Debut! Masuyo Ai vs Valley Doll

Seems like she was getting somewhere now. The clinch was holding and Valley seemed to be putting some effort in. “Effort” may have been an understatement, actually. A plain word for the progress she was inflicting. She was actually managing to gain some ground on Masuyo, which, as a number of opponents from matches past would affirm, was no easy feat. Some ground, but ground nonetheless. Couldn’t let her realize that though.

“Heh, you aren't so tough.” She tried her best to egg Valley on, encouraging her to keep her momentum going.

She had the height, weight, and strength advantage, but Valley’s legs kept her balanced compared to the condition hers were in. But she’d merely smirk at the realization. The humiliation from earlier still lingered in the back of her mind. It gnawed and festered like an open wound she had no choice but to mend. It was time to play to her strengths and have her upper body pulling all of the weight.  

Masuyo was feeling her confidence being slowly renewed. She was no longer at a disadvantage. Her arms pulsed and biceps bulged. The contours of her muscles became more pronounced as she fought back against Valley’s force. It was a good start, but it was time to put the pedal to the metal.

Sneaking her hand behind Valley’s head, she’d attempt to utilize her own force against her, swiftly bringing her head beneath Masuyo’s arm and into a headlock. If she could manage that, Masuyo would be able to slowly force her opponent to the ground.

Okay. So. Maybe trying to engage the musclebound MMA demon in a clinch was not one of Valley’s better ideas. She could admit that. Not that she really needed to admit that fact for someone to figure it out after about five seconds. She’d gone in, thinking Masuyo’s hurt leg might hinder her efforts a bit. If they were, Valley was having one hell of a time noticing it.

At first, things didn’t seem so bad, and it seemed like she could make some ground against her younger foe. But then Masuyo pushed back. And kept pushing back. And kept pushing back. She couldn’t say this woman was the strongest she’d ever faced - she was no Alaina, no Chris Morgan, and few could compare to Alicia below the waist - but, for her size and height, she was top-notch. She didn’t look too bad at a distance, but once you got up close and you felt those muscles surging and you saw the ripples underneath her skin...

Yes. Yes, this was a bad idea. The two of them might’ve been close in height, but their builds were too different. Masuyo had at least twenty pounds on her, and it was undoubtedly all made of iron. Valley did her best to slow her inexorable push, but that was all she could do. She was going down, down, down.

”Just...keep...talking.” She growled back, but it was hard to sound too confident when she was being shoved into a headlock. The grip was tight, with little chance for the Slamazon to pull free. But that didn’t mean she was out of options.

Instead of pulling away, she wrapped her arm around Masuyo’s waist and moved in close, hugging her tight. From there, Valley arched her back and lifted her opponent up and over in a sudden heaving, attempting to bring her flipping down on her back and turn the headlock into a surprise Northern Lights Suplex.

Valley would bridge with it, going for the pin, even though it was unlikely to get more than a single count. Fine. As long as it made Masuyo let go of her, she’d be happy.

Masuyo enjoyed the reversal for a few moments. She’d finally gotten that champion at her mercy, now all she had to do was squeeze. The woman was certainly no pushover, but she didn’t look the endurance, the kind to soak up punishment like a sponge without faltering in the slightest. A few minutes under the demon’s grasp was all she needed for sure before her morale waned. Although, it looked as though Valley were trying to get away from her. Reaching down to follow her, she’d attempt to put on more pressure.

“Where are you going, huh? Gimmie...that neck!”

With that she braced and pulled back up. Wait, this isn’t right. This was way too high up. Her feet were off the ground. She hadn’t noticed Valley’s arm snaked around her waist until she was already careening towards the mat.

“Ah, fu-”

SLAM! With a bit more windup, that could have knocked the hell out of her. But as things stood, it just loosened the hold a bit. Masuyo was content to keep her like this until she heard the ref counting down.

ONE!

Oh, right. This was a pin. Fancier than most she was familiar with. Masuyo reeled for a but an instant before kicking out of the plant. She’d tuck and roll onto her side, before turning fully and kneeling. Eager to exploit her opponent’s position, she pondered snapping forward to go for a chokeslam before deciding better against it. The strength she was exerting wasn’t just for show, so it was better to reserve it for now. Expending it all on another mad dash that's effectiveness could range from “KO” to “fuck all”  would be another foolhardy choice on her part.

