Sanae Saitou vs. Lyra Heartfield - Apex Qualifier Match

[CaptainL]

Sanae might have been questioning what was on Lyra's mind before - but this time, there was no question about it; the fortune teller was sure of what she was doing! Her teeth clenched in a pained grimace as she felt her leg cranked backward over her spine, with Lyra's own leg serving to anchor it in place. No matter how much Sanae tried to twist and turn in the hopes of freeing herself, her leg could barely even budge! Her spine began to pop and creak, and she hissed against the growing pressure, her fingers coiling tighter around the canvas to try and distract herself from the pain in some way or another. And to make matters worse, Lyra would deliver a stomp to the back of her head, causing her to let out a scream as her face slammed downward into the canvas with a loud thump! Reeling from the blow, Sanae began to sink lower into the mat - only to be reminded of her predicament once again as Lyra cranked again on her legs, sending an electric shock through her spine as she brought her head back up with another scream.

Sanae began to pant for breath. Her whole body was aching, her chest was heaving, and she was worried she would lose her voice from screaming as much as she was. But the last thing she wanted to do was to tap out - not now, when the judges were watching! She'd already come this far in contending for Apex, and she wasn't going to falter now!

Just then, Sanae had an idea. The ache that still throbbed in the back of her skull reminded her that Lyra had taken her foot off of her before - and now, that same foot was now pinning down her head, rather than at her side stabilizing the sharpshooter. That meant it was vulnerable to attack - and maybe, if Sanae went after that, the rest would come crashing down after!

Sucking in a breath to muster her courage, Sanae planted her elbows against the mat to brace herself before reaching up to grab at Lyra's ankle and give it a twist. It was a long shot, but she was desperate!

[Pegasus]

Lyra was for sure this could be it and she would have attained victory in this contest. This would put her up with others on the roster as a fast growing star. Lyra kept Sanae in the Orion Lock for as long as she could, but Sanae would make one last attempt to twist the ankle and while Lyra didn’t feel too much, it was a nagging feeling and pain in her ankle. Lyra jumped off and let go to rub at her ankle leaving herself vulnerable to the idol as the crowd cheered on Sanae for escaping yet another devastating submission all on her own.

“Incredible….my mystic energy is buzzing with excitement! You truly are a worthy foe!” Lyra exclaimed as she turned around and winked at Sanae.

[CaptainL]

This was it. Sanae had all of her hopes riding on this one - she knew all too well that if she couldn't get Lyra to break her hold with this move, it would all be over for her. Her back could only bear so much more pressure, and Lyra was bringing it close to the breaking point! Clenching her teeth in a strained grimace as she held on with all her might, desperate to not give into the pain, the green-haired girl grasped tightly to Lyra's ankle and twisted back on it as hard as she could. She knew that if she gave an inch of slack, Lyra would use that against her. And if this wasn't enough to take Lyra down, she had no chance of winning the match.

But as it turned out, Sanae's efforts paid off. As she cranked back harder at Lyra's ankle, the fortune teller could hold on no longer, and she was forced to let Sanae go as she jumped up from her seat atop her! The crowd burst out into cheers at Sanae's escape, and with the weight lifted off her back the girl rolled over on her side, looking up at Lyra with a few pants for breath. She rubbed at her back, wincing as the sensation returned to her ever so briefly, but when she turned her attention back to her opponent, it was with a smile. Lyra saw the potential in Sanae, and she was willing to recognize that in her - even if they were opponents, they held no hard feelings, and Lyra had faith in the green-haired girl's ability to achieve her goals. Sanae felt the hint of a blush tickle her cheeks at the suggestion - but her face soon grew serious. All the same, she knew she still had a job to do, and she couldn't let this slow her down!

Getting her leg underneath her, Sanae rose to her knees. She hissed in pain as she bore the weight on her legs, and when she straightened herself back up she teetered back and forth. But she saw that Lyra was open, and she saw she had the chance to move in for the kill! Suddenly, Sanae threw herself forward, using a burst of energy to propel herself into close range as she shoved herself up against Lyra. There, she would throw her arms around the fortune teller, trying to get a good grip around her waist - if that was successful, she would rise to her feet, hopefully dragging Lyra up with her, where she could whip her weight back in an arc to drive Lyra head-first into the mat with a German suplex!

[Pegasus]

Lyra could tell this match was getting more and more intense as Sanae managed to break out of her signature hold by the skin of her teeth. Her ankle didn’t hurt as much, but it gave Sanae her opening she needed to counter the fortune teller right now and gain back control. The judges surely favored Sanae in her persistence as Sanae would come closer wrapping her arms around Lyra’s waist. As her visions told her, Sanae began leaning back lifting Lyra high to drive her into the mat with a German Suplex! Lyra lifted her head so her back sustained the damage and she crashed hard letting out a scream of pain.

