Tension World Title: John Mitchel (c) vs. Makie Akamatsu

Makie's world was swimming in front of her as she lay on her back outside the ring, her eyes closed. She shook her head numbly from side to side, trying to get some sense of her surroundings, to fight off the encroaching daze. Around her, the roar of her fans was muted down into a dull murmur. The youngest of the Akamatsu siblings was nearing her limit.

She was brought back to reality when John's boots stomped down, hard, into her gut, causing her upper body to jacknife off the mat. "OOOOOPH!" She gave a ragged gasp before John grabbed her by the hair. A glassy look was on Makie's eyes as she was dragged, stumbling, up to her feet, before being rolled unceremoniously back into the ring, where she lay in an unmoving sprawl.

“Thisâ€s gotta be it, Iâ€m outa gas.” John mumbled lowly, to himself more than anything, as he tossed her back into the ring. It was certainly true that he had way more energy left than she appeared to have, but at this point his tank was getting way to close to E for comfort.

With her in a sprawl, John was a swift as his big and bruised body could be. He tried to slide himself into the ring as fast as he could, quickly getting over Makie for the pin.

The ref girl started again.

”ONE!”

For a moment, Makie remained motionless underneath John as he covered her for the pin. Her eyes remained closed, and to many in the audience, it looked like she was done. Many of her fans screamed for her to get up, while many others cheered John on. All, however, were watching in equal anticipation as the countdown went on.

"TWO..."

Suddenly, Makie gave a deep groan and kicked out, getting a shoulder up at the last minute. Her chest heaved as she took in several short breaths. Despite John's best efforts, Makie wasn't done yet.

John couldnâ€t believe it…how….how….HOW? Dam, this girl was something else. His eyes were wide as she got her shoulder up…this tactic was nto working. In fact, the whole strategy of going for a pin was not working.

New strategy. Render her unconscious, unless she taps.

Seeing her nearly out, John tried to roll her onto her front so he could get on her back, trying to move as quick as his tired body could. Quickly, he tried to slip his left arm over hers, wrapping it behind her head and taking it out of action while his right arm came around her neck, choking in a modified kata ha jime like choke. At the same time, his legs tried to swing around her body, trying to get her in a body scissors. If it worked, heâ€d end up crushing her in his finishing combo!

Even as John rolled off of her, Makie found that she could barely move. Her body felt like it had been run over repeatedly by a freight train, her midsection and upper body were sore with pain from John's repeated slams, and her limbs felt leaden and heavy from exhaustion. She could hear her fans cheering and stomping in the background, but she had no idea if she could even keep this up.

She gave a slight groan as John unceremoniously shoved her onto her front, before feeling him sitting down squarely on her back. Before she knew what was going on, her arm was wrenched back painfully, and John's arm slid around her throat, lifting her upper body off the mat as he locked her in a rear choke hold.

"Ahhhh....ghhhgaa..." One eye remained open as her free hand pawed uselessly at John's encircling arm. She felt herself growing weaker and weaker as John sleepered her, and she felt him slowly but surely arcing her back further. Alarm bells ran in her mind when she realized what John was up to, and, even as she grew redder and redder from lack of air, she started fighting desperately to escape, throwing her arm back again and again to elbow John. Her shots were wild and poorly aimed, but at this point, she knew she needed to loosen John's grip before he trapped her completely.

John new if he could TOTALLY lock this in, that would be it…but dam, if Makie wasnâ€t one of the most persistent girls heâ€d ever seen. She wasnâ€t going to stop fighting, and John had enormous respect for that.

John managed to lock in the chokehold, taking control of one arm and wrenching it…but before he could do anything with his legs, that other arm, the one he couldnâ€t control, suddenly began to elbow him over and over and over.

At first, the shots landed on his body, which werenâ€t tooo damaging, but after a while they began to build and build, taking their tole, making his legs lsip uselessly and rub against her sides…then finally one shot nailed him in a place on his side where he had already been hit. He let out a gasp and wince of pain, the bruise enflaming, and let her go, trying to roll her away and hold his side.

Makie's mouth hung open uselessly as she tried in vain to breathe, John's arm pressing firmly against her windpipe even as she squirmed in his grip. Her free arm lashed out relentlessly, elbowing John over and over again, but she found herself growing weaker and weaker by the second. Her need to win this title warred with her body's need to stop and pass out as she furiously fought to escape.

And then, after what felt like an eternity, John released her. Letting out a ragged gasp, she collapsed onto her front, sucking in air hungrily. Even though she felt like she would simply collapse at any second, she shook her head, tried to clear away the clouds of dizziness, and pushed herself up to her hands and knees. She wasn't done yet, she kept telling herself. She was still in this fight...

John rolled onto his back, panting and holding his side. A nice, big bruise was forming above where his scar was. It was going to look pretty boss in the morning…….hurt like a bitch, but be pretty boss.

Groaning, John saw Makie getting on her knees, and he knew he had to do the same. He heaved and started to get up, rolling onto his front and getting himself on all fours, leaning on the ropes for support as he stood up, the crowd cheering for them to push on and fight, yelling to whomever they favored.

Slowly and agonizingly, Makie pushed herself up, fighting off dizziness and exhaustion as she did so. Pressing her palms against the mat, she pushed herself up to her hands and knees, and then, with a final effort, pushed herself up to her feet.

Swaying dizzily on her feet, Makie propped herself up on the ropes and caught her breath, watching as John did the same opposite her. She was up, but still weak and dizzy, and in no state to rush John just yet...

John wansnâ€t too much better for his trouble. He slowly got up, climbing on the ropes, until he was on his feet. Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, he got his arms up and came at Makie cautiously, moving in to grapple with her again and try to take her down.