SD III: Mariko Ishii vs. Ninjette

The method Mariko had gone with to fight against the hold was hardly conventional. It certainly wasn't the way wrestlers would be trained to fight against it in the future. Regardless, it did its job quite nicely. And quick, heavy gasps began to leave Mariko's lips the moment she was able to take in air again, only for a pained cry to force its way between them once Kozue's legs clamped down hard against her.

Her upper body started to fall back against her foe's torso, but she quickly saw the danger of putting herself right back in postiion for the dragon sleeper again, and jolted upright to avoid that fate. Mariko's hands moved to Kozue's beautiful, perfect legs and pushed, trying to ease some of the pressure being applied to her midsection.

She took just long enough to allow herself a few much needed breaths, then brought her right arm up and began slamming the point of her elbow down onto Kozue's thigh. Mariko hated to be so violent toward the brunette's leg. But she had to do what she had to do if she didn't want her hopes of victory tonight being squeezed right out of her.

While Kozue wasn't typically the sort of person who got off by hurting people - unless they really deserved it, like a certain asshole in a leopard mask - she couldn't deny getting a thrill out of squeezing Mariko. Aside from just enjoying the skin contact, her middle was designed for it. Tough, but soft underneath. Nice muscle. And they way she squirmed between her thighs…

It almost made her not get mad when she was too slow to capture Mariko in a headlock when she dipped back. Pity, she could've really made that work. But she still had the body scissor. Still had the advantage.

For the moment. But then Mariko started hammering away at her leg, jabbing the point of her elbow in like a knife, cutting deep into her muscle with each blow. Three such strikes was all Kozue could take before she let go off the scissorhold, pushed Mariko away with a hard shove from her good foot, rolled off to side, where she furiously rubbed her battered thigh.

There was a joke, here, but even she wasn't corny enough to make it.

...eh, why not? ”What’s wrong?” She chuckled after a sharp hiss. ”Didn't like being between my legs?”

Repeatedly jabbing an elbow into someone's limb may not have been the most "technical" way of escaping a hold, but it got the job done. It wasn't long until the legs finally released Mariko, then a foot shoved her away. She rolled with the momentum, letting it carry her to a safe distance from her opponent. Or at least, far enough to buy her a few seconds of breathing room.

The brunette's comment brought a soft chuckle from Mariko's lips. Corny as it was, the violet haired beauty had been prone to making similar remarks in her matches. "Oh, it was wonderful. Just didn't want to risk getting to comfortable there. Not yet, at least," she replied.

She then started picking herself back up, but took her time. Launching right back at Kozue would likely just exhaust what little energy she had just recovered and leave her wide open for another attack from her quick and deadly foe. But she figured Kozue probably wouldn't want to give her too much time to collect herself. So Mariko elected to simply wait for her to bring herself into range before making her move...

Kozue chuckled a bit herself at Mariko’s reply, loving a girl who could appreciate a little joke, but kept quiet otherwise as her foe began to rise.

Partly because she was rubbing her leg, trying to get the feeling back in it from those nasty elbows.

Partly because she was busy thinking, taking a scant second to consider her next move.

Mariko was getting up nice and slow, which could've meant her scissors had taken its toll. It could also be a trap. A big, sexy, purple-haired trap, just waiting to dump her on her ass and smother her out with those smoking hot breasts or that plump ass or those dainty feet. Which didn't sound so bad, save for the part where it would mean her losing.

”Eh, screw it.” She hadn't gotten where she was in life by being cautious, why start now? Kozue popped up and closed in on Mariko with a long leap, twisting as she bounced. At the end of the rotation, she shot her leg out straight and tried to hit Mariko square in the chest with a spinning heel kick, looking to put her right back on the canvas.

It didn't escape Mariko's attention when Kozue began to rub at her leg. Obviously she'd known her elbow strikes to the limb would hurt, but this was giving her an idea of the extent of the pain. Might even be something she could keep focusing on if she wanted to, and if she found the right openings.

For the moment, she had something else to worry about. Kozue fired right at her like a bullet out of a gun. And the moment she started twisting, Mariko bolted backward, avoiding Kozue's kick and rebounding off of the ropes to send her right back toward her foe.

The timing might be a bit tricky, but she tried to reach Kozue right as she was either sitting or up to a knee, didn't matter too much just as long as Mariko had a clear view of the ninja's torso. And then she'd launch her right foot out, trying to slam a punting kick directly into Kozue's sternum!

