Toshiko Ito vs. Lisbeth Carlsen (Apex Qualifier)

[Dubski]

Toshiko Ito vs. Lisbeth Carlsen
Match Type: Standard Match
Rules: The winner can win by pinfall, knockout, or submission.

The arena dimmed as Toshiko Ito entered the stage while Demon by Blue Stahli played. The Japanese girl looked shredded as strobe lights shone down on the stage and she performed an elaborate dance with two war fans, before tossing them both to the side and heading down to the ring with a determined expression on her hardened face. She wanted to win this Apex Qualifier, and she intended to cut through anyone to achieve it. She would unleash hell itself to make it happen.

As she stomped up the steps, she stepped into the ring and began walking, giving the referee a glare as she got to her corner and held onto the top ropes, looming over it. Her lean, but chiseled muscles kept her on the lower end of the heavyweight scale, but it helped her kicks and strikes to be far more lethal. And lethal she would need them to be. Eventually, Ito would head to her corner and crouch down into the corner, staring intensely at the entrance as one arm held the top rope. She wanted to know who she would face next. Her focus was on a laser sight to crush whoever would step into the ring with her now.

Spoiler

[ThatPolishDude]

Lisbeth took a deep breath and fixed her attire. The fight itself wasn't all that stressful but for her first showing she would face one of the apex competitors, which meant one of the best. Stress still wasn't the right word, as unlikely as it was for her to complete qualifiers in time, even being put for one was something, and she intended to prove that she deserved the spot among the best.

Lisbeth

Theme

Lights dimmed once more, purple fog spreading across the stage. Spotlights turned red and searched through the arena before settling on the figure now standing on the stage. Lisbeth cracked her knuckles and flexed her fingers before calmly going to the ring. There she would head straight for her corner where she would roll her shoulders and look at her opponent. Before hearing the bell after which she would advance to the center but let her foe make the first move.

[Dubski]

Toshiko kept her eyes on the stage as she crouched in the corner, waiting for her opponent to come. They seemed to give her fog, spotlights, and a whole entrance for the newcomer. It didn't matter to the Twilight Edge though. The fanfare never meant as much to her as the combat and the fighting. It was about what woman would be better than the other one. It seemed like Lisbeth also took the match seriously though. There was no attempt at pleasantries, jokes, or good-natured well wishes and handshakes. All the better for Ito.

The bell would ring, and only then would Toshiko Ito come out of her perch in the corner. She used the rope to pull herself up and approached the middle of the ring where Carlsen also stood. With a steely gaze, she eyed up her opponent before striking a martial arts pose, preparing to strike first. It looked like Lisbeth was going to let her make the first move--foolish, she thought. She knew her own abilities, and how to gain an early advantage.

And the Japanese girl would do just that, letting out a brief cry as she struck forward with a combination of attacks. A chop towards the neck would come first, followed by Toshiko spinning and throwing a short fist into the midsection. A knee strike into bicycle kick came after, followed by a side crane kick, all aiming to put together a vicious striking combination with the intent to put Lisbeth on the defensive. Toshiko wanted her opponent to not feel safe enough to strike back on the early goings, and she wanted to carry any momentum forward with more aggression.

[ThatPolishDude]

Lisbeth expected her opponent to go all out on the offence when she gave her the chance, all the better for her that she would gas out like that, it will just make her easier to pick apart later and for now she would simply have to focus on not taking any big hits. The chop was easy enough to defend from as she took it on her forearm, short fist surprised her and she took it clean on the body, hissing as it connected. In a happy coincidence, it made her step back from the next attack. The range between them was quickly cleared and the next attack came, she would rise her hands just in time to block it, feeling the burn in her arms from that impact but now it was her chance.

Before Toshiko could retract her leg, Lisbeth would grab a hold of it and aggressively pull. She would follow that by stepping in with an elbow aimed straight at her opponent's nose. She would then quickly manoeuvre one of her hands behind her opponent's neck and pull her in she would follow that with three more elbows to the side of her head before she hands would join behind her neck and pull her head down towards the awaiting knee below

[Dubski]

Toshiko had gone far with her assault, nailing the short fist strike to her stomach and keeping Lisbeth on the retreat, finishing with a side crane kick that was unfortunately grabbed. Carlsen seemed to have some talents of her own, but not anything that Ito wouldn't be ready for. It wouldn't be her first time fighting someone who was challenging. She in fact enjoyed it far more than most grapplers and other technical wrestlers in the league. It was more of her comfort zone. The Twilight Edge felt herself be tugged forward and was able to shield her face from the incoming strike as she found her footing again.

