Cicilia De'Reignhardt vs. Suzy Q - Punching Up

”THREE!”

Suzy Q just had one question: What the fuck just hit her?

Common sense told her it was a punch. They were in a boxing ring, she was in a boxing match, so that was the logical conclusion, right? But it hadn’t felt like a punch. Nothing close to it. It felt like getting smacked in the face with a baseball bat. Not that she’d ever really been smacked in the face with a baseball bat, true, but if she had to guess what it felt like…

”FOUR!”

World was spinning, head was groggy, but her reflexes were still in working order and her body knew what to do, even if her brain wasn’t the best at giving orders right now. Sitting up, she planted one foot on the floor, then another, and began to push her way back up, pressing her fists on the mat for an added boost in rising.

”FIVE!”

”I’m getting up, I’m getting up!” Suzy spat out quick as she reached the halfway point, taking care to not fall back on her ass and ruin the whole effort. Slow and steady, wide feet apart, maintain the stance…

”Six!”

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t fun, but Suzy managed to stand up straight and raised her fists back into a fighting pose, looking right at her opponent - albeit, with wobbling eyes. The referee stopped the count and gave her a look over, mulling it over for a moment, before she threw up her hands. ”Box!”

Suzy took a deep breath, getting all the oxygen she could find on such short notice, and forged forward with tightened fists. She was okay, she was fine. Just one knockdown, wasn’t the end of the world.

At the count of six, Suzy would manage to claw her way back up to her feet, the German watching her intently as she lifted her gloves back into a fighting stance. Hmph... So she didn't just give in after the first couple hits... So what? Going down in the first round was never a good sign for anyone in a fight, especially after only two mighty blows. Even if she didn't take this girl down already, she couldn't help but imagine that this fight wasn't going to be trading hands in terms of advantages any time soon.

With Suzy on her feet and Cicilia stepping out of her corner, the ref would order for the fight to start once again, Cicilia RUSHING down Suzy as she did the same, the two of them meeting in the middle for the second part of round 1!

Cicilia wasted no time laying into Suzy with heavy blow after heavy blow, combinations of hooks and uppercuts designed to pulverize her guard and crush any defense she could hope to manage! Just like before, the German Juggernaut fought almost like she was determined to get this girl on the ground as soon as possible, to replicate the quick and brutal fall that Suzy had succumbed too mere moments before! She ignored her quicker, lighter punches, believing them to just be a way to prolong this fight. Straights, Jabs, all ignored in favor for sure-kills, determined to put her opponent DOWN in the first round!

Cicilia was a steam-roller... but much like any large and devastating machine, one could easily predict it's tactics if one had a mind to...

Carmen wasn’t sure if Suzy had the mental faculties to process what was about to happen, but it hardly mattered. She knew full well what Cicilia’s course of action would be, and she was going to make sure her boxer knew it, too. ”Look out! She’ll try to finish what she started! Move!”

And she was right on the money. Cicilia’s style revolved around aggression, and that was the course she stuck to right out of the gate, as she charged forward like a bull out of the gate, heading straight for Suzy.

Luckily, her student still had some wits about her, was smart enough not stand her ground, and moved back. Weaved. Ducked. Dodged. Avoided. Put her speed to good use, staying out of Cicilia’s range, always one step ahead. A good think, too, because her opponent was dropping bombs all over the ring, heavy punches that would’ve lain her out with ease if they hit.

But no one in the history of boxing had won a match without throwing a punch, and Suzy Q would not be the first. She had to lash out, had to do something, and after a few moments of pure defense, she made her attempt. Ducking under a heavy hook, Suzy sprang up with an uppercut as she rose, throwing it hard into her opponent’s face, trying to get as much force as she could behind the blow.

If the German had one key flaw in her fighting style... it was that she was slow and predictable. A smart opponent would do everything she could to keep out of her range, to hide and run from the weapons she wielded, knowing they could never match her might... The boxer might've beaten Suzy senseless, but she hadn't beaten the sense out of her, seeing as she was following through with just the correct strategy, much to Cicilia's chagrin! Indeed, each blow the boxer hurled at her opponent's way was meant to be a kill-shot, something to put her down so hard, it would rattle her confidence as much as her body! Each punch she threw seemed to rip through the air itself, almost creating a bubble of air around her gloves as she RIPPED through it towards her target... only to collect more upon completion of her punch.

This match was becoming something Cicilia truly hated... a "Tag" match. She was it and her opponent was fleeing like the coward she was, staying outside of her range! This was an inevitability when you fought like a monster, when your punches were steam-rollers rather than jabs with a rapier. People got scared... lost their nerve, deciding to take a much more... tactical approach instead of rushing into the German's jaws! The game changed, as it always did, and the boxer couldn't help but hate every second of it!

Suzy slipped and dodged around every one of Cicilia's incoming punches like her life depended on it, her movements rapid but fluid, able to remain one step ahead of her and one step outside of her reach!

