Sanae Saitou vs. Lyra Heartfield - Apex Qualifier Match

[CaptainL]

This was nearly the end for Sanae. She was down, she was dazed, and Lyra was on top of her. The referee had already raised a hand for the third count; if she was just a second later in kicking out, the match would already be over. But at the very last minute, Sanae reminded hereself why she was here. She remembered the promise she made to herself - to prove to the world that she was capable of taking on the best of the best as a contender for the World Openweight Championship! No matter how much it hurt, or how steep the odds were, Sanae couldn't falter. There was too much riding on this, she had to make everything count! If there was ever a time for the aspiring idol to make a miracle happen, it would be now. And that encouraged her all the more to bring up her shoulder, breaking the pin a fraction of a second before the pin could be called!

At the sight of Sanae's escape, the crowd burst into cheers. It seemed as though things were hopeless, but her tenacity and her unbreakable spirit had saved her once again! No matter how much trouble she looked to be in, that only made it that much more satisfying when she managed to turn it around in the end!

Sanae had bought herself some time, but she wasn't quite ready to get back on her feet just yet. Even as she unseated the pressure Lyra put on her, a second later she dropped flat on her back once again, groaning and panting for air. Her arms lay limp at her sides, her hair splayed all around her head, and her breaths were slow and shallow as the sweat trickled down her face. But it was also at that point where their bodies shifted, and Sanae felt Lyra's touch slip lower - coming down to rest on her breasts.

Instinctively, Sanae let out a yelp, her cheeks flushing bright red in surprise. Her body bucked as she twisted away from Lyra - but, when she looked up at her, she saw the soft look in her eyes, and she blushed even harder. It was then she realized that Lyra was a beautiful young lady, and while they might have been caught in a compromising position, this was one she didn't exactly mind. It was an accident, after all. Her own gaze softened as she looked back into Lyra's own, and the corners of her lips turned up in a smile.

A second later, though, Sanae shook herself. She couldn't afford to lose track of what was really important here - there was still a match afoot, and no matter what, it was still a match she intended to win! Her eyes narrowed back down into a determined look, and she attempted to roll herself to the side in an effort to get out from under Lyra, looking to get herself into a good position to rise to her feet.

[Pegasus]

Lyra looked deep into Sanae’s eyes and she wouldn’t lie to herself. She wanted to kiss Sanae. She was tempted to even. However, the idol blushed harder and harder the more their glances met and Lyra removed her hands from the idol’s boobs as she rubbed them blushing hard herself. Sanae, however, would soften her look and manage a small smile before it quickly disappeared transitioning into a determined glare. Sanae pushed Lyra off her as the fortune teller rose back up.

She got a clear passage of visions as she saw her and Sanae walking around a nature reserve, sharing a kiss in a diner, and sharing the stage side hugging each other as Sanae finished a concert of hers for her adoring fans with chants of “SYRA! SYRA! SYRA!” flooding her mind. Lyra held her head for a second as if she had a migraine and composed herself doing breathing exercises. Lyra couldn’t make heads or tails of what the universe was showing her. Was Sanae a future flame? A future girlfriend? She hadn’t looked into the possibilities of romance in her visions and while she wasn’t against it, it had never occurred to her that a woman would possibly be her mate.

However, Lyra had to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind as Sanae looked to get back to business. Lyra took notice of the bruises and sweat trickling off Lyra so it shouldn’t be much longer. Lyra had this as she raised her hands looking for Sanae to come at her once more.

[CaptainL]

Sanae was quick to straighten herself to her feet, taking the time to dust herself off. With a huff, she bent lower at the knees, raising her fists to sink into a stance. But when she looked back up at Lyra...she saw that the blonde wasn't doing anything. She would have had a perfect opportunity to counter, but instead she was just standing there, staring off into space. What was her plan now? Sanae blinked a few times, lowering her fists as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. Did she have something on her mind? Was she waiting for Sanae to make a move? Or...was this just like it had been before, where Lyra had been placid and expressionless one minute, and striking out with what seemed to be perfect intuition of what her opponent would do the next? The green-haired girl bit at her lip - Lyra had proven that she could be unpredictable, and she wasn't sure if this was going to be a trap or not.

But, she soon realized, she wasn't going to get anywhere by standing around and thinking. In fact, Sanae came to realize she knew how she could act. And, as the strategy came together in her head, she stood up straighter with a confident smile crossing her face. She knew just what to do!