Lyra rolled off to the side and quickly escaped out the south side regrouping on the mat. She breathed heavily grabbing her back and the fans supported her as Sanae’s fans cheered even louder for their beloved star. Lyra could feel the positive energy circulating in her mind and the universe seem pleased with her job so far.

[CaptainL]

Sanae might have been small, but she had the strength and the determination to make up for it. Though she was a high-flyer first and foremost, she had trained well enough to develop a respectable command of power moves as well - something that Lyra was about to witness firsthand, as the aspiring idol scooped her off the ground in a tight waistlock before throwing her backward to drop her into the mat with a German suplex! The crowd cheered Sanae - she might have been in trouble before, but now that she was making a comeback, she had won the hearts of her supporters even more, causing a grin to flash across her face!

However, Lyra knew well enough to defend her head from the impact. Her back had still taken a considerable blow, but she had spared herself from the worst of it, and she was able to roll away before Sanae could push things any further. The green-haired girl slipped to the mat, where she rolled over to get back on her knees. As she straightened herself, she felt the pain in her back once again, reminding her of the strain she had been under in the Orion Lock. Her hand ran behind her back, rubbing at her sore spine as she grit her teeth. She was all too aware that that was going to slow her down, going forward - but she just had to keep the pressure on Lyra to make up for it!

Slowly, Sanae climbed back onto her feet, her upper body bent low toward the ground as she teetered against the aches that wracked her body. She took a few steps closer to Lyra, closing in on her fallen foe. She saw Lyra was still down, so for now, she wanted to study what moves she would make next, just in case she would have to defend herself. After all, Lyra had proved to be quite unpredictable; Sanae needed to keep a close eye on her!

[Pegasus]

Lyra cranked her neck and knew Sanae’s energy would give her the second wind in this match. Her visions foretold this, but she suddenly closed her eyes imagining the next set of steps for her. She saw Sanae coming in with a strong Lariat and Lyra would take it going down on the mat and then Sanae would try for a high-flying move where Lyra would need to counter. Lyra opened her eyes in a glare knowing the universe willed her an opening later on, but an eye of Lyra’s twitched.

This was an Apex match meaning that the winner became one step closer to getting towards the title belt and while her fame was modest for her, she still wanted to win. Lyra stood up tall and balled her fists. This would be a time where she had to get serious for herself and disobey the universe which she was known to do in her earlier career on the American indies. It was half-half for her as she did get the upper hand or lost out on the advantage a lot. Lyra stared ahead knowing risk was worth the reward.

“Come then, Sanae Saitou! I’m ready to fight you!” Lyra exclaimed as she got into a fighting stance.

[CaptainL]

Sanae's back ached, and her body shuddered with each step she took closer to Lyra. Her teeth clenched, and her fists balled and unfurled as she tried to use the pressure to keep herself focused. Every time she stretched herself too far, the pain of the sharpshooter came flooding back to her, and she still felt the pins and needles along her back and in each joint of her legs. But she couldn't stop now. This was an Apex match; this was her chance to prove to the world that she was main event material! In the end, it wasn't even the belt that mattered to her; she just wanted to show everyone she had what it took to succeed, and to prove all her doubters wrong. Sanae knew the judges were watching her - she had to make them proud they had gotten to see her wrestle!

Lyra straightened herself back to her feet, and for a time, she and Sanae locked eyes on one another, sharing a pointed staredown. Then, Lyra issued her challenge - and Sanae nodded her head to accept it. On one level, she was hesitant - she knew how unpredictable Lyra could be, and the fact that she was calling for her to come closer made her wonder if there was anything up her sleeve. Everything seemed too good to be true. But Sanae was willing to take a risk. She wouldn't prove anything if her caution kept her back. And maybe, if she was quick enough, strong enough, and determined enough, it wouldn't matter - she might be able to catch Lyra off her guard!

"Well, don't worry!" Sanae shouted back, bending at the knee and drawing a foot behind her to get ready to charge. "Because I'm WAY ahead of you!!" The muscles in her legs pulled taught, ready to spring her forward, and just then, she took off straight across the ring toward Lyra! As she approached, she would swing her arm in front of her to hit with a lariat - and, to bring extra momentum behind it, she would jump off her feet as she came closer to throw herself toward Lyra, driving all the power of a running leap behind her strike!

