AZUMI vs. Katori Kimura

The incredible string of moves that Katori flawlessly strung together was something to be feared as Azumi managed to barely kick out before the three as she landed on her side. Azumi panted out as she was still trying to comprehend what had happened and let out a breath of relief when she didn't hear the bell immediately after. She wasn't sure if she managed to kick out before three as she would sprawl out on to her back.

Azumi knew that she had to pick things up, otherwise things were going to be bad for her if she wasn't able to bounce back from this. She saw the confident Katori moving back towards her, seeing that the Angel knew that she was in charge of the match, momentum firmly in her corner. If there was any time to start mounting a comeback, Azumi knew that this was the time to do it as she saw Katori's back being turned towards her.

Her Wrestle Angel opponent would leave her feet as she flipped backwards for a moonsault, Azumi would try and roll towards Katori as she twisted into the air and escape the landing zone!

With all the momentum of all the moves Katori performed in succession against Azumi, she wanted to try and further step it up while she had the chance to do so. Following the failed pinfall attempt with the still effective Tiger Suplex, the angel stood up next to her opponent with her back facing Azumi just before she leap up to use a Standing Moonsault on her.

It was one of her favorite moves to use on downed opponents, as it helps keep them down and weakened while giving her a brief thrill in the air. Unfortunately, it wasn't gonna work this time for Katori. As just after Azumi came into view under her, she managed to roll out of the angel's way which resulted in Katori landing chest first onto the mat. "Oof...!!" Katori let out as she hit the ground, bringing a hand under her to clutch her pained chest as she attempts to push herself back onto her feet.

Managing to avoid disaster from the Moonsault, Azumi looked over her shoulder of the results of the missed Standing Moonsault as she would spring into action seeing an opening. Rolling back towards Katori, Azumi got to her knees as she attempted to take the arm of Katori and pushed into the shoulder of her opponent to force her back into the mat while her legs wrapped around the arm.

Attempting to lace her hands around the chin, Azumi would try and lock in a Crossface by pulling back on the chin to arch Katori backwards while simultaneously pulling with her legs and pushing with her hips into the arm to really send hell from nearly every direction!

Katori was laying flat on her chest in slight pain after attempting to do a Standing Moonsault on her opponent. The pro of failing a Standing Moonsault was that it didn't hurt as much if you miss the slam, unlike with the actual Moonsault you're leaping off the turnbuckle and have big air which counters against you if you miss.

So the pain of the failed Aerial move here was manageable for the young Successor, which would let her recover quicker as well. But it seems Katori wouldn't get that chance here. As she was on her knees, the angel feels Azumi grabbing her free arm then is pushed back down flat on the mat, letting out a slight grunt as it happened. Feeling her arm bring wrapped by Azumi's legs while she lays on Katori's back, the angel's chin was then being pulled back as she was put in a painful Crossface submission hold while her trapped arm was being pulled back by the legs!

"Aaaaaahhhhh..!!" Katori lets out as she was being bent in two different ways by Azumi. Combined with the previous pain in her back from the Boston Crab which was easing up a bit, the angel's back was starting to hurt more again. She knew she cannot be in this hold for long. So with her free arm and legs, Katori will attempt to push her way to the ropes and try to break free.

Rolling out of the way of the moonsault Azumi saved herself and opened up an opportunity. It wasn't going to be much, a standing moonsault was way more easier to recover from than a moonsault from the top as she quickly tried to seize Katori's arm with her legs while wrapping her arms around Katori's face and locking her fingers with her hands pulling on the chin for the Crossface! Azumi gritted her teeth as she tried to deliver hell on Katori's arm, back, and neck.

"Nnnnnrrrrrr!" she growled out as she felt Katori fighting back, trying to get towards the ropes. Azumi had two choices, either lean forward to lay most of her body weight on Katori and make life harder for her in getting towards the ropes, but sacrificing the hold's power or pull back and increase the pressure but allow Katori greater reach with her arms to drag them towards it. Although she wanted to lean back with as much force as possible, there was still a matter of fatigue setting into Azumi that adrenaline could stave off for so long so in the end, Azumi had to lean forward and ease up on the Crossface and even breaking it to try and reach out for Katori's free arm to try and stop her escape!

Pain and the priority to escape were all that was on Katori's mind right now as she endured this Crossface submission hold, as her stubbornness helped keep the thought of giving up and kept up her strong will to win. Still though, it wasn't easy nonetheless, especially with how Azumi has her locked up good. But the Wrestle Angel was making progress with her crawling, using her free limbs to slowly but surely make her way towards to the ropes to grab them and break the submission!

But of course, it wasn't going to be that simple, it never is when in the wrestling ring. Just when Katori was about to make one long lunge to get the ropes, she feels all of her opponent's weight lean down onto her upper back which effectively pinned the blunette down! "U-uughh...!" She let out as she was flatten, but on the upside of this the pain had largely dropped down and Azumi even let go of her chin, but instead grabbed onto her free arm thereby trapping both of Katori's arms. This put the Mighty Successor in a fix, she can no longer crawl forward due to the weight pressed on her and she can't use her arm to help her legs with leverage.

