Sanae Saitou vs. Lyra Heartfield - Apex Qualifier Match

[CaptainL]

Sanae might have gotten ahead of herself with trying to hit another leg drop on Lyra so soon after the first, but if Lyra had the stamina to throw herself back into the game so quickly, Sanae did too. She quickly rolled herself back to her feet, ready to press the advantage by sending her opponent across the ring with an Irish whip. If she could just keep the momentum going, she was sure she could keep Lyra under control, no matter how much the newcomer seemed to be capable of out-thinking her.

When Lyra came back off the ropes, Sanae was ready for her. With a dramatic flourish, she lunged for the center of the ring, using her momentum to spin her body around in an arc with her hand outstretched to connect with Lyra's face. But her blow would only strike out at thin air, as Lyra ducked lower, beneath the path of her fist! As she skidded to a stop, Sanae only had time to look down with a gasp as her opponent grabbed for her leg - and swept it off the ground, leaving her to fall flat on her face!

Sanae groaned, sinking against the mat in a daze. But Lyra wasn't done with her yet - she fired off three knee strikes in quick succession, causing the green-haired girl to cry out in pain as her back arched up from the ground. And if Sanae thought that was bad, soon enough, Lyra pulled back on her chin to target her already aching back with a camel clutch, before pulling her head under her arm to hold off on her throat at the same time!

Now things were looking bad for Sanae. Her back was practically being folded over; every spot where Lyra had bludgeoned it was flaring up with pain the more she pulled her back into a C shape. And with her face pressed against her foe's side, even her cries of agony were muffled; all she could do was sputter hoarsely as the air was forced from her lungs. With her head pulled back, she couldn't see where she was going. Her best bet was to grab for the canvas in front of her, attempting to claw her way toward the ropes in the hopes of getting a rope break!

[Pegasus]

Lyra had completed the combination sitting straight on Sanae’s back and finished her Dragon Sleeper/Camel Clutch combination really folding Sanae backwards as the idol’s muffled cries vibrated into Lyra’s side. Sanae could be felt under her trying to move around despite not having the ability to use her eyes. The idol’s hands wandered and gripped the canvas mat to slowly move herself reaching out for any rope to break off the hold. Lyra didn’t want her submission done so early so she moved back some connecting her rump with Sanae’s pulling back harder. Sanae’s muffled cries perked up again and this time, Sanae was trapped!

The audience could tell the pain was beginning to become unbearable and there was no way Sanae wasn’t at least thinking of just tapping out before a body part of hers snapped or even worse, she passed out from the pain. Sanae had her fans motivating her with their support, but it hardly mattered if she had no flexibility to move her body besides just frailing around her arms. Sanae probably figured this was it. An easy squash just to move Lyra further into Apex and en route towards the Openweight Championship. How embarrassing she would probably feel if she tapped out now….

However, the visions did not call for this as Lyra released the hold she had on Sanae. The fallen idol just laid on the canvas a little broken moaning and groaning as tears wept from her eyes. Lyra felt a little sympathy for putting the idol in much pain, but it had to be done. The crowd and Jonathan, on the other hand, were a bit perplexed Lyra didn’t just accept the victory.

“Uh….Lyra? You kinda had that victory in your hands!” Jonathan called out from outside using his hands as a makeshift bullhorn.

“Not yet. More is to be done,” Lyra replied as she backed up from Sanae further confusing the crowd.

[CaptainL]

Sanae's heart was pounding as she grasped at the canvas, desperately trying to move herself even a few inches closer to the ropes. Her groans were muffled against Lyra's hold, and her ribs moved in and out as though she was gasping for air, but with her head, face, and throat firmly secured, nothing was reaching her lungs. Even moving just a couple of inches forward felt agonizing - even more so as Lyra cranked back harder on Sanae's head, causing her to let out a muffled scream, her back buckling inward against the force. Her hand grew shaky both from the pain and from the lack of air, and as she pawed at the mat, her motions became labored and sluggish. She could only take so much more before she passed out.

It made a cold sweat bead on her brow to think about it, but Sanae couldn't shake the feeling that all hope was lost. She would have to tap out now. And if she did...what would happen then? She would have admitted surrender to a newcomer who didn't have the experience and training she had, early in the match - and in front of the Apex judges, too, who surely wouldn't look upon such an easy defeat fondly. Sanae already had plenty of qualifiers set up; even if the judges wouldn't give her any points for this one, she would still have opportunities to recoup her losses. But Sanae also had her pride. And if she had to give up here, she didn't know if any amount of making up for it would be enough. How could she believe herself to be worthy of the Openweight Championship if she let herself be taken down so easily?

Sanae's hand stretched out, hanging in the air just over the canvas. The referee leaned in, waiting for the moment it would touch the mat. But Sanae had stopped, still lost in thought about whether or not to act on her impulse. And in the end, her deliberation would save her - it had bought her just enough time for when Lyra let go of her, letting her drop face-first against the mat!

