She Wants To Move

It had been a while since Theo had taken up a stance like this, and that was by design. While he hadn't ignored his MMA heritage, he realized that wrestling was a different sport, and he’d been making a conscious effort to work on filling out his moveset with more appropriate techniques, digging more into the high-flying style that not only drew fans, but worked well in the ring. If he’d wanted to go into the octagon, he would’ve joined Momentum, if they even did male fights.

But that didn't mean he’d thrown it all away. It was still there, waiting under the surface, and given what had just happened to Willy, it seemed like a better fallback than trying to grapple straight on with Isa.

”Yeah, some.” No harm in admitting that. Nervousness was a perfectly natural reaction to seeing a man nearly get sawed in half. But if she thought that was going to stop him from attacking altogether, she could prove him wrong straight away. ”Yeah,” He rolled his shoulders and nodded. ”We shall.”

He moved around her for a couple more seconds, finding a good angle and getting his back away from the ropes, then moved in with a big step. Out came a jab, a swift one aimed at her face, and he followed up with another right after - or half of one, anyway. Instead, he made it a feint and went low instead, throwing a quick roundhouse kick to the side of her knee, before he bounced back out of range again.

Careful. Careful.

“Awesome,” Isa purred.

After a brief period of circling around each other, Theo went for it first. He came in quicker than Isa had expected, suddenly right up in her face with a quick jab also right in her face.

Isa couldn’t block. Didn’t have time. Instead, she bent back at the hips, leaning just far enough that she felt Theo’s fist almost kiss her skin as it brushed past. That had been a bit too close, even for her.

As it happened, she didn’t even have to react to the followup jab – it was just a feint as Theo’s foot came sweeping in at her knee.

Isa though was expecting the kick. Instead of the vulnerable side of her knee, Theo’s kick would meet Isa’s calf, raised in a quick Muay Thai check as she puckered her lips to blow him a mocking kiss.

It still stung but a lot, lot less than having her knee buckled already.

And not wanting to just let Theo slip out of reach again, Isa immediately went for him. Pushing up and forward off her supporting leg, she leapt into the air, bicycling that limb up to her chest before snapping it out straight in a high and powerful sidekick aimed squarely at Theo’s chest.

She’d not been anticipating breaking out the ol’ MMA today but if Theo wanted to trade kicks with her… Oh, Isa was more than happy to trade right back.

Spoiler alert – Theo wasn’t winning if that’s all he’d brought to the dance.

Sure, she could play it slow and careful but Isa wasn’t really one for that slow and careful (except when it came to her grappling). She wanted fast and fun.

Also, she had an eye on Willy out there, putting his ribs back together. Sooner she tapped Theo out, the easier it’d be for her to do the same to Willy in round 2. On the other hand, the longer she let Theo mess around, the more worn out she’d be and the fresher Willy would be.

Not a good plan.

So it was a quick ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ for Theo then back to the big boy. Ideally, at least - Theo might have something to say about it.

”Ow. Ow. Shitthefuck, ow…”

Willy was not having the best of times on the outside. He had spent the past few seconds since he rolled out of the ring checking his ribs to make sure they were all in the right place, rubbing them over and taking inventory. As near as he could tell, nothing was broken, but good fucking God he’d come close. When she clamped down on him, he could almost feel his ribcage closing in on itself. It reminded him of the body scissor Mariko had snapped on him, but ten times worse, and without the kiss he got beforehand to make it all worthwhile.

But he was okay. More or less. Good to go, coach, ready to get back onto the field. He pushed his way up and looked back to the ring, hoping that Theo was having a better time of it, and…he was. Kind of.

Isa didn’t have her legs around him, at least, so that was an improvement right off the bat. But Theo had thought he had a winning strategy by sticking to a vertical fight, and so far that wasn’t the case. Not exactly.

He grunted when his leg wound up smacking off her calf, not nearly the target he wanted, and what was more, she had the energy to retaliate. She had strong legs, but that didn’t always translate to strong kicks - having the power for a good kick and knowing how to execute one were two different things. As it turned out, though, she did know that, and she demonstrated as much with a solid kick that came streaking towards his chest.

Theo was able to get his arms up and form a tight guard in time to block it, his reflexes not failing him, but that was the thing people didn’t understand about fighting - just because you blocked an attack, didn’t mean you got off scot free. It could still hurt, especially if it was a kick, and especially if it was a kick with some real power behind it. Isa’s fell into that last category, and it was enough to send Theo stumbling off into the ropes and hit them with his back.

He was forced forward after, stumbling a bit, more winded than he would’ve liked to admit from that. But instead of fighting it, he came right towards her, not wanting to let her control the pace. He brought his leading leg up again, this time pulling it in and shooting it straight out towards her chest, trying to plow into her with a push kick and create distance.

There was something satisfying about landing a good kick, Isa had discovered. It didn’t measure up to the preying mantis feeling she got when she managed to roll a skilled opponent into her grasp on the mats, when her legs were closing in and she could see them realising how much they’d screwed things up, but it was still a really good feeling when she got to send someone flying.

