Yukino Fuyumi vs. Carolina Reine Youngren - Apex Qualifier Match

[ReticentCone]

Getting slammed face first into the ground always hurt, no matter the size of one's opponent, so it was no surprise that it was enough to leave Carolina to distracted by the pain to immediately react to Yukino running back toward the ropes to attack her with a follow up move.

When Yukino's elbow landed, Isljoninna couldn't help but let out an audible gasp of pain and pull her knees towards her belly and roll to the side. The smaller woman' elbow pushing deep into her gut caused her a great deal of discomfort.

[CaptainL]

Yukino had settled into her groove by now. She might have been intimidated by her opponent at first - and Carolina's threats weren't making her feel much better - but she'd managed to overcome her initial anxieties, and now it seemed everything was falling into place. Even after a rough start, she'd come bouncing back and better than ever, keeping the pressure on her opponent and making sure she stayed down with a series of well-placed moves! A smile was growing across Yukino's face - if she was doing this well thus far, victory didn't feel so insurmountable. She could do this!

Carolina was rolling aside, but Yukino was quick to follow after her, rolling up to her knees. It seemed as though her elbow drop had left her winded - which meant she was in the perfect position for the white-haired girl to capitalize on! "Oh no you don't!" she said, reaching out to grab Carolina by the arm. If successful, she'd yank back on it to try to reel the blonde in closer, where she would pin it between her shoulder blades to go for a hammerlock!

[ReticentCone]

While Carolina was winded from to the elbow to her gut, the pain also returned her focus from getting a face full of canvas. So by the time Yukino was ready to pull her into a hammerlock, Isljoninna was ready to attempt to deploy one move in her extensive arsenal of counters. First, she'd use the fact she was already on her knees to attempt to get up to her feet while paying Yukino back by throwing a powerful right elbow into her gut. Then, she'd attempt to put her left leg back to take Yukino down with a scissors sweep that'd also see Carolina spinning around and grabbing at Yukino's ankle. If Carolina got that far, rather than working on Yukino's ankle from the ground, she'd attempt to immediately stand up while holding Yukino's ankle before slaming her left knee into the canvas.

[CaptainL]

Now that Carolina was down, Yukino saw her chance, and she wasn't about to let up on the pressure - she had to keep up her advantage, lest she lose control of her opponent! Scrambling to reclaim a dominant position, she grabbed for the blonde's arm, attempting to pin it behind her shoulders. Her breaths quickened and her heart pounded - she was already doing so well; she couldn't lose this now!

But Carolina was ready for her - and she wasn't about to let Yukino get her hands on her. Just as the Winter Idol was closing in on her from behind, Carolina shot out with an elbow that nailed her in the gut, causing her to cough and sputter as she doubled over forward clutching her stomach. That left her stunned just long enough, and once again, she swept at her feet, sending Yukino toppling to her back - and right as she fell, she would grab her by the leg! As she felt the pressure on her ankle, Yukino gulped, already anticipating the torque of an ankle lock. But Carolina had other plans in mind - instead, she rolled her to her stomach and hurled Yukino's knee into the mat, where it landed with a resounding thump!

Yukino cried out from the pain shooting through her leg. Curling up in an attempt to protect herself, she rolled over on her side, clutching at her knee. She needed time for the pain to settle, but she knew that Carolina would be on the warpath all the while. For now, she was going to try and turn her back to the blonde, hoping it could shield her vitals from attack.

[ReticentCone]

Carolina's elbow first connected with Yukino's gut, forcing the air out of her stomach and delivering a satisfying degree of vengence for the elbow drop that woman took a few moments earlier. But more importantly, it allowed her to escape the hammerlock and trip her opponent to the ground, from there it was easy enough to grab Yukino's leg and slam it knee first into the ground. Her opponent, reeling from the pain of the successive attacks on the ground, well positioned to receive a signature attack from Carolina. Isljoninna moved to stand nearby the recovering woman's head, then turned around while lifting her right leg into the air and grabbing on to her ankle it at it's peak, before bringing her heel down hard toward the white haired girl's head:

The I-Spin Kick!

[CaptainL]

As she rolled with her back turned to Carolina, Yukino took a few brief seconds to take in a few pants, trying to catch her breath. She pushed herself up a little higher, rising to her hands and knees; her head hung low, bowed against the weight of fatigue on her shoulders. Little did she know, this only put her in an even more vulnerable position for her foe to exploit! Yukino could feel a presence nearby - but when she looked back in its direction, her eyes went wide when she saw what lay in store for her. Carolina's leg was held straight up in the air, ready to come down like a hammer on her skull!

