Going Places (For Deezcastforms)

[CaptainL]

After she recentered herself, Mizuki looked back up at Nikki, wincing as she heard her cough a few times. She bit her lip nervously, the color draining from her cheeks. It seemed her worst fears had been confirmed. Mizuki had just been giving it her best effort, trying to live up to her mentor's hopes for her. If she'd come close to seriously hurting her, she was left worrying if she had shaken the foundations of their friendship as soon as it had begun. "Nikki-! Oh god, are you okay-!?" she called back.

But it was Nikki's response that came as an even greater shock to Mizuki. Her eyes went wide, and she froze in place as she listened to the same woman she had put her trust in, who she firmly believed wanted to see her succeed, chewing her out. It felt wrong just to hear such harsh words come out of Nikki, especially so soon after she had encouraged Mizuki to let loose. Perhaps...their bond really had been broken.

The tears were forming in her eyes even before Nikki jabbed a finger at her, but when she did, Mizuki yelped, jumping back out of instinct. She covered her face with her hands, looking down at the ground in shame. "I'm...I'm sorry! Really, I'm sorry, please-!"

It took a few seconds for Mizuki to calm down from her panic, but when she did, she kept her gaze off, sniffling. She listened to what Nikki had to say, but she still couldn't bring herself to look her in the eye. In a soft voice, she continued. "...I'm sorry, Nikki. I...didn't know...I won't do it again next time-" But she stopped, then, as Nikki clarified that it wasn't her decision to use a chokehold that provoked her outburst, but - once again - her hesitation. For a moment, Mizuki looked back up at the blonde, her big blue eyes brimming with tears. Then, with a stifled sob, she looked off again.

"I'm sorry...I really am. I just...panicked. I wasn't trying to...actually hurt you. I was just trying to do what you said...I don't want to hurt anyone, really." She hugged her arms closer to her. "I mean, yeah, it's a combat sport, but...if I'm going to wrestle, I want to win, not hurt people." She sighed, knowing as much as Nikki did that even that was unlikely.

"If I actually made you pass out, or..." Mizuki gulped back her tears, letting her thoughts go unsaid. "Well, I don't think I could forgive myself. I don't..." She sniffled again as she thought back on her first match. "I don't want to be like Natsuki..."

[deezcastforms]

Nikki had fucked up. Her heart had been beating out of her chest during and immediately after the chokehold, and her adrenaline fueled rant had gone too far. Mizuki was crying, wouldn't look Nikki in the eye, and now she had to fix it. But when Mizuki mentioned that she was afraid of turning into someone like Natsuki if she let herself go, Nikki finally got an understanding of where Mizuki's head was. Natsuki tortured Mizuki, in her debut no less. And with Nikki telling Mizuki to go for the kill, in Mizuki's mind that meant ruthlessly battering your opponent into absolute submission, like Natsuki did to her..

Before speaking, Nikki did something she really hadn't been expecting to do today; she pulled Mizuki in for a hug. "You never have to actually hurt someone in the ring. There's a big difference between putting someone in pain and actually hurting them. When I say 'go for the kill' or 'dagger in the heart,' that means don't let up until you've won. Compared to that, what people like Natsuki do is drive the knife in, pull it out, then stab you ten more times before actually ending it. Even other wrestlers hate people like that. Most wrestlers even hate the guts of the Lightweight Champion Rose Gold because she fights that like that. You can win without hurting someone, truly. Sure they might wake up sore in the morning but that's fighting. More often that not, when someone gets hurt in a match, it's because the other person did it on purpose. If you aren't trying to hurt someone, you won't." Nikki felt that these were the words Mizuki needed to hear, and she hoped she was right. Now it was time for the action she needed to see.

"I know you're probably hesitant, so that's why I want to do one more thing before we're done." Nikki let out a chuckle, having a good idea of how Mizuki would probably react to what she was about to ask her to do. "I want you to choke me unconscious. Scissors, sleeper hold, whatever you want. I won't fight back period. Once I'm out, I want you to take your phone and take a picture of you standing, posing, or whatever you want over my body. Have fun with it! Then when I wake up, I want you to take another picture of us together. Then I want you to keep both of them as reminders. The first, a reminder of what you can do. And the second, a reminder that you can do it without hurting anybody. Though obviously, I can't force you if you don't want to. But I'm willing to put my trust in you, please, put that trust in yourself."

[CaptainL]

Mizuki wasn't sure what to expect, or how Nikki would react. She knew that she had failed her, and she could only anticipate how she'd be scolded, or punished, or worse. Her lip warbled nervously as she looked off, fearful of when it all would come crashing down...but it never did. Instead, she felt the warmth and pressure of Nikki's arms wrapping around her, and she was pulled in closer into a tight embrace.