As Lyra beckoned for her to come closer, Sanae nodded her head to her. She shot off across the ring with a charge, holding her arm out with a clothesline. However, just in case that was what Lyra was expecting, she had a plan in mind to throw her off her game! Just then, Sanae ducked down into a roll, sommersaulting in between Lyra's legs to get behind her. If that worked, she would push herself up against the ropes behind her opponent, drawing on their momentum to spring her forward with her legs swinging out for a dropkick!

[Pegasus]

Lyra saw Sanae nod at her challenge as her vision told her about Sanae’s plan to try to outsmart her. However, she decided to go ahead with taking the combo just as Sanae ran going for a clothesline. Lyra bent down to duck hoping the arm would go sailing over her head, but Sanae did as expected rolling under Lyra’s legs and rebounding off the ropes hitting a Dropkick. Both feet sailed into Lyra’s chest as Lyra was sent flying halfway across the ring landing on her stomach as she huddled herself together from the pain.

“Okay, Sanae, I give you props for that!” Jonathan called out with an appaulse.

[CaptainL]

Sanae had seen what Lyra would do if she charged at her blindly without a plan. Her opponent always seemed like she was thinking one step ahead, always knowing what to do and how to outsmart each move Sanae made. But she had come to realize that she needed to think two steps ahead if she wanted to stay on top. One of the green-haired girl's greatest assets was her adaptability, and this was no exception. She had learned that a straight charge toward Lyra would be too obvious, and too easy to counter. But if she faked her out at the last minute by rolling behind her and dropkicking her in the back, she would keep her on her toes. And, sure enough, it worked - Lyra went sailing straight across the ring, flopping on her face against the force of the blow!

When Sanae heard Jonathan's praise, she looked over her shoulder to flash a grin in his direction, waving her hand. It always made her spirits soar to know that she was capable of making new fans with her skills, and if she was able to convince even her opponent's cornerman to support her, that meant she had to be doing something right! It gave her newfound confidence in herself as she got ready to make her next move, smiling wider and balling a fist tighter. There, she turned to climb up the turnbuckles to get to the top rope, turning around to look back at Lyra. She bent at the knees, feeling the ropes buckle lower against her weight as she lined up her shot. And then, she sprung through the air with a battle cry, holding an elbow out in front of her as she prepared to land an elbow drop across the fortune teller's back!

[Pegasus]

Lyra would be shook after taking the Dropkick to her chest and shook the headache building up in her brain. She saw Sanae look over at Jonathan and she managed a small smile glad to know she was helping the idol grow into the competitor she wanted to be. A blush came to Lyra’s cheeks as she saw Sanae get a bit more fiercer in her stance. That was a bit hot! Lyra went back down on her face hiding her blush so her opponent didn’t notice.

Sanae would climb to the top rope in order to execute an elbow drop. Lyra turned over on her back in order to see her opponent as Sanae uttered a strong female battle cry extending her elbow aimed for her gut. Lyra closed her eyes seeing the vision of her countering with a Spear and she had a few seconds before Sanae completed her move! Lyra got on her knees and jumped up catching Sanae in a Spear reversing her aerial assault! However, still reeling from the effects of the earlier Dropkick, Lyra added more pain to her chest as both women were down. The ref checked out both of them as she raised her fingers starting the count.

“1! 2!”

[CaptainL]

For better or worse, any attraction her opponent might have had to her at this particular moment in time was lost on Sanae. What mattered to her was that she was getting fired up, and with Lyra taken to the ground, her heart was soaring with anticipation! Climbing up the ropes, the green-haired girl let out a cheer, pumping her fist in the air. While Lyra had proven herself to be a difficult opponent to read earlier, Sanae was quickly taking back control, and each move she got in successfully only gave her more and more hope for the next. The fans, too, rallied behind her, cheering right along with Sanae as she prepared herself to spring skyward - and, as she lifted into the air, hurtling toward her opponent with a look of determination on her face and her elbow held out in front of her, the applause was practically deafening!

Sanae had Lyra in her sights. She was closing in little by little with each passing moment, looking down on the blonde from above. But just then, the impossible happened. At the last minute, the light returned to Lyra's eyes. She jolted back onto her knees, while Sanae was already in flight! The aspiring idol let out a gasp - even with Lyra's prior actions in her memory, she could never have counted on her having the ability to jump back into the game at a moment's notice, when all seemed lost! But she was already in motion. Her trajectory had already been decided! Sanae was coming down toward Lyra fast, and there was no way to stop herself now!

