Debut! Masuyo Ai vs Valley Doll

Standard Match
Victory Conditions: Gained by either pin, KO, or submission from the opponent.
Normal rules apply.

Ichi, ni, san. Inhale.
Ichi, ni, san. Exhale.

Masuyo would continue on this pattern for some time now, legs folded beneath her on the backstage floor. Gin said it was supposed to calm nerves, but hell, she couldn’t tell the difference. Maybe it was just unavoidable. Like bracing oneself before impact. Actually, it could just be stage fright. She’d never fought in a professional arena before, and the local gym certainly couldn’t compare. This was a shockingly large stadium. Looked smaller from the outside. How many people could this place house? How many were there now? She should have checked. Could she do it in time? Nah, too late. Focus on the meditation.

Ichi, ni, san. Inhale.
Ichi, ni, san. Exhale.

Masuyo Ai:

A million questions continued to flood her mind as she kept her eyes closed. They were dispelled by the sound of one of the stage hands approaching. Peeking in through the door, the young woman glanced at her clipboard before looking back in at Masuyo. “Miss Ai? We’re ready for you.”

Masuyo nodded before opening her eyes, standing up and turning to leave before she noticed Gin’s scarf in her locker. She felt the fabric and smiled slightly, knowing exactly what he would be saying to her now.

You’re way too young to be worried this much about failing. Move, or else I’ll tombstone you.

Masuyo felt her anxiety lessen a bit at the memory as she made her way to the ramp. She clenched her fists as her entrance music filled the arena. The lights flashed and illuminated her path as she made her way to the ring. It was a longer walk then she realized, so she filled the distance with some hand waves. She was getting quite a few cheers for a rookie, even a couple whistles from the more gentlemanly types. So far so good, she thought to herself. Close to the ring now, she quickly climbed and hopped over the top rope before making her way to the center. She caught the mic the referee tossed to her. She kept it hovering close to her pink lips as she pondered what to say. She should have thought about this sooner.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Masuyo Ai. Most might know me as ‘The Demon of Shibuya’. You may be wondering why I’m here, since I’m more an MMA specialist. Well, there’s a bit of a story to that. You see, it seems as though I've hit my limit, so to speak. I feel as though I need to get stronger and...to do that I...well, I….“ Oh, screw it.

“You know what? I feel as though this federation is just a stepping stone for me. I’m not scared of a bunch of princesses who have never been in a real fight! And I intend to prove that today.  I challenge a worthy fighter to face The Demon in hell. Don’t waste my time with the small fry. Bring me a champion!”

She tossed the mic back and the crowd went wild. Leaning against the ropes, Masuyo would await her opponent. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd alive, and the stage set. Looked like things were going well.

In the backstage area, not far from where Masuyo had entered, Valley Doll found herself looking up at the television, watching the new talent make what was her first promo. Or, at least, she assumed it was her first promo. It had all the telltale signs that marked someone new to mic work - the stammering, the fumbled words, the nervous look, missing the hard camera. It was cute. Made her a little nostalgic. Remembering her first time out there, when she’d called out Lucy Lucha for some reason, and the buttwhipping that followed…

Good times.

Valley was dressed up in ring gear and her belt was slung over her shoulder, but she wasn’t scheduled for a match. In truth, she was just hanging around after doing a photoshoot for Summer Splash, getting some promo material out there for her bout against Alicia Wells. If the timing had been a little off, she would’ve never seen the ‘Demon of Shibuya’ making her debut.

But she did. And, frankly, she was intrigued. While it wasn’t odd for newcomers to do this sort of thing, it was a little gutsy to just call out a champion. Maybe too gutsy. Valley wasn’t much of a MMA fan, but she could tell this girl - or woman, rather - was well-built. That she could back up some of what she was saying, at bare minimum.

It was a risk, especially when she had a championship match coming up soon, but a voice in Valley’s head pushed her along as she made her way over to the gorilla position, with a knowing smile on her lips.

A couple of minutes later, and the crowd was growing restless. The general consensus was that Masuyo might’ve shot a little too high by asking for a champion, that none of them were even in the building, or that they just didn’t think her worthy of their time. Boos started to pop up, sporadic jeers that clustered and grew stronger…

But then Valley’s music hit, and that all changed.

She came strutting out with a microphone, waving to the crowd with a devilish smile on her face, bouncing about the top of the ramp as they all sang along and bounced to the first verse. Good energy, good vibe, exactly what she needed to kick this all off.

