The Idol’s Challenge - Amika vs ??

[The_Queen]

Amika was thrown off the cover as Bandita kicked out, rolling onto her side before catching herself with a palm against the canvas. For a split second, disbelief crossed her face. She had been certain the DDT would be enough, especially when Bandita hadn't reacted to either of the first two counts.

Then she saw Bandita's raised arm slowly fall back to the mat.

Amika's expression changed immediately.

Bandita had escaped the pin, but it looked like she spent nearly everything she had just to do it. Amika pushed herself onto one knee, looking from her grounded opponent toward the ropes. The realization brought a grin to her face as an idea clicked into place—one that the fans familiar with her wrestling immediately recognized.

Instead of attempting another pin, Amika reached down and took Bandita by the wrist and shoulder. She pulled the luchadora farther toward the center of the ring, making sure there was plenty of distance between Bandita and any potential rope break. Once satisfied, Amika released her and hurried toward the ropes herself.

The crowd began growing louder.

Amika stepped through the ropes and climbed onto the apron, keeping one hand wrapped around the top cable as she positioned herself. Despite the punishment she'd taken throughout the match, some of her old idol showmanship returned as she glanced toward the audience and raised her free hand high. If she wanted to end her LAW debut, she wanted to do it with something they would remember.And that something was her signature move.

"Hope you’re ready Bandita, because here comes the Soaring Sunshine!"

Amika grabbed the top rope with both hands and crouched, loading her legs beneath herself. Then she sprang upward and backward, releasing the cable as her body rotated into a moonsault over the ropes.

As she completed the rotation, Amika straightened herself above Bandita and extended both legs beneath her, aiming to bring both boots crashing down onto her grounded opponent with the moonsault double-foot stomp.

This was it. Amika wasn't looking for another exchange. She was looking to finally put down the luchadora for good and come out on top in this hard fought match.

[CyanDimitrik]

Amika wasn't exactly wrong. Bandita needed more time to collect herself, to rally. And lacking that, she wasn't able to move much. Everything felt heavy and sluggish. So when Amika took her arm to rather indecorously drag her across the mat, the Latina could offer no resistance. She's limp, and by all visual accounts, completely vulnerable and at her mercy.

Internally, Bandita is counting the seconds. It's keeping her grounded, focused on the moment as best she can, trying to wade through the remaining fog of her mind. The more she can count the numbers with clarity, the more the rest of the world starts to come into focus. She can feel the tremors along the ring as Amika makes her way to the cornerpost. She can't hear her climbing the ropes, however - the audience is too loud. They've hit another crescendo.

As a performer, she knows what that means.

At last, the eyes blink open fully to stare up at the overhead lights. Her right arm twitches as she tries to will herself to move. Her knees shift, heels dragging against the canvas. And all at once, she can feel how vulnerable she is in this position.

Her name. Amika has called her name! Her head turns to look over, noting the idol perched with her back turned to her. "..ah..?"

She watches the girl leap into the air, her slender figure twisting in a graceful backflip. It looks perfect. Exquisite. So very well-practiced. A part of her is tempted to just embrace the compress of Amika's body landing across hers, to let it happen, to let the girl enjoy her desperately-fought victory. She isn't sure she'd be able to kick out of a full moonsault at this point.

But..

..she can't.

She can't let it happen. Not only is that a disservice to Amika, but to herself! And to her family! And the management that put faith in her! And the fans who've been cheering for her, the new ones she's made since coming to Japan!

"Nn'gah!"

Bandita throws herself to the side, rolling towards the turnbuckle sharply. And as she rolls over, she realizes Amika was leading feet-first.

'D-Dios mio, she meant to stomp me...!'

The tumble ends with Bandita lying on her stomach, her hands resting on the mat beneath her chest.

[The_Queen]

Amika had already committed by the time Bandita began to move.

Coming out of the rotation, the former idol's eyes had been fixed on the target beneath her, legs straightening as she prepared to drive both boots down and punctuate her comeback with the Soaring Sunshine. The crowd was roaring, Amika's body was positioned perfectly, and for that brief moment everything seemed to be lining up exactly as she'd practiced it.

Then Bandita rolled.

Amika's teal eyes widened in midair, but there was no stopping herself now. She had already completed the moonsault, and gravity was doing the rest. Instead of Bandita's body waiting beneath her boots, there was suddenly nothing but bare canvas.

"Ah—!"

THUD!

Both of Amika's boots slammed into the mat. The crowd gasping from the missed attack.

The missed stomp sent a violent jolt straight up through her legs. Her knees buckled immediately on impact, and Amika pitched forward, catching herself on both hands before she could crash face-first. Momentum carried her another step into an awkward stumble, forcing her to drop onto one knee while the other foot remained planted in front of her.

"Nngh...!"