Then, Lyra hurled herself off the mat at top speeds, coming crashing into Sanae with a loud thump! Sanae's screams filled the air as she was flung backward and away from Lyra with all the force of her charge! She landed on her shoulders against the mat, skidding across the canvas; the force of her landing was enough to kick her legs up into the air. As she slowed to a stop, her legs fell back down, and she went flat to the canvas, her head turned aside and her jaw lolling open as she stared out into space with a groan. She panted for breath; her body was weighed down by fatigue, and she couldn't will herself to get back up. But in taking on such great force, Lyra had taken herself down, too. Now the entire crowd was on the edge of their seats - for all they knew, the entire match could be determined by whoever rose first! But, so far, neither Sanae or Lyra seemed ready for it!

"3! 4!"

[Pegasus]

Lyra had taken quite the beating for someone who could see everything that the universe gave them. Lyra could see Sanae falling towards her with great enthusiasm that this match was over, but the fortune teller caught her in a Spear. Both women had taken quite the punishment during this bout and the crowd loved every moment of it even if most of the fans sided with the idol. Lyra proved herself very competitive in this match whether she won or loss. Sanae legs flopped down on the mat as the ref kept the count up.

“5! 6!”

Lyra starts stirring as she crawled over to Sanae and pushed herself up to the ear of her opponent.

“7!”

“You are so strong. I think….I’m starting to like you a bit more,” Lyra admitted to her. “Like a crush.”

Lyra would then get herself back to her feet stumbling as she stood back stopping the ref’s count in her tracks.

[CaptainL]

It should have been Sanae's moment of glory. Everything seemed to be set up perfectly - the way she had rose to the top of her arc, with Lyra motionless below her, the only way she could possibly go was down, with her elbow extended and pointed straight toward her foe's core. But at the last minute, everything changed. It had to have happened in a matter of seconds, yet to all those looking on, the sheer audacity of it made it stand out all the more. At the very last second, right when Sanae was supposed to crash down on top of her, Lyra got up. And not just that - she shot herself right back toward Sanae, crashing into her with enough force to knock the aspiring idol out of the air! Many wrestlers would have frozen up in fear if their opponent was bearing down on them the way Sanae was on Lyra - but not her. She already knew this would work! The gasp that rang through the arena was enough to silence the near-constant cheers for just a moment, as the two girls skidded back from one another. But a moment later, as the realization set in, even Lyra would begin to hear her name chanted from the top of the stands. After such a thrilling reversal, she most certainly had earned it!

Now, Sanae and Lyra were both down, flat out on the canvas and splayed in opposite directions. Sanae had all the momentum of her drop turned back on her, and Lyra had burnt out all of her energy with one last burst of force. Now, it was all a matter of who would be the first to rise - and the crowd was rapt with attention, waiting on the moment to come. Lyra was the first to stir, but she still wasn't on her feet, and the count kept going. But when she crawled over to whisper into Sanae's ear...it was enough to get the green-haired girl to follow after her in righting herself.

"What!?" Sanae jumped back up to a seated position, her face flushing red as her jaw dropped in a gasp. She had already noticed some tension building between the two of them, but at that point, she didn't know how much of that was just in her head. Now, though...now she knew something was going on! She didn't know what to think about it, and she glanced back and forth, searching for an answer. However...when her eyes came back to rest on Lyra's face, her expression softened into a smile. Lyra did just praise Sanae on her strength, something that she took with pride; if even her opponents had faith in her, that meant she was doing something right. And for that matter, for all Lyra's motives confused her...she at least seemed like a nice person. Maybe getting to know her more wouldn't hurt...

A second later, Sanae shook herself back to her senses. There was no time for daydreaming - this match was still going, and she couldn't let down her guard. She saw Lyra was back on her feet, which meant she was quick to follow, unwilling to cede any ground to her foe. She quickly hopped back up, her fist clenching as she locked a determined glare on Lyra. Sanae could see how she was teetering back and forth - which meant the match was getting to her! The right force in the right direction could send it all toppling! Approaching Lyra had seemed like a daunting task before when she seemed to see everything coming - but maybe now, when fatigue had sapped her senses, Sanae would have more luck! She took a step closer to Lyra, drawing her arm back to deliver a forearm across her collarbone!

[Pegasus]

Lyra saw Sanae get back up more determined than ever as the idol was dead set on going after the fortune teller. The glare didn’t even make Lyra flinch as the fortune teller slowly closed her eyes and envisioned Sanae bringing down a forearm on her foe. However, Sanae would do just that right before the fortune teller could open her eyes! Lyra shot back her own forearm which sent the two to war!

Elbows and forearms flew as Sanae and Lyra were both starting to tucker out of their extra fuel. Soon, they just resorted to slapping each other across the face as Lyra headbutted the idol away from her. She went to one knee and breathed heavily knowing her stamina wasn’t going to regenerate quickly enough. She had to buy time!