Showdown VI: Zangief vs Rainbow Mika

In truth, submission moves were rarely Zangief’s style, preferring to keep a fight moving as much as possible, believing the action should stay fluid. While he did have a few in his arsenal, he used them sparingly, and preferred to reserve them for the latter half of a match if he used them at all. That he was not only going to such lengths but doing so this early was a testament to how serious a threat Rainbow Mika was.

His decision to do so was sound, bearing fruit right away. This woman was flexible, far beyond what the average wrestler was capable of, but even she had limits. Zangief had the power to find those limits, and there was little that could stop him in this pursuit.

Certainly not an elbow to the face. Rainbow Mika’s first attempt at a distraction wasn’t ignored, it made Zangief’s head jerk to the side, but his only other response was to press even harder, putting more of his unholy strength into the hold, more determined than before.

Her second attempt, however, was more profitable. Strong as Zangief was, he still needed to breath, and her arm clamping around his neck made that more difficult. At first, he resisted, held on, stubborn, certain that he could outlast her in this, but that theory was proven wrong as his legs began to wobble and torque on Rainbow Mika’s back grew weaker. Zangief dropped to one knee, still holding onto the rack, but with his fire quickly fading.

"Nnagh...agh....AAAAAAAAAGH!"

Mika couldn't hold it back any longer: she let out a loud, agonized shriek as her back was bent across Zanghief's shoulders, her spine contorted beyond its natural flexibility. Her blond pigtails draped across the Russian's arm like some fancily-draped fur cloak, and her struggles were fading a little as the pain began to overwhelm. Around them, the her fans were screaming her name: barely seconds into the match, and their heroine was in potentially match-ending agony.

But no one was shouting louder than Nadeshiko. "MIKA! You have to break free!" she shouted. "Can't afford to lose now! Break free!"

"T...trying..." Mika gasped weakly. Her free arm was still locked tightly around Zanghief's throat; her vision was starting to get blurry, but she was not going to tap out. Not so soon in what might be the most important match of her life....

The situation might have seemed dire for Rainbow Mika, and in many respects, it was. The muscles of Zangief had crushed many a man and women over the years...and a few bears, too. There was no doubt that, if she spent too much time in his grasp, that her body would join those unfortunate statistics.

But his own situation was perilous, as well, as he body began to weaken in her choke and his hold weakened along with it. Try as he might, struggle as he did, there was only so long that he could hold on, and that limit would be reached…

Now.

All at once, Zangief dropped the hold, leaving Rainbow Mika to slide off his back and continue her hold without trading pain for it. Instead, he used his arms for more important pursuits, pulling at the chokehold, shaking his body from side to side in a wild attempt to hurl her off before she could cause true damage.

The pain was getting unbearable. The match was only a few seconds old, and already, Mika was feeling the full brunt of Zanghief's trmendous strength as it bent and contorted her like putty. Her body was already being curved to its narual limits, and it was all she could do not to scream. For a few seconds, she thought she was going to snap in two.

Thankfully, she didn't, as Zanghief's grip finally relented. Which was great...except he relented because he was violently throwing her off of his shoulders.

Mika crashed back-first unceremoniously, the impact shooting a knife of pain up her spine that caused her to arch, a silent scream on her lips. She rolled to her side, clutching her back: she was in serious trouble now, and the match had practically started. A voice of doubt began to take root in her mind: you should never have agreed to fight Zanghief. You aren't ready.

The moment Zangief sent Mika flying, even as she was soaring through the air, he was already taking in lungfuls in a desperate attempt to refill his aching organs. Her assault had left him winded, and while he knew that was inevitability in this match, he had not expected to be so drained straight out of the gate. Even so, he couldn’t keep a smile from forming along his lips - so far, this was everything he could’ve expected.

Shaking his head, coughing, he pushed off his knee and rose up, clearing his throat as he went. Rainbow Mika was down, but far from defeated. She would need to be worn down a great deal more before she could be defeated, but he was up to the task, and even knew how best to proceed.

As she rolld about on the floor, Zangief moved over her and reached down, gripping her head tight and pulled her up with one of his massive hands. The point of this was twofold - to force her to stand up, exacerbating her aching back. At the same, it put her into a perfect position for what came next.

Zangief brought his arm up and lashed out, striking her across the chest with a chop and putting enough power on it to knock her into the corner.

Mika, of course, had now idea how close she had brought Zanghief to a blackout, or how much he was appreciating this match so far or even that she was exceeding his expectations. All she was conscious of was the pain her back was in. One of her eyes clenched she as she reached back and rubbed her sore back, trying to summon the strength to actually stand again. Damn it, she couldn't afford to be at Zanghief's mercy like this...

