The Ol' Razzle-Dazzle - Katsumi Oshiro vs. Claire Thomas(!!!)

[CyanDimitrik]

Katsumi intended to keep the ball rolling with that not-punch, but to her grand surprise, Claire went right for a grapple. And grind. This looks - and feels! - sexual. Katsumi's arms instinctively wrap around Claire's waist, though the punkette is just... stunned.

"Uwa-.. w-what-.."

Her voice is small, shaken, her heart pounding hard against Claire's chest. It's not an entirely unwelcome tension, and Katsumi decides to put a little pin in the finish just for a moment. If Claire wanted a little together-time, she could, you know, maybe kinda-sorta give her that. You know, for charity.

Katsumi's arms suddenly seize tighter around Claire's waist, attempting to lock the blonde girl to herself. Belly to belly, bare skin to bare skin, feeling the girl's abdominal muscle tone against her own with every breath, every shift and squirm. Breasts mash to breasts, Claire having an even easier time feeling Katsumi's heart racing against her. Face to face, whether bare centimeters apart, resting sweating skin to sweating skin, each labored exhale a warm wave washing against Claire's lips or cheek. Lastly, hips locked to hips, doing absolutely nothing to restrain Claire's grinding, and instead giving her an easier, more direct access, her own hips between Claire's thighs.

Katsumi swallows hard while the hold tightens a little - just enough to hold the blonde in place against her body, melding her flesh against herself and letting the audience see the pressure plied against her bare lower back. "I-Irish whip me, yeah..," whispers Katsumi. "..I'll come back... to do... wheelbarrow.. bulldog.." Her arms tighten just a degree more, her back arching to press her body tighter to Claire's. "..you.. roll over.. onto your back.. I splash onto you.. across your.." She arches her back a little more, pushing stomach to stomach. "...stomach... and that's the.. flashy pin.."

There's a shudder of a breath that escapes her.

"When you want free... headbutt me..."

[Ichi]

Claire's grinding slowly died down as she realized that it was making Katsumi uncomfortable---or was Katsumi just surprised? Either way, Claire decided to stop treating Katsumi like a stripper pole, much to the disappointment of the crowd. Claire even contemplated releasing her hold but since Katsumi seemed to be moving in closer, Claire decided that Katsumi probably was not too opposed to the physical contact.

Claire listened intently as Katsumi explained her plan to Claire. The "Irish whip" part made sense---in context, it was clear that the "throw towards ropes" thing that she had mentioned was called an "Irish whip". And Claire was aware of what a headbutt was. However, the terms "wheelbarrow bulldog" and "splash" were unfamiliar to Claire.

After Katsumi finished speaking, Claire would go silent. As much as Claire wanted to ask for clarification on what some of those terms meant, she felt that Katsumi taking the time to explain would run the risk of alerting the fans to the fact that this match had been a performance. Therefore, instead of asking for clarification, Claire would get her own "Claire-ification"---in other words, Claire would quickly start thinking furiously to try to figure out what those terms meant. And through a mixture of intuition and sheer luck, Claire managed to figure out the gist of what Katsumi meant.

The term "wheelbarrow" reminded Claire of the wheelbarrow motion where one person would grab another person's legs, and the person whose legs were being grabbed would balance on their hands. The term "bulldog" reminded Claire of the bulldog choke so she figured that the move would involve some sort of headlock. From these guesses, Claire figured that Katsumi might come at her leg-first and then transition to a headlock. The line about Claire rolling onto her back indicated to Claire that she would end up either face-down or on her side. Given that possible endpoint and what Claire had seen from the small amount of professional wrestling she had watched, she figured that Katsumi might pretend to spike her head into the mat from the headlock position. Finally, the remaining instructions seemed to only require that Claire roll onto her back and pretend to be hurt.

After a few moments of silence, Claire would whisper, "I think I understand. Let's do this." Claire knew that it was entirely possible that her intuition about what Katsumi meant was wrong but that did not bother her: if she messed up, she and Katsumi could always try again. Plus which, the possibility of messing up in a match was far from the scariest thing that Claire had experienced in her life. That being said, Claire would try her best to make sure that this match was a success.