"Huh..?" Mizuki blinked a few times, still looking on in confusion as to why this was happening to her. She didn't feel like she deserved a hug. But, after that passed, she let herself sink into it. She let out a breath, her muscles easing as she settled in against Nikki. Though she sniffled a little, blinking away a few tears from her eyes, she let herself smile. Even if she didn't know if it should...this felt good. "A-Ahh..."

Looking back at the blonde, Mizuki listened to what Nikki had to say, explaining her stance. At first, Mizuki blushed faintly, embarrassed that she had made such a mistake. But Nikki was here to help her, not to judge her. As she reminded herself of that, she nodded her head. "Okay...okay. I see...that makes sense. I just...panicked, then. I was so worried that I'd gone too far-"

But then, Nikki made her offer, and Mizuki froze. She stared back at her trainer, still trying to convince herself she had heard what she thought she'd heard. "W-Wait...what? You...you want me to-?" Here Mizuki had been afraid of causing Nikki serious harm, yet now she was actually encouraging her to do it again?

But...Mizuki knew why she was doing it. It was because she wanted her to succeed, and because she believed in her. That was something Mizuki respected in her, how Nikki had faith in her where no one else would, or had any reason to. And if that was the case...

"Well...alright!" Mizuki nodded to her, stepping back and getting into a stance as Nikki had directed her earlier. "Then I'll...I'll do my best!"

[deezcastforms]

"Your best is all I ask for Mizuki," Nikki said happily. It would seem crisis had been averted and Mizuki was back in a good state of mind. "Now I want to make sure you understand this. You are to choke me unconscious. Keep squeezing until I am out. Don't let up if I'm gagging, coughing, tapping, anything. I'll move around a little bit so you can tell if I'm still awake or not, but I won't do anything to actually escape."

"Another reason I don't want you to let up is because this is going to be training for me too. I messed up earlier because of my weakness to chokes, which is part of the reason I'm doing this. I will try to stay conscious as long as I can, and I want to squeezing as hard as you can to knock me out. I guess this time, I'm the one who wants your help." Nikki couldn't wait to see the glow on Mizuki's face when she heard this.

"Now like I said, feel free to do any kind of choke you want. Have at me," Nikki stayed sitting, figuring that would be easiest for Mizuki. She could lay her down or stand her up if she pleased. Now all that was left was for Mizuki to begin.

[CaptainL]

Mizuki narrowed her eyes toward Nikki as she lowered herself into a stance, her fists clenching and unclenching. She grit her teeth, gearing herself up for the challenge to come. It wasn't like it was going to be physically difficult to get Nikki into position; as the blonde herself put it, she wouldn't be trying to resist. The real challenge for Mizuki was in overcoming her mental blocks - to throw away mercy and go in for the decisive finish. Just thinking about choking Nikki into unconsciousness, Mizuki could feel her heart beating faster as a feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't something she was used to, and she could hardly imagine herself being capable of doing such things. But if Nikki believed it would help her reach her true potential...then Mizuki would reach for that chance.

She nodded, too, as Nikki went on to explain that this would be training for herself as much as it was for Mizuki. "Okay-!" she said, already feeling the tension let up. Even if the thought of needing to do something for someone might have ordinarily been intimidating for her, Mizuki felt relieved. She really was thankful for Nikki for all the work she had done in getting her where she was. She had already paid Nikki back in throwing their match for the blonde to look good, and now she had a chance to help her out again. She no longer looked at Nikki as a stern teacher she had to impress, but as a friend, the two of them both out to help each other. "Then I'll do my best!"

Mizuki already had an idea for what she wanted to do. It was perhaps unusually aggressive for her, but this was her chance to experiment in a safe environment, and she was sure Nikki would be happy to see her getting bolder with what she was willing to do. She charged toward the blonde, drawing back a fist as she prepared to lash out and strike Nikki straight in the stomach! If she doubled over, she would then throw her arms around her throat, looking to lock down a sleeperhold!

[deezcastforms]

Nikki watched as Mizuki mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. She gave a determined yell before beginning to charge at Nikki. When Mizuki started pulling back her fist, Nikki was somewhat confused. She figured Mizuki probably wanted to throw a punch to set up whatever choke she was going to go for. Not really necessary for this exercise, but Mizuki was free to do this how she wanted.

Mizuki fired into Nikki's gut with her fist, and while it wasn't particularly strong, Nikki still played along. Grabbing the spot where Mizuki's fist connected and leaning forward as if the punch did damage. This was apparently what Mizuki was looking for, as she wrapped her arm around Nikki's lowered neck and began to choke her with a headlock sleeper hold.