And then, suddenly, a pair of massive hands clamped up around her head. Next thing she knew, she was being pulled up, wobblingly, to her feet, her back protesting in pain as she was brought up to stand level with the garguntuan form of Zanghief...

...and then, a second later, an arm the size of a tree trunk slammed into her ample chest. The air exploded from her lungs as she was sent sprawling into the nearby corner, and she barely managed to catch the rope in to prevent from falling over completely. One arm clutched her hurting chest as she sucked in air, panting for breath as she tried to hold herself upright in the corner. She had just gone from big trouble to worse trouble, though, and Zanghief knew it....

Though Zangief was known for his wrestling prowess, his arms were able to do more than simply grapply with his foes. If the many trees of the Siberian wilderness could speak, they would no doubt attest to the man who had often ventured amogn the and lashed at their trunks, how his mighty chops had left them stripped of their bark and nearly cut them down.

It was those chops that had laid many an opponent out in his time, and one of those chops that he had sliced into Rainbow Mika’s chest with. That she endured it alone was an impressive feat, never mind her ability to stay standing.

But Zangief was not done. Far from it.

The first thing he needed to do was to get her moving, and she had put herself in an ideal spot for that. As she reeled, he reached out and seized her arm, getting a tight grip on her wrist. He took a step back, pulled her along with him, then sent her off running with a strong Irish Whip, hurling her towards the opposite corner at full tilt.

It was difficult to describe the arm that had just cannoned into Mika's chest, or the power that had been behind it. Comparing it to a tree trunk was inadequate, as tree trunks were still organic and breakable, and steel pillars were rigid, immovable things that didn't run at you at high speed. The impact had blasted the air from Mika's lungs, briefly compessing her chest as the blow sent her crashing down onto her back. Ironically, it was probably Mika's generous chest size that had saved her, as it had been able to cushion much of the blow.

Although that just meant that it had hurt all the more.

Mika was breathing even harder now, cradling her hurting chest with one arm as she lay sprawled in the corner. Zanghief was relentless, stomping after her, grabbing one of her arms to haul her back up. Mika could only give a pained groan as she was pulled up, before, almost casually, Zanghief whipped her across the ring towards the other corner.

Still out of breath, Mika found herself running towards the corner, impelled by the momentum with which she had been flung. Knowing she had to react quickly, she spun, and managed to grab the ropes in time to arrest her movement. Her back still smacked against the corner post, causing her to hiss in pain as it stung her spine, but she knew it would have been a lot worse if she hadn't grabbed the ropes. She was practically holding herself up on the ropes now, trying not to fall over, as she tried to rally herself for Zanghief's next assault...

The crowd’s attention had been held since the start of this match, but as it continued, they found themselves drawn even deeper into the display before them. Many had heard of the might of Zangief, but in Japan, his matches were often shrouded in secrecy, hard to watch outside the confines of his rather restrictive country. Now, they were witnessing the fabled power firsthand, and it was quite a sight to behold - a man at his peak, exerting his will over his opponent.

There was, however, worry mixed in with that awe - that, perhaps, Rainbow Mika had bitten off more than she could chew. The match was still young, but if the bright young star had any intention of surviving until the end, much less winning, there was a sizable mountain to climb, and it wasn’t shrinking anytime soon.

She was hurled off to the corner with ease, but the Red Cyclone was hardly content to leave it at that. The moment she was released from his grip, he began to back away, taking two large steps to increase the distance, slapping his chest as he retreated, summoning his fortitude.

The moment she spun and hit the pads, Zangief went in motion once more, dashing forward at full speed. While he was not known for his speed, the man was a freight train once he had real momentum behind him, an instrument of destruction heading straight towards Rainbow Mika. With his arms wide open, he attempted to throw his full weight against her, sandwiching her between himself and the corner with a crushing Body Avalanche.

Mika's back was a throbbing mass of pain right now: the very act of standing upright sent sharp spikes of agony running down her spine. Say what you will, but after experiencing Zanghief's torture rack firsthand, Mika was glad he was a wrestler and not a chiropractor. Even as she watched, holding herself up on the ropes, Zanghief suddenly burst into a run, charging right at Mika with the force of an incoming avalanche, his footfalls shaking the arena like one.

Now.

Jumping up, Mika tried to get her boots on the bottom rope, before using them to spring off of them, hoping to vault right over the charging Zanghief's head. If she managed that, then, hopefully, he would collide right into the turnbuckle...and, hopefully, he would be wide open to her next move, which would be to land on her extended palms and drive herself backwards, launching herself in an airbone kick right into Zanghief's back!