Amika stayed there for several seconds, one palm against the canvas as her other hand grabbed at her lower leg. The Soaring Sunshine had been designed around transferring the force of her landing into an opponent; taking all of that impact through her own feet and legs instead left them aching and momentarily unsteady. She tried to stand quickly, knowing immediately how dangerous it was to remain down after missing something that big, but her first attempt only got her halfway upright before her leg wobbled underneath her.

The audience's reaction had shifted just as quickly. The anticipation surrounding Amika's signature had turned into a collective gasp, followed by another rising wave of noise as everyone realized the opening Bandita had created.

Amika heard it too.

Her head snapped around, messy brown-and-pink hair whipping across her face as she searched for Bandita. The luchadora was still nearby, having rolled toward the corner to escape the stomp. Amika immediately planted both hands against her raised knee, attempting to force herself upright while trying to ignore the soreness running through her legs.

[CyanDimitrik]

Bandita continued to stare at Amika, their eyes meeting across the ring. It was kind of horrifying, really - the idea of the damage that stomp could've done to her. A stomp! She's never been subjected to something like that before, not from that high an angle! And while she's proud of her abs, she just can't be sure they could absorb that kind of drop with Amika's full weight behind it.

As soon as she sees the other girl start to get to her feet, Bandita's expression changed from concern to determination. Her eyes take on a blaze, and she pushes herself up to her full height with a roar. "HAAHH!" And with that, she urges her aching body to rush the idol in her vulnerable state!

Catching up to her quicker than she could fully compose herself, she grabs two fistfuls of her thick brunette hair to force her to bend over and lunge forward, where she swaps the grip out for a full front guillotine hold. Her right arm hooking the girl's neck, Bandita's other arm hooks beneath Amika's right arm and crosses behind her back to restrain the limb backwards - and more importantly, keep it from getting in the way.

Her knee thrusts upwards, delivering a sharp strike to hammer into Amika's midsection. Then another punishing blow, trying to drill in deeper against the stomach. Then a two-second pause before she steps into the third strike, thrusting the knee high and forceful enough to deliberately try to pop the idol's lower body off the mat upon impact.

All to get the girl into a compliant state. All to put Amika in a very unenviable position. Because after that third strike, the hold swaps out once more as Bandita leans in to wrap her arms around the girl's waist. And with a huff of effort, she attempts to bodily hoist the smaller girl off her feet and upside-down to align her body against hers again.

Not a bearhug this time. A tombstone piledriver.

Uncaring about Amika's micro-mini skirt falling, Bandita tries to seize the girl firmly against herself upside-down. Her soft, pert breasts pressed into Amika's midsection, Amika's bust pressed into Bandita's bare abdominals. The Latina's face presses into Amika's hips, while holding Amika's head at the same level as the base of Bandita's hips. Every panted breath whisks hard, heavy, and heated against Amika's bare thighs, preparing to spike her down but letting the blood rush to her head first.

And giving the audience ample time to capture the moment of impending peril and doom for the former idol in her clutches.

[The_Queen]

Bandita's sudden charge caught Amika at exactly the wrong moment. She'd only just managed to force herself upright after the missed Soaring Sunshine, and although her arms were raised defensively, her legs still hadn't recovered from taking the full force of that landing. Amika tried to shift backward when Bandita came rushing in, only for the luchadora to grab hold and force her forward before she could establish any real footing.

"Ah—Bandita!"

Her hands immediately went for Bandita's arm when the guillotine closed around her neck, but the second hook around her right arm prevented Amika from properly fighting the restraint. She planted her boots and tried to straighten herself, only for Bandita's knee to suddenly drive into her stomach.

"UGH!"

Amika folded against the hold. The first strike erased what little resistance she'd managed to build, and the second arrived before she could fully recover, hammering into her midsection and making her legs buckle underneath her. She tried twisting her trapped arm free, desperately searching for enough room to turn out of the guillotine, but Bandita's control kept her bent forward and exactly where she wanted her.

Then came the brief pause.

Amika sucked in a hurried breath and tried to brace herself, recognizing what Bandita was doing a fraction too late. The third knee drove upward with considerably more force than the others, each one accompanied by a scream of pain from the former idol.

"GAAH!"

The impact actually lifted Amika's feet from the canvas for an instant. She came back down with trembling legs, nearly dropping to her knees before Bandita's arms suddenly shifted from her upper body to her waist. Amika felt the grip close and immediately tried to widen her stance, but after the missed stomp and three consecutive knees, her legs simply couldn't provide the resistance she needed.

Bandita lifted.

Amika's boots left the canvas completely as her body was turned upside down. Her eyes widened once she realized the position Bandita was maneuvering her into, hands immediately reaching downward for anything that might give her leverage. One palm pressed against Bandita's side while the other tried to work around the luchadora's grip, but suspended vertically like this, Amika had almost nothing to push against.

A tombstone piledriver.

"No no no no no!! Wait—!!" Amika pleaded, hoping that maybe just maybe they would heard by someone who would show the rookie mercy. But it did not.