"Sorry about the grinding, Katsumi-chan," whispered Claire as she released her grip from Katsumi's body and grabbed onto Katsumi's head. Then, using her arms to both gauge the distance and provide cover to prevent the audience from seeing that Claire's head would not actually hit Katsumi's head, Claire would pretend to headbutt Katsumi. Then, Claire would Irish whip Katsumi towards the ropes!

After whipping Katsumi towards the ropes, Claire would stick out her arm for a clothesline. Then, after Katsumi wrapped her legs around Claire's waist and popped up, Claire would attempt to hold Katsumi in the air, momentarily stopping Katsumi from finishing the wheelbarrow bulldog.

"Don't o-rree Katsuni-chan," Claire would whisper without moving her lips. She would be able to see the camera directly in front of her and would know that if she whispered normally, the camera would pick up on it. "I'll let you thinish. Just o-ayt a dit."

Note: Claire was trying to whisper "Don't worry, Katsumi-chan. I'll let you finish. Just wait a bit."

Suddenly, Claire would emit a primal yell and attempt to begin walking towards the edge of the ring, seemingly intent on throwing Katsumi completely out of the ring! With slow and seemingly labored steps, Claire would advance towards the ropes while holding Katsumi up in the air, her face grimacing under the supposed strain.

This would be Claire's last stand, a last ditch effort to prevail against her more experienced opponent---or at least, that is how it would appear to the crowd.

Then, just as abruptly as Claire would have started her trek towards the ropes, Claire would inexplicably stop. Her legs would begin shaking, as if she had just hit the limits of her endurance. Her arms would tremor as her grip on Katsumi would appear to become more tenuous by the second.

"No! Not... like this!" Claire would yell as the shaking in her legs would continue to get worse. Her breathing would grow heavier as she would stand in place, ostensibly unable to take another step!

"Do it, Katsumi!" Claire would think as she would wait for Katsumi to finish the wheelbarrow bulldog.

[CyanDimitrik]

Well, they seemed to have an understanding, and playtime would soon draw to a close. This has been an... interesting... event. Definitely not like others she's performed.

The head swings in, and an impact isn't really necessary. Twitch reflexes causes Katsumi to jerk her face away automatically; it's just a matter of playing him the not-impact. After that initial jerk back, the Japanese punkette staggers in a daze, hands raised to nurse her poor bonked cabeza. Claire seems to've understood what she was told well enough, as she finds her arm taken, drawn in, and used to sling her away. Naturally, Katsumi provides no resistance to this motion.

It's tricky to stumble-run when it's intentional, she observes.

Her back hits the ropes, the elasticity jaunts her forward. As described, Katsumi pops into the air with a sudden twist! Her legs scissor backwards around Claire's waist, and she catches herself with her hands before her head smacks into the mat. A smooth pump of the arms, and her upper-body raises, right arm hooking Claire's neck, the legscissor disengaging for maximum swing, and-

Caught.

Wait. What the crap? This wasn't the plan.

The look of surprise and immediate panic on Katsumi's face is legitimate. Her feet kick in the air, attempting to upset the position, or to wheel backwards and transition it into an inverted DDT, but she can't get enough swing for it. Were she able, however, she absolutely would. If she were being a jerk and picking a moment to take a fun non-match and detour it into the realm for for-reals, this would be when she does it. And she'd make it hurt. Badly. Punish the other person for trusting her.

She can't understand what the Hell Claire's saying.

The march towards the corner is met with more kicking and struggling, and the legs buckling is noted... but it's not Claire's legs that are keeping her up. It's the arms. Katsumi's agency in the situation is rather minimal. If the arms drop, so too will Katsumi with the bulldog against the mat. After which, she'll stay seated for a couple seconds to process.

[Ichi]

"Those struggles seem genuine," thought Claire as she carried Katsumi towards the ropes. "Guess she didn't understand what I said." At this point, it became clear to Claire that Katsumi was not, in fact, clairvoyant. "Clairvoyant. Claire-voyant. Nice."

Since it appeared that Katsumi wasn't going to finish the move herself, Claire decided to finish it herself. Her knees would buckle, sending her head hurtling face-first towards the mat. She would not hold back when doing so but would take most of the impact herself to try to spare Katsumi from any damage.