[Pegasus]

Lyra knew Sanae could take punishment and seeing every twitch in the idol’s body told the fortune teller that Sanae would be put down soon. She just needed a little more juice so she provided a challenge to the idol. The idol accepted running towards Lyra with her hand outstretched as the lariat was coming. To Lyra’s surprise, Sanae put a spring in her step jumping for a leaping variation and Lyra had a spilt second to react. Lyra saw in her visions that she was suppose to take the move, but her hands launched into the air catching the idol vertically.

Lyra then screamed charging for the lower left corner bouncing Sanae’s back off the pad. Lyra then lifted Sanae slightly and brought the spine to her right knee about three times. Each time was harder than the last as Lyra shifted Sanae slightly hitting a Bodyslam on the canvas! Lyra then flipped her blonde hair back and took a seat on the stomach of Sanae smiling at the ref. She crossed her legs and leaned down pinning Sanae’s hands as the ref got down to count.

“1!”

[CaptainL]

A grin spread wider across Sanae's face as she came charging toward Lyra, and as she came into range she leaped off her feet, letting the motion of her fall forward translate into added momentum with which to strike at her foe. Everything was moving past her in a blur; she had settled into the rhythm and gotten lost in the action - she was moving too fast, she thought, to keep track of! In fact, she was so sure of her plan working that Sanae had forgotten about the consequences of letting herself get too cocky - even if Lyra had surprised her before, it was unthinkable that she was going to see this one coming! But Lyra was about to remind Sanae of the dangers of leaping before she looked - as she swept out her arms to catch the aspiring idol in midair!

Suddenly, Sanae's motion halted. One moment she had been blazing ahead; the next, she was still and suspended in the air! Her grin of determination and defiance turned to a wide-eyed gasp, as she looked down to see her feet dangling above the canvas. She only had a few seconds to realize that in an instant, everything had changed - before it was Lyra's turn to take action, charging across the ring and slamming Sanae's back against the corner post!

As she made impact with the turnbuckle pad, Sanae let out a scream, her legs kicking up in the air as her body recoiled from the impact, crumpling like an accordion against the post. She was already wincing from the pain in her back even as Lyra lifted her back up - so when she proceeded to slam her down onto her knee, it would only hurt even worse! Each time Sanae went down, she cried out in pain, her screams growing louder and louder; her spine folded over the point of her opponent's knee, and with every impact her hips and legs bucked into the air. By the time Lyra dropped her against the mat with a bodyslam, Sanae bounced a couple of times before she at last fell flat, her arms and legs splayed around her as she sank into the canvas with a long, low groan.

When Lyra got on top of Sanae to hook her leg, the green-haired girl didn't even seem to respond for the first count. Her head was still spinning, and all she could do was stare up at the lights through a haze. Even as the ref slapped the ring for a count of "Two!!" Sanae could only groan groggily, and her fans went silent, staring in disbelief that they would see their idol so easily overcome. But that was when her eyes turned to the official's hand raising for a third time, and, even when her brow was slick with sweat and her breaths were slow and shallow, Sanae knew what needed to be done. She clenched her teeth, her brows narrowing into a pointed stare. It couldn't end here! Even against a move as devastating as this, Sanae needed to show her all - to the fans, and to the judges!

"Thr-NO!!"

Just as the referee was about to bring down the hand a third time, Sanae managed to get her shoulder up - and, at the call, the arena erupted in cheers! Down beneath Lyra, Sanae winced, still feeling the aches running through her body. Even if the blonde got off of her, she would still be lagging a bit behind as she tried to recover. But what was important was how she would show the world she wouldn't be bested!

[Pegasus]

Lyra smiled down on Sanae and appreciated the effort the idol gave her during this match. Only her second match and Lyra was getting tested by a top performer and she was sure Sanae would go far. However, against her, it was an entirely different story as Lyra pinned down the shoulders hard and Sanae looked like she had drew her last action in the match. The ref counted twice against the canvas shaking it a little bit as Lyra waited for the three, but Sanae stirred under her.

Suddenly, Sanae shot a hand forward as Lyra gasped and stared in horror as victory had just been a moment too short. Lyra collapsed on top of Sanae as she banged her fists against the mat cursing herself from straying from the vision sat before her. She should’ve just countered the aerial assault! She should’ve just did what the universe wanted! She hadn’t been careful what she wished for….

Lyra then glared down on Sanae , but then took a moment to noticed the beautiful green locks of the sleeping beauty. Lyra blushed a bit and realized her hands touched Sanae’s big boobs as she bit her lip in nervousness. The crowd was watching her and they were cheering on Sanae loudly as her fans jumped up and down. Lyra then noticed Sanae opening her eyes and they both caught each other in a single store off. Not one of anger and determination, but a deeper look of beauty.