The realization brought a sudden urgency back into her movements. Amika kicked her legs and twisted her hips, attempting to throw Bandita's balance off before she could complete the move. Her hands pushed desperately against Bandita's sides, trying to lift her upper body enough to create some separation and slip downward. But each attempt was noticeably weaker than the escapes she'd managed earlier in the match.

Her own signature had been meant to finish this.

Instead, missing it had left her legs compromised, and Bandita had taken full advantage before Amika could recover.

The referee hovered nearby as Amika continued struggling upside down. Her hair hung toward the canvas, swaying with every frantic movement while her boots kicked above Bandita's shoulders. She tried another twist of her hips, then another push against Bandita's sides, but neither succeeded in breaking the luchadora's control.

"Nngh...! Put me down!"

Amika knew immediately how unfortunate that choice of words had been.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she made one final attempt to escape, pressing both palms against Bandita and trying to push herself upward. Her arms trembled with the effort, but she couldn't gain enough leverage to free herself. After everything she'd endured and every comeback she'd managed throughout her LAW debut, the former idol had finally found herself in a position she couldn't wrestle her way out of.

Amika remained suspended upside down in Bandita's grasp, still struggling but unable to break free, leaving the luchadora with complete control to deliver the tombstone piledriver. She made another desperate attempt to shift her weight, but Bandita's hold remained secure, preventing her from finding the leverage necessary to escape. Amika's arms continued pushing against her opponent while her legs kicked above them, each movement showing that she understood exactly how dangerous her position had become. With every second that passed without an escape, however, the possibility of Bandita finally bringing her down grew harder to avoid.

[CyanDimitrik]

Amika was certainly a feisty thing, and the girl's spirit was something to admire. Bandita could appreciate it; a sort of 'never say die' determination. But she also didn't intend on giving it any kind of leverage or leeway. Now that she held the brunette firmly in her grasp, slender body clung to slender body, there was only one way this was going to end.

Bandita moved with her to the center of the ring, pausing periodically to brace her footing against the struggling thrashes and twisting hips. Each squirm of the hips presses and jostles the girl against Bandita's face, causing her the squirm counter to it. But a quick cinch of her arms around her waist reinforced the suspension, and they finished their short journey to no man's land.

The audience has hit a third roaring crescendo of the evening, seeing the dire straits the debutante had found herself in. Every second delayed was a layer of anticipation added. Not only for them, but for Bandita herself. She was reveling in this moment, enjoying it, savoring the control over Amika's body. And finally, she slides a hand down along the girl's back, palm running over her spine, behind her neck, fingers sifting into the fine hairs at her nape, before finally feeling the back of her head.

She pushes to press Amika's face forward - half against the base of her hips, half past to aim dangerously towards the mat.

"You've got a lotta talent!," she shouts down at her, partly muffled with her own face against the girl's hips. "But is gonna be me on top tonight!"

She didn't take the bait. The easy road, some might say! Turning the last thing Amika said against her and all! She instead chose a compliment! Because that's just the kind'a girl Bandita is.

Bandita then, without further ado, drops to her knees. Amika's head is spiked into the mat from an inverted, vertical base. Tombstone piledriver delivered.

She holds the girl's body in that position for a few seconds, letting the audience (and their cameras) soak it in - before relaxing her thighs and leaning forward to let the brunette's body spill to the mat on her back.

[The_Queen]

Amika's final attempts to fight free never amounted to enough. Every time she twisted or tried to push herself higher, Bandita simply tightened the hold and steadied her footing, keeping the smaller wrestler suspended upside down as they reached the center of the ring. By then, Amika could hear the audience roaring around them, but she was far too focused on escaping to appreciate any of it. Her hands pressed against Bandita's sides one more time, arms straining as she tried desperately to create even a little separation.

Then Bandita shifted her grip.

Amika felt the hand settle behind her head, and the last bit of hope in her expression disappeared as she realized the move was finally coming. Her legs kicked once more above them, but there was no leverage, no opening, and no time left to find one.

Bandita's compliment reached her through the noise of the arena, and despite everything, some small part of Amika registered it. She'd come into LAW wanting to prove she belonged here. She'd wanted a challenge, wanted to face whoever answered, and wanted to show that all those months of training meant something.

She'd certainly gotten her challenge.

Then Bandita dropped.

THUD!

The sound of the former Idol body slamming down echoed across the arena as the audience gave a collective gasp before switching into a roar of cheers from the spectacular move.

The tombstone piledriver brought Amika down hard, the impact immediately ending whatever resistance she'd still been offering. For the few seconds Bandita kept her suspended afterward, Amika hung completely limp in the hold, arms dangling toward the canvas and legs no longer kicking or searching for an escape.

When Bandita finally released her, Amika spilled onto her back in the center of the ring.

She didn't roll away.

She didn't reach for the ropes.

She didn't even try to sit up.

Amika simply lay there where she'd landed, messy brown-and-pink hair spread across the canvas while her chest rose and fell with slow, heavy breaths. One arm rested out beside her, the other loosely across her midsection, and her teal eyes remained shut as the arena thundered around her.