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.

[CyanDimitrik]

The audience roared in approval of the brutality on display, waves of noise crashing against the ring and its combatants. Meanwhile, inside the ring, Bandita keeps the fist pressed against Amika's belly for a moment longer, feeling the tension in her abdominal region. She's more toned than she looks at a glance! No doubt a testament to the months of training she put in before this debut!

he hand slips from beneath Amika's chin, the other withdrawing from her midriff to instead turn to the audience. Bright smile worn, arms raised, she basks a couple indulgent seconds in the energy poured over them from the adoring (and somewhat bloodthirsty) fans. But she doesn't let it go too long! Too much basking turns into an opportunity! And while Bandita is absolutely an entertainer, she can't sacrifice her momentum for it!

She turns sharply to Amika again, and her expression briefly falters. Seeing the pretty little thing draped in the corner, her knees trembling, body slouched, the thought crosses her mind: is she actually going too hard on her? She wanted this, she chose this. She stepped into the ring with the full awareness that this was going to hurt! And that's admirable!

The Latina turns her face aside with a quiet, internal huff, chastising herself. Doing less would disrespect her. An insult! She deserves every chance to show the audience that she's tough enough to take it, to maybe even fight through it. It's one thing to have the skill to go on the offensive, but staying in the fight when the body is hurting and everything inside you wants to lie down to make it stop, that's where passion and heart reveals itself. No way Bandita could take that away from her, or cheapen her first bout. No way.

With re-established determination, the Latina refocuses on her Japanese rival and sets a hand beneath her chin again to straighten her posture. She leans bodily into her, chest pressing to chest, her other hand setting over her shoulder. This brings her lips close to the other girl's ear, close enough that each heavy exhale beats warmth against her skin. "Still hanging in there? No regrets, right?," she ask, the question meant only for Amika. No audience, no referee, no snark. Just a quick check for her own sake. She anticipates - or hopes, rather - to hear something defiant and confident, something plucky, despite her battered condition.

She doesn't take too long, though. There's still work to be done. And suddenly, her focus turns to Amika's left arm and shoulder. Grabbing onto her, the luchadora skips a step back to yank her out of the corner and torques to issue the teenager off towards the opposite turnbuckle in an irish whip! She's confident she'll protect herself and take that collision back-first, so she immediately brings her palm up to her lips, and...

...blows a kiss at her.

Then Bandita is a whirl of motion. What begins in a sprint quickly evolves into a cartwheel, rounding off into a back handspring, the distance between them rapidly closed. The final step is a backwards lunge, bringing her bodyweight and full momentum crashing into Amika's chest at the point of an elbow!

Her arm hooks over the girl's neck instantly while the other arm shoots into the air, pointing up at the skylights! A couple rushing steps later to pull her right back out of the corner and Bandita leaps into the air, still holding Amika's head! Her feet kick out from under her, and she brings the two of them crashing back down to the mat in an elevated bulldog, slamming the brunette chest and stomach-first onto the mat.

[The_Queen]

Amika remained slumped in the corner, relying more on the ropes than her own trembling legs to stay upright. She was still trying to catch her breath when Bandita returned, a hand beneath her chin forcing her head back up.

The quieter question caught Amika slightly off guard. For once, there wasn't any teasing behind it.

Despite everything Bandita had thrown at her so far, Amika managed a tired smile. "No regrets..." she answered between her heavy breaths. "I wanted this."

There was plenty more she could have said, but couldn’t get out before Bandita started already moving again.

Amika felt her left arm seized and was abruptly yanked from the corner. She stumbled through the first step before the Irish whip forced her into a run toward the opposite turnbuckles. Unable to stop herself, Amika twisted just before reaching them and crashed back-first into the corner.

"AHH!"

Her arms immediately hooked over the top ropes to keep herself upright. Amika lifted her head just in time to see Bandita blow a kiss in her direction before bursting into motion.

Even exhausted, Amika couldn't help staring.

Bandita's cartwheel flowed into a back handspring, closing the distance so quickly that Amika barely managed to brace herself before the luchadora came flying backward into her. If she wasn‘t her opponent tonight, Amika would’ve been completely in awe from the menuver. But the rookie quickly snapped back into reality as she watched her opponent grow closer and closer.

"GUH!"

The elbow smashed into Amika's upper chest, jolting her against the turnbuckles and leaving her stunned. Before she could slump downward, Bandita hooked an arm around her neck and dragged her out of the corner.

Amika's hands instinctively grabbed at Bandita's arm, but there was no strength behind the attempt. A few stumbling steps later, Bandita jumped and pulled her down with the elevated bulldog.

THUD!

The impact echoed around the arena as Amika’s body hit the canvas chest and stomach-first, her body bouncing once before settling flat against the mat.

"Ughhh..."

Her arms lay spread beside her for several seconds, hair sprawled out around her head as her bow came undone and fell to the side of her.  Eventually one hand weakly pressed against the canvas as though she might push herself up, but the effort went nowhere. Amika simply dropped her cheek back against the mat, breathing heavily as she lay sprawled where Bandita had planted her.

[CyanDimitrik]

The audience erupts with the impact of the move and seeing Amika's hairbow come undone. Somehow, it seemed like a metaphor - an adjustment from frilly girlishness to the harsh reality of professional wrestling. And even when Bandita popped over onto all fours to evaluate the Japanese girl's condition, she noticed it; it hit her the same way. Like something more raw and natural surfacing from beneath the layers of fizzy pop idol. She didn't want her to lose what made her special, but there was something magnetic about the visual.

Now breathing a little heavier, Bandita positions herself beside the girl and sets one hand to her waist, the other to her shoulder. She rolls her over onto her back, getting a look at her face. And should Amika's eyes be open enough to look back at her, she'll be met with a small, subtle smile. She heard no complaints, no fussing - only the natural protests and pained sounds she'd expect from a full-contact sport.

The Latina throws herself down across Amika's body. Her left arm hooks behind Amika's neck to lift her head in a slight cradle, while her right hand presses firmly over the girl's left upper-arm. The majority of the weight is centered on the chest, pressing the soft and plush curvature of her breasts into Amika's. A little lower, half of Bandita's midsection lies over Amika's, ultimately concluding with her right thigh snug between Amika's legs to hook behind the brunette's right knee. With their bodies tightly tangled, the feeling of Bandita's heartbeat will pound against the idol's chest, and soft cheek settles alongside soft cheek. Every inhale brings her chest to press tighter to the other girl's, every exhale letting her settle in more fully atop her in the pin.

Once in place, she lets herself linger in what Amika had said. No regrets. She wanted it. It's exactly what she had hoped to hear, in the idol's sweet but weakened voice. She lightly squeezes her arm and turns her head just a hint further into Amika's cheek, too subtle for the audience to catch, but deliberate in bringing her lips to the other girl's ear again.

"No matter what happens now..."

The referee drops beside the pair, hand raised to start the pin.

"...no one out there is ever gonna think you're weak."

The hand swings down, palm striking mat. "ONE!"

It's good to know not holding back wasn't a mistake, no matter how tempting it might've been. Pinning down a fighter like her was so much better. So much more rewarding. So much more meaningful, no matter what gulf there might've been between their experience levels. That wasn't the point. Treating Amika like a genuine competitor made this so much better, and even if the brunette couldn't muster the strength to break the pin, she hopes she felt the same way still.