Graduation Day

[BlackAkuma]

Even in the midst of the match, Freezer couldn't help but chuckle at Bobbie’s antics on the outside. Always the most outspoken of the group, she could always be counted on to let the world know what she was thinking, for better or worse. It was a good thing she had E around to counterbalance her, or else that funny mouth of hers might’ve gotten her into real trouble by now.

At the moment, it was just a pleasant distraction, not that Charlie wasn’t posing enough of a threat to warrant her attention. She’d reached a good enough level that she could run on autopilot, even during the most intense fights. A part of her did the work while the other stayed mindful of her other girls, making sure Zelda was on point, that E was keeping proper time, that Bobbie was actually getting at least some of this recorded so they would have material to work with in the future, and…

…hm.

Freezer’s lazy eyes widened, just an inch, when she realized that Charlie was closer than she expected her to be. Much closer, in fact. She had hoped that the little Canadian would stand her ground after the move, but going on the offensive, actually taking the initiative? That was a big step. A confident step. Freezer had to resist the urge to congratulate her.

A good thing, too, because she wouldn’t have had the time for it. Bobbie moved in and went for the leg, wrapping it up tight. While she was small - not as small as when they started training, but still small - Freezer had tried to teach her how to use what little size she had effectively, and these were the fruits of that labor. She fought to stay standing, but there was no resisting this. The leverage, the weight, and the momentum were all in her favor. She was going down.

And down she went. Hard. The impact knocked the wind out of Freezer and forced her to take a moment to recover, a moment Charlie used to lock in, move them about and transition into, of all things, an Ankle Lock. As stalwart as she could be, there was no holding back the painful, shocked cry that came out as her student wrenched the hold.

A smart move on her part. While Freezer hadn't included submissions as a way to win, it went without saying that making her tap out would be enough to win their little challenge with flying colors. Even if it didn’t get her a win, the damage could pay dividends and make things easier for the others. It wasn’t as if this pain was going to go away between rounds.

Of course, there was no way to know if Charlie was even considering any of that. Freezer hoped she was.

Either way, she needed to do something about this and do it soon, lest she spend the rest of the day hobbling about on a bad foot. Charlie’s application of the hold gave her few options. There was no fancy counter, no flashy escape. She could’ve tried to kick at her with the spare leg, but there was no guarantee it would work, and would’ve preferred to get through this without kicking her students in the skull, if at all possible.

The ropes, then. They were a few feet away, manageable. Freezer posted up on her arms and lifted her legs, alleviating some pressure, before she crab-walked backwards and dragged Charlie along for the right. One step, two steps, three steps, and then she threw herself towards the bottom rope and latched onto it with a tight grip, waiting for Goti to call for the break. She was more than a little curious to see if Charlie would break the hold before she was told to - while she didn’t teach any of them to cheat outright, she didn’t want them ignoring good opportunities that a poor referee would throw into their lap, either. No call, no foul.

[HawtWheels]

E ignored the indignant squawk from Bobbie as she pushed past her, only to get a hard pinch on the ass that made her hiss in return. Nonetheless, she didn't swat the other woman away like she usually might. For once, E shared her enthusiasm, even if she refused to bounce around like a cheerleader. For E's part, she watched in intense silence.

Her green eyes narrowed, dissecting the tangle of limbs in the center of the ring. It was messy, yes, but effective. Charlie didn’t have the mass to keep Freezer down with weight alone, so she was using leverage, torque, and pain. It was intelligent. E appreciated intelligence. Seeing their mentor - the woman who had practically effortlessly dismantled them for months - actually grimacing in pain sent a strange, cold thrill down E’s spine. It was a reminder that even gods could bleed, provided one found the right angle.

But Freezer was not a god; she was a veteran. E watched the transition, the way Freezer didn't panic but instead turned her body into a rigid plank, posting up on her powerful arms. The drag to the ropes was a display of raw, functional strength that made E bite the inside of her cheek. Charlie was dead weight, an anchor, and yet Freezer hauled her backward with her superior power until her hand slapped the bottom rope.

