Sanae Saitou vs. Alizeh Midori III - POW Match

[CaptainL]

From the moment the bell rang, the match was off to a rapid pace, with both Sanae and Alizeh trading moves in quick succession. Every move one of them made was just going to become the setup to the next, and everything cascaded into a smooth, unbroken stream of continuous offense. The two girls had faced off enough to know each other's styles perfectly, so much so that it seemed like both of them knew instinctually what the other was about to do. If anyone would bring the momentum of the match to a halt, though, it would be Alizeh, when she grabbed Sanae by the arm, using the lightweight's momentum to pull her down and into an armbar! Alizeh might have been just as quick on her feet as Sanae was, but she was also an expert when it came to grappling and submissions - and she was using this as an opportunity to take the match somewhere she would be right at home in!

As she hauled back on Sanae's arm, the idol hissed through her clenched teeth. She tried to twist and turn, shaking her head in defiance, but the pain was stabbing through her spine! At the same time, Sanae had grown familiar with Alizeh's tricks. She had studied her moves and familiarized herself with her style in the leadup to their submission match at the Apex qualifiers. A move like this might have slowed her down in their first encounter - but now, Sanae knew enough about Alizeh to know she didn't have anything to fear. She knew how she could fight back!

Clenching her teeth to try and steady herself through the pain, Sanae wormed her way forward on her stomach, crawling across the mat a little at a time. She huffed and panted from the strain on her arm, but she couldn't give up. She owed it to herself to keep up the fight, when this match had only truly begun! Her fans would never accept her giving in this easily, and neither could she - she knew she was better than that, and that a match of this caliber deserved to go beyond! Soon enough, Sanae was able to get to the ropes - and when she got a hold of them, Alizeh obediently let go and doubled back.

Sanae needed a brief moment to catch her breath. She rubbed at her shoulder, still sore from where Alizeh had torqued at it, with a wince. But then, she began to straighten herself to her feet, turning back around to face her friend with a smile. "I see you haven't slacked off with your submission game...not even a little bit, huh?" she chuckled. And she wouldn't have it any other way - if this was to be a true test of their abilities, she wanted Alizeh at her best!

As she came close, Sanae settled into a stance, bending at the knees and raising her hands as she offered Alizeh a lockup. It was time for them to square up once again, and Sanae wouldn't allow herself to be slowed down even a little!

[Bare]

Alizeh and Sanae were good yet intense rivals, neither had any resentment or other particular negative feelings for one another, just a simple desire to understand and settle who was the absolute bets between them. Moments like this where Alizeh took advantage of Sanae's own attack to get her in a brutal arm bar submission were precisely that built up the desire to settle who was better than the other.

It was what motivated and pushed Alizeh, and she was sure that it was giving Sanae more desire to fight back as well, being proven once the girl managed to fight her way across the ring and reach out to the ropes, grabbing hold of the ropes and securing a break! Naturally Alizeh would let go right away, rolling away from Sanae and getting back to her feet, watching as Sanae did the same, looking up at Alizeh with the same eyes both held when they first walked into the ring today.

Eyes full of determination. Smirking ever so lightly at Sanae's teasing response however Alizeh would lift her hands in a challenging way while giving a come at me gesture.""If anything after our last few encounters I doubled down on them. Can't blame me for that can you?" Alizeh asked before getting a bit more serious as she walked closer to Sanae raising her hands higher and locking hands with her in another lock up!

This time though instead of pushing against Sanae in a full blown test of strength Alizeh would raise one of her legs up and then down on their joined hands, breaking the grip and using the sudden break to spin around, twisting Sanae's arm back before grabbing the waist of her bottoms and pulling backwards, trying to land a half and half suplex on Sanae before she could react!

