Sanae Saitou vs. Alizeh Midori II: Submission Match

[CaptainL]

Sanae could hardly believe it was working! She had her arms wrapped tightly around Alizeh, squeezing down around her sides, and she had actually managed to lift her off her feet! It seemed impossible that a lightweight like her would be able to so easily lift such a larger opponent, especially when the strain of the match was beginning to wear down on her. Indeed, a shudder went through her back as she tried to force herself to stand up straighter and hold her head higher, struggling to keep her footing as her center of balance teetered back and forth. But Sanae barely even gave any thought to the sensation. She was too lost in the thrill of knowing that her efforts were actually bearing fruit - that her determination had carried her through to this, where she had the great Alizeh Midori trapped in her embrace! Her heart was pounding and her jaw had dropped open in a gasp; her whole body tingled at the thought that she was this close to victory!

Sanae squeezed as tightly as she could, hoping to keep the pressure locked on Alizeh. But as hard as she fought to maintain her grip, there was nothing changing the fact that Sanae was a lot smaller than her foe, and her bear hug couldn't last out forever. Little by little her arms were beginning to loosen, a tremble running through her limbs as fatigue set in. Alizeh could feel that - and she was determined to push things that much further, as she brought up her arm to swing an elbow into the back of the aspiring idol's skull!

"KYAAH-!!" Sanae doubled over forward as she reeled against the brunt of the blow, staggering to keep her balance up. Her head erupted in pain, and her eyes squeezed tightly shut in a wince. Alizeh didn't stop, either; she kept hammering hard at Sanae's head, again and again! Each time she struck, it was making Sanae's grip loosen more and more. She began to bend inward, leaning into her opponent as her knees buckled against her own weight, and her arms were slipping lower. Before long, Alizeh was able to grab her by the arm, pulling herself free - and swinging Sanae right into the ropes! Her legs pumping at the air, Sanae was sent running into the cables, where she bounced off of them and came back toward Alizeh - straight into the path of a Spanish Fly!

It was moving so quickly, everything around Sanae went by in a blur. Suddenly, she had been catapulted back into Alizeh's arms, where the middleweight jumped off her feet and swung her through the air, slamming her down into the mat off the momentum of a backflip! The wind was knocked out of Sanae's lungs by the impact as the ring shook beneath her, and her arms flopped limp at her sides, her eyes glazed over and her jaw lolling open as she panted for breath.

[Bare]

Despite this match not going as long as their first match it was to be expected, after all this was a single, crucial fall as opposed to best two out of three, and on top of that both Alizeh and Sanae were at a far greater level than before. As such they were doing damage to one another and exhausting themselves at a much greater level than before, almost like when two master swordsmen dueled, it wouldn't go long, because the moment one slipped... it would be over.

Despite both girls capitalizing as best they could with the advantages they had managed to garner, neither Alizeh nor Sanae had really managed to put the other away, and with how back and forth things were going, it was hard to say exactly when this would end or how. But if nothing else the fans were extremely into it, with everyone chanting and screaming for their favorite to win. Particularly, Alizeh's gutsy and brutal escape of Sanae's bearhug had been impressive to everyone watching and led to even more investment once Alizeh really turned things on Sanae with a irish whip into the beautiful spanish fly!

"FIGHT FOREVER! FIGHT FOREVER! FIGHT FOREVER!"

For the first time in the match the fans had unified over one sentiment. That being to see Alizeh and Sanae do this all night long and then some. But the simple and brutal fact of the matter was that this would be impossible. After the aerial maneuver by the veteran between the two both Alizeh and Sanae were down on the mat, breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from the match so far, but neither willing to give in. Naturally the ref came in and started a ten count which only made the fans double down on their chants, trying to will the two fighters back to their feet!

Luckily for those in attendance and watching at home they wouldn't have to worry long since Alizeh was already getting back up to her feet, stopping the referee from continuing a count of any kind as Alizeh got back up to her feet and raised a fist up which caused everyone in attendance to cheer in excitement at what she may have planned next. Spreading her feet and standing over a still downed Sanae Alizeh would bend down, looking to wrap her arms around Sanae's waist from above before pulling up, aiming to try and haul Sanae's body weight up.