Zelda was there instantly, dropping to her knees, her voice cutting through Bobbie's cheers. "Rope break." She didn't sound particularly enthused for Charlie's sake, but she did her job nonetheless, leveling a black fingernail at their smallest member. "One!"

E held her breath, her thumb hovering over the stopwatch. This was the test. In a real match, a wrestler might hold that until the count of four, maximizing the damage, punishing the opponent for needing the ropes. E knew Bobbie and Zelda certainly would have held it. She couldn't decide about herself.

"Obnimi yeyo krepko," E whispered, words slipping out in Russian before she caught herself. "Pust' eto budet nezabyvayemo."

Zelda slapped the mat. "Two!"

Charlie hesitated. E could see the conflict play out in the set of the smaller girl’s shoulders, the way her face was buried against Freezer’s ankle. She had the leverage. She could pop that ankle if she wrenched it now. But then, the grip loosened. Charlie uncoiled her legs and rolled away, giving Freezer space the moment the advantage was lost. It was respectful. It was clean. It was perhaps a bit too nice for the business they were in, but E supposed she couldn't fault Charlie for not wanting to maim the woman they all idolized.

But there was no hesitation in what followed. Charlie stepped back, creating just enough distance to clear the count, before immediately pivoting on her heel. She didn't wait for Freezer to reset, and she didn't wait for Zelda to give a signal. With a burst of energy that belied the sickly younger woman she had used to be, Charlie whirled around and launched herself forward again, driving a running knee toward their mentor, desperate to keep the pressure on while Freezer was trapped against the ropes.

[BlackAkuma]

And there was Goti, right on time. As proud of Charlie as she was, there was no small amount of it leftover for her, too. The German was bold, brash, and boisterous, and a small part of her worried that might’ve colored her when it came to being a referee, that she might hold a small grudge over being made to go second. If there ever was such a thought in Goti’s mind, however, it had evaporated, and the woman was committed to doing the job properly. She might pout, but she was never the type to half-ass.

It would’ve brought a smile to Freezer’s face, if she wasn’t so busy grimacing. Shame, that.

She held on tight and steeled herself as Zelda went through the count, giving Charlie the proper warning. She had no way of knowing what route Charlie would take here, but she braced herself for the full four, if only out of habit. Those four seconds could be the longest in a wrestling match, and how a wrestler used her time could make or break a match.

She was still gripping tight when the second count came, and she allowed herself to breathe once more when she got the release. Charlie was backing away, but that meant nothing. The Canadian was locked in. She was feeling herself. She was aggressive. Not a bad thing, in itself, she wanted them to press their opportunity, but it was also vital that they take a moment to size up their opponent. Freezer was hurt, and that made her a target. A target that an anxious, adrenaline-fueled Charlie couldn't resist.

”Goti, watch out.”

She gave the big German a brief warning as she rose, and sure enough, Charlie came charging the moment after, wanting to close the distance with a rising knee. It would’ve been a hard shot, if it landed, yes…but that was simply not going to happen.

Instead of pulling back, Freezer threw herself forward, propelled on her good leg, and moved in to meet Charlie before the knee could properly connect. She wound up taking the knee in her ribs, but that was a small price to pay, and she fought through it as she dipped down, grabbed her foe by the chest, lifted her upwards and hurled her high into the air with an explosive burst.

Charlie flew, her tiny body going up nearly ten high - Freezer might’ve put a little too much force into it. But that was okay, she was waiting to catch her as she came down, letting the woman’s tiny body come down on her shoulders. Not the most pleasant sensation for her ankle, but she soldiered through it as she spun around kicked her feet off the canvas, and fell backwards, attempting to send Charlie crashing into the canvas with a pop-up variation of the Samoan Drop.

[HawtWheels]

It had felt so... close.

For a fleeting, intoxicating moment, Charlie had actually felt in control. She could feel the tension in Freezer’s tendon, the way the powerhouse’s leg muscles bunched up in resistance, and the sheer reality that she, Charlie Turpin, the one who used to spend more time in doctors' offices than gymnasiums, was making the strongest woman she knew grimace in pain.