Sanae couldn't believe it. Her opponent all but had the match won, yet at the last moment, she had given up on it voluntarily. For the first few seconds, Sanae had no choice but to lay flat on her face, groaning and wincing from the soreness. Slowly, she then began to roll flat on her back - and she lifted her head off the mat to fix her gaze on Lyra with a puzzled expression. She had no idea, she realized, what her opponent wanted from her! Surely, she wouldn't go through all the trouble of putting her in such a hold just to mock her!

But soon, the pain would begin to leave her body. Soon, Sanae was ready to get back in the game - and as she propped herself up on her elbows, she fixed a defiant glare at Lyra. She might have been unsure what her greater motives were, but she would try to win all the same - she had to prove that she could! She threw her weight forward to roll toward her opponent, and, as she came closer, she would press her feet against the canvas to hop upward and swing her fist out for an uppercut to her jaw!

[Pegasus]

Lyra saw the glare that Sanae gave her and saw the ambitions of the popular idol. Lyra simply smiled at the look loving how Sanae was ready to get back into this match, but Sanae couldn’t read her thoughts and took the smile as confirmation on suspicions that Lyra mocked her. Sanae would roll forward and jump up going for a punch as Lyra simply stood there holding her hands together. She sighed as her vision counted for this so she simply caught Sanae by the waist getting the audience’s gasps.

Sanae was sure this would end up on her getting an Alabama Slam and Lyra felt her shift her weight to brace for impact, but it would never come. Lyra leaned her weight back flipping into motion and making it seem like Sanae was countering her into a Canadian Destroyer! The fans burst into mega cheers for the popular idol as her fans cheered her on defiantly chanting “SANAE! SANAE! SANAE!” all around the arena. Lyra held her head groaning as Sanae would sit there with a bewildered look on her face. What was Lyra’s deal? First, she gives up an easy victory and then gives a devastating move to herself furthering Sanae’s chances of winning.

[CaptainL]

Sanae might have been down, but she was still determined to make a difference. She wouldn't let her opponent push her around, and she was out to prove that! Sucking in a breath, she rolled forward, using the momentum not only to get across the canvas but also to put more force behind her to launch her next attack. As she closed in on Lyra, she planted the soles of her boots against the ground, prepared to kick off and throw her fist up into her opponent's jaw...

But just then, Lyra reached out to grab her by the waist, stopping her blow in mid-swing! Sanae's eyes went wide and she let out a gasp, but she was quick to shake herself back to her senses. This wasn't unheard of - it wasn't like this was the first time Lyra had displayed this sort of reaction time, after all. And if that was how she was going to handle things, Sanae was just going to have to stay one step ahead of the game. Her eyes narrowed in defiance as she locked a glare on her foe, thinking through how she could counter her counter - but just before she could, Lyra proceeded to throw herself backward to flip herself head-first into the mat!

Lyra's head slammed into the mat, and the ring shook. The crowd went wild at the aspiring idol's apparent triumph. But even as Sanae rose to her hands and knees, when she looked back at Lyra it was with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed stare. She had no idea what would possess her opponent to do this - this wasn't just some ordinary match, after all; this was an Apex qualifier! Lyra was here to prove she was worthy of being contended for the number-one spot in the company, so why would she want to make Sanae look her better? Especially when Sanae had already aptly demonstrated that she was no slouch herself when it came to wrestling, and surely didn't need the help?

Still, the crowd was none the wiser. They kept cheering Sanae on, and they were growing so excited by what they thought they were seeing that they didn't even question that their fan-favorite was looking on in total shock. She wasn't even making a move; she was too surprised by what she was seeing to think clearly, and even then, she didn't know if her moving in to take advantage of this opportunity would be exactly what Lyra wanted, if she had set it up like this on purpose - what if she was baiting her into a trap? She glanced back at Jonathan, just in case that might give her any answers.

But, eventually, she saw the opportunity was in front of her. If this was what Lyra wanted...she could play her game, if only just to see what would happen if she did. She crawled closer, moving to hook her leg to attempt a pin.

[Pegasus]

Everyone in this arena probably thought Lyra was trying to lose on purpose, but the fortune teller only wanted to abide by the visions set out for her. Lyra groaned as she held her head In utter pain as she felt Sanae roll her on her back and hooked one leg for a pin. The ref girl dived down for the pin

“1! 2!”

Lyra kicked out at 2.6! That was a close one as Jonathan slapped the apron and whistled in nervousness. Lyra pushed the idol off and hit an elbow straight to her head to get Sanae to back off. Lyra bent over and got up pushing Sanae into the ropes before she picked up Sanae catching her in a Pop-Up Powerbomb hitting her signature Tarot Reading!

[CaptainL]

Not only was Lyra willingly putting herself at Sanae's mercy, not only was she driving herself into the ground, but she even stayed down long enough for Sanae to pin her! At first, as she held up her opponent's leg, the green-haired girl was still on edge, glancing anxiously down and then back at the referee as she waited for Lyra to spring a trap on her at any moment. Surely, if she had baited her like this, she had to have one planned! But nothing came - Lyra merely remained where she was, keeping the count going before she kicked out at the last minute!