Naturally this was no easy process, especially in a state such as hers. But Alizeh had something to prove after losing the test of strength to Sanae and she wasn't about to take a easy route this late into the match. So with biceps bulging boisterously Alizeh would lift Sanae off the mat in a deadlift until the girl's rear end was pressed against Alizeh's crotch, all set up and in position for a german suplex! Potentially even another three amigos like at the start of this epic match as Alizeh prepared to throw herself, and Sanae backwards for the first suplex!

[CaptainL]

Even if Alizeh had a significant edge on Sanae when it came to experience, the aspiring idol had easily caught up to her in the short time she had been wrestling. Now the two seemed to be on even footing, matching each others' moves blow for blow, and transitioning from one position to another as they passed the momentum back and forth. With both of them perfectly matched, neither was able to easily overtake the other - not yet, anyway. But each motion they made was whittling away at each other's stamina, chipping away their defenses bit by bit, until the time came where one would find themselves in a position they simply didn't have the strength left to escape from. It was only a matter of who that would be - but neither Alizeh nor Sanae were willing to make even the slightest mistake!

When Alizeh hit Sanae with the Spanish Fly, however, it seemed as though that would be that. The lightweight had been slammed into the canvas against her opponent's weight, causing the ring to shake as her legs kicked up in the air by the force of her impact. Then she sank back down, laid out flat on the canvas; her hair lay in a tangle around her head, and her arms and legs were limp at her sides as she panted for breath. Though she seemed to have boundless energy at her disposal, that had clearly left an impact she wasn't going to recover from easily. And when Alizeh began to rise, leaving Sanae still flat on the mat, it seemed as though the match that no one wanted to end was going to come to a conclusion.

Sanae could only look up at Alizeh through half-lidded eyes, heaving for air between even every thought. Her fingers clenched at her sides; she tried to will herself back up, but she couldn't find it in her. She knew that the fans were counting on her to get back up - not even to win, at this point, but to keep fighting, just to impress them all the more. She didn't want to let them down. Nor did she want to let Minami down, when she was in this match to prove she had what it took to rise to her challenge - but when Alizeh bent down and scooped her up, all Sanae could do was wince, bracing herself for the inevitable.

But then, it hit her. She could feel Alizeh's weight tipping backward, her arms locking in tighter around her waist to hold her there. She recognized that Alizeh was setting her up for a German suplex - just like she had at the very beginning of the match! Sanae knew all too well that if that worked, she would have no chance of success. But this time, she knew what she could do! She had the chance, here and now, to ensure this match wouldn't be over. She didn't know if it would work. But she would at least try, just to prove she had it in her to do so!

Just as Alizeh was bringing Sanae over her back, the lightweight found the last gasp of energy she needed. She swung her arms downward, going to hook around her opponent's legs while her legs coiled over Alizeh's arms, and she tucked her head inward to roll with the momentum. Ordinarily, lifting a larger opponent like Alizeh would put considerable strain on her back, and she had already been taking too many risks with that. But now, she could use gravity and momentum to her advantage, using the same force with which Alizeh was throwing her in order to drag her down - as she tried to flip over to slam Alizeh onto her back in a sunset flip!

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/8o3mbGgFf_Q?t=15

[Bare]

Alizeh was breathing heavily, sweat pouring profusely down her body and her hair threatening to cling onto her face more and more with every passing moment as the match continued. Despite the ragged appearance of her body however Alizeh was more fired up than when this mach began. At its start she was worried about the way this match was brought about, how Sanae would feel going into it, if it may affect their friendship, all sorts of things that she normally didn't bat a lash at under normal circumstances. Now however? Now Alizeh was into it, as was Sanae, and she was giving it her all, looking to do whatever it took to keep Sanae down for the count and finish this for good. All she had to do was land another series of suplexes and she knew Sanae would be easy pickings for the Emerald Twilight.

However she made a crucial mistake in her planning for this next move. That mistake being that, as she lifted Sanae up, she forgot that she had actually done this move earlier in their match, almost right after it had started in fact. A detail so minuscule and, for the two fighters, feeling so old, didn't seem like a big deal, but it truly was. For Sanae, despite being less experienced than Alizeh was a frighteningly fast learner, and anything used on her once she remembered and either utilized it later, such as some of the submissions Alizeh had used on the girl only to have them turned on her... Or Sanae knew how to counter such moves used on her previously....

