Mikoto Kusanagi vs. Suzumi Ishikawa "The Tsunami"

killcarrion wrote:The graceful and high flying dropkick connected beautifully with Mikoto spreading out her arms at her sides to lessen the impact from her fall. Leaning up to see the Tsunami struggling wasn’t something she was all too happy to see, but it proved her theory that keeping things fast paced may do the trick.

Once on her feet she approached Suzu intending to do just, but instead she was tripped up and taken off her feet by the swift leg sweep. “Ugh!!” Landing back first with an audible thud and nowhere near as properly as from earlier, the priestess leaned up with a wincing expression as she massaged her lower back...

HighFly wrote:Suzumi wasted no time trying to catch Mikoto while she was down, moving up and grabbing her by both legs.  Suzumi knew a boston crab would help her slow things down a bit, so she rolled Mikoto over and kept hold of her legs arching them back as she half knelt, half sat down with her butt right near the small of Mikoto's back!

Since this was for real, Suzumi pulled back as hard as she could applying as much pressure as possible!

killcarrion wrote:Slightly embarrassed from the prat fall, the priestess leaned upward to her elbows but immediately slunk back down once her legs were lifted off the mat and used to twist her onto her chest. Her eyes widened in dread as her wrestling instincts recognized the motions and tipped her off about Suzu’s plans, but her opponent was moving too fast with Miko’s ankles tucked under Suzu’s armpits and the move already cinched in.

“hugh!!..” Mikoto buried her cringing face into the mat as best she could to hide the sheer agony from Suzu’s wrenching in of the hold. Her thigh muscles tightened into knots from the strain as Suzu rubbed her curvy rear end into the priestess’ lower back, Mikoto groaning out louder from the contortion of her spine and the searing pain that came with it. Her heart started racing intensely, the Tsunami was putting more strength into the boston crab than Mikoto would have anticipated Suzumi. The priestess held her head in her hands as she attempted to focus on her breathing to help steady her nerves.

With Suzu not sitting down with her whole weight on the small of her back, the priestess gritted her teeth and shoved her forearms beneath her chest, initiating a slow but steady crawl to the bottom ropes…

HighFly wrote:Suzumi kept the hold in place as long and as well as she could, but Mikoto had managed to climb to the ropes.  As soon as the referee said something Suzumi let go immediately.  

Being a rope break, Suzumi also backed off and allowed Mikoto to get back to her feet.  While granting a gracious reprieve, Suzumi didn't want to look weak or look as if she didn't take the match seriously.

As soon as Mikoto got up to her feet Suzumi, who had a bit more weight to her, wanted to show everyone that she meant business.  Once Mikoto got up, Suzumi was going to run straight at her and leap up horizontally in an attempt to hit Mikoto with a cross body block!

killcarrion wrote:Mikoto's slow progression to the the bottom rope felt like more like a slog through war trenches, pulling both wrestler's combined weight forearm by forearm. The priestess kept her extended hand on the precious threads of the bottom rope as Suzumi freed Miko from the boston crab and let her legs flop down to the mat along with the rest of her.

The remnants of the intense bending of her lower back lingered as Miko soothed her arched vertebrae with her other hand. Methodically climbing up the ropes with a pained grimace on her face, the boston crab had already taken some speed out of her game, which may have been part of the Tsunami's plans along.

Though grateful for the break in action, Mikoto knew any rests she was afforded were benefiting Suzu, so she wasted no time in trying to find her opponent again. Once back on her feet and pushing herself off the ropes, she turned around to see Suzu already sprinting towards her. She recognized the setup for the cross body from the training spar, but the soreness in her back dulled her reflexes. Unable to move quick enough to dodge Miko could only brace for the impact as the Tsunami leaped into the air and crashed her heftier frame into the priestess' upper torso.

"Oooph!!" Her legs jerked up in the air and flopped back down again after the body slam knocked the wind out of her, groaning out loud after being floored to the mat with Suzu pressed against her and keeping her their.

