The Crimson Legacy vs. Lock and Key - Smiling Faces

Crack. Boom. Just like magic.

Lock had hit that move a thousand times, but it had been a good while since she’d had the opportunity to do it in an actual match, having been away from real competition for a good while, now.  It was satisfying, gave a good feedback through her body, and the effect was immediate - down went poor Makie, dropped like a rock.

There was little chance it would be enough to get a pin, but she had scored wins with the move before, so there was no harm in giving it a try.  Plus, it would give them a chance to have a girl chat.

She stepped over her opponent’s fallen body and dropped down on her chest, settling in for a hard sit. Reaching out, she pressed her hands against her opponent’s chest, pinning her to the mat and copping a good feel in the process. ”Is this all you have, Makie?”

She threw out her whispered words as the referee slid in and started up the count, slapping her hands quick on the mat - maybe even a little quicker than usual.

"1,2-"

The impact of Key's boot on Makie's face had felt like a thunderclap going off inside her skull. At that moment, her ears rang like a flatlining heart monitor as the mat race up to meet her back. Then she was starting up at the arena lights, her vision blurring, her body numb and slow to respond.

...what the hell had just happened, again?

She was dimly aware of the fans screaming her name. Somewhere in the background, Kyo was frantically urging her to get up. And then Key walked into her field of vision, the blonde towering over her as she stared down at her like some cruel, pitiless goddess. And then, slowly, Key sat down on her, asking if that was all she had.

Makie's answer was forming on the back of her mouth even as the countdown began. With a supreme effort, she twisted her body, managing to get a shoulder up just in time.

"J-just watch me..." she managed to breathe. Somehow her defiant statement sounded less convincing than it had in her head.

And there was the kickout. Not surprising, though Lock had to say, she would’ve loved kick had managed the rare knockout. Beating the tag champions would be one thing, but defeating them in record time? If there was ever something that could propel them to the top of the division in a heartbeat, it was a feat at that level.

Oh, well, not too much of a loss. There were still a great many ways to impress, and she was eager to show them off. ”Oh, I intend to do just that.”

Standing up, Lock continued her assault without any delay, reaching down and grabbing two handful of Makie’s hair. With a tight grip, she backed up and dragged the younger Akamatsu towards the corner, putting down any attempts at resistance with stiff kicks to the chest. All the while, the referee circled them and kept close watch, giving them plenty of room to move.

Boos and jeering were growing in the crowd, and it seemed like not all of it was direction towards the challengers. From the sidelines, Key merely flipped them, smirked their way, then turned her attention back to the ring, watching close as her partner did her work. As much as she wanted to be in there herself, it was always sweet to see Lock work.

Makie's vision was still swirling after that nasty kick to to the face, her skull beating like a drum. To say she wasn't feeling great right now would have been a gross understatement...but at the same time, she was still awake, and still in this fight. And damn if she wasn't going to let Lock know it.

She was trying to muster the energy to get back up to her feet when Lock "helped" her up by grabbing a handful of her hair. "Ah--!" she gasped as she was hauled up to her feet, instantly grabbing for Lock's wrist. She was answered with a sharp kick to her chest that doubled her over, sending spittle flying outwards. Breathing hard, she felt herself being dragged towards the corner, wobbling on her feet as Lock dragged her....

”Come along, love.” Lock hummed as she hit Makie with the kick and continued their pace, hauling her over to the corner. ”Almost there, almost there.”

Lock’s tone was slight, almost nurturing, not too far from a loving mother pulling her unruly child through a store. It was a strange path, and one that ended with her hauling the tag champion up to her feet and throwing her against the pads. She had little chance to rest there, though, before Lock brought her leg up and shot her heel into Makie’s throat with her long, lean legs. She grabbed the ropes for support and held that position, choking her with the heel.

All while the referee watched. And counted. Eventually. With a speed that would’ve been a better fit for a boxing ring.

”1!”

One. Two. Three.

”2!”

Makie had no choice but to be led along by Lock as she was pulled over to the corner post, one arm cradling her hurting chest as she tried to catch her breath. So far, Lock was being clinical and precise in her attacks, doing everything possible to keep Makie stunned and out of breath. And, damn her, it was working.

