Gaining Momentum - Round 2 - Mako 'The Shark' Adachi vs. Cicilia 'The Juggernaut' De'Reignhardt

And like that, little sharky-shark took the bait. She didn't have much choice. If neither of them made a move, this would be a very long... very boring fight. Mako came at her with a flurry of strikes, the german's response of which was to hide behind her arms and let the blows bounce off harmlessly! It was like a hailstorm of fists so fast did they come but much like the falling ice, they did little against the screen put in their path. The German weathered the assault with only minor exertion, a few blows slipping by along her ribs and some to her cheek but they were nothing... Mako was just testing her... Had to be if this was what her first real move was. As the German hid behind her guard, power slowly pooled in her muscles, preparing for a devastating counter attack. This feeling of Mako's padded knuckles barring down on her like the jaws of her name-sake... It was getting quite tedious.

Suddenly dropping her arms, Cicilia lashed out with a RIPPING uppercut to Mako's gut, hoping to force every ounce of annoying bravado OUT of her along with a helping of spit and air! The blow held a lot of power... capable of crippling someone with anything less than a strong belly upon impact but it wasn't a free delivery. The price she took for her counterattack was a swift and sure tag across the German's cheek, digging in firm and hard... pushing into her face. It hurt... Might even leave a lingering sting but with speed, true power is often sacrificed. A hoard of those blows raining on her with abandon would eventually make Cicilia fall but one...? Not a chance. Cicilia went on the offensive now that Mako made the error of getting close, swinging a crushing hook to her ribs followed by a series of jabs to her nose. One. Two. The- Suddenly, her third jab broke off into another attack, a faint to draw her attention so that she may subvert her defenses! The German would move from her jab into a sudden straight aimed dead-center into Mako's nose, hoping to push it into her skull and knock her out for a quick and easy victory!

Such was the Slugger way.

In a sense, Mako did mess up. She got in close without a plan and just started throwing punches at Cicilia. However, the shark didn't see this as a mistake at all. Sure after she landed the first punch Cici began to utterly fuck her ribs and face up, but said punches didn't bring her down. In fact, she kept punching even as the German slugger landed her own blows. One was aimed for her left cheek, another towards the center of her chest, and even a third to the woman's forehead. That third one was kinda a misfire, though, that occurred when Cicilia threw a punch that hit her like a boulder to her poor face.

That one really fucking hurt, and she was pretty sure her nose started bleeding. Shortly after her opponent's hardest punch yet, though, Mako started seeing red. That wasn't a shark thing, though, she just saw a flash of red. For a second Mako thought she was going down from that hit. She was stumbling, then falling, then landing, and then laying on her side.

Luckily for her, though, the round had ended around the time she was still stumbling. So she didn't have to worry about a long count or anything. Mako hadn't realized that fact until she stood back up. It was an arduous task, but the shark managed it after as her blurry vision cleared. Honestly, she didn't know what hurt more at first...her head...or her ribs / gut! Soon the answer came to her, though, Mako realized that is was the combination of the two that was making her want to hurl.

"Ugh...ok...you've got a mean punch...fair warning, though...I've got a meaner one...with your name on it..." Mako said before walking back to her corner for a brief break. Then she'd plop right down in the bench as a medic checked her nose before the next round started. "Ack! God...Broken?" she asked as he pushed very lightly on her nose.

"Ummm...maybe." the guy said which earned him a 'What did you just say you dumb fuck?' look from her. The guy didn't say anything either, which actually made her even angrier with him.

"Maybe? Aren't you a medic? Give me something better than that!" Mako asked almost like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "No...I'm actually just a stage hand...there's only one medic here and he's checking your opponent out now...he'll check on you after the next round.....I should probably get out of your..."

"You probably should get out of my face." Mako said coldly as she cut in and finished the guy's sentence. He was still so close that the shark's that she was thinking about breaking him in half. Luckily, he backed off before she decided to do anything too...violent.

Cicilia was peppered in punches as she ripped Mako a new one, her pidly little blows simply bouncing off the Juggernaut as she went in for each strike... And hit they did. The supposed "Shark" was thrown around, rattled with each punch from the German, the last one knocking her to the floor just as the bell chimed! The Juggernaut blinked, confused as she glanced up at the timer hanging above them. Had it really been that long already? Whatever. Cicilia stood strong over Mako as she attempted to climb up to her feet, pathetically stumbling back up as she attempted to spit some kind of threat her way. What... Was that supposed to be intimidating? Cicilia raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, narrowing her sanguine gaze at her. She thought she was being tough, didn't she, hiding behind the drops of bravado left after having it hammered out of her. Even as the medic urged her back into the corner, Cicilia refused to move immediately.