It only played for a few seconds before it faded, and Valley brought the microphone to her lips. ”Surprised to see me?”

The crowd gave an enthusiastic yell back, making sure they knew how glad they were for her coming out. It was always good to have a surprise match in the program, something to make them feel like they were getting something extra for their money.

”Well, I know I was surprised, when I heard Ms. MMA out here making big challenges.” She began to stroll her way down the ramp, taking her time with each step. ”Don’t get me wrong, I admire the confidence. I really do. You’re putting a lot on the line here, and there’s something to be said for being sure of yourself in this business. But.”

Valley promptly rolled into the ring and popped up to her feet, approaching Masuyo with the gleaming Entropy Title held high. ”Here’s the thing - this is the AFW, not the AFMMA, or the AFUFC. A ‘stepping stone’?” Valley shook her head. ”This is where some of the best fighters in the world play, Masuyo, and I’ll gladly show you why that is.”

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the newcomers’ looking straight into her eyes, attempting to stare her down, despite her future foe being just a smidgen taller. ”I accept your challenge.” The audience gave a raucous round of applause. ”You. Me. Non-Title. Right here. Right now.”

At least someone wasn’t running with their tails between their legs. Masuyo was honestly getting worried that her debut was going to end in an upset. Once the Entropy champion appeared, she’d let out a sigh of relief. Masuyo recalled that she had seen her before. In a magazine, back home, and she only got about halfway through the article, but it nonetheless left an impression. Seeing her here now, though, she certainly appeared more toned than the promotional material made her. She radiated a certain….presence that Masuyo couldn’t help but acknowledge.

As she spoke into the microphone, the momentum shifted almost entirely towards her. Every step she took sent shockwaves and every word added to her power. All of the respect she received was clearly earned. Masuyo could feel it. This was, in fact, a fighter. This isn’t a waste of time after all, she thought inwardly, giving a smirk.

She listened as Valley approached her, making her promises as she accepted her challenge. That was expected. What caught her off guard was how she pressed her forehead into hers.

So this is what professional boasting is like. It was quite different from the octagon. Valley certainly commanded the respect she was receiving. Feeling the warmth of her breath across her face set Masuyo’s nerves alight. Her face twitched involuntarily against it. Now that she thought about it, where had her anxiety gone? What was causing this tension, this excitement? Was it the stage, the audience, her opponent? Masuyo had no clue. All she knew for sure was she was not yielding to this woman, steel eyes fixed upon hers. Her smirk moved closer and closer to a wicked smile.

“Good!” She sneered, pushing back against Valley’s forehead. “You can keep the title. Seeing you laid out on the mat for my debut is reward enough. I’ll step right over you and into the big leagues!”

Her heart beat against her ribcage so hard that she was becoming sure that Valley could feel her body pulse. She kept grinding her head into Valley’s before the referee came between them, taking her belt before ordering them both to their corners. Before she retreated back to her corner, she curled her fingers into her palm and raised it towards her opponent, offering a bump. Fighters talk with their fists after all.  “Give me everything you got, Ms. World-Class!” She’d bask in the roar of the audience for a moment afterwards, wondering in the back of her mind if she was getting carried away. No, she resigned to herself, this should be quite the learning experience.

MMA. A strong willingness to take on anyone and everyone in the league. A wild smirk.

Why was Valley getting the strangest sense of deja vu?

While her faith was waning these days, it was hard to not look at this as some sort of divine intervention. Just weeks before her big bout against an MMA maven, another such wrestler shows up to make a similar challenge while she was in the building? Big coincidence. But Valley wasn’t one to argue with divine providence. If this was how she was supposed to sharpen her claws, she was fine with it.

Things got tense for a moment, so much so that you would’ve been surprised that Valley’s title wasn’t on the line, as Masuyo pressed her hard in the forehead. Valley held her ground and smiled back, remaining as cool as you could be when another woman was trying to assert dominance. It wasn’t easy, though, and she nearly fell back, twice. This woman was as strong as she looked, there was no question there.

The referee was of a mind to do this official, so she pushed them away, made some separation, but not before Masuyo gave her a gesture to work off of. ”Be careful what you wish for, Ms. MMA. If you try and go up the mountain too fast, you’ll fall. Hard.”

With the pre-match posturing done, Valley stepped back to her corner and handed the belt off to the announcer, before turning about to get some stretching. She wanted to be nice and limber, ready to bring out her A Game if need be. While Masuyo was new to the wrestling ring, that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous - you don’t earn a name like ‘Demon of Shibuya’ without having some credit. Would that hold up against Valley’s style?

