Mayori vs. Cecilia Lombard

[CaptainL]

The audience members were far from being alone in shuddering in sympathy for the harsh landing Mayori had taken into the mat. Yuki, too, winced, her teeth clenching as she had to take her eyes away from the impact. She tried to stay calm, but inside her heart was racing, fearful for what sort of fate might have been awaiting her friend. If she knew anything about Cecilia, it certainly wasn't going to be a pleasant one. Deep inside her, Yuki wanted to jump into the ring and do something to help Mayori out, but she knew that she couldn't; it would be against the rules. That didn't stop her from yearning to, however...

The crowd did raise a few cheers in Mayori's favor, seeing her fighting against all hope to stand up to the assault, but Cecilia didn't seem to be slowed down by it. She turned to face Mayori, looking down at her from above with a smirk, before she moved to shove her foot into the girl's stomach to try and force her onto her back. If successful, she would then try to grab Mayori's legs to pull them off the ground, in order to keep them spread while she would deliver a stomp to her inner thigh.

[Caduces]

Mayori was easily moved onto her back.

With her hands still over her aching face, her boots are brought up from the canvas and positioned by Cecilia's hands. In an instant, Mayori's new major point of pain in on the inside of her right thigh.

"AOHHHHH!" She yelped with desperation, letting her right hand down from her face to hold the spot of the stomp. The Hachijo girl was downed and being dismantled at both ends by the vicious Lombard, now. If Cecilia decided to release her legs, Mayori would try to roll away from her and end up on the arena floor. If Cecilia kept her grasps, Mayori would be kept from rolling and just be able to turn her torso to the right.

[CaptainL]

The sole of her boot meeting its target with the sound of a heavy thud, Cecilia smirked, watching Mayori reeling from the pain. It was music to her ears, putting the little upstart in her place like this - and unfortunately for Mayori, Cecilia was only getting things started.

Not letting go of Mayori's legs, Cecilia instead barked a command to her. "Stay down!" she shouted with her teeth clenched, before she turned Mayori over to roll the girl onto her stomach. Then, stepping over Mayori and lowering herself onto her back, Cecilia went to wrench her legs back over her shoulders, putting down the pressure to her legs and spine with a Boston Crab!

[Caduces]

"AHHHHHHH! AHHHHHH!...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Mayori's cries pierced the lower levels of the arena and instilled sympathy among the LAW fans, for sure. She was not favored to win this match, but this hold was acutely applied in such a way that even a handful of fans called for mercy on her behalf. They knew Cecilia Lombard by reputation and they didn't want to see a fresh girl on the roster forced to take a sabbatical so early in her career.

Mayori clenched her teeth and her fists. Her jawline became red, her fists were turning pale-white. Her arms were stretched in front of her and she fought the urge to pound the canvas in submission. Her pained eyes searched for Yuki at ringside and any looks of encouragement from her new friend.

As she did so, Cecilia's hold persisted in keeping the small of her back the crux of the painful hold. Mayori's briefs angled inward and upward on her hips. She was a picturesque wrestler in this position, but not an image of one that was seeing in-ring success.

[CaptainL]

Such screams would only urge Cecilia on forward, as she was intent to punish her foe. Mayori had proven herself to be almost a perfect opponent for her - smaller, weaker, endeared by the crowd, and full of hope. Which would all be the more fun to break. Mayori clearly had no idea what she was getting into, and just as expected, Cecilia was proving to give her a rather rude awakening. She looked back at the girl beneath her with a toothy grin, chuckling in a low voice under her breath. She was quite assured that after getting a taste of what Cecilia was capable of, Mayori would think twice before challenging her position - all the better for her. "So you want more of that, then?" she sneered, pulling back harder to apply more torque to the hold.

Watching from the sidelines, at first Yuki grew tense at the sight before her, her teeth clenching and her fingers tightening around the rope at the thought of what pain Mayori must have been in. She wasn't the best when it came to taking holds herself, and Mayori most definitely wasn't having a fun time with it. But in that moment, their eyes met, and in her friend Yuki could see that silent plea for something to fall back on, some word of encouragement. Yuki realized then that to let Cecilia have her way would just be letting her win! She knew that she liked playing mind games and making her foes feel hopeless before her, and if she could pull that off on Mayori, she was sure to be at a disadvantage. Yuki, then, would have to be the one to keep Mayori going!

