Domino vs. Ninjette: Ready, Steady, Go!

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or KO



Kozue stood there, in the middle of the Tension arena, smack dab in the center of the ring, with a microphone in hand while her music began to die down. She’d already made her entrance, but before things proceeded, she had an important announcement to make. Thousands of fans were all around her, waiting with baited breath to hear what she had to say. Making an open challenge? Calling out a heated rival? They'd heard it all before.

”Ladies and gentleman.” She took a deep breath. ”I. Have. Been. Laid!"

Except that. Whatever the crowd was expecting her to say, it wasn’t that. Some of them laughed, some of them clapped, some of them just scratched their heads in confusion.

Not exactly typical match banter, but screw it, she was in a good mood. An incredibly good mood. It was amazing what a little sex could do, but it had been just the right thing for her life. All the stress she’d been building up since she joined the AFW, all the problems she'd had, all seemed to wash away, and there was one name to thank for it: Femie. A woman. Life was full of surprises.

But the point was that Kozue felt more alive than ever, she felt like translating that feeling into success, and now she was going to get her wish - after a little hiatus, she was stepping back into the squared circle and taking on a match. She didn't even really care who she was against, hadn't checked the card to prepare herself. Hardly mattered - whoever it was she planned to come at them full steam right out of the gate, dominate from minute one.

She tossed the microphone over to the announcer and made her way to the center of the ring, where she turned to the entrance, bent her legs and hunched over, looking like she was ready to pounce on her opponent even from dozens and dozens of yards away. It didn’t matter who or even what came down that ramp, today. She was ready.

Domino's had more than his fair share of breaking in the new faces of Tension. He was glad to see that that wouldn't be the case tonight. He's not getting to go after Reira again just yet, but that's alright. He needs to maintain a presence in the ring. He needs to keep showing these people why they support him; why he deserves their support. And to make matters better, he'd done a little research on his opponent - she's kind of prolific. She's got a flashy style, she's not a wimp, and the crowd seems to respond well to her. The fact that she's ridiculously cute likely helps there, but he's looking forward to seeing what she's got firsthand.

Already decked out for the match in his black and white trunks, boots, and bracers, he also sports one of his new pieces of merchandise - a white t-shirt featuring an artistic black and white silhouette of his head on the chest, with the word "DOMINO" written above, and "EFFECT" written beneath. He waits behind the curtain, a little curious at the delay. The crew doesn't seem to know what's going on, either. Will Kozue be making some special snark his way? Will-

"Wait, what did she just say?"

A microphone is shoved into his hand, and instantly, his music kicks on. A pair of hands gives him a nice little push, staggering the teen out from behind the curtains and into the view of the audience, still sort of reeling and unsure how to respond to Ninjette's opening remark.

There he stands at the top of the ramp, amethyst eyes wide, awash in the confused praise of some of the audience. He simply stares at the girl poised in the ring, looking ready to pounce him like a jungle cat. Upon realizing that he isn't moving yet, the sound technician fades out his entrance music. Now he's totally put on the spot, and the audience quiets down to hear his remarks.

It doesn't happen. At least not quickly. That was the single most random, non-threatening, non-aggrandizing match opener he's ever heard! And the more he rolls it around in his mind, the more a natural response starts to bubble out. The corner of his lips quirks up. His eyes take on a shine. He can't hold it back - he bursts into soft laughter. When it subsides, he's still all smiles, but includes a helpless shrug of his free hand.

"Happy for ya!," he calls into the microphone. What, is he going to insult her over something like that? "And I think you get the award for most unique trash-talk ever, am I right, guys?" He casts a look to either side of the ramp, encouraging chuckles, claps, and other forms of agreement from the bemused crowd. "And," he continues, "And I think we can all agree that whoever contributed to that announcement is one lucky person."

"But."

Here comes the snark. The challenge. The crowd hushes with bated breath.

"...Man, screw it, what can I even say to that? Round one goes to Ninjette, huh?," Domino concludes with a refreshed laugh. "Now let's wrestle!"

The microphone is tossed to a nearby stagehand, and he starts a music-less trot down the ramp. As per his usual routine, he slaps a train of high-fives, pausing only to dole out a hug or two and share a lighthearted chuckle at what's transpired. He hops up onto the ring apron and slips between the ropes, only to quickly ascend the nearest turnbuckle. Fingers grip onto the collar of that shirt before whisking it over his head, exposing his sleekly abdominals and toned chest. With a quick wind-up, he pitches the garment out to the crowd - free merch'! Free merch' which comes with the added factor of having been worn by him. His right fist thrusts into the air, radiant smile persistent on his face.

Finally, the cruiserweight drops from his perch to turn and face Kozue. That smile widens as he watches her, letting the referee-girl inspect him for foreign objects. The match hasn't even begun, and it's already pretty fun. That's a very welcome change of pace from the level of severity his recent matches have held.

Huh. It was Domino. Maybe Ninjette should've done a little homework after all.

It didn't dampen  her mood too much, but she was a tad worried about her chances, now. She was expecting someone a little closer to her own experience level, and she knew that this guy was quite a few years above it. The #1 Contender for the Tension Title, and a strong favorite to be the next champion when he could get a fair match against the alpha bitch, Reira. Also, the boyfriend of Julia, a friend of hers, which meant that she'd have to make sure to exhibit a little extra good behavior. She’d been down that nasty road before.

