Picture Perfect

That was bad. Really bad.

As soon as Pierre came off her, Annette laid back and brought a hand to her arm, rubbing out the aches. As much as the Norwegian would have liked to lay the blame on her unfortunate hiatus from anything that wasn't modeling and wrestling, she knew inside that it was nothing close to that. The truth was something she had no choice but to face. It was all over the arrogance in his smile, the casual way he fiddles with his dougi and brushed off any trace of her still clinging to the fabric.

Ann didn't attempt to hide her bitterness, propping herself back up to give Pierre a clear look at her face while she looked back into his. Their expressions seemed almost flipped in comparison to a moment ago. The silver-haired woman harboring a quiet frustration while the Canadian Crusher of a man looked down with contentedness at his adversary’s folly.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, Judo. It was only one point.” Only. She wished she believed that word as hard as she was selling it. Unfortunately, the skill gap was making itself worryingly apparent. And she wasn’t the only one who was seeing that. Annette had no intention of letting herself stoop and wallow in his presence.

“Try me again. Show me how outmatched I am." Ann pressed her back to the floor and hiked her legs in front of her, opening herself up in the same position as before. The mutters of disbelief were already starting again.

That wasn’t anything that Ann was going to pay attention to for now. The only thing her mind was concerned with was how to get that point back.

Seriously?

Pierre didn’t say much upon hearing what Ann just said. Just before, he’d settled into a seiza position to tend to his dougi, but then he paused. There was a brief moment of silence around the room, and all eyes focused on the two competitors. But the Canuck would assume that they were all looking at Ann after that bold claim. For Pierre, he was genuinely baffled as he looked at the Norwegian stupid. Either Annette had the best mindset, wanted to brush it off and press forward to the next round, or she had the worst mindset and didn’t take into account how fast it took to make her tap.

He honestly couldn’t tell you which one. The French-Canadian’s mouth opened but hesitated before clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “Un seul point? Vraiment?” Pierre could only mutter quietly underneath his breath. At that point, there wasn’t much to be said. If this model wants to go at it again, so be it.

“Alright, BJ.” He certainly didn’t leave out the last ‘J’ on purpose as he tugged the ends of his belt. He glanced in Sebastian’s direction, Jin roaming around in the meanwhile to get the best viewing angles that complement the action. “You caused this, by the way.”

Annette settled back into the same position as before, laying on her back and her legs placed in front of her. Great, Pierre would be the one trying to get in again. Typical. Though the Norwegian model did tell him to show how outmatched she is, he might as well give a damn good reason why. Rather than the careful approach he made in the last fall, the Quebecoise would be much more direct. Pierre would crawl towards her on his knees, keeping his body upright as he approached. Soon as he got in close, the Canuck suddenly stepped inside Ann’s guard with his leading leg before his hands shot out to grab at her collar and sleeve. Should he get his mitts on that stylized cloth, Pierre would yank and pull at her body upright before attempting to step and drop right in behind her.

At some point, Annette would have to acknowledge the skill gap here. Sooner rather than later.

Pierre was more intimidating than she’d given him credit for. He was skilled at a glance, but faster than his size would suggest. Now that she’d been able to witness it firsthand, Ann believed she would be better prepared for it. It could have been pride talking.

In a flash, he was behind her. Ann gasped and only managed to bring her hand up in time to grab the sleeve of his dougi. She managed to bring her chin down slightly to block the inside of his arm from reaching her throat. Tightly, Pierre attempted to complete the rear-naked choke around her head only for her to continue pulling down on his arm. She defiantly glared at him over her shoulder. Although the frustration was aimed right back at herself. It was unbelievable that she had let him get one over on her so easily again.

Only the slightest opening would allow him to fully lock in his chokehold. For the moment, Ann could only hold herself down and wait him out. She controlled her breathing to keep herself from going over the edge, but the burly man at her back was crushing her bit by bit. She wasn’t going to give him that second point easily.

Not too easily.

There was a moment before the tussle where Pierre was wary when it came to approaching Annette. Despite his pre-conceptions made in their little back and forth, the Québécoise had no idea what to expect from the model. It could have been that she was more skilled than he would give credit for. That her passion of martial arts matches with her actions. That her dougi and belt weren't just for show. Especially if she was bold enough to challenge the French-Canadian to a grappling match.

Any other day, he would have been amused by the fact that he's handling the model with ease. However, the only thing he felt was annoyance.

What exactly was she trying to prove there?

Jin would no doubt see the disappointed look etched in Pierre's face while Ann just glares behind her. The fact that this was pretty much all that she could offer towards the Canuck didn't bring much amusement. There's been countless of people that warned people against taking on someone way too skilled and experienced than yourself. The many stories that multitudes who study the discipline of fools going into a dojo, thinking they could take on anyone. Only to get trounced in the end and completely humbled. In one way, Pierre could find some enjoyment; having someone like the Norwegian Model to tussle with would have been any man's dream. However, women like Ann were a dime a dozen in AFW, so nothing special there. Still, Pierre can't complain, she's right here in Pierre's grasp.

Well, not quite. Despite the fact that he easily took her back, Ann resisted in keeping his arm from wrapping around that slender neck of hers. Though at that point, it was just delaying the inevitable, and perhaps Ann knew it. The grip of his sleeve prevented Pierre from going further with the rear choke and at that point, Pierre could at least say she's got guts. However, guts alone isn't enough to win a match. You gotta have the knowledge to back it up.

Which could have helped to realise that his arm may not slip past that opening. But a thin piece of fabric, say, her own lapel definitely can.

The Québécoise still had a hand on that lapel as he was passing behind her and would begin to harshly yank at it to create a noose to crush at her windpipe. Like a guillotine blade pressed at her neck, Ann's fancy dougi would serve to be her downfall. And there's no signs of him going easy on a competitor who's woefully at a lower level. This was the world of black belts.

And she was going to learn today how brutal that world is.

Ann had never quite struggled with a rear-naked choke but she had never been graceful in how she’d handled them. Time and again, especially ever since she had joined AFW, the Norwegian had been forced to confront her inexperience. She’d gotten too lax, become too gentle in pursuing her passion.

Her fingers dug into Pierre’s arm and desperately attempted to pull his arm away. Even the slightest inch would allow her to slip free from the Canadian’s grasp. However, her opponent seemed to understand that all too well. He was far from incompetent. Ann could only watch in horror as his hand reached across her collarbone. She knew immediately what he was going for but that didn't mean she was free to stop it. He grabbed her collar and tugged, pinching one side of her throat while his arm crunched the other.

The tiniest bit of extra effort was all it took. She kicked and twisted to try and fight the hold, but Pierre had it locked in well. Steadily her efforts became less animated and her limbs began to slacken. Her beautiful form finally eased against her adversary. Both eyes went heavy as her hand slipped free from his lapel and fell to the floor.

She was going.

Going.

Gone.