"I hope you can do better than that, chum-bucket." Cicilia stated flatly, genuinely desiring a better fight. "If you can't hit harder than you have, this fight will suck for you."

And with that, she allowed herself to be ushered to her corner, to be given the once-over by the AFW medic. He opened his mouth to say something but Cicilia just held up a gloved hand, signalling him to shut up before he even spoke a word. She didn't need his analysis. She knew how badly she'd been hurt. A few bruises across her abs and some scuffs along her face but nothing like how Mako was rocked. The Juggernaut was OBVIOUSLY made of tougher stuff than her opponent but in this case, it was just ridiculous. It was like a boulder fighting a paper-crane, the crane desperate to peck the boulder apart as it's being rolled over. Even still, the medic attempted to tell Cicilia where the damage was, finally shutting up when she gave him a deathly stare. Long, quiet, sharp. She didn't need to tell him again... The Man scampered out of the ring, leaving Cicilia alone, staring at her opponent as she too dismissed her tender. It looked like this would be a quick fight. If Cicilia could keep counter-punching, pushing through Mako's pathetic attacks and landing a few of her own, she couldn't see this fight moving past the third round... Unless the shark changed up her attack plan.

The chime of the bell indicated the start of ROUND 2, the German boxer getting to her feet and raising her gloves as she moved towards the middle of the ring. There she sat... there she waited like a spider waiting for an impudent fly to try and attack her web. Her eyes locked onto Mako's with predatory intent, daring her to try and buffer herself against her.

Mako got out of her corner and headed right back at Cicilia as the brief intermission ended. She had felt her nose a little and thought it wasn't actually broken. It wasn't that good, but not fully broken. It hurt, and everything she smelled was metallic from the blood. However, while the shark was in this sorry shape, Cici barely looked bruised.

That was pissing her off. Especially as the bell chimed and Cicilia stayed where she was. The German slugger didn't charge at her or anything. It seemed like the woman was going to make the shark come to her again. Mako knew that wouldn't be the best thing for her, but she couldn't really do anything about it. If she wanted to win, the shark would need to find a way to get close and overpower the Juggernaut. So, with a heavy sigh, Mako went right back to work.

"You keep calling me chum bucket...and I'm gonna lose it..." she would growl intensely. Glaring right into Cici's eyes as she closed in, the shark kept her arms up. This time she'd block her opponent's fists instead of trying to push through them. Of course, Mako would also try to land some fast jabs at Cicilia's head. This way, she could try forcing the woman's guard up, as well. But when she did, the shark would switch up her strikes with the meanest right hook she could throw at her opponent!

"Good." Cicilia growled. "Get mad! Punch harder or I'll rip you to pieces!" The Juggernaut went on the attack as soon as Mako was in range, stabbing at her face with straights hand jabs, hoping to wound her head even more with these long-range strikes! The shark, thinking that changing up her dodging strategy was a good thing, lifted her arms up to defend herself, apparently trying to go toe-to-toe with Cicilia! Oh boy, was that a mistake. This was what she wanted, to make this flighty piece of fish-bait confront her, to bang her head fruitlessly against her in an effort to overcome this insurmountable object! Oh, one could see the sharp-toothed grin of a real shark cut across the German's features, the anticipation of an an easy kill. Her fists CRASHED into Mako's guard with vicious and bloody intentions but for every one the Juggernaut threw, two more would be sent back in response! Cicilia found herself taking at least one poke across her cheek for each attack they traded, more annoying and frustrating than anything else... but everyone knew that enough jabs could bring down a beast. It was a slow (potentially painful) process for Mako but eventually she forced the Juggernaut to duck back behind her arms, only the tiniest gap between them for one sanguine eye to analyze the Shark's movements. That annoying fucking speed... It was truly the only chains that tied back the German's options! It was take an abundant amount of hits to land ONE or go against your nature and strike when the moment was best.

Make opportunities... or wait for them... Cicilia did not like to wait, but at the moment she didn't have much choice. Mako was making it hard for her to step out for even a minute without paying for it! Speaking of which...

A vicious right hook slipped around Cicilia's arms, SLAMMING into her cheek and jerking it to the side suddenly! She... She definitely felt that one... Rattled her just a tiny bit, a small dribble of blood dripping down over her lip... and those lips curled into a smile.

"Good! More of that!" Cicilia rumbled, hurling her own vengeful hook right back, this one aiming to crush Mako's ribs!

Mako could tell that she was getting through Cicilia's defenses. More punches were landing, and she could see that they were landing harder than ever. Meanwhile, Cici's punches were hitting the shark's guard with a fury. Each blow stung like hell, but they'd be a lot worse if they struck her face! At first, for every two punches Mako threw, Cici only managed to throw one.

