining up. Blair's heart was pounding in her chest, and adrenaline was riding high in her veins. She had an opportunity in front of her, and it was one that everything was counting on!

It was time for Blair to finish this with one of the hardest-hitting moves in her arsenal, one she knew she could rely on. She drew in a breath, holding it in her lungs, as she brought her foot down. Using the momentum, she turned around on her heel, kicking her other leg off the ground to whip it straight toward Finlay in an attempt to land one of her trademark roundhouse kicks!

[Bare]

The battle between Finlay and Blair raged on and on with no sign of relent from either. They were each giving it their absolute all in this battle and the wills of both was being tested to their very limits! When Blair stumbled she came right back in for another attack, when Finlay stumbled he did the same. The two had resolved to a brutal battle of blows back to back. No fancy foot work, no submissions. Just beating the hell out of eachother until one didn’t get up.

Now after the last kick from Blair it appeared that the one to not get up may be Finlay. He had been knocked down to a kneeling position, a very vulnerable place to be and one that Blair instantly picked up as she prepared herself to attack!

Clenching his fists Finlay forced his bleary eyes to snap up with laser focus. He was down but he was NOT out. Not yet. Seeing Blair twist her body he knew that whatever she had coming couldn’t be good and he couldn’t let her land it, not without a fight. Tensing his muslces Finlay pushed off from his knelt position on the mat.

Closing the small distance between himself and Blair, Finlay immediately brought his leg forward, snapping it straight ahead, his foot aimed square at Blair’s face for a simple but powerful straight kick! Of course the timing had been off, Blair had a much great head start, but Fin’s leg was longer and he launched forward with far more explosive force. So even as he felt his foot connect with Blair’s face he couldn’t enjoy it, as in the same moment Blair’s own barefoot connected with his face making him groan before being pushed back and knocked flat on his back in a unmoving heap!

[CaptainL]

By this point, Blair had let herself absorb so many of Finlay's strikes that the next blows to batter her didn't even register. Her nerves had gone numb to the pain, and the adrenaline rushing through her drowned out any other sensation. All she cared about was hitting him back for every strike he landed against her.

And now, as Finlay fell back, Blair saw that the momentum had at last been broken. This was her time to strike, and she wasn't going to waste it. She turned on her heel, her leg thrust out and pointed toward Finlay's direction as she threw herself in an arc. There was no time to waste, not even to catch her breath or get her bearings. Blair needed to end this match now!

She thought that she had everything lined up in her favor, and her heart was pounding with the thought of impending victory. But as the Muay Thai fighter turned, she was greeted by the sight of Finlay's own leg thrust back toward her in a straight kick to the face! Blair's eyes went wide in shock. She hadn't expected her opponent to recover, let alone strike back. But there was no time for her to adjust her trajectory - and just as her leg connected with Finlay's head, so too did she feel the thud of his foot slamming straight into her face!

Her head cracked backward in an arc. A low gurgle left Blair's throat as the air was knocked out of her, and she fell back, the ground beneath her giving way from under her feet. The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers at the sight of the two blows landing simultaneously in a classic cross counter - one strong enough to send both combatants sprawling! Now both were down, Blair's chest rising and falling slowly with her breaths. Her body felt stiff and heavy, and she could hardly bring herself to move. All had come down to who could make it to their feet first - and the ref was counting!

"One!! Two!! Three!!"

[Bare]

Darkness. For a few brief moments after Blair’s kick had connected all Finlay saw was darkness. Falling straight backwards he hit the mat with a thud, unmoving and exhausted. Unknowingly to him Blait was in the same position immediately after. Their simultaneous attacks had pushed eachother to the edge, literally given how far each went from their original position in the ring.

Flutgtering his eyes open Finlay acted on instincts. The fumes barely powering his body going into over drive as he pushed him to try and get up. He was sitting up by the two count, pushing himself up from therr till finally he managed to stand by the three count. For a moment the whole crowd gasped and held their breathes wondering if this would be it. If Finlay would be the last one standing the winner!

However those who hoped for this would soon find it dashed. Within a moment of standing fully Finlay’s ragged beeathing got shallower as his eyes fluttered shut as suddenly dropped to his knees and fell forward collapsing at Blair’s feet causing the crowd to go into a uproar! Especially since that count was nearly over!

”Four! Five! Six!”

[CaptainL]

The roundhouse kick was a particularly famous move in the world of Muay Thai, and in her training Blair had perfected her own to strike swiftly yet with pointed force - something that had gained her much success in her career up to this point. She had taken down opponents in multiple disciplines with her roundhouse kick, nicknamed the Bangkok Special by commentators. Now, she figured she was about to add another victim to her list.

