Blaise Cameron vs. Stone - The Distance

Stone managed to keep her chuckle internalized this time. No, Blaise couldn't hear a bell. And he wouldn't, either, not even after Stone won, because she had every intention of slamming him hard enough into the mat to knock him clean out and get the KO win. He wouldn't be hearing much of anything for an hour or so.

Stone prepared to slam Blaise into the mat with resonating force, she did a quick check to make sure they weren't near the ropes and had enough space all aroud, she started to tilt back for the drop, and then, out of nowhere, everything suddenly went 100% wrong.

At first, she just thought Blaise was putting up some token struggles, and she began to align herself properly to keep her balance, only to find that she couldn't. Blaise was coming down the wrong way, and not only that, he was grabbing her head and bringing it all the way down with him for the ride.

Stone heard the audience begin to cheer on her way down, and then she wound up being the one who couldn't hear anything. Not because she was knocked out, but because she had a pounding headache.

She rolled over to her side and began cradling her head while she hissed through her teeth. Lucky move. Had to be. That was the only logical explanation that was running through her mind, because there was no way he'd pulled that out of his ass otherwise.

The stadium erupts into cheer.

Blaise lands on his back with a quiet, suppressed yelp, but the impact to Stone's skull was much worse. Though every part of his body protests, the teen twists sharply away from her and takes off at a near-blind sprint towards the far ropes. He turns his back to stretch the ropes and launch himself towards her at twice the speed.

Momentum building, limbs pumping, Blaise bypasses the woman with a leap, then a second leap to plant his boots squarely on the middle rope. When it snaps back, he's launched into the air with a crisp corkscrew twist, aiming to drop both knees hard across Stone's lower back or midsection!

It's risky. It's flashy. But it's also intended to hurt.

Get up.

Okay, maybe it wasn't a lucky shot. Stone had taken lucky shots before, she didn't remember them hurting this much. She hadn't thought Blaise could be so damn slippery, but it was nothing she couldn't hang with. All she had to do was get back up and start a solid offense again. Ride down his little comeback before it even had the chance to take off.

So, get up.

And, speaking of taking off, the moment she rolled over to her back, she opened her eyes just in time to see Blaise doing just that. Stone tried to sit up and roll away, but almost 200 pounds of aching weight doesn't move easily. He was coming in for a crash landing.

The knees crashed into her toned stomach, crushing through muscle and bones and distrubing the guts underneath.  Stone's body jacknifed, her mouth widened to the max, her eyes bulged...and the she fell flat on her back, cradling her stomach as she shook with the pain.

Smush.

That's a downright satisfying sensation; feeling Stone's rock-hard abs giving under his knees. Her body folding up under him, the look on her face, it all tells him he's doing things right. She drops to the mat again, and it looks like a prime opportunity. Placing his hands to the mat, Blaise kicks his legs out back and drops his abs across her stomach for a very short-range bodysplash. One arm hooks her at the thigh to draw the leg into the air, and he holds position for his second pin attempt for the evening.

His grip on her leg is weak. His frame rises and falls heavily with each labored breath.

"One...!"

The last time Stone heard that noise, she felt annoyance. This time it's dread. Pure dread. Not just because she knows that losing to Blaise isn't going to be a stellar mark on her record, but because she knows who's watching this. And she was a very good idea what that person is thinking now. For all the troubles they gave her, Stone fought hard to earn her place in the Valkyries and the respect that came with it. She wasn't going to lose it all in a three count.

"Two...!"

So when she pushed up, barely beating the three count, it was with quite a bit of vigor. Far more than the last time. Stone threw her shoulder up hard and rolled over to her stomach, pushing herself up as fast as she could. Which, with her stomach aching and her head throbbing, wasn't fast at all.

'Come on, come on, come on, come on...'

The thought repeats steadily in Blaise's mind as he holds her down. One... two...

She throws herself to the side with some blatant desperation, and it puts a smile on the teen's tired face. He didn't score the pinfall, but he's got this. He really feels like he's got this. He's cracked her shell, he's sunk in some deep hits, and she's on the proverbial ropes. She's also taking some time getting back to her feet. He's not his speediest, either, but he's amped.

Propped on a knee, the teen lifts his hands.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap. Clap. Clap. The audience joins in, the arena filling with rhythmic thunder.