Then she heard Zelda’s voice, sharp and authoritative, counting the rope break. She heard the blood rushing in her own ears. A darker, grittier part of her brain - maybe the part that listened too much to Bobbie’s advice - screamed at her to twist and to make sure Freezer couldn't stand up. But then she looked at the ankle in her arms. It wasn't just an opponent's limb; it was Freezer's. The woman who had given them every opportunity.

Charlie let go. It wasn't a mistake, she told herself as she scrambled back. It was respect. Or maybe just fear that if she actually broke her idol, the universe would implode.

But she wouldn't stop. She saw Freezer against the ropes, saw the opening, and launched that knee with everything she had. Just because she was playing fair didn't mean she was playing nice.

And she hit her! She felt the impact jar her own hip. She hit ribs. She hit muscle. She thought, for one glorious second, that she had her. Then the world turned upside down.

One moment, she was driving her knee into Freezer’s torso; the next, the ground disappeared. Charlie gasped, her stomach dropping into her shoes as she was launched skyward. It was more of an eruption than a toss, like what someone must have felt getting shot into the air by a geyser. She soared what felt like thirty feet into the air, the fluorescent lights suddenly closer than she remembered.

“Oh, wow,” she had time to think, a bizarre mix of terror and awe flooding her chest. Even as she reached the apex of the flight, staring down at the mat far below, a part of her brain - the part that fawned over Amazonian strength - couldn't help but admire the sheer power it took to throw a human being that high, even if she happened to be that human being.

Soon, though, gravity reclaimed her, but the floor didn't. She landed hard on a shelf of muscle - Freezer's shoulders. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as her side bent and contorted around the uneven plane. She barely had time to register the contact or worry about what came next before the world spun again.

“Wait, wait, wooooah-!”

The drop hit like a car crash. Charlie felt the wind get knocked out of her for the second time in five seconds, her back slamming against the canvas with a force that rattled her teeth and made her vision swim with spots as she forgot where she ended and Freezer and the canvas began.

"...Well, least her ass does look nice." Through the fog, she could hear E swat Bobbie.

[BlackAkuma]

In hindsight, Freezer probably didn’t have to throw poor Charlie so high up. It made for a fun moment, sure - the look in her eyes at the apex was priceless - but, a simpler move could’ve sufficed. Maybe a sidewalk slam, a spinebuster, a cutter. As much as she wanted to put them through their paces, there was a mother hen inside of her that worried after every hit, and she was doing her best to suppress it.

One more reason that it was good for Charlie to go first. If Freezer could push her emotions aside enough to give the Canadian a proper test, then she could do it for all of them.

Though she punished Charlie for her eagerness, she wouldn’t fall the smaller woman for it. These matches were a lesson and a test. There were certain things that she couldn't express through routines and drills, or even through spars, like properly sizing up your opponent, knowing when to rush in, and when to slam on the brakes. The pain would leave an impression on her, give her the right sort of hesitation the next time.

After the impact, Freezer sat up and whipped her head about, spying Charlie over her shoulder. That one had laid her out. Far from done, but her momentum was gone, back down to square one. In a regular match, Freezer would’ve gotten back to her feet, forced her to stand with her, and worked her over in the corner, but that pain in her ankle was still fresh. She was better off staying on the ground for the time being and doing damage on the canvas.

Freezer took a moment to roll her ankle about, fighting the numbness, before she rolled over and crawled her way towards Charlie’s downed form, prowling like a cat on the hunt. It probably came off looking a bit more seductive than she meant it to, though such things just came too naturally for her. She couldn't just turn them off.

Freezer was certain Charlie would appreciate the feel of her mentor sliding over her back and pressing her into the canvas. What came after that, however? Not so much.

Her legs wrapped around the Canadian’s ankle and pulled it up, trapping it tightly between them. At the same time, her hands came around Charlie’s face, sought out her chin, and pulled tight, forcing her head back, back, back until she was forced to look up at the ceiling, her body bent at an awkward angle that would put her flexibility to the test.