Well. They were about to find that out.

When the bell rang, Valley came out of the corner with her fists raised and her legs tapping, gracefully sliding towards Masuyo. She didn’t attack just yet, though, trying to stay just out of her foe’s reach, attempting to get a good idea of what her style was.

Suppose that was enough for the highlight reel. It was time to get serious.

Masuyo remained perfectly still as she heard the bell ring. She studied her opponent, seeing her raise her fists and edge closer and closer towards her. Valley was being cautious in spite of her boasting. A smart thing, considering the smirk hadn’t faded in the slightest from Masuyo’s face.

Although, if she was being honest to herself, it was more or less a front. A reaction, more than anything, to the closeness from earlier, and Valley had might as well have just called her bluff just now. Drawing first blood was a point of pride for Masuyo, but the woman before her was still a champion, and she’d approach her as such. Playing conservative now would have just been downright pathetic. It was her debut, and she had to command it as such. She wouldn’t run away, not ever.

She raised her hands slightly, hovering them just above her hips. Then, she started bobbing back and forth on the balls of her feet, acting as though on the defensive as well. From one foot to the other she shifted her weight as she quickly stifled the circulation in her legs. Her eyes were still locked on Valley. She watched her move closer and closer until she was just about at the center of the ring. Once she had stepped just onto the Friction logo, Masuyo’s sly smirk would break into a wide smile. Her legs fully primed, she’d pounce off her back leg and out of the corner, building serious momentum.

She charged straight towards Valley and she felt the circulation return down her calves and beneath her feet. The rushing tide of blood made her legs feel weightless as she made her mad dash. Gin’s old trick still worked perfectly.

Extending her arm out, she’d feint a clothesline to the chest before bending her knees and instead lowering the motion into Valley’s waist. If successful, she could force the girl to the ground and scramble on top of her, attempting to bring her arms down to the mat with her. Nothing would make a more lasting impression for Masuyo then seeing the champion hit the mat from the outset. It was time to see what this girl was made of.

As they neared each other, staring with cautious eyes, Valley had to ask herself a rather pivotal question: what all did she know about Masuyo Ai?

Again, she didn’t keep up with MMA or UFC or whatever it was called, but she had fought more than a few women who used the style. As the fights became more and more popular over the years, she’d seen women make the transition from cage to ring, both in the Slamazons, the AFW. and more independent feds than she cared to name. Some with more success than others, perhaps, but they were rarely women to be taken lightly.

What was more, Valley knew that look in Masuyo’s solemn eyes. That was the look of a woman looking to make a name for herself at a champion’s expense, wanting to hotshot herself to the top of the pack. Noble goal. Didn’t mean it was going to happen.

That sort of woman wasn’t going to wait too long to bring the fight, wanting to seize every opportunity. As they neared each other, getting closer and closer and closer still, Valley knew it was only a matter of time before she pulled the trigger, and...

Ah. There she went.

Valley’s smile matched Masuyo’s, as the younger woman came her way with a bold charge and exteneded her arm for a clothesline. What appeared to be one at first glance, anyway, before she ducked down and tried to cut Valley off before she could duck it. A neat little trick, and more advanced than the Slamazon expected from a rookie. It would’ve worked, too, if Valley had dodged it like normal.

Instead, Valley waited until the last moment, then fell to her side as Masuyo came charging in. She shot her legs out as she went down, trying to scissor Masuyo’s calves, and twisted her lower body along with it - attempting to bring her opponent to the mat with a drop toehold.

Honestly, Masuyo sometimes forgot she wasn’t caged in this ring. It wasn’t just her, the enemy, and their fists between them. In that setting, instinct and raw power were just as important as practice and form. Her raw talent tended to overtake the fancy techniques that took years for her to finely tune, and more often than not, that had given her the edge she needed. It saved her life, even, more than once. This wasn’t the octagon, however. And she would be reminded of that in a second.

Masuyo tumbled forward as her target fell to her side. Her opponent was on the mat at least, but not at all how she planned. Rather than avoid it, Valley went with the momentum, catching Masuyo on her calves like a bear in a trap. The champion brought her down, but she managed to get herself on her arms quickly before hitting the mat facefirst. The relief was short-lived as the hold was applied.

“Gah!” Masuyo yelped. Waves of pain shot up and down her legs.