Well, maybe not exactly flying but Theo definitely felt it – sure, her foot slammed into his braved arms rather than his chest but it still hit with enough force to send him stumbling back into the ropes. And they hadn’t been exactly stood right by the ropes either.

Isa, who’d landed square on her feet, had just enough time to feel pretty smug about it. Then she realised Theo was heading back her way, having bounced off the ropes. Huh. She’d honestly expected to knock him over.

Which was about the last thing she thought before it was her turn to just about get her arms up to intercept an incoming kick. It meant she didn’t take the full force to the girls but the hit still sent her swaying backwards, wincing at the stinging sensation in her forearms.

She must have been closer to the ropes than she’d thought, because Isa felt them press against her back before she’d gone more than a few steps.

She didn’t fight the momentum from the kick, not exactly. But, instead of just surging back towards Theo, she caught the top cable with her arms and rode the impetus into rolling over the rope to land on the outside apron – with a sultry little toss of her long hair, as if she’d meant to do that all along.

She really hadn’t. That kick had stung – just as well she’d not let him go for the leg before.

Still smiling, Isa leant against the ropes.

“C’mon, that’s not the best you’ve got, right? Cause I’ve had cups of tea with more kick than that, lover.”

Now, if he’d just walk over, she’d got her next move lined up perfectly.

And this was where the whole plan fell apart.

Back in the cage, Theo’s next move would be clear. Charge in hard, move in fast, go low and keep the pressure on from a standing position. It would’ve been a little dangerous getting so close with her leg power, but at point-blank range, he could turn things into a phone booth fight. She was a solid kicker, but he was reasonably sure that he could outpunch her. Bare minimum, he liked his chances a lot more if this came down to their upper bodies.

But it didn’t. This wasn’t a phone booth. It wasn’t even a cage. It was an open ring, and that meant a much wider variety of problems to deal with. On the surface, he knew that was a good thing, teaching him to deal with everything he was going to come across in the wild world of wrestling. Right now, though, it was an nuisance.

Instead of finding her back against the wall, Isa deftly maneuvered over the ropes to the apron. Trouble spot. There wasn’t any good answer for how to approach it, but he knew he had to.

Just move in and deal with it. Take things as they come.

Theo planted his feet and jolted forward, answering her call to action with a strong charge. He ducked low, looking like he might go for a slide, only to rise up and swing his leg out high over the top rope, trying to hit with a quick snapping roundhouse, maybe take her by surprise.

Come on, Isa silently told Theo, come on. Just come on over – keep the pressure on, don’t be a gentleman, don’t think you’ve got to let me get back in.

Come on over. The water’s fine. If this had been Willy, she’d have been a lot more confident.

Theo? Not so easy to read. Maybe he jumped, maybe he didn’t. Isa kept her eyes locked with him, kept her smile confident, kept it easy, and waited.

Theo, bless him, didn’t keep her waiting for long. He threw caution to the winds and charged in, full steam ahead. Isa could have kissed him.

Maybe later.

Waiting until he was almost on her, Isa went low – saving herself from a high roundhouse that would certainly have dumped her on the floor, seeing stars. Instead, as she let herself drop, his kick sailed safely over her head while Isa scythed a leg right through his supporting limb with a nice, simple leg sweep.

Which she’d planned to do all along, but it was so much easier when he conveniently halved the number she needed to boot out from under him.

Not waiting around for Theo to recover himself, Isa stood, grabbed the top rope with both hands – one overhand and one underhand grip - and catapulted herself over, slingshotting herself back into the ring with ease.

Except at the peak of her arc, she spun herself around on one hand, doing a one-eighty twist in mid-air to swing back down, both legs extending powerfully in a slingshot thrust kick that aimed both her feet squarely at the downed Theo’s face.

So cool!

”No!”

That was the word that came out of Theo’s mouth the instant his kick missed, sailing harmlessly over Isa’s head. It wasn’t just that he missed it that caused the momentary freakout. He could recover from a simple miss, it was to be expected,and it would fare better for him than if he'd tried to kick her through the ropes or something screwy like that.

But no, what really made his hair stand on edge was the fact that she was clearly ready for him to do what he did. Which meant she was expecting it. Which meant there was probably a followup coming, and there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about it until it hit.

Theo’s suspicions were confirmed on all fronts, as her kick shot out and tripped him before he could even get the attacking leg back down. It dropped him on his butt, which was less than fun, but it could’ve been worse. He didn’t have to worry about her immediately going for some crazy scissorhold thanks to the ropes, so all he had to do was roll away and get back to his feet, right?

”No!”

He uttered the word this time because of what he saw coming his way, as Isa came flying into the ring with a deft maneuver. And not just that - she was coming down for a landing. Right where his head was. His hands come up in reflex, a poor attempt to save him, but it was far too late.

Her heels crashed into his face, filling his vision with stars and his brain with pain. Frantic, aching, his body went into a spastic fit as if it had just been hit by lightning, and he wound up on his back near the center of the ring, both hands covering his poor face.