She kept on taking a knee, taking a breath with her head tilted down slightly, capturing Valley’s lower half in her vision. Could she dodge another attack? Time would tell, but she was looking pretty vulnerable about now.

It had been a while since Valley had the opportunity to pull out the Northern Lights in a match, and she was thankful that she’d been working on her suplexes lately, focusing on them in her sparring sessions with Haley.  It was far from her bread and butter, true, and she would always stick to her kicks and her high-flying when opportunities arose. But she was a firm believer in having a diverse moveset, and this was the sort of thing that proved it useful.

Not that it was easy, mind you. Masuyo wasn’t heavy, exactly, but she was around the upper limit that Valley would attempt such a move on. Needless to say, she’d have to be really crazy or really desperate to ever try this on Alicia.

But it worked. Perfectly. Not only did do some mild damage on her foe, but it also made her let go, which was the bare minimum Valley wanted. With any luck, it put some fear in the Demon, and the strategy had some precedent. After all, she’d beaten one MMA newcomer with an unorthodox pin. Why not two?

”Tough enough?” Valley had a slight chuckle with her quick quip. She fell to her back after Masuyo rolled away, only to throw her legs up and kip up to her feet an instant later. Her suplex had only been to escape the hold, but it certainly had some effect on her opponent. How much? Couldn’t be sure. But she knew how to test it.

With Masuya coming up to a knee, Valley spun about and closed the distance, whipping about like an errant whirlwind. She raised her leg and lashed out with a fast roundhouse kick, aiming for her opponent’s chest, looking to put her right back down on the mat in the roughest way possible.

It was a smart thing that she decided to take that knee. Valley was quite the nimble individual and was back on her feet in a flash. What the hell kind of training did she have? She was so loose, so active. Masuyo wasn’t confident she could keep up if push came to shove.

Everything below the champion’s waist was still in her view and she noticed her charge into a roundhouse. It was too wide a motion and too late to dodge. What else could she do but take the brunt of it? Take the brunt. Ah.

You know the most effective trick in MMA? Learning to counter. The one thing you could guarantee was that you’re opponent was going to strike you. Wrestling was a tad different, with its grapples and flamboyant maneuvers, but a strike was a strike. And in the octagon, no hits means no points. That was the incentive. It was the smart fighter that prepared for this inevitability. Like a wise general willing to cut losses or use the territory to his advantage, it was best to face the problem head on. When your opponent is attacking, they can't defend. That split second made the difference for Masuyo more often than not. But she could take it. Who comes away from a fight without a new scar, after all?

Jerking her head up, Masuyo would meet the kick with a wide grin. She’d lift her arms up, bracing herself before taking the hit and feeling the force send her backwards. Wrapping her arms around her leg, she’d attempt to force Valley down to the ground with her.

“Oh yeah! Really tough!” She was almost gasping to get those words out.

Bats, planks, brass knuckles, lead pipes. All kinds of lethal instruments found their way to Masuyo’s torso, and each of them served to harden her against harsher and harsher punishment. Now, she could count Valley’s legs as one of those weapons. Wasn’t the worse she felt, but was definitely on the higher end of the spectrum. There is no getting used to that kind of pain.

No matter, she had her leg. Hopefully it was firm enough. Assuming she hadn’t seen through her, and the pull was successful, she could scramble into a kneebar. Whatever oxygen remained after that boast was rushing to take control.

There was always a moment of elation when Valley landed one of her kicks, and that was especially the case tonight. It wasn’t just because of the satisfying impact of her legs connecting through her kickpads that set her off tonight, but the knowledge that she was doing well against a younger, fresher foe. At age 34, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t get a thrill from taking on and humbling women with decades on her. It was strong proof that her age was still an asset, not a liability.

This time, though, that thrill was short-lived. Her elation was replace with panic the moment that Valley realized that her kick had connected and done its job...but she wasn’t getting her leg back.

Her strike had hurt, but not quite enough to keep Masuyo from turning it against her, snagging her leg and using it to drag Valley to the ground. Mat wrestling with a bigger,
heavier, MMA trained woman was the exact last thing the Slamazon wanted to do in this match. ”Whoa, whoa-” She flailed and whipped her arms about, but it wasn’t nearly enough to avoid the unavoidable. Gravity had its way as the two of them went down, with the pain flowing shortly after.

