Spar among fresh blood (for Sonsaku Hakufu)

Kohaku was a bit surprised by her opponent actions as Karen ran to the opposite side of the wrestling ring.  “Umm Karen, you do realize that you didn't need to run to the other side of the ring, as you could have just used the same rope that I was using.  Also, if I drag you  away from the rope, then I can start using submission holds again.” stated Kohaku as she got up to her feet.  “Also thanks for letting me recover.” stated Kohaku as she then charged forward and attempted to clothesline her opponent. Sure, putting Kohaku in a submission hold was illegal but she still had up to a five count and during that time she could have done another attack or something else to soften up the maid. It seemed that Karen was just missing chance after chance to do some serious damage, a mistake that Kohaku would not repeat.

Karen took a moment to pause and think, eschewing the possibility of facepalming in favour of mentally facepalming. She felt embarrassed that she'd not figured out or remembered a wrestling rule - though, in her defense, it was likely it hadn't come up before in conversation. What was worse was the way she'd lost focus and gotten distracted; she had to stop doing this if she wanted to actually win the match. Or at least not come out looking like the world's worst amateur.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do realise that.", she joked. Least she could do was at least play on it so as to not give Kohaku a verbal advantage. "That's not the only thing I've realised, either!"

Decisions, decisions... I could charge her again, Karen thought. But then, I dropped the ball on that one, so she might expect that. And if I try to force it, it might not work either way...

Her thought process was interrupted by the sight of Kohaku charging towards her, just as she'd expected. Swallowing her doubts, Karen focused and shifted her foot positioning to improve her defensive stance. Her idea was to let Kohaku charge, and then see if she could surprise her with a forearm smash to interrupt her initiative.

Kohaku gave a giggle at hearing Karen reaction as her opponent realized the folly of her actions.  “No need to get worried about it, this is exactly why we are practicing here.  If we are to make a mistake this is the time and place to do so.” stated Kohaku in a friendly manner trying to get Karen to lower her guard and feel relaxed.  The conversation between the older redhead maid and brown hair wrestler had allowed Kohaku to recover a bit and thus she decided to charge forward, attempting to perform a drop kick but before she could jump she was suddenly hit by Karen forearm and sent down to the wrestling mat, slightly dazed from the attack.

"Oh, right, of course.", Karen said with a laugh. "I almost forgot this was a practice match." In her defense, at least that sounded like an impressive thing to say, since it implied that she always gave 100% even when it was a minor practice match, her first.

Either that or it implied she was hopelessly uptight and had no idea how to relax. Better not overthink these things, she thought. Especially not when there was a match going on.

Seeing Kohaku down on the mat, Karen decided to press her advantage by dashing forward and launching herself into an attempted leg drop.

Kohaku shook her head as she was still feeling the impact of the forearm smash.  She then began to open her eyes as she placed her arms on the wrestling mat, ready to get up.  Yet just as she did she saw Karen coming down at her and was hit by a leg drop.  Redhead eyes widen as she gasped for air before falling motionlessly to the wrestling mat, her only movement now being her chest as she inhaled and exhaled.

Seeing Kohaku collapsed on the mat was something of a surprise to Karen, as she'd come by this point to vaguely expect either a longer match or for herself to lose. However, this was an opportunity, and she wasn't willing to let it go to waste like she may have with previous ones. Accordingly, she rushed to position herself right, and then jumped to execute a forearm drop on Kohaku, aiming to hit her chest.

Kohaku didn't even see the attack as she cried out in pain as she was hit by the forearm drop in her chest. Her eyes were now closed as she remained motionless on the ground aside from her inhaling and exhaling.

Kohaku's cry of pain was enough to confirm for Karen that this match was actually coming towards its end and that she was about to win it. She proceeded to pin down Kohaku on the mat and wait for the referee to count her out.

The referee would slide beside Kohaku and Karen before raising her arm and slamming it down on the wrestling mat while shouting “ONE!” before raising her arm into the air again. Kohaku didn't move and simply laid motionless as she was pinned.

Karen kept Kohaku held down as the referee began her count, using the basic pin she had already started; she hadn't had time to think of a more elaborate move and the only difference was that instead of lying face down across Kohaku's chest, she was using one hand to hold her shoulders down and the other in conjunction with her legs to hold Kohaku's legs up above the mat. Viewed from outside, it all looked rather comical, somewhat like a human attempt to reenact a Rube Goldberg device.

The referee hit the mat and shouted "TWO!" before raising her hand again. Karen felt tired, and also surprised at how this had turned out - there had been occasions during the match when she felt it was likely she would lose, and these had undoubtedly contributed to her mistakes. The fact that she was now the one pinning down Kohaku made her all the more satisfied with the outcome, and rather impatient that the referee get the count over with lest Kohaku suddenly spring one last surprise from up her sleeve and turn the tables on her. Karen's face was drenched with sweat and she inhaled and exhaled loudly through her mouth, the edges of it curled upwards into a grin.

Wow... I'm winning., she thought, as if trying to reassure herself that it was actually happening and not something she'd imagined. My first match, and I'm winning! Talk about a boost to her confidence.