Yukino Fuyumi vs. Haruka Le Roux - Apex Qualifier Match

[CaptainL]

It looked as though Haruka had Yukino lined up perfectly to seize the advantage - but in that moment, something clicked in the white-haired girl's mind. She might have struggled so far, but there would always be opportunities to turn things around - the match wasn't over until the bell rang, and until that happened, anything was possible! She was determined not to have this match cement her as a joke, and she needed to stand up to Haruka one way or another. When she rolled herself to the side, she was propelled by that determination. And when Haruka fell to her back, Yukino knew her plans were working. Now it was her time to take control!

She grabbed the blonde by the legs, twisting them into place before locking them with her own to contort her muscles and tendons with the figure four! At the sight of Yukino's comeback, the fans began to cheer - and the sound of their voices made a smile come to her face. Now, she knew, no matter how hard it might have been...she could still do this! Haruka seemed paralyzed by the pain, which meant the Winter Idol was lined up perfectly to press the advantage she'd secured. Yukino planted the palms of her hands against the mat, trying to stabilize herself. Gritting her teeth, she would try and bridge up with her back, putting all the force she could muster into tightening the pressure of her hold!

[Taskmaster12]

It was a submission that many knew about and never failed to deliver pain when it was used. Her leg was trapped and used in a way she didn’t have a chance to reverse and before she could get anywhere she felt the pressure on her leg increase. Haruka couldn’t give up that easily, finding a place to push off her hands and get up enough that she could try to force her way to the ropes behind her. They were only a few feet away and likely easier than reversing the move which motivated her to keep going even when the pressure increased and tried to make her scream until her voice gave out. Eventually she pulled back enough that she could get her hands on the ropes pointing at the hold and directing someone to inform Yukino so that she could be free.

[CaptainL]

The figure four leglock might have been one of the more commonly used holds in wrestling, but it was for a good reason - it was simple yet effective, and right now, Yukino was trying to get as much out of it as she could! Her teeth clenched tight and her hands balled into fists, her knuckles going white and her nails digging into the palms of her hands. She had to hold on! She could feel Haruka dragging herself away, moving closer toward the ropes. She knew she couldn't hold on forever - eventually, Haruka was going to get the rope break, and she'd need to let go. But if Yukino couldn't keep this up, she at least wanted to get the most out of this hold that she could!

With every inch Haruka dragged herself, Yukino shook from side to side in an effort to fight back, torqing her foe's legs all the more. But soon enough, Haruka made it to the ropes - and the referee called out for a rope break. Obediently, Yukino's legs broke loose from Haruka's own, and, abandoning the hold, she rolled backward, climbing to her feet and dusting herself off. She panted for breath, needing a moment to shake herself out as she rose. But when she looked back at Haruka, her eyes narrowed in a glare. She might have escaped her clutches, but Yukino wouldn't let her get away for long!

Just as soon as Haruka got to her feet, Yukino would step up, swinging out a chop to catch the Frenchwoman in the ribs! Hopefully, she wouldn't have the time to recenter her balance quite yet, and she could push the advantage before she could recover!

[Taskmaster12]

Haruka slid her way to her escape while fighting the struggling Yukino making it hard for her. She wasn’t trapped much longer once she got to the ropes and her freedom was spent stretching out her legs to see if they had been overextended and limited with what she could do with them. The hold had made going far out harder, nothing that she needed to perform or still fight well and would start to get back up with the ropes to assist her when Yukino came and hit her with a chop that smacked her chest and pushed her ribs. Creating an uncomfortable shift in her body that made her gasp and move away to avoid getting more hits like that. By moving she could better defend her sides.

[CaptainL]

Haruka managed to get to the ropes, managing to secure a rope break that forced the white-haired girl to release her. But Yukino wouldn't let that be the end. As her opponent scrambled back from her, her brow furrowed in frustration. Yukino hadn't gone so far, and made this much effort, just to let Haruka get away from her. She still had plenty more up her sleeve - and one way or another, she was determined to share it with the world!

Her chop had bought her some time - as it landed with a crack, Haruka bent to the side, trying to shield herself from further damage. But that was okay. A moment Haruka was defending herself was one she wasn't on the offense. And a moment she wasn't on the offense was one Yukino could take advantage of! First, Yukino's leg would swing out, attempting to strike at Haruka's knee in the hopes of getting her to lose her balance and double over. It wasn't her first choice for such a setup, but with Haruka protecting her core, she figured it would be easier than aiming at her gut. If Yukino could get Haruka to fold over forward, she would throw her legs around her head to try to hold on a standing headscissor - and then fall to her back to drop her head-first into the mat for a DDT!