Things really got serious when Mako's hook went around Cicilia's guard and collided with the German's cheek. The shark could tell that one must've sucked. The boxer was reeling for a second as blood came from her lip. Cici was still smiling, though, which was a sign that Mako needed to punch harder. However, it was clear that she was close since Cicilia demanded more punches like that one.

So, thats what Mako gave her. As soon as Cici's monster hook struck her ribs, the shark's left arm shot forward. Using the fact that said punch was going to hurt like a bitch, the woman threw a monster of her own at Cicilia's eye hoping to stop it. Of course it was going to hit, but the thought that she could stop it actually helped keep her from flinching. Her body was twisting before the hook landed on her ribs, which gave Mako the power she needed to throw the meanest straight punch she could. Sadly, the twist exposed her ribs completely, and made Cici's punch hurt three times as bad when it plowed into her side. So if her punch landed, Mako was going to be serious pain for a while, but at least it'd give the German Juggernaut a nice shiner to reminder her by.

Cicilia was a physical tank. Pain, damage, she had trained herself to be resistant to it all. She had too since her sister had always slipped past whatever defense she managed to conjure up. Yes, it was true Mako was fast... Much like her namesake, each punch was vicious and quick... but unlike most of them, however, they seemed to lack any notable bite force. Against a weaker woman, the Shark would've been a serious threat... Her power would have been sufficient to completely overwhelm her foes when combined with her speed. For Cicilia? It was just more of the same but easier... So many other boxers were nearly as fast and hit harder than Mako here... That half-pink freak was a good example. Together, those two women spilled one another's blood in the ring and still Cicilia came out the victor. Compared to that, this was just a difficult training exercise!

The two women traded blows at a 2:1 ratio, Mako's fist flying quick and light while the Juggernaut hurled them back twice as strong and twice as slow. It was Mako's mistake, going toe-to-toe with someone she couldn't match in might. Maybe it was pride that drove her to this, Maybe it was Cicilia's insults. Perhaps (though it was unlikely), Mako took her encouragement to heart and was now digging into pools of strength she didn't know she had!

Whatever the reason, one thing was certain: She was getting stronger.

Cicilia could feel it... Each strike upon her jaw forced her head back a little more, each blow to the gut digging in a little harder. While the German was maintaining a consistent output, the Mako shark could smell blood in the water... And what else was a shark to do then go in for the kill? And attempt the kill-bite she did...

Their massive punches sent shockwaves throughout the arena every time the connected, the audience almost able to feel feel their hair blown back with the air propelled by such connections. Despite how hard they were hammering one another and despite the utter brutality of their assaults, neither one of them gave ground. Whatever drove them to go head-to-head like this, it would not let them go.

Their mutual barrage of blows ended with a colossal trade, Mako's blistering straight CRACKING into Cicilia's jaw and Cicilia's hook biting into Mako's ribs! It was truly a sight to see... The Juggernaut was visibly stunned by all this strength striking her, her movements frozen for an instant... it was as if her head was hanging off Mako's punch, truly an ugly swelling would be left once it had vacated her cheek...

"Urrgh..." She grunted loudly.

But before either of them could go any further....

*DING!*

The end of Round 2! Cicilia would step back, peeling herself away from her opponent as she lifted up her glove to her jaw, massaging it tenderly as she made her way back to the corner. Damn that hurt... Something told her she was going to feel that punch for days afterwords!

"Heh Heh...." She snickered to herself as the aid came to her this time, leaving the medic to Mako. "Oh.... this is getting fun... Finally, someone who knows how to punch!"

The shark was definitely getting better as the match went on. Despite now being a boxer by profession, fighting was in her blood. She could adapt, and the longer this match went on, the harder it would get for Cici to handle her. This was proving more and more true as they landed punch after punch on each other. Cici's best being the shot to the  shark's rib cage. While the top predator's collided straight into her opponent's face a second after. Mako was happy to see that her punch had connected with Cicilia's face so well. Her cheek would definitely be feeling that one for a few days.

Sadly, that's when the second round ended, leaving the shark with an unfulfilled desire to punch her opponent again. Maybe if that hook hadn't hit her side Mako could've gotten another punch in. The pain was too much for her to keep going, though, so the shark had to settle for one.

The, after walking back to her corner, the medic would look her over. Bruised and bloody, Mako still looked pretty good. Not in the undamaged sense, but the smoking hot badass sense. In other good news, the doc said her nose wasn't actually broken. It wasn't exactly in good shape, but still not broken! Then Mako heard Cici talking about how she finally got someone who could punch. Smiling from that comment, she'd quickly yell, "Hey! Did I just hear a compliment!? I did didn't I!?" to tease the German Juggernaut.

