Bats, Blades, and Bushido (Hakune vs. Saya)

[dlamp]

As the slaps connected and Hakune screamed at her opponent the crowd was in stunned silence. The air around the ring grew tense as Hakune's glare remained. She watched, waiting for a response from Say, her hands being shaken off as the woman pulled away and snapped back. "Me?" She growled back, her hands clenching into fists as she moved forward again. Was... Saya serious? Did she really not get why Hakune was so upset or was she just playing dumb? She didn't exactly give the reaction the Samurai was hoping for, but... it was a start.

"What's wrong with me?" She repeated, raising a hands up. "What's wrong with YOU?" She swung her hands forward, again slapping both of Saya's cheeks in annoyance. "You can't give up now! I won't let you!" She shouted,bring her face close to Saya's, her next words a near whisper. "You... you don't get to run away and give up because you're losing. You keep fighting under you can't."

[UnusuallyTallJawa]

Saya’s emotions were in a deep turmoil at that moment. The atmosphere was electric and even the bustling arena came to a halt and became silent, not really knowing what was going on but completely invested in the exchange. Inside Saya’s mind there was a pretty different kind of battle. The woman felt humiliated, coming from a debut loss against a smaller, cute looking oponent that made the Bat-woman look like a wimp. Now she was on her second match and was facing a heavily gimmicked rival like Hakune who portrayed a samurai. Saya had a short fuse for people like that who (on her mind) were capable of getting the crowd’s attention and love just by posing as some cool figure and in some sort of way she had devoted herself to expose these people for the weak wrestlers they were. That objective had proved to be quite more difficult that what Saya had in mind, maybe because lack of skill from her part, maybe because she underestimated the might and ability of her rivals.

And just coming from that, being bitchslapped by Hakune as the Samurai in front of everyone when she had finally accepted her defeat was just too much. Not only that, Hakune was explicitly scolding her for surrendering! Just what was that woman about? Again Saya got slapped with force as Hakune told Saya that she wasn’t going to allow her to surrender. For a fleeting instant Saya held her gaze to Hakune, and felt like for the first time she was looking at her rival in the eye. Not as a gimmick, but the person behind. Then came some feeling of realization and wich it embarrassement. Saya felt her eyes tearing up a little now that she could notice how she had been behaving and how even as she saw Hakune as an enemy she was the one who offered her hand Saya out of the abyss she was threading.

Saya knew what had to be done. She was fully aware of her being spent and exhausted from the beating she got, but now she knew they had to give everything a proper finale. With a slight nod she acknowledged Hakune’s remarks, no words needed. After this moment Saya showed this newly found understanding by walking a couple steps backwards, slowly raising her arms, inviting her rival for a new test of strength. The match wasn’t over and they were going to finish it, and no matter how it would end Saya would fight it to the last speck of her strength with new respect for her rival.

[dlamp]

"... ... ..." Hakune watched Saya's face, watching each shift in emotions. The rage from her initial slaps, the slow understanding the dawned her as Hakune spoke, and now... the realization and acceptance of those words. It took awhile to get there, but the look Saya gave Hakune now wasn't filled with rage, anger, arrogance, or even the defeat and humiliation she saw just before her scolding. Saya looked... at peace, and seeing that had the Samurai smile. And as Saya pulled back to ready herself for the final clash, Hakune followed. This... this was the right way to end things. Not as mortal enemies on the field, but as rivals trying to force the other to give it all they had. And Saya... looked strong.

Hakune rose had arms, taking a moment to ready herself mentally. This... was a long fight. It didn't feel that long, but the emotions both girls threw at each other, the blows that followed those emotions, and the energy spent letting those feeling bleed out had both girl's worse for wear. Man... this is going to be hard. But despite that thought the Samurai still had a grin on her face. The crowd was silent, on the edge of their seats watching as the final clash was at last set. "... ... ..." Hakune rose her arms, inching forward. "Gnh..." And then she noticed it. Her hands were still numb from the sword clash, and the previous slaps didn't do much to help either. The test of strength Saya wanted wasn't going to be to the Samurai's favor.

But... she went for it.

"YAAAAH!" With a battle cry to rally her spirit she charged forward, clasping hands with her opponent as she pushed with all the momentum her tired body could manage, trying to keep her grip tight as her hands trembled at the forced gripping. Just like Saya, she was just as determined to finish this battle.

Fair and square. With all she had.

[UnusuallyTallJawa]

It had costed no small amount of effort to Saya, but it looked like she had overcome her moment of weakness. Not only that, but what at first looked like total defeat and humiliation had managed to stir something inside the batting woman with some help of Hakune who made a great role in having an intervention against Saya. Of course changes were always more complicated like one-dimensional stories and Saya had a lot to think about when the match was over, but it was a pretty decent start her change in heart in the middle of a match, it was something to look up to in the future to see how that would help her develop as a person and as a wrestler.

But for the moment there was no time to think about any of that since Saya was not only in the middle of an adrenaline rush but in what looked like the exciting climax to her match. And that ending would start as many matches do, with a test of strength. Saya was now running on fumes, but some small signs hinted that Hakune wasn’t much more well rested either. That fueled Saya’s resolve to take control of the match as she used her rival’s hesitance to make a final effort and try to transition from the test of strength to an over the shoulder throw making use of Hakune’s strength against her.

[dlamp]

The crowd was ablaze with cheers and whistles as the two fighters clashed in earnest, ignited by Hakune's words and Saya's renewed vigor. This was it, the last few moves before the fight came to an end, a clash of wills and minds as the two girls were on their last bits of stamina. Hakune couldn't help but smile a little as she met her opponent's eyes now. It was still a bit of a harsh gaze, but... Saya looked much more confident now.

