Flips and Kicks- Cobra vs Dmitri!

*Relying upon his offensive gambit to pay dividends, Cobra would be pleasantly surprised at how effective his unorthodox technique worked, a resounding* "THWACK!" *That emulated a whip crack smacking against Dmitri's jawline, allowing the agile anaconda to catch himself on the platforms of his bare feet while witnessing his foe drop from the excruciating pain!*

"Precissssssely what I thought would transssspire~" *Taking a brief moment to glance out towards his adoring public, Cobra nonchalantly waved towards his devoted peers while keeping a close eye on any sudden movements coming from his opposition.*

"Ssssomething wrong, karate boy?" *His condescending cadence was brazen enough, but beneath the surface of derision was a level or respect- Dmitri had managed to withstand some of Cobra's fiercest blows and kept his dignity intact, and for the time being, the pompous python would pander towards the crowd by lounging against the ropes for a brief respite.*

Spoiler:

Dmitri had been here before. Okay, not exactly here, but he’d been in similar situations before, laid out by his opponent, seeing stars, wide open and vulnerable. He knew what came next - Cobra would pounce, be all over him, wear him down, and he’d have to struggle for a chance to get his momentum back.

...only, no, that didn’t happen. Not at all. Instead, he looked up to see his opponent sitting on the ropes, lounging like it was no big deal, giving him ample chance to get back up. Not the sort of thing he ever expected in this ring, but he did appreciate the leeway. That kind of sportsmanship was refreshing and rare, and he didn’t expect to get a whole lot more of it.

”Tae Kwon Do, but yeah.” He rose up and dusted himself off, rubbed his chin, reset as best he could. ”And I’m good. You can keep it coming.”

Cobra was taunting him, that was clear, but Dmitri was determined to not be bothered by it. He moved into his fighting pose once more, bouncing from heel to heel with a light spring in his step, and moved towards his opponent. He didn’t strike out yet, wary of the speed he was up against, but kept a cautious perimeter while he waited for his foe to get off the ropes.

*While the dominant viper was the type to unconditionally bask in the radiant glow of the spotlight, he also had a tremendous amount of respect towards anyone who was capable of withstanding such a discombobulating knee strike. As he heard Dmitri confirm that he was far from defeated, Cobra decided to verify this the only way he knew how- Aerial acrobatics!*

"Isssss that sssso?" *He whipped around in an instant, giving the confident kicker a menacing glower before weaponizing his taut figure by vaulting over the top rope, extending his feet forward while propelling straight towards his target!* "Let'ssss just ssssee about that then, shall we?"

*Fully aware that this physical gambit could prove to be disastrous for him, Trent wasn't the type to shy away from risking life and limb for a worthwhile payoff. The audience was on the edge of their collective seats, lurching forward to see what the outcome of this daring maneuver would be!*

Spoiler:

”Yessssss.”

Okay, that was a bit much, and Dmitri couldn’t hold back a quick laugh, having a bit too much fun with this. He tried to keep things professional in the ring, not wanting things to get too personal or silly, but something about Cobra had a way of bringing it out of him. It was just impossible to be the straight man around a guy like that.

He was able to bring his focus back, though, and just in time - he suspected his opponent was going to be coming at him, but didn’t know what method he’d use. He found out soon enough as the man launched himself forward, and he had to bring his arms up to block the attack. Even with them taking the brunt of the damage, it was still enough force to send him staggering back to the barricade.

Dmitri hit it hard and stumbled forward right after, falling to his knees nearby. It wasn’t as bad as it might’ve looked, with all the commotion he made at the impact, but it was a far cry from pleasant, and left his spine aching.

*As Cobra weightlessly tore through the skies, momentum continuing to build at an exponential rate, his bare feet were repelled by Dmitri's forearm, causing the fluid motion to be interrupted! It was an awkward impact, but judging by how brutal the shockwave was, Cobra had emerged as the victor between their exchange.* "Ggrrhhh!" *He aggressively snarled as the platforms of his feet collided with Dmitri's arm, causing him to bounce backwards before staggering against the ground once he had landed.*

"Hmm..." *Pensively contemplating what his next course of action would be comprised of, Cobra was suddenly struck with a potentially brilliant idea- Noticing how off balance Dmitri currently appeared to be, he was under the impression that a well placed kick against his midsection would send him flipping overtop of the external barricade.* "Hmhm, sssstay sssstill for me!" *He flicked his tongue outwards as his feet dashed forward to carry him closer to his prey!*

*With a solitary shift in his momentum, Cobra returned to the air, deliberately breaking the law that gravity had upheld for centuries by effortlessly twisting himself sideways to try and plant the bottom of his foot across Dmitri's chest for a sobat kick to his stomach!*

Spoiler:

[b]”2!”[b]

Dmitri could hear the referee’s call from above, ticking away their time on the outside of the ring, but he wasn’t able to concern himself too much about that at the moment. The countout wouldn’t matter if he was beat to a pulp before it even finished.

