SS 14 Best 2/3 Falls: Taylor Parker Vs. Adrian Kytes

Preceded By: SS 14 Boardwalk Empire Match: Odessa Brock vs. Cecilia Northman
Followed By: SS 14 Friction World Cup Finals: Croatia Vs. United States


Taylor Parker


Vs.

Adrian Kytes


Match Type: Standard
Winning Conditions: Pinfall, Submission or Knockout
Special Conditions: Best 2 of 3 falls.

With the stroke of a pen, Summer Splash's first match was inked. In the interim, the two competitors have engaged in contests to challenge their wills and gain the psychological advantage! Now the time for games are over and the two fierce competitors will finally get to face off properly in the squared circle!

"And while the lights dim, ladies and gentlemen, let's take a quick look at the AFWTron to recap the events that led up to this clash of rivals! it all started with an innocuous enough round table Q n' A That had a little bit of a surprise at the end!"

"Once the contract was signed, it was decided that the girls would have a few contests before the match as a warm up. Two out of three falls meant two out of three contests for a super secret prize from our most gracious and sexy General Manager, Lukretia Von Creuzfeldt."

"First wasa spirited Arm wrestling contest, which neatly saw Adrian, who had proclaimed to turn over a new leaf, turn the leaf back to the leaf it used to be. Taylor wins.

Second was an obstacle course that left both girls with some pie in their face thanks to a little surprise from the always benevolent General manager. One of them, quite literally!"

"And finally, Chess Boxing! No, seriously, what the heck is that? Well, whatever the heck it is, Adrian pulled out the victory, earning her a contract match at Avalanche as well as the momentum going into tonight's event! Now that we've recapped, let's light this fuse!

This whole thing was too surreal. After 4 years in Japan, she was back home... or close enough. Back in the Northeastern United States, for a wrestling match. It was though her life had gone full circle since she left, but as she looked at the impressive arena that she was scheduled to fight in and the luxurious hotel, she knew she was still far away from where she started from. From dingy bingo halls wearing some stupid cosplay outfit to grand casinos looking like a somewhat respectable wrestler, it looked like Adrian had changed a lot from her stays in Japan, but underneath it all there was still the scared and insecure kid from Philly. Doing what most scared kids did, calling for their mom.

"Hello?" Was a tinny response from the phone as Adrian tried to steel herself for what was to come.

"Mom..?" She said nervously down the phone, it wasn't as though she hadn't kept in contact with her parents while she was working abroad, but she never really told them the whole story. Pretty much her whole wrestling career didn't exist to them, from an early start. Bruises while training? Martial art practice. Cut? Fell down somewhere. Wrestling show in New York? She had developped a long list of excuses over the years so she could persue a career in what her parents had dubbed 'Mindless Garbage' when Adrian was ten and had always hoped that she would grow out of it, like they hoped she'd grow out of the costumes and games. According to them Adrian Kytes was studying hard in a foreign land and working at the same time.

"Adrian? Is that you?" Came the reply down the other end of the phone.

"Hiya, mom. Guess what?" She asked, trying to control her breathing so she didn't end up bursting into tears. "I'm in New Jersey."

"Really? I thought you were working hard in Japan, is this a holiday? Like last year in Hawaii?" She asked, last years Summer Splash had been to Mr and Mrs Kytes a long needed vacation.

"No, the company is uh... looking to expand it's north American opportunities, so there's like a conference in Atlantic City," the former cosplayer lied "so I'm here partly to tag along for business meetings and partly because I'm one of the few people who speak English."

"Well I'm sure everything will go well. Will there be a chance you could come down here for a day or two? I know you don't drive but I'm sure you can organize a bit of transport if you're considered important enough to pay a flight ticket for. My little angel's moving up in the world~" Adrian's mother cooed, sounding so pleased that her daughter was considered important enough to bring along on big international business trips.

"Well I..." the brunette stammered, not wanting to say no to her parents but on the other hand: seeing them face to face, having to answer all the probing questions would just make things worse. "I..I dunno mom, If I can, awesome! I mean, I've missed you and dad...so much..." She sniffled,trying to hold back the tears.

"Don't cry!" Came the somewhat panicked response "If you can't come to me, your father and I will visit you while we can."

"That...that'd be great, thanks mom," She said, "Monday maybe? That's gonna be like... after the worst of it so I should be free if nothing bad happens. I'm staying at the Palestrea."

"The Palestrea... Is that even open yet?"

"No, it's like pretty much off limits to the general public. Which is kinda why they came here in the first place, not too sure of the details but it's probably important."

"Wow... impressive, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll see you soon! Love you~"

"Love you too." Adrian whispered before hanging up, flopping back down on the bed. They were going to find out sooner rather than later, the amount of wrestling paraphernalia in the place would probably key them in that something was up. If not the massive amount of bruises and bandages she'd get from the match against Taylor. "Fuck..." she groaned. She was trying to stay positive about the whole thing, go in thinking that she was going to walk out the winner, not just that she had a chance if she was lucky, but going back over the challenges and the last few of both hers and Taylor's respective matches she was really struggling to see the bright side.