”Indeed! Let us wrestle!” Kozue pumped her fists into the air after Domino finished his spiel, cheering along with the crowd. The referee started to come her way for a check, but then thought better of it - it wasn’t like she had anywhere to actually hide a weapon on her costume. ”Wrestle! Wrestle! Wrestle!”

Her chants began to bleed out into the audience, and eventually they began to say it all by themselves, without any egging on from her. She had already started to circle the ring when the bell rang, lightly skipping around on her toes as she slid around, and she brought her hands up. Clearly looking for a lock-up. Or was she?

”Ready for this?” She chuckled and stared back at him with wild eyes.

Neither worry nor trepidation is to be found on Domino's face. He carries himself with the same cool confidence he usually exhibits in the ring, with the added benefit of a relaxed smile. He's already enjoying this match. His mind isn't clouded with the severity of how all of this will reflect on him. It's a constant concern, but the levity they started with has done a good job of making things somehow lighter. He intends to take her apart and come out on top. That's not changed. He's just in a better mood about it - and try to keep her in a good mood, too!

The raven-haired youth circles with her, carrying himself with a graceful glide. Once the bell sounds off, his movements come to an abrupt halt and his stance widens to a shoulders' width. Hands raise, purple eyes lock onto her hazels, and he acknowledges her invitation for an opening lockup. Classic. Respectable. A good way to start off a friendly match. And he's perhaps a little too trusting from the outset, but he's eager to meet the kunoichi head-to-head and see how they stack up.

"Definitely."

Domino surges forward to meet her for the opening grapple, hands going for her bare shoulders and collar in the hopes of quickly overpowering her and rushing her into the ropes!

So. Ninjette had some decisions to make when it came to dealing with Domino.

She couldn't say she'd watched all his matches, but she'd caught enough of him to know that she was pretty much outclassed in almost every way. Strength? Obviously, that was typical. Stamina? Yeah, that too. Maybe superior speed could make up for those, but skill? That was something she worried about. Greatly. Domino had been doing this before she even knew the difference between a German Suplex and a Belly-to-Back. She was not eager to take him head on, because she knew exactly what would happen: she’d get her ass kicked. Oh, Domino would be nice about it. He seemed like a swell guy. But, all the same, she would get her ass kicked. What to do, what to do…

The first step was going to be not getting him into a lockup. She kept up the pretenses, sure, but just as he was coming in, Kozue suddenly dropped down and fell to his side, just barely avoided his arms. She shot her legs out, scissors his calves, and twisted to the side with a drop toehold, trying to bring him down fast. She wasn’t quite sure how to keep him down there, but she’d handle things one step at a time.

Domino wasn't coming into things with any sort of preconceptions about Kozue - not her style, at least. So the invitation to lock up was one he was anxious to RSVP to! Alas, lesson one in dealing with Ninjette appears to be that she's not always the most sincere woman.

Domino takes the bait and finds his shins scissored as a punishment for his faith. The young model hits the mat on his chest with an, "Oof!," but his mind is already working, automatically analyzing this setup. His body kicks into motion as soon as she begins folding his legs in, attempting to prop himself on an elbow and twist aside to lessen the effectiveness of the hold while possibly bringing the girl's head within forearm-clubbing range. And that's exactly what's coming, should the opportunity be there.

"Ha!" Kozue had a loud laugh as Domino went down. As boisterous as a woman her size could physically make, at least. "That actually worked!"

She really shouldn't have been all that surprised - after all, she'd used the move all the time in practice, had it down pretty well. This was her first time busting it out in an actual match, though, and pulling it off felt good. Now, she just had to actually do something with it, since no one in the history of wrestling had ever been defeated by a drop-toe hold.

She started to reached forward, going for the single-leg boston crab, when everything shifted. Suddenly she was down and getting introduced to the business end of Domino's forearm, smacking her right in the face with a heavy blow. "Fuck!" Her head jerked back from the blow and she rolled away, then popped up to her feet quick while she nursed her face.

Domino isn't content to toss in his two cents' worth until Kozue has moved away, freeing him to twist on his hip and pop back up to his feet.

"Geeze, don't sound so surprised!"

The teen rushes forward, gaze fixated on his smaller opponent and studying her guard. It looks to be split, with a nice distraction there on her face to tend to. So he'll come in with the intent to toss a quick knee into her stomach and hopefully soften her up and make her more pliable. "I've seen some of your work! Don't sell yourself short!"

'Whoa!"

Kozue's got her hand off her face just in time to see Domino heading towards her at breakneck speeds, and with the turnbuckle behind her, there wasn't anywhere to retreat to - she had to go through him. Or, at least, around.

"Never do." Kozue waited until the last second, then swung her body around on her heel, letting him fly passed and she swung over to face him from behind him. She pressed her hands against his back and pushed forward with all the strength and bodyweight she had to offer, trying to shove him into the corner, chest first. "Here's why!"

Wait. She never does? But she just-

Ah, screw it! He has a ninjette to ram! ...Boy, that came out wrong.

Domino's knee drives into- the air! Apparently she wasn't as distracted as he'd hoped. Moreover, she's still speedy as ever, managing to clear the strike and get behind him in time to give his shoulders a push. His momentum does a lot of the heavy lifting for her, leading his toned chest to impact the turnbuckle. "Hnf!"

The young grappler twists in his corner, leaning back into it with his arms resting over the top ropes, eyes focusing on her.