As a bonus, it put her ear within easy speaking distance. ”Charlie,” She whispered, her husky voice filling the woman’s ear, dark and devilish. ”Do you submit?”

[HawtWheels]

Zelda felt the impact of that drop in the soles of her boots.

“Jesus,” Zelda muttered under her breath, wincing sympathetically.

She had to hand it to the shrimp - Charlie had guts. That ankle lock? Pure genius. Zelda hadn't thought the Canadian had that kind of mean streak in her, torquing a joint until it screamed. But the follow-up? Stupid. Brave, but stupid. A girl didn’t run headfirst at a bigger target - a tank, comparatively - like Freezer unless she had the firepower to blow through the armor, and Charlie was still firing pea shooters compared to their mentor’s heavy artillery.

Zelda dropped to one knee, sliding into position to check on her friend, half-expecting to see Charlie out cold. But then she paused. Freezer wasn't going for the pin.

Instead, the older woman was... crawling.

Zelda’s breath hitched. She watched Freezer roll over and slink toward Charlie’s prone form with a predatory grace that made Zelda’s stomach tighten. It was a slow, deliberate prowl, the movement of a jungle cat stalking a wounded bird. And damn it, it looked good. Too good. A sharp, hot spike of jealousy pricked at Zelda’s chest. She wasn’t the type to swoon - she was the one who did the breaking, the one who thrived on the crunch of danger - but seeing Freezer look at Charlie with that mix of hunger and intent? It should have been her in there. It should have been Zelda trading blows and getting that kind of heated, undivided attention.

But she shoved the feeling down. She had a job to do.

She watched as Freezer slid her body over Charlie’s back, the intimacy of the contact making Zelda shift her weight uncomfortably. She wasn’t submissive at all; she hated being pinned down, hated the feeling of losing control. But seeing the way Freezer mounted Charlie was mesmerizing in a dark, twisted way.

Freezer hooked Charlie’s leg, trapping it, and then snaked her arms around the smaller woman’s face to wrench her head back. And immediately, it looked brutal enough that Goti's own back ached. She watched Charlie’s body bend like a sapling in a storm, her back arching unnaturally, her chest pressed flat into the mat while her neck was stretched to its limit. Charlie looked agonizingly vulnerable, her face flushed and contorted, her mouth open in a gasp that alternated between pitifully weak and disturbingly silent as her spine was forced into a delicious, painful bow.

It was a beautiful, terrifying display of dominance. Charlie looked like a broken doll in the grip of a giantess, completely at Freezer's mercy.

Zelda leaned in close, her face inches from Charlie’s straining features, doing her duty as the ref even as she admired the carnage.

“Charlie!” Zelda barked, her voice rough, cutting through the haze of pain. “Tell me! Do you submit?!”

Bobbie was saying so many things at once Zelda couldn't decipher any of it. E, too, but she only spoke loudly enough for Bobbie to hear her half the time since they were attached at the hip. But Zelda focused on one sound only - the whimpers and gasps from Charlie's throat as her smaller teammate looked back at her, fearful, helpless, but brave enough to gently shake her head and try to start reaching for the ropes. Fucking good for her.

[BlackAkuma]

Oh, Freezer caught that look from Goti. It was subtle, not something that most would’ve picked up on, but she was uniquely accustomed to knowing when beautiful young women were looking at her with lustful intent, and she’d been around these ladies long enough to read them as a storybook. A hint of jealousy? She suspected so. The spirit of competition wasn’t the only reason she had wanted to go first. After all, she had inducted all of these women into her club with a kiss, and while she might have eased up on her lascivious ways to train them properly, she had never shied away from intimate contact. She was still Freezer Katakura.

But Goti was being a good girl and waiting her turn. Freezer made a note to reward that patience when they wrestled…or, more likely, brawled. It would be an enjoyable experience in many ways, and educational. Sex was an essential part of LAW, even in standard matches, and she would make sure they were adequately prepared.