Damn, Mariko was fast.

Kozue didn’t think she was slow, of course, she’d seen her in action enough to know better than that. But it wasn’t just that her sultry opponent could move - she knew when to move. Kozue was probably quicker overall, but Mariko was a pro when it came to timing, something that was made all too clear when she avoided Kozue’s kick at the most inopportune time for the New Jersey Ninja. ”Shit-”

She’d put too much into the kick, and missing it had a dire cost, as she spun out and wound up dropping right on her butt.  It made for a soft landing, but that wasn’t the problem - Mariko was already on the attack, looking to score a field goal on Kozue’s chest.

Reflexes were the only thing that saved Kozue, as she just barely managed to throw her chest back, lay flat, and miss the kick as it swung over her prone body. The second it passed, the exact instant, she threw her legs up and rose fast with a kipup, rising up into a crouch that put both of her feet onto the match.

She didn’t stay standing for long, though. A half-second had barely passed before she launched herself backward and swung her legs over in an arch with a Pele Kick, trying to hit Mariko in the head. It was a Hail Mary of a move, one that completely banked on her opponent being where she hoped she was, assuming that Mariko had stopped moving forward after her missed kick. If she had, then Kozue would just end up looking stupid, and more importantly, she’d be wide open.

High-risk, high-reward.

Mariko may not have been much of a high flyer, but precision was still important to her. Striking too early or too late was a good way to wind up flat on your back with your opponent pinning you - or sitting on your face in a match like this.

Mariko thought she had Kozue right where she wanted her. Thought. The ninja was right in her sights, and her chest was just begging to meet the top of Mariko's foot. But one last second move, and the strike hit nothing but air. "Shit-" she cursed, slightly stumbling as her foot came back down. She turned back around and--

BAM!

Before she'd even seen what was coming, Kozue's foot slammed right against the top of her skull. Mariko cringed and stumbled back a step before collapsing onto her back, one foot lightly kicking at the mat while her hands rested over the now-aching spot on her head.

Words could not describe how tense Kozue was in the integral moment before her kick connected with Mariko’s head. She was just falling back, flying through space, unsure of where she would be a split-second from now, not knowing where target was, how close she would be, what she would hit or not hit…

BAM!

Oh, thank god.

The kick hit and worked like a charm, rewarding Kozue with a skull-thumping blow. She didn’t have the time to pat herself on the back, though, and she rose to her feet, wanting to immediately seize the advantage.

With Mariko prone before her, Kozue took a single step away, then leaped forward and threw her torso back at the same time, flipping backwards even as she flew towards her opponent. Kozue twisted her body about as she flew, building up momentum in mid-air while she rotated, all so she could come down on Mariko’s chest with a wild Standing Corkscrew Shooting Star Press.

In hindsight, it was a little much, but Kozue hadn’t built up a fanbase by being simple. Besides, Mariko deserved the best.

Mariko may have been quick in her own right, but she damn sure couldn't have pulled off the dodge and pele kick the way Kozue had. Not without falling awkwardly on her neck and risking permanent paralysis in the process, at least. But what came next was a display of acrobatics and agility that blew the last one right out of the water - and the air right out of Mariko's lungs.

"UGH!!" Mariko cried out as Kozue suddenly crashed down right onto her torso, and the crowd burst into roaring cheers for the high flying brunette! Mariko's arms and legs briefly jolted up at the impact, only to flop down to the mat, leaving her in a panting mess beneath her foe.

This was starting to spiral out of Mariko's control - pun totally intended - dangerously quickly. Between the mounting fatigue and the punishment Kozue was giving her, she wasn't sure she could take much more. If Mariko couldn't find an answer soon, she'd be as good as finished. And given Kozue was already on top of her, even that could very well be overly optimistic thinking...

Kozue regretted going for the star press the moment her chest connected with Mariko’s.

It was in her style, of course, a completely natural thing for her to do...at least, when the match was starting and she was still fresh and she wasn't on the tail end of hellacious multi-round match against, quite possibly, the best female competitor in Tension.

When she did it now, her body roared in shock from the pain, and she reflexively rolled off Mariko’s chest - that luscious, steaming chest - to clutch her own. ”Shit!” She cursed, both from the pain and her position. Now, she had to make her move right now.

Scrambling forward, she moved over Mariko’s head, looking towards her legs, and tried to plant her rear on the fine face, hoping to score a critical reverse facesit and end the match. It'd be sloppy, but if t worked...