[CaptainL]

Alizeh had put the pressure on Sanae, clamping down tightly around the idol's arm and stretching the muscles and ligaments taut. It sent a surge of pain through her, causing her to yelp and wince. But Sanae wasn't going to tap out just yet - and Alizeh knew that. She wasn't about to give in so easily, at the start of the match. Alizeh had been there for every step of Sanae's growth, and she knew just how much potential she could truly hold. Now, she was trying to bring that potential out of Sanae - daring her every step of the way to rise above. And Sanae had committed herself to living up to that promise! Alizeh was putting her to the test - forcing her to show what she had in her!

Sure enough, Sanae was fully fired up with determination, and she powered her way to the ropes, grabbing hold and forcing Alizeh to break away from her. The lightweight smirked to her as their eyes met, and she nodded her head. After their last encounters, Alizeh had been training for this rematch as well. Sanae had set the bar, and it was up to her to rise past it. The two of them were always driving one another toward bigger and better things - and that was just as Sanae liked it! "No, I can't...but you aren't the only one!"

There was no better display of how keenly focused Alizeh's efforts were than when she took Sanae's hands in the lockup. For a moment, the idol's eyes narrowed in focus as she leaned in to push at her opponent - but then, Alizeh brought up her leg, bringing it down in a kick against their linked arms! The crowd broke into a cheer at the sudden counter, and Sanae drew back, wringing out her hands to try and shake off the soreness. But that meant Alizeh had an opening - an opening she was going to go for, when she swerved behind her foe before she hauled Sanae up and hurled her into the canvas!

Sanae struck the mat with a loud thud, causing the ring to rumble. Her legs kicked up into the air, and she coughed and wheezed for a moment as the air was driven out of her lungs. But as Sanae caught her breath and collected her thoughts, she looked up to lock a glare onto Alizeh. She might have been sore, but she wasn't going to let this break her momentum. She might have been on the mat - but so was Alizeh. And Sanae would try to take advantage of that, rolling backward to get to the ropes - if she could make it there, she'd grab the bottom rope and pull herself up higher. She'd pull herself up to the ropes, aiming to throw herself down on top of Alizeh to crash into her with her knees for a meteora, hopefully before she could get up!

[Bare]

Alizeh had been training specifically for this moment with Sanae, fired up with determination and driven to do everything in her power to keep up with Sanae and remind her of how far she still had to go, how far Alizeh could rise up still! Refusing to back down whatsoever Alizeh would seemingly meet Sanae in a lock up, only to suddenly bring her leg up and smack their hands apart, using the sudden break to get behind Sanae and lift her off her feet to slam her down with a suplex!

Managing to land this move successfully Alizeh would smile and roll over, fully expecting Sanae to be fairly rocked by the impact of that move which would allow her to capitalize. Or so she thought at least. But as Alizeh started to rise up she would look up just in time to see Sanae's form coming in right towards her! Eyes widening at this Alizeh could do nothing as the smaller girl's knees crashed hard into her chest, pushing her back and down to the mat with Sanae on top!

"Gah!" Alizeh cried out in pain from the hard impact of both Sanae's knees being driven into her chest, naturally as a result of this the oxygen was pushed out from her lungs, making Alizeh wheeze in pain! Worse yet Sanae's weight was still pressing down on her chest, forcing her lower half into the air for a moment before flopping back down to the mat. Still groaning softly Alizeh's hands would come up instinctively to Sanae's knees holding them and trying to push them off... but for now she was trapped underneath the light weight!

[CaptainL]

Maybe Alizeh had scored a blow on Sanae, and maybe the impact had knocked her for a loop. As she came down hard onto her back, the soreness pounded through her spine, causing her to clench her teeth with a hiss as her face contorted from the pain. But Sanae's strategy depended on her ability to stay in motion, and to keep Alizeh guessing. She couldn't let this throw her off for long - that would be tantamount to conceding victory to Alizeh. And when Sanae had already promised to give this match the fullness of what she was capable of, she wouldn't stand for anything less than bouncing straight back, and bringing the fight back to her rival!