A toehold. Masuyo had only seen that a couple times back in Shibuya. It wasn’t very popular in the circuit though, since it could leave you open to some severe blows depending on how the fall went. She clenched her fist and turned her torso as much as she could. Reeling back her fist, she prepared to throw a one-handed barrage at Valley.

Oh wait. Wrestling. Standard rules. Crap.

Instead, she slammed her fist down on the mat and gritted her teeth. Dealing with the pain, she thought of how to escape the hold. Oddly enough, her grin was still there.

Outwardly, Valley was all smiles, as she confidently gazed at her down opponent.

Inwardly, she was breathing a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if she’d gotten hit with Masuyo’s move like that, at least not when it came to winning the match. The problem would’ve been in her perception - she, a champion, would’ve fallen for a trick from a rookie. The fact that it was a good trick wouldn’t have mattered a bit.

And the truth was, she dodged a bullet. She just so happened to avoid the move in the best way possible. The typical way to avoid a clothesline was to just duck, and if she’d tried that…

She pushed the thought aside and focused on what was happening, not what could’ve.  Right now, she had Masuya well-trapped in the drop toehold. It wasn’t a major move, though, and she doubted there was any traction to be gained from milking it. If it dissuaded Masuyo from any more charges like that, she as okay with.

Looking to stir the pot a bit, Valley reached over, gave Masuyo a quick pat on the butt, then abruptly let go of the hold. She rolled back and popped to her feet in a single motion, quickly rising, and casually backed away to give her opponent some room to do the same.

”Something wrong, you okay down there?” Valley let an evil curl into her smile. ”It looked like you took a bad trip.”

Moment after moment, Masuyo felt herself get more adjusted to the pain. Her mind raced until she realized the idea to utilize her own strength against her captor. While it may have been a tight hold, she was by no means bound. If she could carry herself to the rope, plus some dead weight, this problem would be solved.

She readied herself, feeling her arms tense as she was about to make her move...when she felt Valley’s hand on her ass. Her head shot up as her body jerked against the impact, feeling a slight blush burn her cheeks. The form-fitting fabric of her shorts may as well have not been there. The next moment she felt the hold release and Valley rolled away from her. Half-surprised by how suddenly things were moving, she was up on one knee when she heard her opponent's taunt.

That sucked. That sucked really bad. It felt worse than the pain she was enduring just a moment ago. Worse than feeling her firm rear being clasped. Worse than the taunting and embarrassment. Not even letting her put the effort in to break the hold. She was toying with her and Masuyo wasn’t intending to let that continue. Not in the slightest.

Her immediate reaction was to tackle Valley from off the ground, powerbombing her into oblivion for that stunt. The pain in her leg, however, had other plans in mind. It was worse than she expected. Her resilience was working against her it seemed, as her body was telling one story while her mind was making up another. Guess a change of strategy was necessary.

“Oh, you enjoy this while you can.” Masuyo spat, wincing a bit afterwards. She played it off with an awkward smile. “Damn it, your legs could be lethal in the right spot. You’re lucky it's just me, or else you could’ve actually hurt someone.”

Valley certainly had the technique, but that just meant Masuyo had to rely purely on her strength. She thanked herself for keeping up with those full body workouts. She held her hands up, inching closer and closer to Valley, whereupon she’d lunge for her shoulders, no matter the pain to her legs, and force her to a clinch, hoping to drain the stamina from her body.

"Say goodbye to that smile. I'll crush it with the rest of you."

Did Valley feel a little bad for messing with Masuyo like this? Maybe. She was the older woman here, the veteran, and it could’ve been argued that it fell on her to treat this newcomer with respect, help bolster her credibility. This was her first match in the AFW, after all, and no matter where she went from here, people would always look back on it. For better or worse.

But she could tell from that determined, honed look in Masuyo’s eyes that she didn’t want to be softsold. Valley was going to give her the full experience - that meant all the moves, all the tricks, and all the mindgames.

”My legs are lethal in every spot, Ms. MMA.” Valley bounced back on her toes as Masuyo rose before her, gleaming as she danced. She took special note of that kink in her opponent’s leg, too. Definitely something to focus on. ”And they are going to hurt, gauranteed. So get ready.”

Sure enough, her young foe was eager to clash again, raising her hands as she neared, looking to engage. Valley mirrored her as they closed in, and lunged into the lockup a half second after Masuyo did.

This was where things got dicey. Valley was smaller and had less weight to work with than Masuyo, but she had strong legs to work with, while Masuyo’s were likely still hurting. For now, the Slamazon was content to press forward as hard as she could, wanting to test her opponent’s base before she tried anything more interesting.