That was the path he was heading on right now, and he would have to do something quick and drastic. A chance was coming his way, too, albeit a small one - Cobra was coming in fast, putting his all behind a hail-mary kick. It had the potential to take Dmitri down and smash him against the barrier, if it hit. If.

In order to make sure that didn’t happen, Dmitri sprang and threw himself to the side, avoiding the blow with a wild move. It wasn’t exactly poetry in motion, but it did the trick - getting him clear and safe. The moment his feet touched down, he leaped back in and struck out, trying to nail his opponent with a snap kick to the side.

*As the energetic reptilian cut through the air with a winding kick to Dmitri's midsection, he suddenly witnessed his target swerve out of his immediate view! Having committed too much of his momentum to recoil, he was forced to suffer to consequences of being too overzealous, which manifested in the form of a retaliatory kick to his ribcage!*

"Ggghhhsss!" *The immediate impact sent Cobra spiraling into the ground, his body twisting and contorting as the weight of his figure bounced against the pavement near the outer flooring of the ring. The crowd applauded Dmitri's efforts, reminding him that he wasn't alone in his struggle against the venomous viper!*

"Hssss...nnnhh..." *Gnashing his pearly whites against one another to try and mitigate the pain, Cobra knew he didn't have long before the flurry of strikes began to rain down upon him, but in his current state, was hardly capable of preventing the inevitable from transpiring!*

”Gotcha!”

It wasn’t strictly necessary for Dmitri to give himself that little pat on the back when his kick made impact, but screw it, he couldn’t help the desire. Fighting Cobra was like dancing on the razor’s edge, and any time he came out of it ahead felt like a real, genuine accomplishment.

As much as he might’ve wanted to jump for joy, that kick was only a marginal improvement on his state, taking so much effort that he’d fallen to his back right after landing the blow. He rose soon after, scrambling up as quick as he could, and gripped the apron for support - in truth, he needed far more time to recover, but it was clear he wasn’t getting it. He had to move in now. Now.

”4!”

Okay, first step was getting this back into the ring. Dmitri had neer been an outside brawler before and he wasn’t about to start now. He moved over to Cobra, seized him by the arm, and forced him to standing. With a hard twist, he tossed his opponent back into the ring and followed after, ending the countout.

*Fortuitously enough, Dmitri didn't have the capacity to continue with a barrage of shots to his vulnerable figure. However, he refused to give the sly serpent an ounce of mercy, forcing him upright.*

"W...what'sssss going on?" *Struggling to gather his bearings, Cobra was tossed underneath the bottom rope, causing him to barrel roll sideways and reenter the arena. However, he decided to utilize this momentary lull by crawling towards the nearby ropes.*

"I'm..n..not out of this yet!" *The optimistic predator declared while clambering up the bouncing suspenders, keeping him all but supported as his body dangled off the side, putting a spotlight on how drowsy he still was.*

Dmitri rolled back into the ring and rose to his feet, trying to get up before Cobra would have the chance to rise himself. That turned out to be a bad idea, since he was still reeling from the earlier attacks - he stumbled, staggered a bit, feeling woozy. It passed soon enough, but it was a hard reminder of how dangerous this opponent was, and the need to keep him on the backfoot - figuratively and literally.

”That’s good.” Dmitri cracked his neck as he closed. ”Neither am I.”

He figured his best chance was to keep them moving - Cobra was agile, quick, did his best work when he was on the move, but he could say the same thing about his own fighting style. They were both fast fighters, so the only real way to come out on top was to be a bit better at it. With that thought process in mind, he moved over to his opponent on the ropes, grabbed his wrist, and jerked back hard, sending him towards the further corner with an Irish Whip. The moment he was released, Dmitri dashed after him, staying in th man’s shadow, ready to pounce the instant he came to a stop.