She'd seize on the momentum, rolling with the force with which she landed and bringing herself to the ropes. She still winced a little from a lingering pain in her back, but she wouldn't let it stop her. Reaching for the ropes, Sanae lifted herself up to the top - and then flung herself from them, coming down on top of Alizeh with a thud that shook the whole ring beneath their impact. The crowd roared with a cheer - but Sanae wasn't done yet.

She could feel Alizeh pushing at her, but that wasn't going to slow her down. Undeterred, the idol reached behind her, grabbing for Alizeh's legs just as they touched down on the ground. "Sorry, no can do!" she teased - then, she rolled herself forward, going to land so that Alizeh's legs were folded completely over her body, bringing down her shoulders with a jackknife pin! The referee moved into place, ready to count. Sanae was sure Alizeh could break out of it, of course - but for now, she wanted to test what she was capable of!

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/ADolKuPEdqc?t=3

[Bare]

The match between Sanae and Alizeh was the definition of back and forth so far. Neither woman giving any slack to the other in an effort to win this and prove themselves superior. Case in point even right after a harsh suplex from Alizeh to Sanae the smaller green haired girl didn't let it stop her for a moment as she used the momentum to roll back into the corner, bouncing off of it and coming right back at Alizeh, driving her knees into the green haired girl's chest with a meteora!

Naturally Alizeh was rocked by the blow, the wind getting blasted from her lungs as she was knocked onto her back, reasonably stunned by the blow and evidently this made Sanae a little bold as she wasted no time grabbing at Alizeh's legs and rolling over her, folding the middleweight up in the process to trap her in a sudden jackknife pin, something that made the crowd ooh and ahh at the sight of Alizeh's body folded over in such a way as the ref dropped down to count.

"ONE!"

However if there was one way to wake someone up from a hard hit it was hearing the sound of a ref's hand hitting the mat and their voice shouting it along with them, amplifying the effect and causing adrenaline to surge through Alizeh! Pushing her legs out suddenly Alizeh tried to push Sanae off her hands and onto her back while Alizeh suddenly sat up, grabbing Sanae's own legs and pushing down to fold Sanae over for a reverse pin fall of her own!

[CaptainL]

Sanae's high-flying expertise was shining through as ever, and when she came crashing down on top of Alizeh's chest, practically drilling her knees into her chest from the force of the landing, the arena erupted into cheers and applause. Sanae wore that with pride, lifting her head higher with a smile on her face. But she wasn't done there! Now she'd managed to drive the air out of Alizeh's lungs with the force of her landing - and that left the middleweight wide open for her to swoop in and claim the advantage. Being Sanae, she'd of course do that in style, grabbing Alizeh by the legs and rolling her over to keep her body folded in half, with her shoulders against the mat!

It was a dominant position indeed, and one that left Alizeh in quite a compromising position, drawing a few more cheers and the flashes of cameras. But Sanae already had a feeling that this wouldn't keep Alizeh down for long. She knew her well through all the time they'd known each other and all the matches they'd faced each other in, and Sanae knew that it would take more to finish Alizeh off than one pin this early in the match. Sure enough, her suspicions would prove true. But Alizeh wouldn't only kick out - she'd do so with such force that it made her fall onto her back, where Alizeh grabbed her by the legs and folded her over instead!

The idol's jaw dropped in a gasp. She hadn't anticipated a counter quite like this! In a flash, Alizeh had almost completely reversed their positions, and it had taken Sanae completely by surprise! Once again, the referee leaned in to start the count...

"ONE!"

But just like Alizeh, Sanae was determined to win this match - and she wasn't going to let this stop her! Belting out a battle cry, she kicked her legs into the air, breaking free of the pin to the sound of a cheer! Then, she'd start to crawl backward to get some space away from Alizeh. She panted softly, and her eyes were half-lidded, but she still looked back up at Alizeh with a grin on her face.

"I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy..." she said, nodding her head. "Which is just what I want!" Sanae wanted Alizeh to give her the fight of her life, and so far she wasn't disappointing! She kipped back up onto her feet, taking a stance as she waited for the next round to begin!