So as Alizeh lifted the girl up, right from a deadlift no less, the idol went into action. Suddenly pushing herself up, out of Alizeh's grip! But she wasn't going forward or to the sides to simply evade the hold. No instead the aspiring idol had flipped over Alizeh entirely and landed in a way that had almost all of Alizeh's limbs tied up in some way. Making it easy pickings for the girl to pull forward, taking Alizeh off her feet and through the air backwards in a way that she hadn't been expecting or wanting. So instead of slamming Sanae down hard against the mat, the reverse instead happened, with Alizeh's back and shoulders spiking hard on the mat from the sunset flip!

"Gyahhhh!" Crying out in pain and shock from the impact Alizeh very near bounced off the mat before landing on her chest against the mat, gasping and sputtering in pain, clutching the small of her back with a look of agony on her face, trying to grit her teeth in order to bear it. Placing one hand on the mat Alizeh attempted to push herself up, knowing that the longer she spent on the mat the more of an advantage Sanae would have. But it was such a hard task, especially right now. Even pushing herself up a little bit felt monuments, especially once her back seized up, forcing Alizeh's arm to drop back down a bit, taking quick breathes to regain herself.

[CaptainL]

Sanae's heart was pounding. Even after she had brought Alizeh down with the sunset flip, rolling into a crouched position on the mat beside her, her adrenaline had peaked. Her body was heavy with fatigue; she'd pushed herself to new heights in this match, not only forcing herself to adapt to a submission match against a submission expert but also bringing her body to bear the weight of lifting and carrying a larger foe not just once, not just a few times, but far more than anyone could possibly have believed her capable of. She had to lean forward with her hand pressed against the mat to keep herself up, and she gasped for air, her chest heaving and her brow slick with sweat. When reality caught up to Sanae, she could feel her body wobble as she braced herself on her hand, and she raised her other hand to her head to try and focus through the oncoming vertigo. She knew she couldn't handle much more of this. But when she heard the crowd cheering her name, louder and stronger than ever before, none of that seemed to matter.

Sanae had all the makings for a fan favorite. She was pretty, personable, and talented; not only did she have a knack for stunning displays of acrobatics that couldn't help but wow the crowd, she was proving herself to be adaptable and indomitable, perhaps more so in this match than in any that had come before it. She was up against an opponent she had no right to be holding her own against - Alizeh was larger, more experienced, and easily outpaced Sanae when it came to the objective of this match. Yet the aspiring idol wasn't just surviving, she was thriving. She was the clear underdog, and still she was pushing her body past its limits to keep up with Alizeh, showing the spirit to never back down, not even in the face of any challenge! It was that spirit that endeared Sanae to the crowd just as much as any of her feats - and she had shown her fair share of those too!

Now, Sanae looked back up toward the fans with bright eyes and a brighter smile, clenching a fist defiantly. She knew everyone was counting on her now - and that gave her the extra motivation to bring this match to the finish they wanted! Now that Alizeh was down, she was vulnerable. It was the perfect time for Sanae to move in for the killing blow. If she couldn't pull this off, she might not have it in her to land another move - so she had to make this one count!

The green-haired girl rose to her feet on wobbly legs, needing to hold her arms out at her sides to steady herself. She took one step toward Alizeh and then another, teetering each time. But once she was in range, she knew she had to strike. Sanae's penchant for learning on the fly had served her well before, and it was going to serve her well now. Her mind flashed back to the hold Alizeh had her in before - grabbing her by the legs and locking them into a figure four behind her back to exert the pressure on her spine. She grimaced just thinking about it; it had felt like her back was about to break, and it had nearly taken Sanae out of the match. But none of that mattered now. Now, Sanae realized she had her chance. Everything seemed to come to her, the steps to set up such a move flashing before her mind's eye in black and white. She knew that move would be just as effective against Alizeh. Better yet, she knew how she could take it a step beyond!