For now, she merely acknowledged it with a slight, knowing glance Goti’s way, before she turned her attention back to Charlie and locked in the STF. One of her favorite submissions holds - tight, effective, nearly impossible to counter once it was properly locked in. Something was appealing to her about a move that gave your opponent three full limbs to work with, but left them helpless. Oh, and put their ears and neck in prime nibbling range. Not that Freezer would indulge today.

…fine, a quick one.

She nipped at Charlie’s ear, a slight indulgence, as the Canadian made her defiance clear. She didn’t think she would give up with this, but she was proud to see her refusal all the same. When they had started, a move like this would’ve had the poor thing screaming bloody murder. Now, she held on. She endured. Freezer had no way of knowing whether she’d put this strength into Charlie or whether it had been there all along, and she'd merely brought it out, but it warmed her all the same.

But she could do more, and she did. Freezer abruptly released Charlie’s leg, only so she could slide over and mount her back in full. She kept her hold on the chin and pulled her foe up even further, enough that she could slide her legs under her arms and transition into a Camel Clutch. A relief for her leg, surely, but her back was still in dire straits.

Freezer glanced towards Bobbie and E out of the ring and gave a quick nod, silently egging their cheers on, before she looked down at Charlie’s big, beautiful eyes, peering down on her like some sort of dark goddess. She brought her face down into the tangled, sweaty mess of her hair and breathed deep before she spoke again, with the same icy, chilling tone she reserved for all her opponents, husky and evil and alluring all at once.

”And now? Do you give up?” She pulled up, just a little more. ”I want to hear it, as loud as you can. What do you say to world when it says you can’t do something, Charlie?”

[HotWheels]

Charlie was doing great, holding her own against Freezer in a way that made Bobbie's chest swell with pride. Unfortunately, was didn't translate to is.

The first hold Freezer locked on looked bad enough; E had put Bobbie in a few of those. They hurt like hell. Then the bosslady decided that sliding into that camel clutch might get the submission, and Bobbie's rallying cheers faltered mid-word. Oh Lord. Charlie was in trouble now. Deep, deep trouble. Bobbie grimaced at the arch of her back and then moreso at the way the Canadian's face flushed and strained under Freezer's grip. Of course, it wasn't all bad - the smaller girl's body pressed flush under their mentor, sweat mingling, Freezer's breath hot against her ear. Bobbie couldn't decide if she wanted to yank Charlie free or trade places herself, but the sympathy won out. And for once, Bobbie didn't know if her rallying cries could make a difference.

...They totally did, though. Bobbie leaned further over the ropes, stretching her arm out to slam her open palm against the mat in thunderous claps. “C'mon, Charlie! Fight it, baby! You ain't done yet!” Bobbie bellowed, voice cracking.

E pressed tighter against her side, murmuring something or other else urgent in Russian that Bobbie didn't catch, chewing her fingernails until Bobbie pulled her arm away from her mouth and got a dirty look in exchange. Zelda crouched close as ref, barking the submission question again.

Charlie looked and sounded horrible, becoming soaked in sweat and gasping like her lungs had collapsed, but she gasped out a weak, defiant “N-no...!” through gritted teeth, the word muffled but clear enough. Her feet and knees scrabbled against the canvas, looking for purchase as she tried to drag her body forward inch by agonizing inch toward the ropes yet again. Bobbie had to admit, it looked kind of over. She supposed it made sense, since Charlie against a fresh Freezer equated to quite a gulf.

Zelda leaned in closer, eyes sharp. “You sure? Say it clear - do you quit?”

"No... I can... I say I can..." She never finished the thought but managed another head shake, frantic and stubborn, her big blue eyes locking onto Bobbie's for a split second - pleading, determined - before she redoubled her crawl and tried to jerk her body to one side so an arm could get closer to the ropes. It looked horribly painful, but...

Bobbie slapped the mat harder, grin fierce despite the worry gnawing at her. “That's my girl! Reach, Charlie - reach and make her work for it!”