[Bare]

Despite the lingering pain in her chest from the meteora Sanae had delivered her Alizeh wasn't even close to done, even as her smaller opponent trapped her in a compromising pin fall attempt. Even then Alizeh had managed to kick out, and do so in a way that totally reversed their positions, leaving Sanae trapped in a pin fall of Alizeh's own!

Smirking a bit at this Alizeh would watch from above down at Sanae's trapped form, but similar to herself it wouldn't last longer than one before Sanae suddenly kicked her legs outward, breaking the pin! Having expected this Alizeh would lean back and roll with the force of the kick out, rolling to her feet and pushing herself up to her feet with a smile on her face as she watched Sanae crawl away for a moment before doing as Alizeh did and started to get back up.

Hearing the words Sanae said as she did so however made a smile creep back up Alizeh's face. "Exactly what I wanted to hear! So I hope you aren't feeling tired already!" Alizeh said with her heart pounding a mile a minute before rushed in towards her fellow greenette. Rearing her arm backwards as she neared Alizeh would throw her arm out, intending to deliver a hard forearm smash right to Sanae's chest!

Should it connect then Alizeh would not immediately follow up, instead pointing at her own chest in response. "Come on! This match may have just began but show me you're into this!" Alizeh demanded to her, laying out the challenge to Sanae as she challenged her to an all out striking contest!

[CaptainL]

Through their long-standing rivalry, Sanae and Alizeh had come to know each other well. They had familiarized themselves with their moves and styles, and they knew how they thought in the ring. It hardly came as any surprise to either of them that they would kick out of their respective pins, particularly when it was this early in the match. But then, Sanae wouldn't have expected any less. If anything, she would've been disappointed if Alizeh didn't kick out. This just told her the middleweight was giving her all in this match - and that she could be sure she was facing Alizeh Midori at her full potential!

So too, Sanae would be quick to remind her foe that she wasn't going to be going easy on her either! When Alizeh asked her if she was getting tired, the idol just laughed it off. "Me? Tired? Hah, you're kidding!~" She flipped back her hair and flashed Alizeh a grin, ready for anything she might throw her way! "I'm just getting started!"

And Alizeh was quick to rise to that challenge - she closed in on Sanae with a hard forearm right to the chest! The impact landed with a thud, causing Sanae to go stumbling backward as her brow furrowed in a wince. A few fans looked away at the impact. Sanae was smaller than Alizeh, and an attack thrown with such force could've easily upended her.

And yet, Sanae wasn't going to let that happen. She might've stumbled back a few steps, but then she stopped. She dug her heels into the mat, looking up at Alizeh. Her eyes narrowed into a glare, but they met her rival's with a nod. Sanae didn't show the slightest hint of hesitation. She wasn't going to let any of this get to her. And the crowd was going wild with cheers, ready to see her deliver on her promises!

"Every strike I throw is with the passion of my full heart!" Sanae exclaimed defiantly, making a bicep. And she was ready to prove that - she ran right back toward Alizeh, going to ram her forearm against her chest in a mirror of her move, with just as much force! It didn't matter if Alizeh was the heavier of the two. Sanae wanted to prove she could hit just as hard!

[Bare]

As she made her teasing comment to her opponent Alizeh couldn't help but smile at Sanae's response, claiming that she was just getting started. "Yeah that's what I'm talking about!" Alizeh would shout back at Sanae, having already thrown her arm forward and slamming a strike right into Sanae's chest! Watching as Sanae stumbled back from this Alizeh wouldn't do anything further, just watching and waiting for the smaller girl to regain her bearings... Before coming right back at her! Grinning at this Alizeh would brace herself as she took the brunt of the girl's strike full on to the chest!

"Ugh!" Alizeh grunted, stumbling back a few steps herself, turning and rubbing her chest for a moment before smirking. "God you can be so corny!" Alizeh said loudly as she turned back to Sanae, rearing her arm back before sending it forward with all her strength behind the blow, aiming to drive a massive knife edge chop right into Sanae's chest to make a loud smack sound!