As Alizeh had done before, Sanae sat down behind the middleweight, lifting her legs and twisting them over her back before crossing them at the ankles. The fans were already cheering such a display, seeing Sanae show off how well she could adapt to any situation if she could use her opponents' own moves against them. But she wasn't done - with this position locked in, she would then bring up her legs, hooking her feet together behind Alizeh's head, and trapping her arms before stretching them backward with a lotus lock! If there was ever a fan in the arena who wasn't cheering before, they certainly were now!

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecvTkkAMY50

[Bare]

Alizeh was in a seriously bad position right now and she knew it. After taking the full brunt of that sunset flip power bomb her whole back felt like it was on fire, even up to her shoulders and neck it felt bad. Just trying to push herself up to try and put up some kind of defense was near impossible cause of how difficult it was to focus with the position she was in. Worse yet, it felt like her adrenaline was starting to even out, because the longer she laid like this the more and more noticeable the pain and fatigue became and the harder it was to focus, a vicious cycle that fed into itself and would ultimately spell disaster for herself if she let it continue much longer!

Worse yet Sanae, despite being in a similar position as Alizeh, was at least still up by the sounds of it. That meant that even if she was exhausted and hurting all over, she would be in a position to end this. Something Alizeh knew cause if the roles were reversed she would already be on the move to lock Sanae in the tightest hold she could possibly get. Sure enough before long Alizeh felt her still prone legs grabbed and forced up. 'Shit!' Alizeh thought to herself, that small burst of realization causing a little microcosm of adrenaline to surge again as she tried to crawl away, but it was already too late.

Before long Sanae had twisted Alizeh's legs around and locked her in the same hold that Alizeh had used on Sanae earlier in the match! One that both knew first hand how painful and debilitating it was. In Alizeh's current state it was nothing short of pure and utter hell, her legs felt like they were on fire from the hold and her back in turn which was still hurting from the sunset flip wasn't helped either. But the coupt de grace that even Alizeh never would have expected was when Sanae raised her legs up and wrapped them around Alizeh's arms for a fusion of the current hold with a lotus lock! "AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The effectiveness of which could be seen with Alizeh's scream of agony and shaking in Sanae's hold, trying to do something to get free, but she was totally immobile, all limbs locked down, but she still refused to tap in spite of it!

[CaptainL]

Earlier in the match, Alizeh had improvised this hold on the fly, pulling a new technique out of her pocket to try and keep Sanae on her toes. The fact that the lightweight had already figured out how it worked, and how she could set it up herself, was impressive on its own, and the cheers she was getting for such a feat were well-earned. She had a photographic memory, and the same motions that Alizeh had put her body through came naturally to her when it came time to replicate it. But still Sanae wasn't happy with merely matching Alizeh's hold. Now that she was sure she couldn't prolong her efforts much longer, she was ready to bring this match to an explosive conclusion. And if she wanted to truly do it justice, she couldn't just copy what had been done before. She needed to go further beyond - and, as she hauled upward on Alizeh's arms to hook them into place, she brought her newly developed submission to a whole new level!

Sanae was in a precarious position. Her hands were clasped around Alizeh's ankles to hold her legs in place, while her feet were lifted off the ground to restrain her arms. The only point of contact Sanae had with the ground beneath her was her back - and her back had been forced to bear the brunt of the strain she'd been under in this match. She needed to keep it bent to maintain her balance, and even then, she teetered back and forth - and each moment that passed with her in the position caused her to strain more and more; her back creaked and shuddered against the pressure, and her vertebrae began to pop. The aspiring idol tried to last through it as long as she could, clenching her teeth tightly as her face grew red. Eventually, though, she couldn't hold it in any longer - she threw her head back and let out a pained scream of her own. Yet her fingers only wrapped even tighter around Alizeh's ankles. She couldn't let go now - if her hold gave out, she stood no chance of winning!

[Bare]

Agony. Pure and utter agony was the only way to describe the hellish hold Sanae had managed to lock Alizeh in, a hold that she had gotten from Alizeh in turn, but innovated in a way that not even Alizeh would have thought of. Boy was it working well though, with all four of her limbs locked down and put into hellish pain on top of it as well there was little to anything Alizeh could do to fight her way out of this. In fact there was no fighting any way out, she had no leverage, no room to so much as wiggle, all she could do was continue to scream in pain and hope, pray even that the damage Sanae herself had taken throughout the match would take its toll on her and eventually force her to release the hold. Though even if she did Alizeh wasn't quite sure what she could do in return, but at least there would be a chance.