[BlackAkuma]

Freezer never thought she was a woman with ‘motherly instincts’. The idea of having children rarely, if ever crossed her mind, and not simply for the obvious reasons. She had never seen herself as the sort to care for another person in that way. While she didn’t see herself as selfish, motherhood required instincts and inclinations that she wasn’t equipped for.

Or she thought, until these four came into her life. Charlie, especially.

Hearing Charlie’s cries brought something from Freezer’s pit, tugging at such a raw part of her soul. The Canadian wasn’t the only one struggling here. It took genuine effort for her not to comfort the woman, even though she was the reason she was in pain in the first place. Those whimpers, those cries…

Those feelings were hard to repress, but repress them she did. It wasn’t her place to support Charlie today - no, that fell on her teammates, who were doing an admirable job. Bobbie, boisterous as ever, while E kept close with focused, silent support. Charlie was feeding on it, working her way forward as best she could despite having a middleweight strapped to her back. Inch by inch, foot by foot, heading to the ropes like a soldier trudging through the trenches. The corner was closer, the ropes were there. She might make it. She could make it.

But they would never know for sure. Before she could reach the ropes, Freezer switched things up again, abandoning the Camel Clutch and wrapping her arms around Charlie’s neck instead to apply a sleeperhold. She stood up, forcing the smaller woman to rise with her, and began to apply more pressure with each passing second, clamping down with an inexorable grip. A natural move for any wrestler in Freezer’s position, teaching her girls a valuable lesson: If your opponent won’t give up, take the choice away from them.

It was a desperate situation. If Charlie didn’t do something to escape soon, she would be going to sleep. But she had options, good ones, and it was all a matter of her realizing what they were an executing them properly.

[HotWheels]

E watched the sequence in no small amount of horror. If Bobbie acted as the motivator and Zelda the tough love, she joined Charlie as the worrier, at times, and she worried Charlie couldn't finish this fight. Between the pain and intimacy of the STF and the camel clutch wrenched in somehow deeper than even that hold, E thought she might have tapped already. She didn't even care that much that Bobbie had snatched her hand away from her face so she couldn't chew her nails.

But the sleeper had to be the worst-looking hold yet. The smaller woman's feet kicked air, her toes barely finding the canvas well enough to keep her from staying totally suspended. It was textbook ruthlessness: no more chances, just the slow clamp of pressure teaching them all that some fights ended when the air ran out. Charlie sagged against it, body going limp in Freezer's unyielding hold, face paling to gray and then blue, lips mouthing silent wheezes as her eyes drooped heavy-lidded. E's chest tightened, a cold vise squeezing her ribs. The Canadian looked finished, slipping toward blackout.

Bobbie's shouts had gone ragged beside her. She draped over the apron, shirt hanging loose. "Charlie, breathe through it! Pull her arm down!" Zelda seemed to have started asking the question as a courtesy. "Tell me, Charlie. Give me the word."

Charlie didn't tap. Her toes - stubborn little anchors - grazed the mat in shallow, frantic treads, barely keeping her upright as her hands shifted from clawing to grasping, like she was holding on. There was a hitch in her gasping, labored but focused, and then she hauled - yanking them both off-kilter toward the corner, toes gouging canvas for desperate traction. The turnbuckle rushed up, and Charlie launched off the middle rope, boots thumping for the boost. E didn't recognize what she was witnessing until she saw the propulsion of Charlie's kick send Frezer teetering backwards, and then it was her turn to scream something joyful and indistinct.

Charlie's slight frame dropped heavily on Freezer's upper body, and she used every little ounce of weight and strength in her body to hold onto Freezer's arms as they both landed. With them, she forced Freezer's shoulders down, which in turn forced her legs into the air, leaving the perfect curve of her ass on display for the adoring crowd.

It took several seconds for Goti even to recognize what she had witnessed, and she finally dropped to count a "One!" at the sight. E, for her part, laughed in glee - at least until Bobbie slapped her hard on the back in excitement, turning the laugh into a cough.