Eka Guramishvili vs Harumi Hazama: A fight with Pride?

Harumi seemed to stall for a bit as the Georgian intercepted her arm’s stopping the one that was meant to wrap around her head to complete the Guillotine chokehold. The two had suddenly fell into a predicament. With Harumi’s strong legs wrapped around Eka’s waist, neither of the were going anywhere, but as Eka was using both hands to restrain Harumi, no strikes or counters could be thrown either. The two were locked in a stalemate, their bodies grinding against one another and their limbs tangled with each other. It was a sight that pleased the audience but frustrated the Judo girl. Not because of any sense of embarrassment, these types of situations were common in contact sports, but because of the lack of progress she was making in the match. Harumi enjoyed wrestling, but she was competitive, and ready to give each match her all.

Just then, Eka displayed an impressive amount of strength, pulling back and getting her head further away from Harumi. Deciding that there was little chance of success in achieving the choke hold, Harumi recalled her arms, looking instead to focus on the limbs that were currently inside her defense, defending against her own choke.

It would be difficult to pull off what Harumi had planned next, but progress was often made by taking risks.

Using her speed, Harumi quickly unwound her legs, planting her hand and feet on the floor and pushing her entire body up, as if breaking out of a pin. Without skipping a beat, she dropped back down to the floor, crunching her stomach as to lash her legs out in yet another grip, this time looking to grip Eka’s upper body. If she was successful, she would grasp one of her foe’s arms, then use her legs to move her unsteady foe to the ground, attempting a very close quarter modified armbar. Due to how close she was, the armbar would not be as effective as it would be if she was delivering it properly, but it would do the job.

In Harumi’s eyes, this was just a way to get out from under the taller grappler.

Eka recognized that state of play. Sure, she was not advancing, but she was not losing any ground either. And given that she was just about to get choked, she was going to take that. Eka had two hands on Harumi's arm which more or less neutralized it. Most of her concentration was on her belly which was getting tighter and tighter. Something was going to have to happen, and that something was going to have to happen quickly.

Fortunately or unfortunately, things changed. Quicker than she could react to, Harumi snapped up her upper body between the Judoka's strong legs. The Georgian girl's awkward position meant that it was difficult to maintain her balance, a fact that her opponent exploited to bring her back to the ground. She hit the canvas with a dull thud, but that was only the beginning of the bad news. Before she knew it, her arm was contorted into a terribly painful armbar.

Her blue eyes closed, and pearly whites showed in a grimace. Her hair was spread out on the mat. A bead of sweat started flowing down her body. The pain in her arm was exploding. The Georgian girl tried to pull a little bit, but all that did was cause more pain. She opened her eyes. She breathed in. She was going to do her best to just survive the next little while.

Much to the surprise of both Harumi and the crowd, the plan that had so many factors that could easily go wrong worked! She had managed to get the Georgian into an armbar, causing the taller woman to grimace in pain as she laid caught in a trap of Harumi’s design. The crowd seemed to enjoy the sudden turn of events, the rookie overtaking the veteran in a stunning display of wits and technique. If they only knew that it was a mix of desperation, frustration, and dumb luck was what made the move possible at all. Still, so long as the audience was entertained, who was she to ruin their fun?

So, Harumi took advantage of her new-found position, pulling Eka’s arm as much as she could without seriously damaging the limb. Strangely, Eka did not seem to be putting up much of a fight in the hold, simply closing her eyes and looking as if she was just trying to bear though it.

Was she not confident in her abilities? She was the one with the most experience, yet here she lay taking a painful submission and doing little to try and escape from it. Was she holding back on Harumi’s account? The thought stuck in the girls head as she pulled on Eka’s arm.

“Ms. Eka, for the amount of time you have spent in the AFW, I would expect that you would know how to escape such a basic submission hold.” Harumi’s tone was far blunter than she intended, but she was worried about the other woman’s ability to stay focused throughout the fight.

Despite her concern, she would continue to work over Eka’s muscular arm, deciding that giving her up at this point might hurt her pride and possibly make her even less focused then how she was now.

Eka's blue eyes were still closed. Harumi was pulling more. It was the right choice. Had the situations been reversed, she would surely be pulling more, trying to find the point just before the bone snapped. Her opponent was trying to find her, and as her arms got contorted Eka furiously pounded the mat with her legs. She grabbed at Harumi's legs more as a reflex than a legitimate attempt to break free, and found that Harumi's legs were like iron. There was no way she was just going to be let go.

And then it came. Those harsh words from Harumi's lips. She was not sure what to make of it. Before the match had started, she seemed to be awfully probing if cordial, but this just felt mean. It was like Harumi was looking down on her, despite the fact that the judoka was a rookie. While Eka knew that she was not the best wrestler in the universe, but still. That felt like disrespect. Even if the Georgian girl's name wasn't in the marquee outside, she had to have some pride.

