The Idol’s Challenge - Amika vs ??

[The_Queen]

Amika wasn't about to give Bandita the satisfaction of accepting that teasing offer. If anything, it only gave her another reason to keep pushing. With one knee beneath her and a hand planted firmly against the canvas, she steadily forced herself upward, dragging Bandita along with her until she finally managed to get both boots underneath herself.

Getting back to her feet didn't mean she was free, however. Bandita kept the headlock secured, leaving Amika bent forward at her side and still working both hands against the arm around her neck.

That focus left her midsection completely exposed.

"UGH!"

Bandita's knee drove into her bare stomach, immediately ceasing Amika's attempt to escape the headlock. Her hands instinctively dropped toward her abdomen as she recoiled, but doing so only allowed the headlock to remain firmly in place. Amika barely had time to straighten before the second knee slammed into her.

"GAH—!"

The second strike left her stumbling when Bandita finally released her neck, only for the wrestler to immediately seize her wrist and shoulder. Amika recognized the setup a moment before she was sent running across the ring in an Irish whip.

Her boots carried her toward the ropes, and rather than fight the momentum, Amika turned and threw her back into them. The cables stretched beneath her weight before snapping her forward again.

She raced back toward the center, spotting Bandita charging from the opposite direction.

Using the momentum from the ropes, Amika took one final running step before snapping her leg upward. Her flexibility came into full display as her boot shot high, nearly vertical, aiming a sharp high kick directly toward Bandita's upper chest and shoulder.

"Hyaaah!"

[CyanDimitrik]

Bandita whirled on heel, presenting her back to the cables in tandem with Amika. They spring back, issuing the svelte luchadora onwards with surging purpose. Boot-tassels shake with each rapid step, her body leaning forward into the sprint.

She had hoped that the shots to the midsection would've been enough to open the brunette up and really get the momentum going. But by the look of her, she's rushing with intent, ready to meet her. And that doesn't bode well for what she has in mind! There's no time to adjust her offensive strategy now to accommodate, to try to predict. The best option she has is to default onto a defensive mindset and take the road less traveled!

Thankfully, that's Bandita's forte.

As a boot plants and the pretty idol torques to deliver that impressively high kick, Bandita falls back with a twist. Time seems to move slowly, as the combination of Bandita's lowering stature and Amika's rising kick create scant centimeters between the delicate features of her youthful face and the sole. Eyes wide at first, then squeezed tightly shut - just in case!

...nothing but air! The wind off the kick whisks through her bangs, and the next thing Bandita knows, her hip has dropped to the mat in a baseball slide. She skids across the canvas beneath the attack, and her eyes pop open again in time to tuck her feet and continue her momentum to the ropes ahead. She twists, pressing her back into the cables only to launch again towards Amika.

She fully expects her to turn around. To try to catch her on her return. It's what she would do. But that's why her legs pump harder, pushing herself to cover the distance faster still, to upset that rhythm. And whether the girl turns to face her or not - this time it's a committed assault. The last several steps are taken in flight, Bandita leading feet-first in a perpendicular launch. Her toned legs scissor outwards and clamp in again, aimed to capture the brunette's neck between her thighs. The momentum of the rush carries Bandita's upper-body into a low swing, pitching her weight and pulling with the legs to hurl Amika to the mat with a hurricanrana destined to end the luchadora in a knelt position!

[The_Queen]

Amika's boot sliced through nothing but air.

Her eyes widened as Bandita dropped beneath the kick, sliding cleanly past before Amika could stop her momentum. The former idol's raised leg came back down to the canvas, forcing her into a quick half-turn position to quickly locate her opponent again.

"Missed—!"

Bandita was already rebounding off the opposite ropes.

Amika barely had time to square herself before the luchadora came rushing back even faster. She raised her arms instinctively, preparing to catch or redirect whatever was coming, but Bandita left the canvas first.

Amika's eyes went wide as Bandita's legs caught around her neck. Her hands shot upward to grab at Bandita's legs, but the momentum was already carrying her opponent through the motion.

"Ah—wait!"

Amika was ripped forward and sent flipping over with the hurricanrana. Her body turned through the air before her back and shoulders struck the canvas with a heavy THUD!, momentum carrying her into an awkward roll before she finally came to a stop.

"Ughh..."

For several seconds, Amika couldn't mount much of a response. One hand pressed against the canvas as she tried to push herself up, but her arm trembled and gave out, dropping her back onto her side. The combination of the earlier knees strikes to her stomach and now the sudden hurricanrana had taken much more out of her than she'd expected.