Then she felt her head was grabbed and Ito was tugged forward, with elbow strikes that followed. The first two hit flush, but Toshiko was able to break and block the next. Simultaneously, she would lift a boot and give Lisbeth a shove away as she went for her knee strike. Taking but a moment to recover, the striker would get right back on the attack, going in low as she went for a piercing elbow strike towards Carlsen's midsection. Then, Toshiko would follow up with a low sweep, trying to take her opponent off of her feet entirely!

[ThatPolishDude]

The sudden dip to her midsection caught Lisbeth off guard, making her bend forward and exhale sharply. She made a mental note to take more care in protecting her core and noticed the sweep coming her way, she would shift one leg back and out of the range while she rose the other over the incoming attack. Then she shifted her hips and turned the movement straight into a sidekick aimed at Toshiko's head.

After that, her foot would land right next to her opponent's as she drew herself closer and rose the other leg with a knee strike to her stomach. That was shortly followed by an attempt to deliver an elbow to the back of the other woman's neck before wrapping her arm around it and robbing backwards with a DDT.

[Dubski]

Toshiko had managed to land her elbow strike to the midsection of Lisbeth and was quick to follow up with a sweep that ended up being less successful as Carlsen was quick to fire back herself. The side kick hit Toshiko in the head, causing her to stagger as she got back to a standing position. She guarded her hurt skull which left her open for a knee to the midsection and let out a grunt of pain. "Ahnnff..."

Then, an elbow came towards the back of her head, but she knew she needed to keep protecting her recently hit head. With one hand, she grabbed at the wrist, then the elbow as she straightened the limb, letting out a soft groan as she held it there for a moment. Then, she would attempt to turn and duck under the limb as she held onto it, aiming to place it over her own shoulder. Then, she would try to throw down Lisbeth over her shoulder with a big judo throw, wanting to send her right to the mat and put a stop to any further attacks she would send her way!

[ThatPolishDude]

All the momentum Lisbeth seemed to be building up met an abrupt stop when Toshiko grabbed her wrist and tossed her over her shoulder. Not used to such attacks, the danish woman took a nasty fall, instinctively arching her back after the impact. "Ghrrr!" She growled in pain, she would quickly turn and throw an up kick at Toshiko, more to keep her at bay than to actually hit before pushing off the mat to slide towards the ropes.

There she would slowly get to her feet, stretching her back as the throw clearly left an impact on her. Still, she knew she lost the initiative for the time being and got ready do defend herself from her foe's next attack.

[Dubski]

Toshiko had used her deft counter, grabbing that offending arm and then using it to send Lisbeth to the mat with a judo throw in front of her. She watched Carlsen land hard below her, taking a deep breath as she staved off the pain from that hit to her bare midsection. Her stomach was lean and shredded, but it could still take a beating like anyone else's. Fortunately for Ito, she knew how to deal with that sort of pain. Her opponent was starting to get up, and Toshiko instantly walked around to position herself behind her. She wanted to take control of this match and keep control.

Despite Lisbeth starting to get up, Ito kept her steely gaze on her, waiting for the right moment. Then, she would position herself perfectly for an upcoming strike. She sent her positively kick directly towards Carlsen's back, aiming to continue sending pain to her recently hurt spine. "Yah!" cried the Japanese girl as she threw her sharp, hard kick. It was the kind of kick that would ensure Lisbeth would never wanted to be hit by one like that again if it connected.

[ThatPolishDude]

Lisbeth was disoriented when she got up, not being able to immediately find where her opponent was. Then she heard her cry and started to turn too late to actually defend herself from the kick which found her side. The impact of it made the danish woman fold and stumble back, holding it in pain, she couldn't help but feel she was already falling behind and that simply couldn't stand. She would certainly not give a quarter, not so early into the fight anyway.

Fighting through the pain she stepped forward, swaying from side to side as she took a stance more appropriate for boxing, moving her entire body to build momentum, then she made a step to the right moving as though to deliver a strike from there only to come around with a hook from her left, hoping to nail Toshiko right on her jaw.