At that moment, Yukino's eyes went wide in shock as a wave of cold ran along her body, sending goosebumps over her skin. If this blow hit, with the force Carolina was gathering behind it, it could take the idol out then and there. No matter the odds, and no matter how much she hurt...Yukino had to stop it!

She was acting as much by instinct as by conscious thought, but she knew that if she was going to act it would be now or never. Suddenly, she pushed herself up straight, her arms flying into the air above her head. She was hoping to catch Carolina's leg as it was coming down; if that worked, she would fall to her back to try and sweep the blonde off her feet!

[ReticentCone]

Carolina's expected to feel the satisfying impact of her foot against the back of Yukino's head moments after bringing he foot down, instead she felt her leg grabbed, then immediately yanked. Before she knew it, she found her self falling backward to the canvas, her head snapping back against it when she hit the ground.
"Argh" Carolina grunted, out of pain, sure, but largely anger as well. She had just missed on perfect opportunity to scramble the yukino's head, it not knock her out there and then. Instead, Isljoninna was the one who yet again, took a painful shock to her head.

[CaptainL]

When Carolina was keeping her on the ropes, Yukino would need to think fast if she wanted to stay ahead of the game. Luckily, she was starting to adapt - she could see the kinks in her opponent's tactics that she would be able to take advantage of, and she knew she had to act in those few split-seconds she had her opening for! When she saw Carolina's foot coming down toward her, she knew it was one of those openings. If her stomp hit, Yukino would be knocked into a daze she didn't know if she could recover from. But the setup gave her the perfect opportunity to take hold of the blonde's leg and counter. Yukino had seen how Carolina had been able to sweep her off her feet before, so she knew how such moves worked. Now was her chance to return the favor!

Sure enough, as Yukino grabbed Carolina by the leg and rolled to the side, she was able to take the larger woman off her feet, sending her crashing into the canvas! The fans burst into cheers at the sight of such a reversal - but Yukino knew she wasn't done yet. Now that Carolina was down, she had to strike - she kicked her legs out straight, looking to ensnare her foe's leg in between her thighs before grabbing at her ankle to pull back and stretch her joints with a kneebar!

[ReticentCone]

Carolina find the cheers Yukino's reversal somewhat annoying, but at least they were having fun and the anger helped focus her. So when Yukino pulled Carolina into the kneebar, along side the pain of enduring damage to her knee, which caused her to let out a yell of pain, she had something to focus her on properly attempting an escape.

First, she'd pull her free leg back and place her foot into the back of Yukino's knee, then attempt to relieve pressure off her own by pushing it forward. At the same time she'd grab that same leg's foot and attempt to seperate it from her other leg, to give Carolina space to attempt to pull out her trapped leg out.

From that position, she'd be free to attempt her own kneebar, but rather than do that, she'd focus on getting back up and attempting to drag Yukino
across the canvas toward the nearest ring corner.

[CaptainL]

Now that she had Carolina caught, Yukino's heart was racing. She couldn't afford to let her go - she knew the blonde had her beat when it came to size and strength, and she needed to fight for any advantage she could get. While she had Carolina down, it was imperative for her to work at her joints, wearing her down and keeping the advantage as long as she could. Her teeth clenched as her hands grasped for Carolina's ankle, looking to yank at it at the same time she stretched her knee. She didn't know how long she could make this last, but while she had the hold secured, she had to deal as much damage as she could!

But Carolina already had a plan. Suddenly, Yukino felt the blonde's foot pressing against her own knee - and little by little, her postion was being pushed back. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she caught sight of her foe's tactics. And that moment of surprise was just what Carolina needed. In that moment, Yukino's hold loosened a little as her body involuntarily relaxed - which gave Carolina that much more room to pull Yukino's legs apart, and for her to pull herself free!

As her opponent got to her feet, Yukino tried to push herself back up, bracing her hands against the canvas. But Carolina already had her by the leg, and she was steadily dragging her toward the corner! Yukino didn't know what she was planning, but she could only imagine what might lay in store for her if Carolina reached her goal. She tossed her head from side to side in defiance, and she kicked with her free leg to try and hit Carolina where she stood behind her!