Mako felt like her momentum was starting to build now, so as the brief break ended, she'd jump out of her stool and head towards her opponent. Fists already raised, the shark would wait for the ref to continue the match before raining fiery hell back on Cicilia. "Ready for some more, Jugs?~"

Suffice it to say, the last round went significantly worse for the Juggernaut that the one before. Mako didn't seem the least bit deterred by the damage she had taken and, in fact, her wounds only seemed to spur her into an even more intense frenzy of blows! Cicilia was having trouble keeping up and she suffered for that... Bruises pock-marked her torso, mainly around her abs and ribs, almost in such a pattern as a large fish biting into her side. Scuffs marked her cheek and her nose was red with the blow delivered too it, ample pay-back for the one Cicilia herself delivered upon her. The pain Mako brought excited her more than enraged! She was having a great deal of fun just swinging away at her, despite their rough start! Even she, who over-heard her remark, threw one back, the tone of her banter more playful than hostile! Boy... Cicilia couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun punching someone in the face!... Well... as much fun that wasn't tainted by the deliciously addictive flavor of vengeance!

"Yeah, it was." Cicilia called back over her "doctor's" shoulder, smirking at her rival. "Don't let it go to your head, shark-bait!" Heh... Jugs... What a damn name! It had to be up there with her girlfriend's nickname for her "snuggle-bunny" with how completely ridiculous it was! She chuckled to herself as her emotional barriers came down a bit, letting herself flow freer from within... and without... Anger... She didn't have to feel it right now... She didn't have to be so defensive in this match, did she? As far as she could tell, Mako was just here for a little fun, as was Cicilia... on some level. She shouldn't let it be more than that.

Her glorified back-stage staff gave her the once-over, confirmed she had bruises and the like, much to Cicilia's confirmation, before backing up as the Ref announced the beginning of the next round! Cicilia got up smirking at her firey-haired opponent, raising her fists up as the two women inched into the center of the ring, the shark's question only widening Cicilia's smile.

"I can take anything you got, Mako! Give me your all!"

DING!

And like that, the war between the Behemoth and the Leviathan began again! Mako came back at Cicilia with her flaming fists, each one a bullet in a swarm of shots that nailed the German's body and face several times before she could even raise he guard!

Quick little bugger... Cicilia hissed as her arms shot up to intercept the stinging blows. Damn it... I can't make a push here... She's too damn fast!

The German boxer found her guard the only haven from the blistering hail-storm that was Mako's attacks, unrelenting as Cicilia herself was... Every so often, the German would peak out, throwing a blistering hook at Mako's jaw or a ripping uppercut into her gut but most of the punches were EASILY thrown by her aquatic-themed counterpart!

Mako was giving Cicilia everything she had after the bell signaled the start of the next round. Her fists striking the German woman's face several timers before she was able to lift her guard up. Those helped the shark out a great deal as they left Cici scrambling to recover and get back into the "swing" of things. She should have been pissed by yet another nickname the Juggernaut called her, but honestly, the shark was in a good mood now that they were pummeling each other. Now that she wasn't the only one getting pummled, Mako was fine with some trash talking and name calling. Plus, if truth be told, the boxer was kinda growing on her more and more as the match went on.

"Hey Cici! *PUNCH* Do you like the taste of glove? *PUNCH-PUNCH* Or are you just having trouble *PUNCH* with my *PUNCH-PUNCH* all?~" Mako taunted her as she threw her punches at Cicilia's face. She didn't want to give her opponent even a split second of rest as her fists flew through the air.

Mako wasn't going to punch Cicilia any softer just because she liked her, though. Nah, Mako was punching her harder because she liked her! Determined to give Cicilia a good fight, the shark was giving 100% with every punch. However, such a fiery offense eventually left her exposed as the German boxer sent a hard upper cut into the shark's midsection. Eyes going wide and back arching, Mako felt like she was about to lose her "chum" as she let out a very loud grunt that went, "HUUAAACCCK!", from all the air suddenly blasting out from her body. If her ribs weren't bruised she was going to count herself very lucky.

Lucky, lucky, lucky indeed considering how hard that punch was. Mako didn't even need to start backing up, because the force of the punch was already doing that for her. In fact, she could've sworn her feet left the ground from that uppercut. Couldn't prove it or be certain, but Mako was still pretty sure for the most part.. A tiny bit wobbly now, the shark raised her arms over her head. It exposed her to more body shots, but Mako didn't want her skull to be clocked while she was reeling. That was a pretty good way to get knocked the fuck out by the rampaging Juggernaut.