And that confidence showed itself in Saya's technique. "Waaa-!" So focused on the clash and rush of honest, head-to-head combat that Hakune was completely pulled in by the shift in Saya's weight and body, quickly taking to the air and throw up for a sudden shoulder throw. The seconds in the air felt like minutes as legs and got moments of air time before-

"Guh!" The impact wasn't as heavy as she thought, but her already tired body lost even more of its precious stamina as she gasped and sucked in air. "N-Not yet!" But she wasn't giving up. Her hands scrambled, desperately searching for something to grab and finding its grip around Saya's ankle. She started pulling without hesitation, hoping to drag her rival down and give her a moment to rise to her feet.

[UnusuallyTallJawa]

Saya wasn’t a pretty good strategist. Instead she had always trusted her gut to guide her through a match, and even if that hadn’t given her good results in the past, now that she was approaching that same idea from a different perspective it turned out to be better. What pushed her to go for an over the shoulder throw wasn’t a sense of strategy but a hunch that it would catch Hakune off guard and it could lead her to some serious advantage given how winded up both wrestlers were.

The throw worked wonders as Hakune wasn’t expecting anything like that, but the Samurai was pretty good adapting to any situation in a flash as she was just about to show. Instead of simply going down she would get a grab on Saya’s ankle as she was falling. With a gasp of surprise the batting woman couldn’t do anything but fall close to her rival, saying goodbye to all her follow up expectations and maybe even giving her rival a freebie now that she was tired and taking some time to recover and regain her footing.

[dlamp]

It was desperate gamble, but Hakune was able to get a hold on Saya's leg and force her down. The crowd sounded off in cheers at the turnaround, but there was no time to celebrate or stand on ceremony from it. Even with both of them tired and left breathless Saya was still trying to rise. Her tenacity was something to be praised for sure, but the Samurai's mind was now focused on standing, on trying to get some edge on her opponent before it was too late and she truly lost all her energy.

Hakune quickly followed her opponent's example, scrambling and pushing off the ground onto her knees, gasping in air as her back stood straight.

She took one quick glance to get a feel for her surroundings. The referee and crowd both were on the edge of their seats, staring at the two fighters to see. Hakune's balance was unsteady, her eyes still swirling from the rush of her sudden rising as her gaze focused on Saya still rising.

It was now or never.

With a short breath to regain some of her draining stamina she rose her leg high above her head, a feat of flexibility she achieved from her taekwondo days and modeling career. Saya's head was in the perfect position, right above her and practically waiting for the axe to come down. Hakune let her leg hang for only a few seconds longer before bringing it down with all the force gravity and her spirit would allow. Her ax kick finisher, her sword meant to cleave through evil and transfer her righteous spirit into her opponent as she shouted out for the crowd heavens to hear:

"ZANSHIN!"

[UnusuallyTallJawa]

Saya had been through a lot in that match, but after trials and tribulations she had managed to find herself and her focus, lighting a way to betterment through the sheer excitement of combat. She would have to reflect on that when the match is over, but it was a good start.After that newfound resolve Saya had approached the match with a different attitude, one that could push her towards victory.

The only problem standing in between Saya and that victory was how exhausted she actually was. At that point in the match both wrestlers were running on fumes, the match looking more like a slugger bout, with the two contestants trading blows to a point any hit could be the last. And that hit could come from anywhere in any form.

Saya managed to throw Hakune, but the Samurai showed great resourcefulness by grabbing her rival and getting her to the ground. After taking some time to recover and getting up Saya was ready for the next clash when she looked at Hakune to see the Samurai charging her leg in a powerful axe kick. There was no time for Saya to dodge, so the kick came down and impacted the woman on the head. For Saya it was night’s out, her body losing its support as she fell first on her knees and then limp on the mat without the strength to get up in time to retaliate.

[dlamp]

The crack that rang through the stadium as Hakune's heel connected nearly made her wince along with the crowd. And the pure loss of consciousness she saw from Saya made her heart sink. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Saya only stood for a second before dropping to her knees, then to the mat. It... was honestly painful to watch. Zanshin, the strongest move in the Samurai's arsenal, and probably the most brutal, truly did cut Saya down. "Haah... Haaah... Haah..." And Hakune couldn't help but stare with a somber expression. If there was one saving grace of this move it was that it was meant for quick knockouts to make the pain as brief as possible. Still, for all Saya's attitude and arrogance she had fought hard and fought well. Maybe not honorably, but she found her place after the match.

Still, Hakune had a match to finish. She couldn't let this opportunity pass nor prolong Saya's suffering. Quickly after catching her breath she started to roll Saya onto her back, moving to hook her arm around her opponent's leg and press her weight down along her torso to secure the pin.

Then, the referee counted, and the audience waited with bated breath.

"ONE!"

... ... ...

"TWO!"

[UnusuallyTallJawa]

To say that Saya was unconscious wouldn’t be quite precise, but it would be close enough to the truth since the batting woman was barely clinging to consciousness after the hit to her head by Hakune’s powerful finisher. Saya’s body lost all of its support and she went down hard. Her mind was also in a foggy state as she could only barely register sounds and images surrounding her, but she had a quite clear understanding of what was going on. Hakune got her real hard with a powerful move when she was winded up and now it was impossible for her to get up.

Some pressure on her body hinted Saya about Hakune going for a pin. Then came the muffled sound of the ref slapping the mat and starting the count. No matter how hard Saya wanted to lift one of her arms there was just no way that was going to happen. She was completely out of strength so the only thing she could do was to accept the upcoming defeat and let it happen.

“THREE!!” *ding ding ding* The sound of the bell echoed in Saya’s ears as it signaled her defeat that night after what was a way much more intense than expected match. Saya would just lie on the mat while waiting for her rival to release her so she could catch her breath.