HighFly wrote:Suzumi had some momentum going now, and heard the crowds cheers grow louder.  She occasionally found herself playing to the crowd when she shouldn't have, and this was one of those moments.

Suzumi stood up, and smiled ear-to-ear.  She blew a big kiss to the crowd and waved.  She wasn't trying to taunt Mikoto, but being back and getting off to a good start had overwhelmed Suzumi a bit.  She loved being back and wanted everyone to know it.  

After her display she stayed where she was, jumping up and kicking her legs out as she was in the air.  Suzumi aimed her leg drop right at the neck and upper chest of a grounded Mikoto!

killcarrion wrote:Any lingering ideas that the Tsunami would hold anything back against Mikoto for her debut match was promptly expelled from the priestess’ thoughts along with the air from her lungs after Suzu appropriately crashed her bouncy figure into her like a tidal wave.

She breathed heavily once Suzu eased off of her, opening one wincing eye upward to see Suzu playing to the audience and winning them over with her bubbly personality. At that moment Mikoto really wished she wasn’t chosen to be Suzu’s opponent that night, finding it nearly impossible to be proud of her friend’s progress while at the same time being the victim of it. But still, seeing Suzu up close and in such high spirits from doing what she loved again was still a heartwarming sight, even from this angle.

Thankfully the playful showboating afforded Miko time to rest, yelping out cutely with widened eyes as the shadow of Suzu’s meaty thigh loomed overhead. Rolling out of the way just in the nick of time, Suzu took a second to collect her thoughts before scrambling back to behind the seated Tsunami and apply a full nelson. Locking her fingers behind Suzu’s neck and pushing her chest against Suzus back to make her arch forward and unintentionally panting against the side of her neck, Miko intended to slow down the Tsunami’s momentum and keep her grounded from the continuous assault Suzu had started.

HighFly wrote:"Arrgh!"  Suzumi yelled out as her thighs and backside hit the mat instead of connecting with Mikoto.  Suzumi found herself held up from behind in a full nelson.  She struggled against it by trying to use her arm strength to break the hold but Mikoto was just about as strong as Suzumi.  She had to hand it to her, that thin, elegant frame packed more power than most people would think.  Hell it had as much as Suzumi's fuller, curvy frame.  

Suzumi tried to get her feet set up underneath her so she could attempt to thrust to a standing position and lean forward to buck Mikoto off her back, although Suzumi had a feeling that her opponent had a plan in place.  Suzumi really had to admire how much Mikoto got better since her Wrestle Angels days in every aspect of wrestling... especially her ring-smarts.

killcarrion wrote:Mikoto leaned forward against Suzu’s back with increasing pressure to unbalance and weaken her opponents attempts to power out of the hold. With Suzu’s arms dangling in the air she intended for the blood to rush out of them to leave them lifeless and wear her down significantly, but apparently her spirited friend had energy reserves to spare.

A slow, progressive clap began to build up as Suzumi worked one foot beneath her, then another as the audience showed their support for the Tsunami’s efforts to work her way out of the hold. Throughout the steady ascension, the priestess was briefly reminded of her own tenure in Wrestle Angel, specifically of how Suzu was one of her initial tutors and trainers. Although she had her reservations about this entire situation, a small part of her saw it as an opportunity to show her friend how far she’s come. She never stood a chance against Suzu in the ring in those early days, but this was her chance to finally earn a real victory over her former mentor.  

Brought up to her feet thanks to Suzu’s gradual ascension, Mikoto opted to abandon the hold and change up her offense to keep her opponent guessing. Once vertical and before Suzu attempted to buck forward, Miko released her grip on the full nelson and swiftly shifted Suzu’s side. With her head under arm, one arm wrapped behind Suzu’s waist and the her other hand on her abs, the priestess intended to arch back and perform an ura-nage judo flip meant to disorient and hopefully take the wind out of Suzu’s  sails.