Blaise urges himself to his feet and rushes to the ropes ahead of her. Turning to rebound again, he storms her head-on. In a flash, he attempts to catch her head under his left arm, pushing it with his right hand if she isn't still somewhat bent forward. While continuing forward with the built-up momentum, he springs into the air to twist her body over and slam her down onto her back in a running neckbreaker!

Oh, God, the clapping. What was up with the clapping? Apart from the way it was making her migraine three times as intense, she also wasn't sure what the hell it was for. Obviously he was trying to get the crowd behind him for a big move - not that it would help him, but whatever - the only question was on what he was exactly trying to set up.

She saw him coming and reeled back for a clothesline, wanting to take him down before he could even execute whatever he was going for, but while Blaise wasn't as fast as he could've been, he was still too quick for her to handle now that he had breathing room, as he was on her before she could even get the move started. He went up, he came down and her neck was taken along for the ride every step of the way.

It was the crowd's turn to wince at her pain now, though they seemed far less sympathetic than when Blaise was the one getting manhandled. It was a little detail that Stone didn't care much for right now,  as she kicked her legs, rubbed the back of her neck and buried her face into the canvas as deep into the canvas as possible. The neckbreaker hadn't really broken her neck, but it sure felt like it.

Blaise takes the bump to his back with a cringing, "Nn!," as he lands. Stone's really done a number on him tonight. But he's not giving up his advantage. He might need another ice bath after this, but there's too much at stake to not give it his everything. He'll endure a lecture from his trainer. He'll cope with Amy possibly ranting at him. But he has to do this. He feels like he's close to sealing the deal, and with a match that means more than simple competition!

With Stone's face pressed into the mat, Blaise crawls over to her. His knees press across her lower back and he crosses her grabs for her legs to cross her ankles in the air. Holding them in place with one hand, the other reaches down to hook her under the chin. Everything in place, the teen will roll onto his back to yank down with his hands and push up with his knees. A textbook bow and arrow lock, meant to strain the victim's spine, thighs, and midsection, while holding them aloft and denying a lot of the possibility for a rope-break.

Stone's a heavy girl, though, and while he would have all the leverage in this position, Blaise's body has been put through the wringer. The exertion it's putting him through is evident on his face; narrowed eyes, tensed muscles, and hard breathing. Each time his knees give a sharp pump upwards, there's a grunt of effort.

Stone had seen quite a few matches like this. Classic setup. Big, mean guy has the little guy on the ropes, is beating him around, controlling the match. David and Goliath story without the slingshot. Then, suddenly, the little guy starts to turn things around, hope begins to blossom, he seems like he might have a chance...only for the big guy to bring his foot down and put a stop to the rally before it can even get off the ground.

It made for good drama, at least, but she always thought most of the time it was an act. She was having to rethink that stance, here. The only thing missing was the part where she bounced back and took control of the match again, and as she felt Blaise's knees dig into her back and his hands begin to work over her legs into a toehold, she strongly doubted they'd get to that point anytime soon. Or ever.

Stone let out her first real scream of the match as Blaise started to bend her in half over his knees, with gravity helping him complete the hold. Her arms were free in the Bow and Arrow, but it hardly made any difference. The ropes were close, but they might as well have been on the other side of the planet for all the good they were doing her. Even her long limbs couldn't come close to reaching them.

Her only chance was to reach up and try to pry Blaise's grip loose from her chin, but with the weird position and leverage working against her, that was a faint hope. "Damn it!" Her yell came out as a muffled mess through her gritting teeth, shooting spittle out into the air.

Blaise pumps her body steadily into the arch, working it tighter and tighter. His arms tense, bowing her legs and head back closer to the mat. The fly cameras are getting an excellent view of Stone's chest and chiseled abs with this hold, while others are zeroing in on her pained face. ...Or hips, as one camera seems to focus.

Hearing her scream was euphoric, and not for any perverse reasons. All that build-up, all that pushing is finally going to pay off. She's scrabbling at his hands, but his fingers clench down on her jaw, unwilling to give an inch. He can feel her tapping out. He can see it in his mind. He'll have finally proven he has a right to be here, scoring his first victory against an opponent one-on-one, neither holding back. And he'll have sent a counter-message to the Valkyries, that not everyone is going to crumble under pressure.

Just thinking about it makes Blaise pump his knees and pull his arms harder. He wants more of those screams! He wants the stadium to hear her defeat! He doesn't have a personal vendetta against her, but this is his moment!

...yet it wouldn't be complete without a little mirth.

"Well... I'm not on top... for three seconds... so let's just say... we were both wrong!"