Grunting, Eka moved. She rotated her hips to the side, elevating the shoulder of the arm that was currently getting bent beyond belief. That would force her opponent to raise her hips even higher, granting her the little bit of space that she would need. Her thumb was extended, as if she were hitchhiking. Eka ran her feet like she was in an old time cartoon, ducking her head under the legs that she had just forced off the mat. When she popped out the other side, her arm was no longer being punished. The Coffee Grinder was far from a typical defense to an arm bar, but after receiving a tongue lashing like that, Eka was going to pull out all the stops.

If Eka popped out of the other side, she would attempt to roll away and hop up. It may have been foolish to waste a good position like the one she was in, but her arm has just been wrenched pretty hard. She was ready to go again, she just wanted the conflict to be on her terms. A long spool of her dark hair had fallen in front of her face and she removed it from her vision. Her blue eyes were focused on the task ahead.

Perhaps that was a bit too harsh?

Harumi had grown up in a strict house hold, with all kinds of rules and punishments given for even the most minute of tasks. Discipline was important to her family, and it was something her father had tried to drill into each and every one of his kids, Harumi being no exception to the rule. So, when she noticed someone was lagging behind or struggling she would try to show concern or help them, but the only way she knew how to get to the center of a problem was to be blunt. If someone was slow, weak, uncoordinated, or failing at doing it right, she told them so. She did not mean to be harsh, often fully willing to help the person catch up or correct their technique, it was just how she was raised to talk to others. Though she always means well, it was usually her candid nature and her intimidating career that kept many people away.

And seeing the way Eka looked at her after her statement, it seemed that Harumi had once again accidentally offended a fellow competitor. The teal attired woman struggled with what she could do to rectify the misunderstanding. She did not mean to come off as rude, but upon review, perhaps that was how she appeared.

Still, it seems her words motivated Eka! The Georgian girl pulled off quite a stunt, lifting her shoulder and providing herself with enough leverage to adjust her position. Harumi’s eyes widened as her foe pulled right out of the armlock, but then retreated. It took a moment, but after figuring Eka would not counter, she kipped-up to her feet, back into a battle stance within an instant.

“There we are, that’s the spirit.” Harumi gave her foe a slight smile, her quiet tone trying to convey kindness, “I apologize if I offended with my earlier comment, but I am happy to see your results.”

Despite Harumi’s praise, this was still a fight, and she would press her advantage. Rushing forward, The teal woman would dash towards Eka’s damaged side, looking to deliver a swift kick to further weaken her taller foe.

Eka's bright blue eyes darkened. She knew that she was quite young, but she felt that she had passed the point where she would get lectured. Especially by a rookie. The Georgian girl stood up straight and put her hand on her hip. "And you are not one to tell others how to fight, yes? It is very-" condescending. That was the word that almost came out, but Eka saw that Harumi was bullrushing her, and she did not want to get caught flatfooted. Eka thought that she was going to try and tackle her once more, and hunkered down to prepare herself for another assault.

Only, it did not come as expected. She thought that Harumi was going to come straight at her, only to be surprised when the Judoka launched a powerful kick into her midsection. The kick hit home with full force, causing the ravenhaired girl to clutch her side, grimace, and stumble off to the side. There was sure to be a bruise there the next morning. Hell, there may have been a bruise there by the end of this match.

But Eka was not to be deterred. Her game centered around grappling, not striking, but the mini lecture had set her off. She wanted to prove to her opponent that she could do anything that she set her mind to, and if Harumi wanted to go blow for blow, then Eka was fine with it. She bucked up, and launched herself forward.

The problem was, all of the footwork that she knew centered around throws to get the opponent to the ground. She took a long step forward, and found herself dangerously off balance before she even threw the kick. Pressing on despite the growing doubt, she sent her other leg racing forward, going for a front kick right to Harumi's belly. She knew that you were supposed to snap it. She just did not know when. That made the kick pretty ineffectual, and the moment that she threw it she deeply regretted her decision to play a game that was not her own...

Harumi’s foot sank deep into Eka’s ribs, giving the woman a decent kick and causing her to stumble while clutching her damaged abdomen. There was quite a bit of force put into the kick, the Judo girl trying to keep from offending her opponent any further by holding back. The blow was strong enough for a loud ‘smack’ to be heard across the ring, causing more of the crowd to cheer on the two competitors in their glorious combat. The audience wanted more, and Harumi aimed to please.

Hopping from one foot to the other, keeping her balance shifting in case she needed to move, Harumi was preparing to launch yet another kick, when Eka decided to surge forward. Harumi observed her foes stance, her technique and tried to evaluate her skill. It was…interesting?

That was Harumi being nice. The kick was entirely telegraphed, Eka apparently not used to delivering quick kicks. She took large steps, upsetting her balance and adding on precious seconds to her kick. The Georgian seemed to be going for a vengeance blow, the kick aimed for the Judo stars abs, but the emerald eyes watched somewhat disappointed, like she had wasted her earlier praise. To a woman who had grown up around kicks, punches, and throws, Eka’s poor display of a kick bordered on novice. Clearly, she did not often practice the fundamentals of kicks, as her slow kick may as well have been standing still for how slow it was going in Harumi’s mind.

