Catch Your Breath

Alaina took the hard kick to her but and fell down to a knee again, but didn't quite get floored.... but she came very close. Alaina grit her teeth and did her best to get back into it, lunging up and swinging an uppercut at Valley!

She may have been going too hard for a spar, but Alaina's instinct inside the ring told her she was in an all-or-nothing situation. It was times like this that Alaina regretted instinct taking over. Still, she hoped that Valley would understand. After all, her kicks packed a hell of a punch!

"Christ!"

Valley saw the uppercut coming at the last moment, and moved her head back to avoid a blow that would've decapitated her. She wasn't quite fast enough - she still wound up taking about half of the punch on her chin, avoiding full strength. Unfortunately, half of Alaina's strength was still far more than most female wrestlers put out in the AFW, and quite a few of the men, too.

"Guh!" The punch spun her around on her toes, made her turn away from Alaina and stumble away with dazed eyes, but she once again regained her senses a moment later. When she tuned back around this time, she had something for Alaina - another roundhouse kick, this one going high and heading towards her head at maximum velocity.

Alaina saw the kick coming and ducked at the last secomd! However, Alaina didn't quite have her balance back, and she did stumble back as she ducked. Alaina got back to her vertical base again and moved in close to Valley.

A lock-up would give Alaina a chance to slow things down but her stumble did give Valley a chance to set herself up for more offense. Alaina did her damndest to move in, getting locked up in as timely a manner as possible!

Valley cursed when the kick went over Alaina's head, missing her even at this close range. She knew the Amazon was faster these days, but she was bordering on prescient, and it was becoming simultaneously impressive and irritating, especially know that she was being forced to do something she really did not want to do: lock up with Alaina.

At this range kicks were out and she didn't want to try and throw Alaina anywhere, but that didn't mean she was out of options. She still had two perfectly good knees, and she raised both of them up, one after the other, hitting the Amazon's stomach in rapid succession.

Alaina locked up and found herself caught totally off guard by the rapid-fire knee attack! She let out a couple rapid-fire grunts and groans of pain as she let go of the grapple, falling to her knee's as she cradled her abdomen in her arms!

"Ngh...." Alaina grit her teeth and let out a grunt, trying to get back to her feet. She knew Valley wouldn't let her off the hook for more than a half second. Alaina however was stunned and on the defensive. She lashed out with a hard toe-kick of her own, hoping to connect to Valley's abdomen! That would make up for the knee's at least somewhat.... provided Valley wasn't already trying something of her own to follow up!

Valley eagerly backed away when Alaina released the lockup, more than glad to be out of the danger zone before the Amazon could capitalize and start slinging her around the ring. The relief was short-lived, however, since the difference in striking range came into play - Valley brought her leg up for a high front snap kick to Alaina's face, right as her younger opponent lauched a strike of her own.

Both of them connected at roughly the same time and Valley was too busy reeling from the blow to see who got the worst of it. She wound up staggering away into the ropes, where she stayed as she leaned back on them for supported and cradled her stomach.

Alaina felt her kick hit, but she also felt a fast, sharp pain in her face as her head snapped back! She went down onto her back and shook her head to shake off the momentary daze. "Damn it!" Alaina cursed as she slapped the mat with her hand in frustration.

She was feeling the effects of the spar, when she saw Valley against the ropes. Alaina slowly worked her way up to her feet and a smile spread across her face. "Want to go punch for punch? See who can still stand after a couple good shots?" Alaina asked as she slowly worked her way back up to her feet.

Valley was very, very glad she'd decided to keep the sparring gear on, both for her and for Alaina's sake. She had a feeling they were both going to be feeling this in the morning, and while she didn't have a match herself for a week or so, she didn't want to put any hampers on the rising star's three way.

"Pretty sure my punch can't compete with yours. But my kicks..."

She turned to the side, took a quick step towards Alaina brought her leg up and then whipped her heel towards the Amazon's face, trying to hit her with a hook kick.

Alaina felt the kick again hammer her head, sending her staggering back and falling down onto her ample backside, her outreached arm snagging the ropes the only thing that prevented her from falling all the way down on her back! "Ok... but I don't have pads so you are at a bit of a disadvantage!"

Alaina surged up again, aiming a straight right at Valley's cheek! She didn't want to give her a black eye or broken nose but she did want to try to be able to go strike for strike against a hard kicker. Not an easy task by any means especially when the kicker was as skilled as Valley was!

Valley just snickered at Alaina's last comment, as they began to move in. "Am I?"

Her plane had been a simple one, really - she intended to duck behind Alaina and trick her with a quick roll up. A little sly, but fair, and certainly the sort of thing she would have to get used to if she were facing an experienced cheater like Gwen.

But she turned out to be a little too slow, this time - she wound up going down at exactly the wrong time and took the punch right on the nose. And it hurt. Oh, did it hurt.

"Gah!" Valley cried out and stumbled back to the corner, holding her face every step of the way.