[Taskmaster12]

Haruka was pressed, she wasn’t out. She had too many of Robin’s ideas riding on her success to fail here. Yukino was enjoying the confidence that came with success and Haruka knew that confidence could still shatter without a foundation like victory to set it up. Her offense returned with a kick to Haruka’s knee to buckle Haruka down and open things up for an offer at her head for Yukino to leap on her and pull her legs around her head. The technique was carefully applied in sync to her own fall to make sure that Haruka didn’t get up and stop it. Haruka hardly had time to marvel at it before Yukino fell back and forced her head to follow and slam them both into the mat. While Yukino had the safety of of a light fall the force she brought her legs down with made Haruka’s legs reach for the sky and her head smash the mat hard enough to make her neck creak before she slipped down. Thankfully she landed on her face so it was easier to hide her own embarrassment at letting such a ploy work.

[CaptainL]

Yukino was tickled to see that her plan had worked! She had managed to counter Haruka's offense, dragging her down to the mat in the process, and delivering a blow that rattled through her body and left her stunned. She could see Haruka recoil from the impact, and the way her body crumpled under the force of gravity, falling limp around her. That told her that she was turning things around! She was standing up to Haruka; she was showing her that she wasn't about to play by her rules. Haruka might have gotten in her head before, leaving her questioning her abilities, and her chances of winning this match - but now, what Yukino delivered was proof to the contrary. She had it in her to put the Frenchwoman in her place, and if she could do that, she could go even further. She could succeed yet!

Now that Haruka was down, Yukino knew it was high time for her to capitalize on this moment! She scrambled up to her hands and knees, taking a moment to pant for breath. Moments later, though, she turned her attention back to Haruka. She had worked too hard to bring her down; she wasn't going to let her get away so easily! Now, it was time for Yukino to punish Haruka with some of her best offense. And she would put that to good use - falling to her foe's side, she laced her arm underneath Haruka's own, before grabbing her wrist with her other hand and tensing her muscles around Haruka's arm to secure the pressure of a Kimura lock!

Spoiler

[Taskmaster12]

Yukino had done well to get Haruka down like this even if Haruka was too embarrassed to admit it. Even with the match going against her plans however the nurse was too smart to be someone that would only have the one trick up her sleeve. If words wouldn’t keep Yukino flustered she knew a few actions that might. Waiting for her to get close and move for her arm Haruka after quickly to avoid her arm being trapped and would move closer to jump at Yukino and grab her boobs to squeeze on them. Her body language didn’t have any hints of someone who was used to contact like this and since Haruka knew this kind of action well she would use it to surprise her.

[CaptainL]

What Haruka had said earlier had definitely gotten under Yukino's skin. Her words were enough to sew the seeds of doubt in the white-haired girl, and as she began to question how well she could rise to the challenge, her momentum began to falter. Yukino had applied herself to Apex in the name of proving she could indeed show the potential to be a World Openweight Championship contender, and that her less than stellar career wasn't going to keep her back - but deep down, she still asked herself if she was doing the right thing. There was always that fear that she was getting over her head, and that she would pay the price. Haruka, it seemed, had noticed that. She was whittling away at Yukino's confidence by forcing her to confront all those fears, and with it, the idol had faltered long enough for her to take the lead.

But none of that seemed to hold Yukino back now! Now, she was in control - and now that she had Haruka in her grasp, she was eager to pack on the pressure! It had been a mistake to let Haruka know of her hesitations, but now it was Yukino's time to turn all that around, to push past that - and to show the world she was capable of so much more! She could be a champion - and she was out to prove that, as she moved to grab for Haruka's arm! If she could get a good grip on her, no one would believe she would have any reason to doubt herself!

But just before Yukino's arms could lock into place, Haruka jerked herself away! The Winter Idol would only grab for the air, and her jaw dropped in a gasp, seeing her plan fall through so suddenly and unexpectedly. In that moment, she had let down her guard - and Haruka was about to take advantage of her surprised state in order to do far worse, as she next grabbed Yukino by the breasts with a firm squeeze!

"E-EEP-!!" Taken by surprise by the sudden jolt, Yukino's eyes went wide, and her face flushed a vivid red. Scrambling to get away, she reached for Haruka's shoulders and tried to shove at them as hard as she could to keep her away! If successful, she would pull herself back across the mat, holding her arm around her chest to protect herself while she tried to shake the shock out of her head. She definitely hadn't seen that coming!

[Taskmaster12]

In one motion her hypothesis was confirmed. Her little idol was not just lacking in confidence but experience too. Oh how she could make so many discoveries with her in a single day. Yukino made her retreat while Haruka was back to wanting contact to avoid her having time to recover. Yukino’s mind was racing at a high emotional point that was too good to let her calm down. “Is something wrong?” When did Haruka become such a snake? Her teammates influence in words prodding Yukino to keep her on a knifes edge of her shock. “I didn’t cause a malfunction. Even if I did theirs nothing to be ashamed of there right?” Haruka would close in and push into Yukino before her hands would start to grab at her breasts again while keeping Yukino’s hands from stopping her.