She managed to roll partially onto her stomach and get one forearm underneath herself, but that was as far as she got. Her breathing had turned heavier, and the energetic spring she'd entered this match with was now noticeably absent as she tried to gather herself.

[CyanDimitrik]

Bandita watched her roll over into a tumble from the impact before finally settling onto her side at first. It must've been rough; it's a world of difference between training and the real thing. She remembers that. She's been enduring and working through real matches a long time now, but she recalls that first match. She remembers what it's like to take a hit or a slam from someone who wants you to not have the strength to get up again. That punishment compounds quickly.

The fact that Amika chose to do this is admirable in her eyes. Not just anyone could do it; it takes a special kind of mentality, a willingness to put herself in danger. No one gets in the ring expecting it to not hurt, do they? That gets beaten out of you pretty early! But there's something extra special about a girl with everything to lose who decides to put it all on the line for sport and glory. Bandita meant it when she said she appreciated the opportunity to have a match tonight - but she hopes nothing she's doing tonight is going to discourage her. She'd hate for the fire to leave those bright teal eyes.

That said, she has an audience to work and management to impress!

With a firm push, Bandita springs to her full height again and turns to the roaring crowd, giving a dazzling smile with arms thrown wide and head tipped back. The volume in the crowd ramps up as the Latina raises an arm, her hips starting to roll - and soon, she's returned to her rumba, gracefully twirling around the recuperating Amika.

Spoiler

"Ahah~, you're not tiring out on me yet, are you?!," she calls cheerfully. "We're just getting warmed up, chica! I wanna be on fire~"

She completes another rotation before pitching to the side and taking her own balance out from beneath herself. As the Latina's body drops, she tilts her weight into her right arm and, more specifically, the elbow. And soon, that weight, gravity, and elbow will come crashing down across Amika's lower back in a classic elbowdrop.

[The_Queen]

Amika remained low to the mat, one forearm planted beneath her as she tried to recover from the devasting attack. Her breathing came in short, uneven bursts, but she stubbornly pushed against the canvas again. She'd barely managed to lift herself when Bandita's voice reached her.

"T-Tiring...?" Amika muttered, forcing a strained smile despite her condition. "Not even close..."

It was considerably less convincing when her arm immediately buckled beneath her.

Amika dropped onto her stomach again, giving Bandita plenty of time to play to the audience. She could hear the crowd responding enthusiastically while she tried to gather enough strength to move. Turning her head, Amika caught sight of Bandita dancing around her and quickly realized that the luchadora wasn't simply celebrating.

She was setting something up.

Amika planted both palms beneath herself and tried to crawl forward, but she was too slow.

Bandita dropped beside her, driving her elbow squarely across Amika's lower back.

"AAH!"

The impact flattened Amika against the canvas. Her arms spread out instinctively before one hand moved toward her back, her face tightening as she absorbed the latest hit.

Still, she refused to stay completely motionless.

Amika stretched one arm forward and dragged herself several inches across the mat. Her knees weakly pushed behind her as she began crawling toward the nearest ropes, clearly more concerned with putting distance between herself and Bandita than immediately fighting back.

"Ngh..."

Another pull carried her slightly farther, but her movements remained sluggish. Amika was still trying to escape, yet for the moment, she had very little in herself to work with.

[CyanDimitrik]

Ah, magnifico~!

It always felt tremendously gratifying to play to the audience in this way, only to bring the performance to a crashing crescendo upon someone's back or stomach! And even when that someone is a petite, seemingly sweet-natured concert girl! ..Or maybe especially because of it? There's no denying there's a satisfying sense to wrestling with someone who seemed glamorous in an 'outsider' kind of way. Someone who had something more going on for her than just being a wrestler.

Some people call them gimmicks. Certainly Bandita qualifies. It's not like she's an actual bandit. But it's a fun spin, a way to market herself! An identity she can latch onto! An excuse to be someone other than her boring, maskless self.

But for Amika, she really seemed to just be herself. And her self happened to be an idol girl! Former or present notwithstanding, she still has that look, that air about her, that pop icon presence. It brought a certain authenticity to her that, even when yelping in pain, made her kind of endearing. And it wasn't only Bandita who could feel that, she's sure. The audience was surely seeing it, too!

Though a professional wrestling audience might be significantly different from a concert audience. They came to see brutality and physical assertion. They want to see the two teenaged girls hold nothing back and fight. And that's... something Bandita isn't foreign to. If there wasn't an appeal to it, she wouldn't have gotten into the ring, right? She expects it's the same with her rival tonight.