HighFly wrote:Right as Suzumi felt herself free from the hold, Mikoto quickly changed up her offense.  Suzumi wasn't able to pick up on the change in time and she found herself once again on the mat!

"Arrgh!"  Suzumi wasn't sure exactly how she got to be on the mat, and her disorientation would cost her.  Suzumi knew she wasn't slow by any means in terms of quickness or in regard to wrestling intuition.  However at this point she felt as though Mikoto had been one step faster on her feet which Suzumi had expected.  What she didn't expect was that Mikoto had thus far shown to be the smarter wrestler.  

Even though Suzumi felt like the crowd was behind her, she began to feel that little bit of doubt in the back of her mind about her comeback.  Was she rusty?  Did she miss so much time that other women had her outclassed?  Suzumi quickly dismissed these doubts.  All she had to do was change her gameplan.  Mikoto was a very technical, fast wrestler with decent strength for her size.  Suzumi would try here on out to go with a bit more of a power oriented grind-it-out approach...

Unfortunately for her, she was still dizzy and sore from the impact of Mikoto's toss and not in much of a position to act on her newly thought out gameplan....

killcarrion wrote:Mikoto’s judo techniques always proved to be an ace in the hole when implemented in her matches. The martial art was somewhat of a rarity in the current wrestling atmosphere, leaving most of her opponents unaware of the setups and how to counter them before they were already sent flying overhead in an unorthodox flip or suplex.

Turning to her side and standing up straight to see the discombobulated Tsunami still reeling from the effects of the side judo flip, Miko approached Suzu intent on capitalizing on her dizzied state. Since a faster, upbeat tempo backfired on her, the priestess decided to change her strategy on the fly and keep Suzu grounded on the mat with draining chokes and submissions.

Standing over the downed Tsunami, Miko bent over to lift her by her arm to a seated position with her legs spread eagled. But once upright again the priestess would sit herself down in front of Suzu and bind her thighs around her waist. Wrapping her arm around the back of her friends neck, Miko wrenched in a submission Suzu seemed to have exceptional trouble with back in their training session, a front facelock, even more deadly with Suzu already knocked loopy and brought down to the mat. Inadvertently pressing their chests up against each other’s in the oppressively close submission, the priestess almost regretted using this intimate knowledge between training partners to her advantage, but Miko’s determination in winning overrode any lingering thoughts biting at the back of her head.

HighFly wrote:This was bad, very bad.  Suzumi recalled the front facelock and how she'd had a lot of trouble getting out of it.  She let out an ear-splitting shout of pain as Mikoto applied a lot more pressure this time around!

As the hold was maintained, Suzumi's shouting grew louder.  She kicked her legs against the mat, unable to get into any good position to get to her feet.  It was then that she had an idea, and one that had better work otherwise her neck was in serious trouble...

Suzumi knew Mikoto was wrapped around her in such a way that she couldn't pry her off.  Suzumi leaned back, trying to get into a position lying on her back instead of sitting.  From there, her legs and upper body could be used together to roll.  Suzumi grunted and yelled again, this time more out of determination to free herself than pain.  She wanted to roll Mikoto over so Suzumi was on top of her.  That was the easy part, this next part was going to be a longer, harder struggle.  

Once on top of Mikoto, Suzumi wanted to get her feet under her, and grab Mikoto around her waist.  Suzumi would struggle up to her feet, nearly panting as the pain of the hold and exertion were both very taxing.  Once up, she knew where the tunbuckle was located.  For the moment she wanted Mikoto to hang on, and she would do her best to hold onto Mikoto as she charged in the direction of a tunbuckle as quickly as she could, looking to hammer her friend against the ringpost back-first!

killcarrion wrote:Unlike before in the training session, there would be no safety rules to hold the priestess back while she cinched in the front face lock. Mikoto was cutting off Suzu’s air supply with the tightened headlock and applying pressure around her waist, for some reason this submission in particular draining her worse than any other. Mikoto winced as Suzu’s anguished screams echoed through the arena. Though they confirmed that the submission was working her over big time, the priestess hardly enjoyed hearing her friend go through such agony, hoping she would tap out sooner rather than later.