Even as Lyra got back up, Sanae remained on the mat. She picked herself up onto her knees, but there she looked up at her opponent with a blank look of abject confusion. If she was going to take herself down like that...why was she just going let the pin happen? The fans didn't know any better - they thought that the aspiring idol was doing this all by herself, and they were cheering her even harder for - so they thought - getting a near-fall in on Lyra. But even with their cheers echoing down toward the ring, all Sanae could do was ponder what Lyra's strategy was. She looked back at the judges - was she just doing this in the hopes of getting some good-looking moves in to help make her case to the judges so that she could advance, without actually trying to win?

Either way, Sanae was too busy thinking over what had happened to defend herself, and that would work for Lyra's purposes all the same. Suddenly an elbow rang out and clipped her in the jaw, causing her to sputter and gag as she fell back; she held her hands to her face in an effort to shield herself against any further blows. But that wouldn't stop Lyra from dragging to her feet, or shoving her against the ropes. Sanae gasped, still reeling from the shock of being bounced off the ropes - and she went straight toward Lyra, who caught her and pulled her into a powerbomb!

Hitting the mat hard, with a ring-shaking impact, Sanae lay flat on her back. Her legs kicked into the air at first, and even when they came down they were still bent at the knees, while her arms splayed out around her and her jaw lolled open. The world around her felt like it was spinning. Lyra might have had confusing motives, but she could still pack a punch! Now, all she could do was try and shake the cobwebs out of her head - but until then, Lyra had the floor.

[Pegasus]

Lyra huffed and puffed a little as Sanae shattered herself on impact letting the feet fly back on the mat. Lyra heard a mixed reaction from the crowd-mainly boos from Sanae’s adoring fan base, but she never heeded their hisses. Her visions told her next that it was time for another trick up her sleeve and to incapacitate Sanae further. Lyra quickly grabbed both legs sticking one of hers through the middle and wrapping Sanae’s legs up. Lyra tried turning Sanae over on her belly and locked in the Sharpshooter or as she preferred to call it, The Orion Lock. Lyra even knew Sanae would try to crawl for the ropes so she placed her free knee on Sanae’s head to keep her grounded.

[CaptainL]

Sanae had made a devastating impact with the mat, hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs. Her head was spinning as she sank lower into the canvas, and her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths; when she looked up at the lights, she felt like she was seeing double. As she slowly came to her senses, she clenched her teeth and squeezed her fists, the tension rising in her body as the realizations set in - Sanae knew that this was a dangerous place to be. She was vulnerable, and her opponent had proven herself to be adept at keeping her on her toes. Yet, as much as she knew she needed to get out of the way, she didn't have the strength in her to so much as budge - and Lyra already had plans of her own, plans she could only sit idly by for!

She could feel Lyra lift up her legs and cross them one over the other, and as she did, her eyes widened as she let out a gasp. Now, Sanae had an idea what was ahead for her, and it made the blood run cold in her veins. Suddenly, the green-haired girl felt herself flipped over on her stomach - and as Lyra leaned back, her spine was folded inward in a sharpshooter, bending it into an arc with Lyra as the fulcrum! A shock of pain shot through her spine, and she lifted her head from the mat, her face contorting with a scream! Sanae had made up her mind now - she might have been hurting and weary, but she couldn't put up with this any longer. She needed to get out of this hold before her back suffered the consequences!

Hissing through her teeth and squeezing one eye shut as the other bulged in its socket, Sanae tried to reach her hand out to grab at the canvas, aiming to drag herself just a little bit further to the ropes. But once again, it seemed as though Lyra knew everything she was going to do before it even happened! Before Sanae could so much as bring her hand down, Lyra moved her knee to press it up against the back of her head, weighing it down against the mat hard enough to rub her face against the canvas! Now, her groans grew louder, even if they were muffled against the mat beneath. Sanae attempted to twist and turn from side to side - it was the best thing she could do in order to loosen Lyra's grip, even if in doing so she would put more strain on her own muscles joints. All she knew was that she couldn't tap out now - not when the judges were watching her! She had to prove where she belonged!

[Pegasus]

Jonathan winced himself knowing the pain that Sanae’s back was being put in. Lyra felt her grip loosen a bit thanks to Sanae whipping her body back and forth, but it only made Lyra shoot her free foot into the back of Sanae kicking hard to keep her down before returning the leg to the back of the idol’s head. Sanae’s beloved fans watched in horror as Sanae was once again in a precarious position and Lyra would not stand to help her this time. Was this possibly it? Had Sanae reached her last option ever? Lyra knew Sanae had guts and could take a beating, but it was now up to her to break free. There was one thing in her way and if she could exploit it, Lyra would release the hold and she’d be free.