Case in point, as Makie was shoved unceremoniously against the corner post, the tall blonded suddenly leaned back and pressed a booted heel against her throat. Makie's eyes widened, and she gagged, flailing at Lock's leg even as the position left her pinned against the corner post like a butterfly to a collector's page. Lock was keeping enough of a distance away that Makie couldn't swing or kick at her properly.

But what made it all worse was that the referee seemed to be pretty slow in her countdown. Painfully slow. At this, the audience seemed to cry out in disbelief in anger, even as more of them cried for Makie to escape somehow...

”3…!”

One. Two. Three.

”4…!”

The audience was becoming more and more vocal in their disdain for the referee, with most of them chalking all this up to inexperience. Most people didn’t pay much attention to the officials in these matches, far more engaged in the action, but this one stood out, with her shimmering blond hair and bright, blue eyes. No one could remember seeing her in the ring before, and it was starting to show why that was, with her timing being so off.

Lock, for her part, didn’t mind. She was making the most of the situation, still crushing away on Makie’s throat longer than she had any right to. At the end of the longest five seconds in history, she finally pulled her opponent away and tugged at her arm, pulling her away to let her stumble in the center.

There’d be little respite there, however, as Lock moved in to close the gap once more. She spun about, whipping around in a swift rotation, before she brought her leg up and shot out a high roundhouse kick towards Makie’s head, attempting to tag her clean on the jaw with a tornado kick.

"Ghhhhkkk...gggggrrkk..."

Makie's face was now turning a shade of red as Lock relentlessly choked her, callously grinding her heel into the shorter girl's throat as her arms scrabbled and flailed at the ropes. All the while, the ref continued to count down at an abysmally slow rate. Even as she struggled for breath, Makie found herself wondering if this ref was stupid, new to her job, secretly on Lock and Key's side or maybe all three.


Then, finally, and blissfully, Lock released Makie. The shorter girl slumped down, almost dropping onto her butt as gagged, hungrily breathing for air. She was swaying uncertainly now in the corner, and seemed like easy meat for whatever move Lock had next. As it so happened, Lock seemed content to continue using her for target practice as she lined up a kick...

Willing herself to move, Makie dropped low, trying to evade Lock's kick. If she managed that, then she would try to spin behind the other woman, wrap her arms around her waist and nail her with a surprise German suplex!

Key had many admirable qualities, despite what others seemed to think of her and her way. For one thing, she could be a driven woman, focused on her goals, determined when she wanted something. That was attractive - or so Lock was fond of telling her in their warmer, private moments. One thing she wasn’t, ever, was patient, and she was starting to find hers significantly lacking. As much as she enjoyed seeing her partner work, this was her dance, too.

”Helena…” She growled the name out more than she spoke it, as she ran her nails along the ropes. ”Sometime today.”

Lock heard Key’s words as she moved in for another kick, and had every intention of letting her know how she felt on the subject after it landed...which it didn’t. As it turned out, Makie wasn’t as worn out as she seemed at first glance, and she had more than enough power to grab her by the waist, lift her up, and send her crashing up and over with a German Suplex, smashing her hard on the upper back. Lock bounced once after the impact, then flopped over on her chest and remained there, grinding her teeth as the powerful impact.

Lock's boot whistled past Makie's skull, narrowly missing her by a hair's breadth. Her body immediately went into old, familiar movements, swinging behind the taller woman to face her back, arms wrapping around her waist. Moving too quickly for Lock to react, Makie arched back, her lower center of gravity allowing her to tilt back and lift her larger opponent back with her.

The crowd went wild as the German suplex hit home, sending Lock flopping over and toppling onto her front. Makie, for her part, was now lying on her back, her chest heaving as she stared up at the arena lights. The attentions that Lock and Key had given her had taken a lot out of her, and now, and even though she knew she had to take the advantage, her hurting body refused to move.

Around them, the crowd was now clapping for the wrestlers to stand. From a distance, Makie could hear Kyo urging her to make the tag. Groaning, she rolled over to her hands and knees and tried to crawl, achingly, towards the corner post...