"Damn you..." Cicilia hissed, her arm RIPPING through the air in an utter SCYTHE of a hook, aiming to take the girl's head off... only to decapitate the air where the woman's head once rested! Eyes shooting wide, the boxer tracked Suzy's movements under her guard, the woman slipping RIGHT between her arms and lifting her own up in a PUNISHING uppercut, the blow CRACKING under the German's jaw, sending her face ROCKETING skyward! Stunned, the boxer took a step back... then another... before slowly lowering head back to it's level position... revealing only a small scuff where the blow had connected... and the tiniest dribble of blood rolling down the side of her mouth...

"Is that all you got?" Cicilia growled, lunging RIGHT BACK at Suzy, relentless as ever! As an attempt at revenge, the boxer's fist ARCHED around in an UGLY hook RIGHT into her opponent's side, throwing so much force into it, it may as well take the girl off her feet entirely!

Suzy was starting to feel this. Little by little, she was finding her groove, and that wasn’t the easiest thing to do in a match like this. That was hardly the first time she’d taken a knockdown, but it was the first time she’d ever been put to the mat so fast in a match, kissing canvas in the first round. It wasn’t a good look, but she couldn’t let that get to her head. In the end, it didn’t matter, wouldn’t count for anything if she went on to win this match. So far as she was concerned, the most important punch was the last one, and she had every intention of making that hers.

Just had to be confident. Just had to keep going. Just had to…

Jesus, that hook was killer. Suzy ducked under it just in time, but she swore, she could feel it cutting through the hairs on her head as it passed, packing some killer power. This woman was strong, throwing punches that felt way above her weight class. Where the hell had she come from? But it left her open, and the uppercut Suzy threw back should’ve been more than enough to knock her flat.

Except it didn’t. Not at all. If anything, it just spurred Cicilia on, like some kind of machine that ran on pure pain. The sheer shock of the moment took Suzy off guard, and be the time she shrugged it off and got back to move, her opponent was already on the attack, way earlier than scheduled.

Too late to dodge, but not too soon to guard, Suzy dropped her arm, letting the punch slam into it and protect her side...sort of. She managed to mitigate some of the damage, but even at half power, the blow landed like a sledgehammer, sending a shock through her bones.

She stepped back with a squawk, wide eyed and hissing, and brought up her arms on guard. Carmen was saying something, but she was too far now, couldn’t quite make it out. Her only thought was on retreat and protection now, and maximizing the distance between her and Cicilia.

Suzy was quick on her defense, Cicilia would give her that, but it didn't much matter when her punch busted through regardless! The juggernaut aimed to completely rip the wind out from her foe... and instead only sent her back RECOILING, her punch DRILLING into her arm... and convincing the girl to run away again! With a mark upon her arm where Suzy had been dumb enough to try and take this mighty blow, the woman retreated QUICKLY to safety... but that spot was shrinking and changing all the time as the Juggernaut gave chase! With her body folded tightly behind her stalwart guard, the German panzer stalked her prey around the ring, Suzy slunk back constantly behind her own frail defense, desperate to keep out of her opponent's range!

Cicilia wasn't so inside of her head that she'd been missing the help Suzy had been getting, the German's ears perking up as the oddly familiar woman SCREAMED inaudible advice towards her friend... This wasn't the first time she helped her... but it would be the last this day... Cicilia was determined to make it so. Slowly, The German would try to shepherd her foe towards the opposite corner Suzy's aid stood behind, attempting to block any and all attempts of slipping around her! As the distance between the speedy, fragile Suzy and the turnbuckle lessened, it took less and less effort to block off any avenues of escape! Each time the woman might attempt to slip around, the boxer would QUICKLY lash out at her with a QUICK, yet powerful series of jabs at her face and body, walling her off with a barrage of attacks!

...It was like an advancing phalanx, punishing those who would try to run over or around with vicious thrusts and jabs, forcing them back in worse condition than when they started... Should the German manage to entrap her foe in an ever shrinking cage... as the space around her began to close, the juggernaut would lash out with slower, more devastating attacks! Hooks, uppercuts, intent on tenderizing her foe now that she had her within her clutches! Her attacks would come in hard, unpredictably, mixing feints into the mix, telegraphing a low blow... only to attempt a SLAM over her head with overhand punches!

...She was determined to end this quickly... She would SPARE herself the indignity of chasing this girl forever!

”Don’t let her control the ring!” Carmen called from across the ring, her words barely carrying over the raging crowd’s cries. ”Hang in there!”

‘Hang in there’. That had to rank alongside ‘do your best’ and ‘don’t get hit’ as the most useless advice a second could’ve their boxer, but it was the best Carmen had to offer at the moment. If there was some magic pill or winning strategy she could’ve instilled on her fighter at the moment, she would’ve given it. She did have her ideas on ways out of this tunnel, but they would all require Suzy to get back to the corner so they could hash them out while she caught her breath. At the moment, it wasn’t entirely obvious if she’d get such a chance.

