Flips and Kicks- Cobra vs Dmitri!

*Maintaining his excruciatingly agonizing hold without much faltering on his behalf, Cobra did manage to notice a decent amount of resistance on the behalf of his opponent.* "Gggrrhh!" *The obstinate serpent, while typically the type to play with his food before finishing it off, decided to instead refute his immediate decision to do so and instead continue to crank against Dmitri's throat with as much vigor as his body could generate!*

"Thisssss...ggrrhh..w..wassssn't what I wasssss..e..expecting from you!" *Trent shouted while simultaneously forcing his immobilized victim's legs sideways to try and provoke him into tapping out, his energy continuing to deplete at a rapid rate while attempting to force the quickest submission possible from his foe!*

Dmitri was fighting. Nobody could accuse him of not fighting. He wasn’t going down easy, struggling all the way, giving this fight, all he had. He’d been in this position before - with women, mind you, but still - and he’d had to give up. The difference was that, those times, he hadn’t felt so into the match, hadn’t thought he was on the cusp of victory. Here, he’d held his own, came closer than he’d ever come before, almost had it…

...but there was no getting around this, and he knew it. As much as he tried to survive, there was just now way around these. He’d either give in, or his body would give in for him, and the latter wasn’t acceptable.

Dmitri reached up, gritted his teeth, and tapped away, just as the lights began to fade. ”I give, I give!”

*Cobra could have never foreseen just how much zeal he would need to devote to winning this altercation, and against someone who, on more than one occasion, could have easily put him away if not for his own, personal fortitude. Once Dmitri said the magic words, he heard the refreshing sound of the bell peel out.*

"Ding ding ding!" *To the audience, it was a regular sound generated by a hammer and bells; to Cobra, it was the euphoric call of an angel, granting him the luxury of finally relinquishing his superfluous cargo by sliding him sideways and sprawling out across the mat himself, both of them lying parallel to one another.*

"Aaaahh...y..you're...ssssssuper talented~" *He muttered in between laobrious gasps, the referee rushing towards him before elevating his hand towards the ceiling.* "Your winner, COBRA BOLT!"

And it was over.

Dmitri breathed a deep sigh of relief along with refilling his lungs, as Cobra released the hold and gave him some space. It was a familiar scene, him on his back as the bell rang, and he suspected it would happen quite a few times in his AFW career...but this was different. Better. More satisfying.

He liked it.

”You too. Even if your whole speech thing is a little weird.” He managed to sit with a hard grunt, and reached out for a handshake. ”Maybe we can have a rematch sometime? If you’re game.”

*Still keen on rejuvenating as much energy as he possibly could, from the offset it seemed as though Cobra had depleted more of his vigor than Dmitri did, which would be accentuated when the affable martial artist attempted to offer his hand for a show of good sportsmanship.*

"That sssssounds nice~" *Rolling onto his tummy, Cobra humbly reciprocated, clasping the edges of his hand before giving it a firm shake.* "Your kicking isssss remarkable- You have to teach me how to land moves like that sssssome time." *As the duo idly chatted for a bit, the audience began chanting* "Both these guys! Both these guys!" *As a means of respect towards both competitors.*

Wow, this guy was truly committed to the gimmick. In no way, shape or form were they wrestling anymore, but that didn’t stop him from still talking like the snake that charmed Eve or something. Dmitri had to wonder how consistent he was with it. Did he order food this way? Call his parents? It seemed like a terrible inconvenience, and the curiosity kept mounting.

Questions for other days, perhaps. For now, Dmitri was mostly concerned about getting home and having a bath, getting all the grime off. Before he left, though, he couldn’t help but note the audience’s enthusiasm and hear their chants. A smile was out before he even realized it.

He gave them all an appreciative nod, then turned back to Cobra for a small bow. ”And you’ll have to show me how to pull off those flips. Might work one or two into my style.” He began to back off, making his way to the rope. ”Until next time.”

As he’d done many times before, Dmitri made the long, limping walk up the ramp after a lost match. The main difference today? He had a satisfied smile to go along with it.