Flips and Kicks- Cobra vs Dmitri!

*The obvious wear and tear on both athletes was incredibly obvious for anyone and everyone to see, but Cobra was going to extraordinary lengths to conceal it- He knew that if any weakness was shown, he'd be endlessly ridiculed by his adversary, and perhaps even extinguish any potential for him to mount a comeback in the process.*

*However, Dmitri proved himself to be a fleetfooted foe yet again by snatching him up and tossing him towards the suspended ropes, causing the bemused python to stagger towards the opposite side of the arena in an instant!*

"Nrrrhh?!" *Finally being catapulted back into the reality of his dire predicament, Cobra grimaced from the epiphany he had just experienced- Dmitri was starting to control the flow of this fight, and it wouldn't be long before he'd have to kick this fight into high gear in order to just survive!*

While Dmitri wasn’t a high-flyer, that didn’t mean he lacked any flashy moves, that he didn’t have certain attacks that could please a crowd. He just didn’t indulge in them too much, fearing they would blow up in his face more often than not. His caution didn't come out of nowhere, it was the result of having matches snatched away from him at a pivotal moment. High-risk rarely worked out for him.

But something about Cobra was making him feel a bit bolder. A bit crazier. So…

He kept close, right on him as his opponent neared the corner, so that he’d be close the moment he turned and hit the pads. With his opponent up against them, he leaped up and proceeded to run up his body in one smooth motion, before he kicked off Cobra’s chest and backflipped off in a smooth motion. He came down in a crouch a few feet away from his target, landing as an exhilarating rush swept through his body. When was the last time he’d felt this good in a match? Had he ever?

*Inadvertently building a tremendous amount of momentum from being whipped towards the ropes, Cobra was propelled back towards Dmitri at lightning fast speed, and what transpired next was nothing short of monumental- the agile acrobat somersaulted through the air, leaving a solid imprint of his foot against the befuddled python's chest before sending him crashing into the ground behind him, more astonished than injured.*

"Ggrrhhh..." *He forlornly hissed, realizing the flouncy move was more a demonstration of his athletic prowess than anything else. However, while sulking against the canvas, Cobra hatched a brilliant idea- If he could milk the injury for a prolonged amount of time, then perhaps it was possible to use it to his advantage.*

*Deliberately pumping the breaks on his recuperation, Cobra being to tentatively scale the ropes, making it to the center support string while hardcore selling his nonexistent injury. If this worked, he had something agonizing in mind for the audacious martial artist!*

When Dmitri came down from the flip, he heard a strange sound, something he couldn’t recall hearing much of in this ring before. This strange smacking sound, as if thousands of hands were coming together at once, all these palms striking each other in unison. It took him a moment to process it, to recognize it, and he couldn’t help but smirk when he did.

Applause. Aimed at him. Yeah, that was new.

It wasn’t a thought he wanted to dwell on for too long. He looked over and saw his opponent trying to set up for something, fighting past his pain and making his way up the ropes, defiant and strong. Dmitri moved in fast to intercept and scale the ropes beside him, getting on the same level with his opponent and throwing a quick punch at his face, just to pacify him. Top rope antics weren’t his usually style, but he did have a few ideas on how to turn this to his advantage, maybe even enough to win the match...

*The ubiquitous sound of the enthusiastic audience sent goosebumps down Cobra's backside- He was well aware that their shouts of praise and adoration were directed towards his adversary, and while he had certainly earned their thunderous applause, the jealous anaconda couldn't let that slide- Not while he was still capable of turning things around.*

*While never the type to try and take someone down directly, Cobra would rather wait for the precise moment to strike, leaving the most lethal impression on his target that would inevitably send a shockwave of fear throughout their unsuspecting body!*

"Ssssslow and ssssteady winssss the race~" *He tentatively murmured to himself, positioning himself in a very particular manner as he watched Dmitri approach him, seemingly eager to finish the job with a well timed shot to his face. However, before he had the opportunity to cave his face in, Cobra launched himself forward, foot jutting towards him to try and land a massive super kick to the base of his jawline!*

Spoiler:

Did he still have all of his teeth?

It was a random thought, not the most important one, but it was what passed through Dmitri’s mind after Cobra’s kick landed. As near as he could tell, it all came down to a bad mix of momentum and timing - he’d picked the exact wrong moment to come charging in, underestimated his opponent, and wound up paying for it. Big time.

Whatever the case, he was paying for it now. The blow didn’t knock him over right away - he staggered back with blank eyes and wobbly feet, his body needing a few seconds to register everything, and then he fell hard to his hands and knees. He wasn’t out of it, not yet, but he was far closer than it was healthy to be.

*The reassuring* "THWACK!" *That left the mesmerized audience, as well as his intended target, momentarily stunned was enough to coax Cobra into instantaneously following up with his signature move: The Bolt Tremor!*

"Sssssend my regardssss to your masssster!" *Lunging forward, Cobra snatched Dmitri's wrists and promptly hoisted him onto his shoulders, capsizing him completely to try and simultaneously augment the dizzy feeling he was clearly experiencing, as well as showcase his impressive strength for the live crowd!*

*The sea of flashing lights and mixed reactions was enough to provoke the dominant viper into executing his debilitating maneuver, leaping towards the ceiling before subsequently dropping Dmitri against the canvas, crossing his legs overtop of his throat to apply pressure against his windpipe!*

Spoiler:

You know, for all the kicking Dmitri did on other people, it was fairly rare for him to suffer his own medicine. He’d almost forgotten how much of a shock to the system a well-placed kick could be, but Cobra did an excellent job of reminding him.

He laid there for a moment, blinking as the stars swirled above his head, his brain in the midst of a heavy reset. By the time he had the wherewithal to start getting up, it was already too late - Cobra was on him, all over him, lifting him up and getting him on his shoulder with an impressive display of strength.

Dmitri didn’t know the name of this move, but he did know one thing - it was effective. He was stuck upside down, legs wrapped around his throat, and his greatest weapons were being pulled in the most uncomfortable position. The only saving grace he saw was that he doubted Cobra could hold this pose for long, but that was an assumption on his part, not a guarantee.

*Feeling his move manage to connect without rather immaculately, Cobra was surprised at Dmitri's resiliency- He had instantly disregarded his level of endurance from earlier, but unbeknownst to him, the reptilian predator was much more proficient in the submission department than he had let on throughout the previous portion of the fight, continuing to coil his muscular gams around the base of Dmitri's throat!*

"Jussssst...t..tap out a..and don't make thisssss any harder than it hassss to be!" *The irate snake demanded, the strain on his body incredibly evident while the audience was beginning to applaud his valiant effort- Abhor or adore him, Trent Sanders was always the type to put on an extraordinary show for his audience!*

Dmitri would be lying if he said that the temptation to tap out to this wasn’t strong. It wasn’t a normal submission move. He’d been in plenty of those before, had even tapped to some of them, but this was a far different thing. He wasn’t even sure what you called it, but he couldn’t see any easy way out of it, no obvious thread. This just wasn’t something he’d trained for, and he didn’t see how anyone could.

But he wasn’t going to give up. Not yet. Not this easy. He just needed to pause, take a second, and think.

Keeping his legs in that position had to take some real effort on Cobra’s part, and he was willing to wager it could only go on for so long. He had to be feeling some fatigue. So he decided his best course of action was to put it to the test - Dmitri gritted his teeth and pushed up with his legs, trying to break free of the hold on his legs with one great surge of power. At the same time, he tried to twist his body around and closed his legs, hoping to catch his opponent’s head in a tight headscissor.