Whoever was responsible for training Cecilia, Carmen had to give them credit for creating a monster of a fighter. The woman was blunt, aggressive, a hammer looking for nails. What she lacked in finesse and speed, she made up for in raw, brutal power, and it was frightening to see. Even more frightening when it was her fighter trying to avoid those crushing blows.

Worse yet, she was getting smarter as the fight went on. Suzy was doing her best to stay ahead of the onslaught, but more and more her paths were getting cut off, able to dodge with less space, and blocking was becoming less of a viable option. Soon enough, she was up against the wall, and overhand punches were coming her way…

Growing desperate, Suzy did the only real thing she could do, throwing her back against the ropes to avoid a blow, then hurling forward with open arms. Coming low, she hugged Cecilia close and tried to force a clinch, clearly looking to catch a break and slow her opponent’s rhythm. Not a good sign, not this early in, but Carmen couldn’t fault her for the move. It would only buy her so much time, though.

”Break it up!” The referee called out, pushing at their shoulders. ”Come on!”

Like the jaws of a predator closing around the throat of it's prey, Cicilia slowly began to clamp down on Suzy, taking away her space to worm herself free... Less space meant it was easier for Cicilia to jump in her way when her target wanted to escape... making her inferior speed irrelevant. Forgoing her defense almost entirely, the Juggernaut threw punch after punch, beating into Suzy with the relentlessness of a machine-gun, her blows falling upon her faster and faster as the momentum of her offense increased exponentially. Her targets, by extension, grew more erratic but it mattered not... fore Suzy's defense was far too frail for it to matter... Wild punches beat into the woman, striking her with feral strength one might associate with beasts, the Juggernaut marching forward almost grimly, determined to bring her target to her rest.

Only a few yards now and Suzy would be trapped... It wouldn't matter if the Ref JUMPED to her defense... the beating that girl would take in the meantime would render her weak and broken, unable to stand again. Just a few more steps... just a few more punches and it'd all be....

"Urk!"

Cicilia gasped as Suzy adjusted her backpedal, SPRINGING off the ropes behind her and using them to... well... practically tackle the German in a clinch, desperate to escape her torment! Cicilia's sanguine eyes shot wide... then narrowed with annoyance, the boxer letting out a low growl of frustration as she attempted to wiggle her arms around... and get a few shots at the woman's side! Embarassingly weak shots, shots enhanced neither by her stance nor from the full extension of her arm... Strong by normal standards... unremarkable by the Juggernaut's... That was, if she could get any in!

The crowd didn’t like it, throwing boos and jeers Suzy’s way.

The referee didn’t like it, demanding that she let go of the clinch and continue.

Carmen, however, could not have been happier. ”Yes! Suzy, hang in there!”

She gave the canvas a good slap, hoping that her words of encouragement would reach her pupil. She’d made the right move, latching on tight to Suzy, buying time. It wasn’t the sort of action that would make her popular or get applause, but that was fine. Too many people treated boxing like it was just about swinging your fists around and hoping to hit something. Strategy came into play, too. Thinking. Positioning.

That wasn’t to say it was a route without problems, though, and Suzy encountered them as her opponent struck out, throwing hard blows into her side, each other cutting deep, making her falter, and it seemed like she was just about to let go, until-

DING!

Carmen breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the bell, and she was willing to bet that Suzy would’ve done the same if she could breathe at all. She was aching, holding her sides as she moved away from Cecilia, and she came back towards the corner with a limp and a hiss and a wince. It was, needless to say, not the best look.

...And Cicilia didn't like it, confined by Boxing's one legal grapple.

Cicilia beat and beat on Suzy as HARD as she could, trying to find a way to free herself! Damn clinches, always breaking the flow of battle... ALWAYS the damn failsafe for weaker women! What, did she think this would save her...? That having a few minutes where she wasn't being tossed around would give her an opportunity to WIN!? Don't make her LAUGH! This was nothing more than an annoying diversion! The moment she was out of this.... Suzy would find herself on the damn floor, unable to get up again...

*DING!*

"DAMNIT!" Cicilia cursed, RIPPING away from Suzy before the girl could even release her grip willingly, the boxer utterly FUMING as this fight had been taken to another round! Women like her should've gone down in the FIRST! Cicilia's punches had broken her guard, had FLOPPED her about the ring like she was NOTHING and yet... she survived to round three... Cicilia couldn't tell if she was getting weaker or this girl was actually tougher than she was letting on... Whatever the case, it didn't improve the German's mood one bit!

While Suzy staggered away to her cheerleader, Cicilia walked back to her own corner, leaning against it, arms crossed in thought... She didn't feel weaker... No, she felt the fastest and strongest she'd ever been... So was Suzy just this persistent...? Why? What was it for her...? The boxer's eyes flicked on over to her opponent's coach.

...Was it her? Was she trying to prove something?