She shifts onto her knees when she feels her scooting herself along the mat from beneath her. A smirk crosses the luchadora's features, taking a moment just to watch. The display is pitiful - not in a condescending way, but in the sense that this pretty starlet is getting a real taste of the harshness of professional wrestling. Is she going t be able to handle it? Is she too delicate for it?

Bandita rocks onto her heels and lifts to her full height, stalking after her. By the time Amika has reached the ropes, Bandita leans down behind her to seize upon her left upper-arm, the other hand slipping into the rich tresses of her brunette hair to tangle into the follicles near her scalp. Pulling on both fronts, she draws the girl back and up to her boots, wasting no time in marching her directly towards a turnbuckle. She rears back on her head, drawing her in - and rushing her head towards that corner pad!

Of course, she has no intention of risking injuring the girl's attractive face with mishap. She wants her dazed and roughed up, not bleeding or with black eyes or a broken nose. So as she careens her head towards that pad, there's a subtle tilt directed from the scalp to turn her face away from the impact, and instead focus it upon her temple instead.

Nevertheless, there's no waiting after that impact. The hair is released and Bandita pulls on her arm to turn her around and lean her back into the corner. She hurriedly attempts to toss the girl's arms over the top ropes at either side to leave her defenseless, her left hand moving beneath Amika's chin to force her head to tip back. Normally this would precede a chop to the chest, but...

...well...

...frankly, there isn't enough chest being displayed! There's some window of skin displayed over the curvature of Amika's breasts, but not enough to really indulge in the loud *SMACK* sound the audience pops for! Not enough to give that satisfying skin-on-skin impact to really cause damage! So instead, Bandita's gaze lowers over the girl's slender figure, really taking her in. She keeps herself in good shape. She's on the skinny side, which isn't bad. After all, so is Bandita. She has a nice curve to her waist, nothing exaggerated, just natural and smooth. Her midsection is a little on display, showing off-- ah!

That'll do just fine.

Bandita's right hand lifts, keeping the left propped beneath Amika's chin to restrain her. The fingers individually curl, letting the audience lean in closer with collective anticipation. And once she's formed a fist, she swings it in low, aiming to drill hard into the center of the idol's stomach. The fist draws back - and WHAM! A second shot into her belly! Then a third! Each shot, using the idol's navel as a bullseye!

After that third slam, she keeps her fist pressed firmly into her midsection. She leans in, testing her abdominal strength and fortitude - for whatever was there in the first place, and whatever may be able to be sustained after the barrage.

[The_Queen]

The ropes were finally within reach.

Amika stretched out and curled her fingers around the bottom cable, using it to drag herself another few inches forward. She'd hoped reaching them would buy her enough time to recover, but before she could pull herself any farther, Bandita caught her from behind.

"Ngh—!"

Amika's left arm was pulled back while Bandita hauled her upright. Her legs wobbled underneath her as she was marched toward the corner, one hand reaching instinctively toward Bandita's grip in an unsuccessful attempt to loosen it.

Then Bandita drove her into the turnbuckle.

"AHHH!"

Amika's head snapped sideways as she struck the padded corner, leaving her momentarily dazed. She barely had time to steady herself before Bandita turned her around and pressed her back against the turnbuckles. Her arms were pulled over the top ropes, leaving Amika struggling to regain her balance while Bandita kept her pinned in place.

She saw Bandita's fist curl.

Amika immediately tried to bring her elbows inward, hoping to protect herself from the inevitable, but the first punch landed cleanly inside her midsection before she could properly defend herself.

"UGH!"

Her body folded forward as far, falling towards the canvas of the ring as far the corner allowed her too before Bandita forced her back upright again. The second punch struck moments later, drawing another sharp cry from Amika and making her knees dip.

"GAH-!!!"

By the third, Amika's defense had almost completely fallen apart. The punch drove into her stomach and left her slumped heavily against the turnbuckles, arms loosely hooked over the ropes to keep herself standing. Her stomach already feeling like it was bruising from the abuse it just suffered.

"H-Hah..."

Bandita kept her fist pressed against Amika's abdomen, and Amika instinctively tensed against the pressure. She tried to turn away from the luchadora's, but her arms being draped over the top ropes and the little strength she had made it pointless. Her breathing had become noticeably heavier, and her legs trembled beneath her as she is struggling to stand straight.