Sucking in a breath, as her timid expression at once grew firm and focused, Yuki lifted a fist in the air, urging Mayori on. "Don't give up! You can do it!" she cheered.

[Caduces]

Mayori's eyes saw Yuki's.

Each time the temptation to tap out seemed insurmountable, the Hachijo girl clenched her fists and put them behind her ponytail. Her head shook and allowed herself to keep crying out.

Yuki was shouting and Mayori needed to hear that every time she relented in her own agonized howls.

Mayori couldn't get Cecilia to move a centimeter closer to the ropes and this stirred up more temptation to submit. Her lats and lower back muscles seared with pain the more acute the angle of the Boston Crab became. Her opponent knew how to control earth, according to Sun Tzu and this resounded in Mayori's mind. She needed to achieve control of "heaven" if she was going to mount an offensive. Which meant flying attacks, which also required her getting free of this hold.

"AHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHH!"

Hold and be patient! Hold and be patient! She will tire and we will mount up with wings!

[CaptainL]

With every passing second, Yuki felt her heartbeat racing higher and higher, standing on edge. Her eyes were wide as she watched Cecilia punish Mayori in the hold, and her knees trembled. She didn't want to believe that her friend could be forced to submit, especially not this early into the match, before she even had a chance to stand against her opponent. As she heard Mayori scream again, Yuki grit her teeth nervously, fearing the consequences. Mayori seemed as though she was going to just wait it out...but that seemed like a dangerous prospect to Yuki, especially if the hold proved to be such a threat to her thus far. Could she really outlast the hold before breaking?

At any rate, Mayori's hopes were looking to be valid. Sure enough, Cecilia was starting to become weary of keeping the position locked in, and her grip began to ease, as did the weight she put on Mayori's back. It wouldn't be hard for Mayori to pull free at this rate.

[Caduces]

Mayori's endurance was nearing its limit, but Yuki's encouragement pushed her to strain it even more.

What a godsend it was! Cecilia's grasp on Mayori's boots waned and the girl in white managed to free her right leg. It met the canvas knee first and this allowed Mayori to push against the canvas enough to lunge the half meter she needed to surpass in order to get her fingers to pluck the nearest bottom rope. The rope vibrated and then ceased moving once Mayori reset her left arm for another grasp and made it.

"AHHHH...ughhhh!" She shook her head, a non-verbal sign to the referee that the hold was no longer legal. She muttered something in her native tongue in a pleading way when her opponent seemed to be lingering in a half crab hold - which was possible given that her left leg was still caught.

[CaptainL]

It would take Mayori a valiant struggle to free herself from Cecilia's best efforts to break her - but eventually, she would find that strength in her, and she was able to use it to power herself out of the hold, just enough for Mayori to get a hand on the ropes! Cecilia could feel it, all right - she noticed as Mayori's weight shifted under her, and the leg dropping out of her clutches.

She could also feel the vibrations of the ropes as they traveled through Mayori's body and into hers, making it quite clear she had secured a rope break. This only made Cecilia angrier, as she grit her teeth in frustration. She had been so close, she was sure she had this match won - but Mayori pulled that away from her, prolonging her time in the ring. As a thanks for that, Cecilia, glancing back at Mayori out of the corner of her eye, gave another yank on the remaining leg. She knew it was illegal, and she didn't care. She wanted to send a message.

Luckily for Mayori, the referee did catch sight of her gesture, and she ran over to break the hold up, waving her arms. "Knock it off!" she cried. At last, with a groan, Cecilia let go of Mayori, going to step back. But the ref was sure to keep her eyes on the black-clad girl from now on, letting her off with a warning.

[Caduces]

Mayori grasped onto her left leg - the one Cecilia yanked - a moment after the break was complete.

Rolling onto her back, the Hachijo girl kept her raised knee against her chest and glared up at Cecilia. She uttered something in her native language and sat up on her left hip. If her attacker reached down to grab onto anything, Mayori would snap her hand out to bat Cecilia's away. Her counter-offensive strategy needed a few more precious seconds of recovery before she executed it.

If Cecilia kept arguing with the official or showboating, Mayori could drop her with a toe hold and pounce on top of her back with a quick - but diminished - STF hold application. Cecilia outclassed her in weight and this would only work if she overreached for her followup attack. If this failed, Mayori would be opening her own head and chest to an attack from a standing opponent.