Pushing forward, Harumi got in close, Eka’s kick grazing the judo woman’s bare side as her arm wrapped around the raven-haired woman’s now extended leg. With her other arm, she would attempt to lash out and seize Eka’s arm, giving her control of her upper body. If all went as planned, then Harumi can slither her leg around Eka’s one good leg, and throw her hard onto the ground with a Osoto Gari. The crowd would likely cheer for the Judo star if it worked, such a fast paced and interesting counter usually did well for ones showmanship.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Eka wanted to be kicking her opponent, but the only person that she felt like kicking now was herself. For a woman as clever as Eka thought she was, she made some pretty silly mistakes sometimes. The kick being one of them. Immediately, her opponent seized on the Georgian woman's error. She could only watch in horror as Harumi deftly avoided the kick and then got in perfect position. Eka was aware of more than a handful of Judo moves, but she did not really have to be. It was obvious to see that Eka was going to find herself implanted into the mat very quickly.

As soon as Harumi got a hand on her, it was all over. In a swift move, Eka was sent crashing down to the mat. The force of the throw caused her some pain, enough to keep her grounded for a second. She was grateful that it was not a slam, yet gritted her teeth. Harumi was sure to be after her closely, and Eka was going to have to scramble if she wanted to ensure that her arm was not going to bent again.

Or, at least that Eka was ready for it. She twisted so that she was on her front. Her feet were planted on the mat so that she was prepared to help her twist as Harumi moved. Her arms were up, ready to deal with any threat that Harumi posed to her. Her stomach was taut, so that she could accept another flowing attacking move with some alacrity. The sweat in her hair caused it to stick to the mat below her.

Eka peered into Harumi with her blue eyes. She wondered what was going to happen next. The Georgian girl took a big breath in, and prepared to weather whatever storm Harumi had for her. The kick had been stupid. But the ground was where she was most at home, and she felt like she was not making a mistake...

Harumi couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at how easily Eka went down. It was not simply because she was easy to take down, few people would be able to get out of such a quick and disorienting counter, and Harumi would not count herself as one of those few. No, it was because of how easily Eka put herself in the position to be countered. Why had she thrown such a poor excuse for a kick at her? She seemed to be closer to a grappler, yet she went for a kick of all things. Harumi really couldn’t help but feel frustrated, like her opponent thought she was not worth putting her real effort into the fight.

So, as soon as Harumi tossed her foe to the ground, she let go of her opponent, and backed away. She created a good distance between her an Eka, and simply crossed her arms. The woman seemed prepared for a counter attack, but Harumi couldn’t muster up the motivation to. She simply looked down on her, her emerald eyes as hard as the rock they were colored. Either Eka was going far too easy on the rookie, or she seriously lacked proper judgment on how best to do battle. One made her feel like she was being looked down on, the other made her feel like a bully. Either way, Harumi did not like it.

“We have fallen back into our rut, I see.” Harumi tilted her head, a strain of her long black hair drooping with the motion, “If you need any help, tips, tricks, anything like that…you can tell me, I don’t mind…giving out pointers.”

Despite her frustration, Harumi was still trying to be formal to her senior. Her offer was the best she could come up with, implying that if the Georgian was holding back, she could stop, or if she was in need of help, then the Judo woman would give it. Either way, Harumi would show an odd amount of sportsmanship, and let whatever Eka do whatever it is she wanted…for now.

This woman had a mouth on her. That was the most annoying part of it. Sure, she had launched a stupid kick and found herself on her backside for it, but there was no reason that Harumi had to rub it in. Especially in that tone of voice. For a second, Eka blushed red, and then got fired up. This woman, this rookie, this whelp was talking down to her. The Georgian girl could live with the fact that she was not the best, but she hated the implication that she was not trying. Eka had gone against literal monsters, and the current world champion. And now she was getting accused of not trying hard enough.

The ravenhaired girl huffed, and pulled herself up to her feet. She was mad, sure, but she wanted to be strategic about it. Eka was never one to grab a mic and go on a rant, even if it was part and parcel to her favorite sport. Pulling herself together and swearing in her native tongue, Eka got on her feet and stared daggers at her opponent. Perhaps now it was her time to have a war of words, and spew venom. Even if it was the middle of the match.

"You are very bold to be chiding people, yes?" Not a great start. Eka tried to swallow her doubt, and keep going. "I see you are afraid of my ground game!" There it goes. Good, she encouraged herself. "You do not know me. Yet you presume to be my judge. You will learn fear!" Eka raised her fist in the air, buoying herself more than anything else. "And I will teach it to you!" Eka pointed at her opponent. Perhaps it was a little bit over the top, but Eka was feeling it. All of her negative energy turned positive, and Eka was going to utilize it to the greatest extent that she could.

The Georgian girl surged forward, more confidently this time. The Eka who emerged from her little impromptu promo was not the one who launched her kick. No, this Eka was going to play her game. She lowered the boom for a second, feinting like she was going to form tackle her opponent to the ground. Her eyes were cast down at Harumi's feet, and she played the part about as well as she could. At the last second, she went up high, rotating her hips. It was unconventional, sure, but she was figuring that Harumi would also lower her shoulders, which would put her out of position. If she could get her hips around fast enough, she could pull her arms around Harumi's upper body, and could complete a hip toss!