Nikki felt her airways being cut off as Mizuki pinned her head against her side as she continued to pressure her throat. If Nikki was being honest, Mizuki's last chokehold was stronger. This was still effective, though.

[CaptainL]

In that moment, everything else faded away. Mizuki knew this was something she wasn't used to, and that she barely understood. But for now, that didn't matter. She only wanted to prove herself, and to show the best effort she could. In that moment, it was only her and Nikki. There was no rest of the world, nothing and no one to compare herself to, or to hold her back. All she could do now was to do the very best she could.

Charging forward, she threw herself into the action. Mizuki could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the adrenaline took hold. She glimpsed a side of herself that she could hardly recognize, one she barely knew - she could hardly imagine ever thinking this way. But she couldn't be afraid of it. She just had to do what she would, and let what happened happened. Her doubts and worries could only hold her back from nearing that true potential. Squinting her eyes tightly, Mizuki threw her fist forward, landing a fist in Nikki's stomach. The blonde went toppling forward, and in one swift motion Mizuki got behind her, throwing her arm around her throat and squeezing.

Mizuki clenched her teeth, grunting and groaning from the strain as she held onto Nikki's neck as hard as she could. Her face growing red from the effort, she arched her back, putting as much force as she could manage into this one hold. She didn't have much real wrestling training, but she could still go on instinct; to feel out what would work. And she had what she'd seen from Nikki before, in this sparring session and their previous match, to guide her.

As she hauled back on Nikki's head, Mizuki would slip around behind her, doing her best to prevent any break in the pressure she applied even as she repositioned herself. This was good, so far, but she could go beyond! She kicked at the back of Nikki's knee, looking to knock her off her footing!

[deezcastforms]

Nikki couldn't see Mizuki's face from her current position, but she could tell from the tightening of her grip and her groans of effort that she was really putting all of her strength into this. It looked like Mizuki was really going to be able to do it this time. Nikki's face was turning red as her hands tried to come up to Mizuki's arm, having to resist her instincts to escape.

Mizuki wasn't done yet though. She shifted behind Nikki and converted her hold to a rear naked choke. Once she had that locked in, she kicked out Nikki's knee and brought her down. It looked to Nikki like Mizuki was going to do the same choke and scissors combo she had done earlier.

At this point, Nikki was starting to cough and wheeze from lack of air. She figured now would be a good time to test Mizuki's resolve. Nikki tapped on Mizuki's arm, hoping to the god of wrestling she didn't actually let her go.

[CaptainL]

Mizuki hardly knew anything about wrestling, but she at least knew what to target to make it hard for her opponents to breathe, and she'd seen what had worked for her earlier in this sparring session; she saw no reason to change that! As she fell back, going to the mat, she clenched her teeth, holding on with as much power as she could force out of her body as she strained her arm to wrap around Nikki's throat. Sure enough, mirroring her previous manuever, she threw her legs around Nikki's waist, squeezing her thighs around her midsection as tightly as she could. The brunette grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing into a glare. She tried to chase away all her doubts and fears that this wouldn't work, and let herself be lost in the raw intensity of the conflict - there was only herself and Nikki, and a furious battle to prove herself, one she couldn't let herself lose.

She felt Nikki gasp and groan, and for a moment Mizuki's heart quickened. The fears of her going too far and harming her sparring partner came back to her mind, but she shook those out of her head. That couldn't hold her back! Not long after, Mizuki felt Nikki's arm tap her own. She blinked, opening her eyes just enough to look over at where Nikki tried to signal a surrender. A breath was held in her lungs. Was this it? Should she let go?

No. Mizuki reminded herself of what Nikki had said to her - keep squeezing until I am out. Nikki was counting on her now - not just for Mizuki's sake, but for her own. She couldn't dare let her down!

Biting her lip, Mizuki powered through the urge to let go. She could only let go when Nikki didn't have the strength to move any more! She squeezed her muscles tight around the blonde's body as firmly as she could, straining herself with enough force to let the sweat trickle from her brow. This was where it all would count!

[deezcastforms]

The moment of truth, it all came down to this. Nikki had tapped out to Mizuki's sleeper hold, but she had been instructed to keep going until Nikki was knocked out now matter what. Would Mizuki have the heart to keep going? Mizuki's response to the tapping: just squeeze harder. Nikki was overjoyed that Mizuki passed the test. And through she couldn't express it verbally, Nikki gave her a thumbs up with a big smile on her face.

At this point, it was a matter of time. Nikki couldn't exactly tell how long it would be until she went under, but it didn't really matter that much. It felt like Mizuki's hold was getting tighter and tighter with each passing moment. Nikki was starting to see spots. Eventually, she fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.