They looked to be pretty much tied on speed and agility (with it looking like Adrian only won the obstacle course because Lukretia rigged it in her favour), but in nearly every other category: Taylor looked to have Adrian beaten. She was stronger, she was a better striker, her technique looked crisper than Adrian's. She just looked... better than the brunette, and it looked like on Sunday she was going to have to come to terms with that. Then probably crawl into a hole and die or something, she already felt like doing it anyway.

"So how the fuck do I do this..." she thought out loud. Wracking her brain to try and think of someway to pull through, she'd been in this situation before: against Natasha, didn't make it any less agonizing though. Everything she thought of just sounded dumb the moment she dwelled on it. This should be easier than the boxing at least, Adrian was trained as a wrestler first and foremost while Taylor had much more boxing experience so with the whole toolkit of things it should be easy to think of a gameplan, but getting punched in the face like she was without being able to retaliate had a way of shaking someone up. "AAAAAAAH!" She screeched, pulling a pillow over her face to muffle her own screams. Taylor's confidence had pretty much won the match before it even started. "Fuuuuuuuck." She groaned out, cursing her inability to think straight before a match.

She needed to think, to clear her head. Remind herself why she was still in this company, why she was still wrestling in general. No matter how much she bitched about how everything about it sucked, it was still a dream job for her, and she needed to remember why. A quick search and a bit of luck and she was off for the outskirts of Atlantic City, a small community center in the outskirts, a tiny little independent wrestling show. It was time to do a bit of moonlighting. Knew I kept that mask for a reason she told herself as she sat in the makeshift backstage area. She practically begged to get on the card for free, acting like the cliche newbie desperatley trying to get more experience, it took a while but the promoter relented when he heard the word 'free' repeated about ten billion times. For one night only Bullet Ant was back, working freelance.

---

That night had given Adrian a bit more time to put her thoughts together. It had been way too easy to just run through whatever weekend warrior she was put up against, but going back to basics, it really put things into perspective. She had started her wrestling career working off debt from training school where they tried their darndest to cripple her, landing on her head in front of tiny crowds. And now she was pretty much at the big time, wrestling in front of a crowd of thousands, a ragular TV show spot, this would be her 6th PPV match. She'd come a long way and in the grand scheme of things, was doing fucking awesome! It was time to show that to Taylor and herself. "Hope you had that pikachu costume prepared." She chuckled to herself, imagining she was taunting Taylor face to face while she laced up her boots.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKAWlZGe18M:3jnbhcmr]Her music started and the adrenaline started pumping,[/url:3jnbhcmr] the ramp was a lot longer than it was in Japan but that didn't matter, as soon as she was past the curtain she was off like a shot, charging straight down the aisle with one target in mind. Hitting the trampoline perfectly she sprang over the top rope, complimented by a shower of Pyro as the former cosplayer rushed towards the far corner, jumping up to try and pump up the crowd. It was much louder than the ones in Japan. Even when they were cheering at full volume, in her mind, nothing could match the energy of a hyped up Tri-State crowd. Mutants, diehards, smarks and marks. They all combined for an unforgettable experience, and Adrian Kytes was more than ready to hold up her end of the bargain.

Taylor sat against the wall, with a zippered sweatshirt over her ring gear and her forearms resting on her knees, her eyes closed. The nervous energy that always turned kinetic had lodged in her chest, and she took deep, measured breaths to unstick it.

This was it. This was her whole life. And as the match drew nearer her stomach began to fill with dread. She couldn't remember why, of all things, she had chosen to fight for the crowds for a living, or why she loved it so much, or why she fought so hard to keep it.

It was just Adrian. But what if she lost? She was prepared. She was sure of herself. She was terrified. And she did what most terrified girls did.

"Mom?" She said, her voice half stuck in her throat. "I can do this. Right?"

Junko adjusted her glasses as Taylor looked at her. She coyly smiled and then leaned in for a tight hug, planting a wet kiss on her daughter's cheek.

"You'll do it, Taylor-chan," Junko encouraged. "And you'll be beautiful. Now, let's get ready."

With the day slowly approaching the crepuscule hour, and the stadium open to the sky, Junko knew she had no where to hide. No dark depths for her to sneak from as she prepared the entrance to herald Taylor. Instead, she had devised something quite the opposite of her usual theatrics, however, she was still dressed in a stunning red kimono with orange birds and an orange obi sash to give her a fiery look.

Junko looked at Taylor and winked. "Ich-ni- aaaand, san!" She said, counting along with her fingers before a fireball suddenly roiled into the sky, the four corners of the ring set with pyrotechnics so that they would create a fireball that belched skyward above the crowd and provided a magnificent distraction.

Junko was already walking down the ramp when she began talking. She could see the eyes focused upward. The pyro guys had done an excellent job.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..." In one hand she held the microphone to her lips, in the other her umbrella had a vermilion bird painted on it. "Prepare yourselves for a delight like no other! The most conflagrant wrestler the AFW has ever seen! The moment you've been waiting for-"

Junko turned her back to the ring and outstretched her arms as another fireball was sent into the air. She could feel the heat on the back of her head and grinned widely. Diao-chan was standing with outstretched arms and the brightest grin she could muster. She deftly closed her parasol, spun on her wooden sandals and pointed it at Adrian.