BAM!

The sound of flesh and bone slamming into the mat echoed throughout the arena as the crowd gasped in shock. Claire's face hit the mat---hard. It was not a pleasant sensation and the impact could have easily been on-par with what she would have experienced had the move been genuinely performed. And contrary to Katsumi's instruction to roll over onto her back after the wheelbarrow bulldog landed, Claire would lie face-down on the mat, motionless. The arena would be stunned into silence.

[CyanDimitrik]

Whump.

Katsumi lands on her rear. Claire lands chest-first, ending facedown. The Punk Princess remains there for a few seconds, internally puzzling over the diversion from the plan, and that they wound up where they were intended to. More or less. Katsumi meant for it to be more dead center in the ring, but it's suitable.

To the audience, the look on her face suggests relief in having dodged a bullet.

Both scenarios land her with the same sort of cautious uncertainty. If she goes for the splash finish she'd intended, will Claire decide to change things up again?

Hesitantly, she turns over onto a knee and hooks her left arm beneath Claire's right, using it to roll her over onto her back. And still supporting that arm, she'll raise to her feet and pull on it, intent on repositioning Claire's body perpendicular to the corner - arms above her head, leaving her bare belly an open and inviting target.

"Ready?," she asks. She isn't sure what kind of response she expects. She's just hoping for something to confirm things aren't going to change on her again.

The referee drifts closer to check on Claore, and in true Kat fashion, she shoves her away.

[Ichi]

Claire was completely motionless. Limp. She almost looked peaceful, except for the fact that she was lying face down with her limbs splayed on the mat. Even as Katsumi lifted Claire's arm, Claire made no movements of her own. Instead, she laid limply in Katsumi's grasp, providing no resistance to Katsumi's actions save for her own body weight.

The crowd gasped as Katsumi raised Claire up, revealing the white-haired woman's face: Claire's eyes appeared glazed and unfocused, with small trickles of blood flowing out from her nostrils. She was unresponsive to Katsumi's words. The various screens around the arena displayed an image of Claire's face, conveying that Claire was in no condition to fight.

But ultimately, it would be up to the referee to decide whether Claire could continue. The referee would tentatively approach Katsumi, wary of drawing the ire of The Punk Princess. Eventually, the referee would open her mouth as if to speak, only to be interrupted by a voice from the crowd.

"YOU KILLED HER!" The high-pitched voice of a little child would pierce through the air of the arena. As if on cue, members of the LAW medical team would pop out from backstage and begin briskly making their way down the ramp, carrying a stretcher along with them.

"HER NECK! IT'S BROKEN!" Another child's voice would ring out from the crowd. Claire's head would be hanging limply, her neck bent at an unusual angle---nothing too extreme, but unusual enough that it could be mistaken for broken neck, especially by a child. Still, despite there being nothing to directly indicate that Claire did indeed have a broken neck, her lack of responsiveness was rather unsettling, to the point that several members of the crowd fainted and many parents covered their children's eyes.

While the referee could have ended the match right at that moment, she would instead stood in silence, staring at Katsumi as if expecting her to do something. In fact, about half of the eyes in that arena would be staring at Katsumi, a woman who may have possibly just contributed to the death of her opponent. The remaining eyes would be on Claire, desperately looking for any signs of life---of which there would be none.

[CyanDimitrik]

Claire had taken things off 'script', as it were, and managed to worry Katsumi that she wouldn't be able to trust her. Though it really was by Claire's volition that the two fell back down to the mat. She was at least sure about that. Didn't mean she wasn't leery about Claire changing things on her again, however!

So when she rolled her over to ask her question, she's paused at the look she's met with. Well, that's disturbing. Then the cries ring out. And her eyes begin darting about the crowd. Her mouth opens, panic setting in. Hands raise to wave off the concern, but are they wrong? She didn't feel anything give. Would she, though? She's never exactly killed anyone before. But those who are looking at her expecting her to do something are about to be very disappointed.

Because Katsumi is, at the end of the day, not a heartless monster. This isn't a Van Damme movie with someone out there ready to vow vengeance. Katsumi's an athlete, an entertainer. An upstart and brutal, sure, but she's not a killer. She's not a psychopath. There are limits. There have always been limits. This is certainly one of them.