Isa couldn’t have been more pleased with how that’d turned out. Sure, submissions were her bread and butter but she enjoyed any chance to put her pole dancing training to good use in the ring – like she’d just done.

Unlike her victim, Isa had somehow managed to bounce catlike to her feet, taking a step or two towards where Willy watched before dipping him a quick curtsy for the sheer joy of it. It wasn’t like anyone was going to interrupt – Isa wasn’t a light girl and, between her momentum, the power of her legs and 160 odd pounds of solid Irishwoman, she fancied she could take a moment to showboat.

Then she turned to find where Theo had ended up.

Turned out he’d ended up flat on his back, way out in the deep water of centre ring – not a rope anywhere to be seen.

Aww.

Too bad, so sad. Well, she hoped she hadn’t damaged anything; he was definitely the prettier of the two.

Moving with a hip-swaying gait because she could practically feel Willy’s eyes burning into her, Isa sauntered over and dropped into a high pin, her thick legs framing Theo’s face.

“Two nil, lover,” Isa whispered.

Then she reached down to cradle the back of his skull. Not tenderly, but to pull it up high and tight between her thighs right before she rolled off to her side, taking him with her. It was a smooth, practiced motion; one that ended with Isa extending her legs as straight as she could and locking her ankles instinctively to secure a tight, snug front headscissors with Theo’s head tucked between the strongest part of her immensely strong legs.

And then she squeezed, bearing down on Theo like she meant to split his skull open if he didn’t tap in rapid fashion. Time to give him a taste of what Willy had already felt.

First thing first - tooth check.

Theo ran his tongue over his teeth, sliding along both rows, as he tried to get a good sense for the placement of everything. He hadn't had his mouth opened when she dropped that bomb on him, thank God, but it was still a heavy hit to be taking, and one that made him wish he’d had the forethought to bring mouthguards.

As near as he could tell, though, everything was still in working order. There was the faint taste of iron on his tongue, but that likely came from a slightly busted lip. All told, everything was good to go, which meant he needed to move onto his second priority.

He blinked, once, twice, three times, trying to clear his vision enough to make sense of the world around him. His equilibrium was all over the place, and he wasn’t even sure of where he was at first. It took a moment to key into his placement in the ring. The lights were there, the rafters were there, so…yeah, okay. He was in the center of the ring. Good to know. Which meant he needed to key in on that last priority. Big one, too.

Where was Isa?

It was safe to say she hadn't just up and left the ring, but she hadn't followed up, either, leaving him to wonder what her next move would be. His question was answered in the most abrupt way possible, as she came over and plopped down right on his chest. All of the sudden, Theo found himself able to empathize with someone under the guillotine - knowing the position you were in, knowing what came next, but completely unable to do a thing about it.

She rolled over. She squeezed. He tapped.

The whole sequence couldn't have taken more than three seconds, but it felt ten times longer than that. Isa’s thighs swelled in that short amount of time and pushed into his skull with this insane, unyielding pressure that had him thrashing about on the floor, desperate for even the slightest whiff of air, his eyes threatening to pop out of his skull.

When she let him go - and that couldn't come soon enough - he rolled over and flopped to the side, sucking in huge lungfuls of air and rubbing his battered neck. He was so out of it that he didn’t even notice Willy sliding into the ring nearby, popping up to his feet as fast he could with the effects of his last encounter still weighing him down, ready in his grappling stance.

”Okay, babe.” He was more serious, saying that last word as if it was meant to be replaced by another B word. ”Caught me off guard the first time, not happening again.”

And yeah, there it was. Within seconds of her starting to squeeze, Isa felt the tell-tale rat-a-tat-tat of her opponent’s palm slapping furiously against her taut thigh.

Instantly, she relaxed the pressure, undid her ankles and let him roll his way clear of her grip. They were just sparring after all, she didn’t want to make things… weird – and she figured she’d have plenty of chances to play a little later on.

The dark-haired fighter paused a moment, resting back on her hands to watch Theo as he panted, a catlike smile of satisfaction on her lips. No, it wouldn’t have been that easy in a real match, yes, he’d have put up a lot more of a fight with something on the line… But still, she always loved introducing someone to her scissorholds for the first time.

But she didn’t have long to appreciate her work before she felt the ring shift as another body joined them inside.

Time for the next round then, she decided, rolling to her feet and turning to take him in. She’d kept the Theo round short and sweet, meaning he probably hadn’t had enough time to recover fully and she’d not burnt through too much of her reserves.

Perfect. She was looking forward to seeing if she could keep this train rolling and for how long.

At his comment (and tone), Isa rolled her eyes with a put-upon sigh, resting a hand on the curve of her hip as she gave Willy an unimpressed stare. Really? It wasn’t like he hadn’t been warned…

“Uh huh,” She drawled, “Does that make those ribs feel any better, big man?”

Still, the Temptress paused only a moment to flick her hair back into place with both hands and a casual arch of her back before sauntering towards Willy with that casual, confident hipshot strut she’d perfected.

“C’mon then,” she beckoned him on, assuming her own grappling stance, “Catch me if you can.”