"She has strength in her arms, nimbleness in her legs and power in her fists! She'll never say die and she's YOUR fuuuuuture Friction Champion..."

Junko pivoted and pointed her umbrella back at the entrance ramp. "Taaaaaaaaylooooooor Paaaaaarkeeeeeeer!"

[url=http://youtu.be/6qz_iKTv214:42nks5pc]Accompanied by the thunder of her entrance music[/url:42nks5pc], Taylor burst onto the stage in a blaze of blonde hair and bright red and black boots. Every second of hesitation in her, every drop of self-doubt, went up in flames and disappeared into the night sky above the arena. All that remained was the power in her shoulders, the confidence in her stride, and the insatiable flash in her indigo eyes.

She wore a black hooded sweatshirt, unzipped, over her ring gear with the words "WE REACH LIKE FLAMES FOR THE SKY" scrawled across the back. She walked to the front of the stage and clenched her fists so tightly the leather of her fingerless gloves creaked over her knuckles. She bent at the knees and unleashed a savage and wild scream, and threw her fist in the air while the crowd roared. She threw a leg up into a flash kick backflip, and landed in a deep, low, dramatic fighting stance, her right hand cocked back and her eyes locked fiercely on her opponent in the ring below.

She held it for a moment before her face broke into a big, radiant grin. She hopped upright and waved to the crowd with both hands. "WHAT'S UP, JERSEY!" She shouted over the music, and then began to jog her way to the ring, slapping palms with fans on the way down. She made a full lap around the ring before she leapt up onto the apron and rolled on her back over the top rope and into the ring. She leapt up into one corner and threw her fists in the air, and then again in the opposite corner, and the crowd cheered.

It was a short drive from Atlantic City to Long Island. She might as well have been home. As wonderful as her Japanese fans had been, nothing could compare to the feeling of belonging she got standing before her brothers and sisters across the Hudson. Her mind drifted, only for a second, up to Long Island with thoughts of her mom. What if she was here? She shook her head, and dismissed the thought.

She took time in the middle of the ring to soak up the moment before turning to face her opponent. Adrian. Her forever opponent, she had never quite been able to put the brunette behind her. Everything they were to each other culminated tonight, in these three falls... though everyone knew it would only take Taylor two to get rid of the girl.

She stepped forward with sober eyes, and as the bell rang, she extended a hand to Adrian.

This was pretty much what Adrian had dreamed about doing ever since she started watching wrestling. Huge arena, huge crowd, huge reactions. Yeah Taylor had gotten a substantially better reaction than the former cosplayer had, but she had still gotten a big response. Amazing considering last Summersplash she was wrestling outside a bar for 50 VIPs, disappointed that they got two of the least perverted wrestlers for their private match, and she was still being routinely booed back then. People really did seem to appreciate what she did now. Felt good.

Staring straight back at Taylor, she took the hand firmly and gave it a quick shake "May the best woman win." She said earnestly. No quick 'but I know I will' remark, or sarcastic tone. Adrian genuinely wanted this match to be a good, fair fight for once. So they could get all the bad blood between them without requiring chairs or barbed wire.

Taylor nodded to Adrian and gave her hand one strong pump before skipping back several steps. She took on her usual loose, light posture, looking like her feet glided six inches above the mat, and like she could accelerate to full speed in the blink of an eye. She skipped one way, then the other, and shook the tension out of her arms before taking up a place in the center of the ring.

She planted her feet wide apart in a strong stance, and lifted her hands up in front to call for Adrian to lock up. She thought it was the most interesting way to start things off, since they were both used to being the smaller girl and both knew how to play the game of never quite accepting a clinch. Taylor figured she had already proven her strength advantage, so it seemed like a good puzzle to put in Adrian's busy mind.

Despite being the physically... less strong... in nine out of ten matchups, Adrian was more than happy to accept an opening lockup with anyone including Taylor, a much better showcase of strength than arm wrestling was in the former cosplayers mind. At least with a lock up, it was just the feeling out stages of a bigger thing instead of it's own special contest, and there were things to be done when on the losing end. Not that Adrian wasn't going to push with all her might against the blonde, any less than 100% in this match was unacceptable. Grabbing on, she anchored her feet to the ground and started to slowly push.

Taylor kept a sharp eye out for any tricks Adrian might have, but she slapped her hands on Adrian's elbow and the back of her neck and pushed back enough to stalemate her. She kept her chin tucked down and her head in close to Adrian's, and took a moment to get used to her strength and the feeling of her body.

Then suddenly she snapped her body to the side and spun to put her back tagainst Adrian, wrapping her arm around her neck in a tight headlock. She clasped her hands together and set her feet wide apart, knees bent, and squeezed.

Adrian winced when Taylor twisted her into a headlock, forcing the former cosplayer to double over as her neck was squeezed. Grabbing Taylor's waist, Adrian attempted to squat down before shooting up, trying to lift Taylor's feet off the ground so she could counter the side headlock with an Atomic drop, trying to drop the blonde tailbone first on her knee.