“Eh?!..” Mikoto’s eyes widened from Suzu’s sudden mat movements, groaning as both the wrestler’s tumbled and rolled around the ring until the priestess was on her back. Unlike before, the tsunami was demonstrating exceptional grace under pressure and coordination. Another slow clap rang out through the audience in sync with rhythmic stomps to help will Suzu out of another harsh grapple technique. Mikoto constricted and wrenched in the hold tighter than ever before, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead not only from exertion but also from obvious worry about Suzu’s steady comeback.

Now lifted up on Suzu’s shaky legs, the priestess gasped when she felt Suzu’s arms fasten around her back in a bear hug, Mikoto realizing too late that she has lost control of the match at that point. Stuck applying the hold with nowhere else to go, the surge back to the ring post took her breath away, but not as much as the actual impact.

“Oooph!!” Shoulder charged into the turnbuckle by the heftier Suzu made Miko convulse sharply from the impact. Head hanging low and muttering incoherently, she abandoned her hold immediately with one arm over the top rope and the other soothing her abs as she slumped against the corner.

HighFly wrote:Suzumi staggered back gasping for air as she rubbed her throat with one hand and her lower back with the other.  She knew Mikoto wasn't going to stay stunned for a long time but that hold had taken its toll on Suzumi.  

She heard the fans cheering her escape, and moved forward to Mikoto in the corner.  Suzumi grabbed the top ropes with her hands and leaned back before ramming her knee into Mikoto's abdomen as hard as she could!  Normally she felt great after freeing herself from a hold and taking the fight to her opponent, but ever time she put Mikoto through a painful hold or strike she couldn't help but feel bad.  

She didn't enjoy pounding her friend, but she also felt as if her pride had taken a hit when Mikoto beat her in that spar.  Sure Mikoto improved, but was she really as good as Suzumi?  Suzumi prepared for the comeback, and knew her skills didn't deteriorate.  She wasn't rusty now, but even so Mikoto had given her all she could handle and then some.

killcarrion wrote:Mikoto slouched against the corner turnbuckle nursing her own wounds while Suzu stepped back to catch her breath. Another strategy backfired on her. *Stupid…stupid…*The priestess inwardly cursed herself for underestimating Suzu, foolishly thinking she would fall victim to the same submission twice in a row. By overcoming her weakness and turning Miko’s own submission against her the Tsunami was demonstrating herself to still have the wrestling skills that made her a name in W.A. An example of the experience and ability gap between the two that was always apparent since Suzu first coached her all those years ago, one Miko meant to overcome this night if she could just get another chance.

Shaking off any lingering cobwebs, the priestesses slowly started to lift her head up and push herself off the turnbuckle when she sensed Suzu approach her once again and nudge her back into the corner before the Tsunami impaled her knee into her gut with as much force as she could muster. “Pwaah!!” The impact from the knee strike shoved Miko backward until she was practically seated on the middle turnbuckle, bent over and gasping for air with some slight drooling on the corner of her mouth. Once Suzu would remove her knee, Miko would wrap both arms around her bruised abs and slowly slink to a seated position as she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing.

HighFly wrote:Suzumi saw Mikoto reeling from the knee and knew now was a good chance to try to pull away from Mikoto, figuratively speaking.  Right now Suzumi wanted to get closer to her friend.

Suzumi pulled Mikoto back up to her feet and bent over slightly, grabbing Mikoto over her shoulder with one arm.  Suzumi grabbed Mikoto with her other arm, hooking it through her legs and lifting her into the air.  Suzumi grunted as she lift Mikoto off the ground and she playfully added in a couple smacks to Mikoto's backside.  The crowd cheered as Suzumi showed a little bit of a playful side that they were used to seeing from her.  Suzumi wanted to hold her there and spin, facing the center of the ring again before slamming her down to complete the scoop slam.