She thought so, anyway. But at the last moment, Finlay's kick slipped past her guard. Blair had underestimated the power and stamina he could draw on at this point in the match, especially after absorbing so many punches. She knew from the feeling of the collision going through her leg that she had struck, but she wouldn't be left standing to observe her handiwork, as she was thrown off her feet. She and Finlay both fell, the two of them landing on their backs at the same time!

Blair couldn't think straight about how she took this turn of events. All she felt was a throbbing soreness in her skull, her eyes narrowing to adjust to the brightness of the arena lights overhead. Her arms and legs were splayed around her, and her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. From where she lay, Blair watched as Finlay rose to his feet, only to fall back down a moment later.

At the sight of Finlay collapsing, Blair's heart nearly skipped a beat. He was down! If she could get up now, if she could get to her feet by the impending ten-count, she would have the whole match won! She sucked in a breath, tensing her muscles as she started to push herself back up. But she didn't get much farther before she let out a gasp, falling flat on her back again. Her strength had given out on her, and she wasn't ready to support her own weight.

Everything was heavy. Her body hurt to move. Blair was this close to winning, but now, when she needed it most, that strengt wasn't coming to her!

"Seven! Eight!!"

[Bare]

Everything was fuzzy, his mind boggled and hazy and working at probably a tenth of the speed it should. That roundhouse kick of Blair’s was no joke, it may very well have been one of the heaviest strikes he had taken in his career. All he really knew at the moment was that just a second ago he ahd been standing up right. Now all he could see was the amt under him, and if he force his eyes up, the edges of Blair’s bare feet entering his vision. He had collapsed right before her, and as the count looked nearer, it looked more and more like this bojt may end as a double count out! ‘Come on... move..’ Finlay thought to himself tryint to force his body into action and raise itself up, but desoite the commands leaving his brain they weren’t received by his body. Everything was a wreck, and deep down he knew there was no chance he could make it up in time to win!

[CaptainL]

A moment ago, Blair had been on her feet and riding high on the adrenaline that came from throwing herself headlong into a pitched bout. She might have taken plenty of punches and strikes from Finlay, but those didn't even bother her. She had settled herself into the groove, and she could barely feel any pain between the rush overtaking her and the numbing of her nerves from the repeated pounding, allowing her to stay on her feet and to keep on fighting.

Now, though, all that had changed. Now that Blair was off her feet, she was forced to slow down and consider her predicament, and that gave enough time for the pain to catch up to her. All of a sudden, everything hurt. She became aware of the bruises spreading across her ribs and sides, and she shuddered with each shallow breath she took. Blair clenched her fist to try and brace herself. She couldn't give up now...not when she was this close. But even trying to move caused her to sink back down with pain, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she was unable to withstand it any longer.

"NINE!!"

She and Finlay were one count away from the match ending in a draw. In that moment, Blair could feel the goosebumps budding on the back of her neck. All she needed to do to win was to push herself up - but even that had become a daunting task. But the alternative was knowing that she had fought her hardest, and that when things came down to the wire, she still couldn't measure up. Blair went tense at the thought of it. To live with that on her conscience, she knew, would be an even greater pain than what she felt right now. To know she had come so close, and it still hadn't been enough.

And that, she realized, was why she couldn't succumb. Not now!

Just as the referee held up a hand again, Blair lurched herself forward in one swift motion. She raised a single shoulder up off the mat - and in that gesture alone, the crowd broke out into cheers, seeing she had forced herself even through impossible odds!

[Bare]

Finlay was down, he wanted to rise, but now matter how much he commanded for his body to move it refused to do so. It had been a long and brutal bout where both had been pushed beyond their limits and were now paying the price for such a taxing physical toll. As he finally managed to get feeling in his hands he looked up as the ref’s count was nearing the end. Yeah Blair had... done something. Finlay couldn’t tell from his current position, but would it be enough to win?

The ref for her part was confused to say the least. She was about to give the ten count to end the fever pitch match in a draw but than Blair threw a spanner in the works by throwing her shoulder up! Blinking in confusion the ref stopped the count and looked between Blair’s body and the time/rule keeper. Did getting one shoulder up count? Could they really leave it as a draw cause the fans would be pissed. With too many possibilities and factors at play to feel comfortable making the call themselves the ref quickly went over to the ring apron edge. ”This is kinda unprecedented so how do I call this?!” The ref asked as the timekeeper came over and the two started bickering about how to end the match!