SS 16 Thunder Round: Akiha Kosha Vs. Gabbie Desjardin Vs. Gwendolyn DuPont Bettencourt Vs. Belinda Northman

Shuffling back up to her hands and knees at a slightly hobbled pace due to the lingering aches in her spine, Gwen internally admitted that she may have made a grave miscalculation in not making doubly sure Gabbie was officially eliminated. One that was continually coming back to haunt her when the impertinent Dojo lackey would come charging at her from out of her blindspot and deliver a sharply echoing snap kick to the side of Gwen's head.

"Hnngh!!!" Gwen groaned out from the rattling strike, the force behind the blow immediately whip-lashing the heiress back to her knees with one hand shielding her cringing face. Clearly shaken and frazzled by the kick, the posh aristocrat would shuffle on her knees towards the nearby ropes. Leaning against them with her head over the middle rope while she feverishly checked to make sure their was no permanent damage to her immaculate visage...

The ringing in her ears was only just starting to die down by the time Gwen had reached the ropes, the heiress leaning against them for support while fastidiously checking to make sure Gabbie hadn't dared to besmirch her face. Between this match and their previous one, Gwendolyn could have sworn that the impertinent Dojo lackey was going out of her way to concentrate her kicks squarely against her prim face. Simply because she knew how much Gwen prided herself on her immaculate visage and that Gabbie most assuredly harbors some sort of jealousy over.

*crack*

Gwen flinched when she overheard the explosive snap behind her, eventually turning around to witness her fellow aristocrat standing where Gabbie should be. Scowling angrily as she shoved herself off of the ropes, Gwen shook off whatever lingering disorientation she still had in her rattled head while she approached her raven-haired cohort. She stood toe to toe with Akiha and folded her arms across her chest in an authoritative stance, clearly displeased with her friend and business partner's interference.

"I certainly hope you're aware that I was perfectly capable of handling this loathsome wretch on my-!!" Gwen's ungrateful response to Akiha's intervention would come to a halt once the heiress would notice Belinda steadfastly approaching Akiha from behind. Her eyes widened before she instinctively shoved Akiha to the side and sprinted forward to meet Belinda with a leaping Bicycle Kick square to her face, continuing what was becoming a cavalcade of non-stop stiff boots from one competitor to another.

Gwen scoffed bitterly with an annoyed glare down towards Belinda, the heiress finally having an avenue to vent her frustrations after suffering a rather lackluster start to the match. The downed Northman getting a rather unceremonious introduction to Gwendolyn via the sole of her pearl-white boot and a resounding smack that earned that wincing audience's sympathy.

After turning around to resume applying pressure to Gabbie, Gwen offered Akiha a passing glance and a mumbled "...well played..." on her way out of the ring. It was perhaps the closest Gwen could come to swallowing her pride enough to show her earnest gratitude for the assist, the heiress certainly not accustomed to having a partner/friend watch her back...

After stepping through the middle and top ropes so as not to foolishly eliminate herself, rather than hop down to Gabbie's level, Gwen would remain perched on the ring apron a few feet behind the Dojo lackey. Now that she had the high ground the heiress intended to make use of her advantageous positioning. Once dear Gabrielle would turn around to face Gwen, the heiress would take off running to leap off the ring apron and wrap her thighs around her foe's head. Carrying that forward momentum with her, Gwen's spinning headscissors takedown would turn Gabbie 180 degrees around and have her flipping over herself in the swirling hurricanrana.