Despite being in a very bad position though, this sparked an idea for Katori to guarantee her escape. In between breaths, she smirks and turns her head back to look at Azumi. "You just made a big mistake." The angel said in an unusual cocky tone as she put her plan into action.

Katori will push against the mat with her legs and to lift up her lower body, making her body shape something like a /\ with her butt pointing to the ceiling. Grunting through the pain and effort to do this, she'll force her head to lower itself down pressing against the mat as Katori attempts to push her feet off the ground to flip herself over so she's on top of Azumi instead while also shooting her leg out to touch the ropes!

Azumi laid down with all of her weight, pushing down Katori into the mat trying to prevent Katori from reaching it to the ropes and releasing her crossface all together in order to try and grasp the extending arm. However, all this for control and it ended up working against Azumi as her eyes widened as Katori shot up her butt, sliding Azumi down her body and removing all of her weight off of her! Azumi had little time to react, but she reacted by wrapping her hands around the face of Katori to reapply the crossface to try and stop Katori from escaping, however she found that her opponent's method of escape would completely bypass her hold.

Taken by surprise as Katori flipped over, rolling the two over closer to the mat, Azumi was left dazzled by Katori's thinking and technical prowess to reach the ropes. "BREAK!" she heard the referee call out as Azumi immediately released the hands around Katori's face, panting out as she let out a sigh, "Phew....damn right I did. Didn't think you'd pull that off like that." she complimented her opponent as she waited for Katori to roll off of her before rolling away herself for a clean break.

Rolling towards the center of the ring, Azumi took a kneeling stance as she panted out, smirking to her opponent. "Not bad. Pretty good actually."

With Katori trapped in a tightly locked submission hold and positioned in a way to prevent chances of escape, it was perhaps the most desperate and ridiculous attempt for anyone to ever pull to escape a Crossface hold. If anything, the Mighty Successor might've just made history with this. Having used Azumi's position on her against the woman as Katori managed to flip herself over on top of her opponent and touched the ropes, calling for the Rope Break as the ref-girl came and made the call.

Once she was release from the hold the angel let out a heavy gasp and rolled over off of Azumi and brought her arms up to sooth around while also rubbing her neck and back as they all burned in pain. Katori just laid on her side next to the ropes soothing her pained areas while keeping an eye on her opponent who also rolled away towards the center of the ring, who soon complimented the young successor after pushing up to a knee.

Immediately after hearing that, along with what was said previously, Katori smirks triumphantly at Azumi as she grabbed the bottom rope. "Heh heh.... I'm not Mighty Yukiko-senpai's top student and successor for nothing, after all..." She said with pride in her voice, her legs might not be hurting but Katori still used the ropes of the ring to help pull herself up to her feet, keeping her front facing Azumi so she won't be caught off guard if she tried anything during her recovery.

Kneeling in the center of the ring, Azumi had to wipe the sweat rolling down her face. She was pretty confident that her Crossface was going to get the job done, locked in the center of the ring but Katori found the opening that she needed in a split second to roll them over and towards the ropes. A fine competitor the successor of Mighty Yukiko was. "Heh, What a girl you are. But if I beat you, does that mean I beat Mighty Yukiko as well?" she jokingly let out, accompanied with a laugh as she gingerly got back to her feet as did Katori.

Standing up as she managed to find the balance underneath her feet, Azumi got back into a wrestling stance as she tried to decide her next course of action. Deciding that an upfront attack was the best course of action while Katori was recovering, Azumi closed the gap between her and Katori as she attempted to reach up to grab onto Katori's left wrist and push against her shoulder into the ropes, attempting to irish whip her across the ring.

If that worked, she would spring off of the ropes herself as she raced across the ring, attempting to deliver a clothesline on the returning Katori!

Katori's quick thinking managed to help her escape from a rather difficult to get out of submission hold, one that certainly should give her a medal as a consolation prize for that kind of improv. With the help of the ropes she pulled herself to her feet while staying on guard in case Azumi tried anything during this. Thankfully though, the girl let the young angel get back up without interfering, that sure is nice of her. For now, anyway. Katori couldn't help but smirk in both pride and amusement with a chuckle in the compliment she was given from Azumi while also joking that beating her would mean she can also beat Mighty Yukiko.

As if.

"Ha! I'm not close to Yukiko-senpai's level yet. So, no, beating me doesn't mean you can beat her." The blunette Successor states as she pushes off from the ropes and gets back into her own stance, but by then Azumi started to make her move. She reached out and grabbed Katori by her left wrist and was pushed back into the ropes before being thrown off with an Irish Whip!

In her uncontrolled run across the ring Katori on instinct turns around to bounce off the ropes back towards her opponent as the momentum keeps her going. Seeing the woman also running at her, with an arm raised up no less. Easy. While the Wrestle Angel may be slightly surprised, she isn't TOO much to just take it. As the arm swung at her, Katori ducks at the last second to avoid it and keeps running to the other ropes to bounce off back. Whether Azumi bounces as well or not, when she comes back to the woman Katori will grab her head and leap up to slam her head or face first with a Running Bulldog!