It definitely wasn’t pretty. Unless getting flipped onto one’s back and subsequently pinned beneath a Matsu was considered pretty.

Hide had quite the wicked grin, for she had pinned a Hida! Of course, she wanted to prolong the experience, so her grip on Akemi was loose enough that she could potentially get in a good grab or two.

Akemi locked both her legs around the Matsu's owns and pulled her arms at the same time, trying to break her balance and eventually reverse the hold. All three flesh and blood members acted in smooth coordination, but the fleshcraft was a little off timing. By a fraction of a second, but still off.

The slight timing difference allowed one of Hide’s hands to tighten her grip, unable to be removed. But now she was a tangled mess: one leg trapped between Akemi’s as the other barely kept her standing. “Nice reversal, Hida-san.”

Akemi grinned:

"You're too nice. I'm but a mice under your pawns."

Akemi attempted a brusque pelvic thrust, trying to deal the finishing blow to Hide's balance.

Well, Hide did not expect that. Both her arm and leg that were keeping her up were lifted into the air just enough that she lost her balance entirely, coming down hard.

Akemi used that opportunity to force a side-way roll. She was on top now, but her hold wasn't stable at all, both arms and legs ill-positioned. She tried to move them into a proper, efficient lock while the Matsu was surprised.

Her body moved on its own, being pinned under the Hida put the Matsu into cornered animal mode. Hide’s legs wrapped around Akemi’s waist in a vice-like hold as she used all of the strength in her core to throw her off balance.

Unsurprisingly, her advantage didn't last for a second before she was thrown back to the Matsu's mercy.

Hide rolled herself back on top of Akemi, a giant grin on her face. “Good one! Nice use of hips. Really didn’t expect the thrust at all.”

"I have a few moves like that. Not the classiest, but get the job done.

Guess there's no chance any of them will work twice against you though. You're good at this stuff."

“Eh? I am?” Hide sits up, offering a hand to help her opponent up. “I guess I always did pretty good in hand-to-hand training back at the academy. I’m pretty used to fighting people taller than me.”

"So am I. Your style took me completely by surprise.

But even if I haven't done stupid mistakes... Yeah, you're good. Not sumai champion good yet. But the potential is there. Thinking about making a career of it?"

“Well, as a kid, yeah.” Hide leaned back as she looked up at the ceiling. “Would always watch wrestling matches with my brothers. I dunno, I don’t think I have the charisma for it.”

Akemi stared and looked at her from head to toe, then from toe to head:

"I can assure you this won't be an issue."

“You think so?” Hide looked down at herself, not really getting it. “You sure?”

"Uh, yeah? Definitely.

Did someone tell you before you didn't look good? Because they deserved to be punched hard if they did."

“Not really, just no one has really brought it up before.” Hide rubbed the back of her neck as a hint of red brushed her cheeks. Little did Hide know, people have told her before but any and all subtly is lost on this Lion.

"Well, their waste. Personally, I would love to see you fight. Or to train with you again. Do you hit the gym often?"

Pondering.

"What are you doing in life at the moment actually? Military duty in one form or the other?"

“I plan on hitting the gym everyday. Or, well, something close to it.” Hide paused for a moment. “Which is to say, cargo transport ships tend not to have gyms. So, I keep some weights around.”

“Well, you guessed it! I’m military. Marine.”

"Hida shock troops myself. Glad we're on the same side in the current conflict. Wouldn't have to face you on the battlefield. It would have been bloody one way or the other."

She stretched her arms, again. Seemed to be some kind of tic.

"My own physical training's been kind of erratic in the last months, with the incident and the reeducation. Hope to return to a regular tempo soon."