"Nonono! I didn't- she isn't- she-!"

Katsumi is instantly on her feet and backing away, giving the referee more than enough room to call it and get the new girl - someone from the damn audience - out on the stretcher. All the while, Katsumi looks horrified. It's not supposed to be like this. Not even with Sienna. And Sienna was poised to ruin her life.

[Ichi]

Original post (non-canon/retconned out)

Note: I'm retconning this out. This is too dark, especially considering the prior tone of the match.

The referee tentatively approached Claire, fearful of what morbid sight she may encounter. With much trepidation, the referee slowly let her eyes fall upon the fallen woman's face. Claire's eyes were like dull amethysts that had lost their luster. Her eyes, which had once sparkled with vibrant energy, had been extinguished.

The referee shakily raised her arms over her head to form an "X" symbol. Immediately, the bell rang three times, signifying the end of the match. A shocked silence befell the arena, breached only by the isolated wails of horrified children. Desperate to not subject the audience to any more morbid images, the cameras turned to the only other point of interest: Katsumi.

The Punk Princess's horrified face was prominently displayed on the jumbotron---a paltry distraction from the morbid reality of the situation. Slowly however, the audience's gaze shifted towards Katsumi as Claire's body became obscured by the LAW medical team. Thousands of eyes, all trained on the Punk Princess. Scrutinizing her. Judging her.

"Y-you mean p-person!!!" The terrified cry of a frightened child.

"You could've gone easy on her, you know!" The furious roar of an enraged man.

"Learn some restraint!" The reprimand of a critical woman.

Katsumi had drawn the ire of the crowd. Most of them could ascertain that Katsumi had not meant to hurt Claire. But they also knew that she was a VETERAN! Someone who damn well should have known better! Someone who should have shown RESTRAINT! Heel or not, one does not brutalize rookies. To do so is detestable. Despicable. And as far as the court of public opinion was concerned, Katsumi was nothing more than a negligent villain.

The crowd's rage was palpable. Knuckles turned white as fans in the front row grasped the barrier in rage. Booing erupted from every corner of the arena, saturating the air with scorn. The fans boiled with wrath, ready to burst at the slightest disturbance. A man in the front row glared at Katsumi, seemingly intent on doing to Katsumi what she had done to Claire. And that sentiment was echoed throughout the crowd. Katsumi would be surrounded by vengeful fans, eager to inflict punishment upon the Punk Princess. Eager to paint the ring red with her blood.

Sensing the imminent disaster, the announcer tried to abruptly end the match. But she knew that would do no good. "A-AND YOUR WINNER B-BY MANSLAU---um... KN-KNOCKOUT IS..."

"Kat... Uhh... KAT... SUMI!!!"

The referee hastily rushed in, raising her arms above her head in an "X" symbol. The sound of the bell rang out amidst near total silence. Only the isolated wails of horrified children and the fading metallic echoes of the final bell could be heard. Somewhere in the back, the a drink cup clattered against the floor. A cough sprang up from the third row near ringside. Medical staff entered the arena carrying a stretcher.

"You got me good, Katsumi-chan," laughed Claire, her words cutting through the silence. "Also, I'm not dead, in case you noticed." A smile crept across Claire's face as she rolled onto her back.

"Her mentation seems fine. The patient is probably in a stable condition," said one of the medical staff. "But, just to be safe, put her on the stretcher."

The arena was silent as Claire was loaded onto the stretcher, save for the sound of Claire's voice. "That was fun," said Claire as the stretcher was lifted off the mat. "I'd say 'let's do this again sometime', but I'm not too keen on having my face slammed into the mat again." Claire grinned as she passed by the Punk Princess, her amethyst eyes gleaming with life.

But that moment would not last long. Soon, Claire was shuttled out of the ring. The footsteps of the medical team soon clattered against the exit ramp, the clacks audible to the stunned arena. It was as if the doctors were pallbearers, and the stretcher a coffin. But Claire was far from a corpse. Her eyes shined brightly as she grinned and waved at the audience.

This was a sight that the audience would not soon forget.

[Ichi]

Katsumi Oshiro wins via KO!