Finally after what felt like eternity it felt like the submission was about to go slack and Sanae would fall away unable to hold it... But it was but a brief glimmer of hope. One that would get dimmed out as Sanae doubled back down on the submission, tightening it, no, doubling it as she released a roar of agony with the burst of determination! "AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Screaming in pain at the new levels of tension coursing throughout her body Alizeh felt like her limbs were about to snap and despite her pride and determination... even she knew when she was at her limit. So at the fever pitch of their struggle, Alizeh finally began to tap her hand against Sanae's ankle, giving the submission to her friend and the underdog of this match!

[CaptainL]

Every muscle in Sanae's body was rigid. Her biceps bulged as her fingers wrapped as tightly as they could around Alizeh's ankle, her nails burying themselves into her skin. Her back was pressed into the mat; she had to rely on her death-grip on Alizeh's limbs just to keep herself held in place, and with each second that passed in the hold, she was putting more and more strain on herself - especially on her back, which had been forced to bear the brunt of the strain she'd put upon herself in lifting and throwing her opponent despite the differences in size between the two. The hold was hurting Sanae as much as it was Alizeh. She could feel every creak and pop of her bones grinding against one another. Her face had gone red and contorted into a mask of pain, her teeth clenched into a grimace and her eyes squeezed so tightly shut as to crease her brow. Her head hung backward, her hair dangling in the air beneath it, as she fought with every ounce of strength she had in her not to scream.

And yet, Sanae couldn't let go. She knew she was close. She knew that if Alizeh couldn't escape this, it would be all over for her - and that if this failed, it was the last trick she had left in her arsenal. It was do or die. She needed to put everything she had into this; it was her last stand. If it didn't work, it meant she would have failed. It meant that she would have proven Minami right. The only option for her was to ride this wave until Alizeh's resistance broke, even if her spine did in the process! And that knowledge was the one thing keeping her going, even when her entire body was screaming at her to stop!

But then...at last, the tension broke. Alizeh reached out her hand, and tapped on the canvas. Lost in her own mind, Sanae didn't even realize it had happened - until she heard the bell.

At once, the aspiring idol dropped from Alizeh. Her limbs went limp, and she fell to her back, panting and gasping for air. Her brow was slick with sweat, and she couldn't even find the strength to move her limbs. It barely even registered to her that she had won the match when everything around her felt blurred and hazy, like she was dreaming. But slowly, she began to blink, and the light returned to her eyes more and more - until, finally, she could lift her head off the mat to look back at Alizeh.

"Did...did I win-?"

[Bare]

An uproar was the one and only way to describe the crowd in attendance in the arena right now. Nearly everyone who had witnessed the technical battle between Alizeh, a skilled user of submissions, and Sanae the underdog who showed promise in them no one had expected. Both rising stars in the company that put on a show stopper that had everyone on their feet in appreciation for the uphill battle, and now hard fought victory that Sanae had achieved tonight. Somewhere in the arena, a certain veteran would frown seeing what transpired before turning and walking away with a glower.

Meanwhile back inside the ring however it was a totally different vibe than the arena at large. Despite the high energy and volume getting to near deafening levels both Sanae and Alizeh were beaten, exhausted and in pain to the point that everything around them felt muted and slow, in a weird way it was as if they were the only two there at the moment. Something Alizeh had only come to realize now shortly after being released from Sanae's unique submission, her entire body sagging forward and pretty much going limp from the sheer amount of pain and numbness in her body.

Laying there and panting Alizeh was still trying to process everything herself, knowing that she had lost, after all she was the one who tapped. Yet it was hard to believe that it had happened. Not in a bad way. After all Alizeh was far from a bad sport, and she was sure as hell gonna be sure to congratulate Sanae properly when she could, but the feeling of pride and shock at what Sanae displayed throughout the match was.. immeasurable to the point that even despite the pain she was in, Alizeh could only barely smile softly at hearing Sanae's question. "Heh... yeah.. yeah.. you won.." Alizeh said as loud as she could, hoping Sanae was able to hear it over the roar of the crowd.