A kneebar. More painful deja vu for Valley. She’d been in this move before, if she recalled correctly. Trapped in the same way. Maybe with a different leg, maybe the same. It hardly mattered, either way. The pain was real, and she howled as Masuyo cranked her leg in the deadly hold, feeling as if her bones had been set on fire from the inside out. Valley had been in the driver’s seat up until this point, but all of the sudden that hardly mattered.

The audience shifted, thousands of eyes watched the spetacle with keen focus, taking note as the newcomer pushed her advantage over the veteran. Masuyo was in control at the moment, and Valley was the one at her mercy, and for a moment it was hard to tell who was the champion between them.

Taking that kick was definitely worth it. Masuyo had managed to put her on the mat and shift the tide towards her. Hearing the conflicting gasps and cheers of the audience was like music to her ears. Her heart pounded like a million drums inside of her. Her eyes widened with bloodlust as the thrill overtook her face.

“Ha ha ha! I got you!” Masuyo cranked up the pressure on her ankle as she that. She wanted to hear the woman howl some more. Not out of any sort of sadistic pleasure. She’d never disrespect any opponent like that. But this was her debut. As soon as the bell rang, her top priority was to leave her mark on the ring, with her opponent’s body if need be. With Valley’s screams, Masuyo would let the entire audience know. A demon walks the halls of AFW now. And she was going to drag this champion to hell.

“Cmon, Ms. World-Class! What’s the matter? You’re spry, but not helpless! It’s just a leg lock! You’re not joking with me, right?  Aren’t you going to get out? Can you even? Maybe you should just submit if you can’t take it! I thought you said that this is where the best fighters were? Then go ahead! Show me! I wanna know I’m grappling with a champion right now!”

Not sure why the hell she was yelling, though. Maybe deep down she already knew that this was no joke. Perhaps she didn’t want to acknowledge it so soon, but Valley was a true fighter. There was a time for that confession, however, and it wasn’t here. She’d stick with boasting her silent respect for now.

She was no doubt getting used to the pain by now. Staying in one hold for too long wasn’t the best way to get a submission. Especially a veteran. So she’d keep the pressure on for a few more moments, letting the pain sink in and the oxygen return to her, before attempting to flip Valley onto her belly. From there, she may be able to pull off a Boston Crab.

Not a terribly complex hold, but her height and weight could give her an advantage. It could definitely bring her closer to a submission. Still, going up against Valley’s flexibility was might be an issue.

Hm. The talking was a bit annoying.

It was weird, but Valley hadn’t pictured Masuyo as much of a talker when they started out. She’d made the promo, sure, but she seemed a little uncomfortable, like she just wanted to get her message out and be done with it. Now that they were in action and she’d seized the moment, though, she’d fully come out of her shell, and seemed thoroughly into the trash talking.

Not that Valley minded too much. A little healthy banter always enriched a match, and it was a theatrical flourish that her future challenger didn’t share. She simply could’ve done with it being taken down a notch or two. Perhaps three.

Regardless, she wasn’t in a position to offer any constructive criticism to the potential star, as she was a little too occupied with the flaring pain in her leg. While she had some ideas for escaping the hold, Valley wasn’t in a mood to experiment at the moment - it was too early and her legs were too crucial to risk it. Instead, she focused on pulling towards the ropes, eager to get just a moment’s reprieve…

Maybe she would’ve gotten to them, maybe she wouldn’t. It didn’t matter either way, because Masuyo let her go soon enough. Valley was confused at first, but it all made more sense when she was given the pancake treatment and unexpectedly flipped over. Then it became all too clear: Masuyo was switching submissions.

Not a bad idea. Not a good idea. In Masuyo’s shoes, Valley would’ve stuck with kneebar, milked that out for as long as she could, but there was the risk of having it backfire on you. Switching the holds was a great way to keep your opponent off balance…

...Valley, though, was a bit cagier than most. When Masuyo flipped her, her response was to flip again onto her back, looking up the Demon with a wild glare. She shot her leg - her good leg - upwards and tried to hit Masuyo in the face with an overhead kick.

It was important to keep her opponents on their toes. Or in this case, off of them. Keeping her in a Boston Crab would have done plenty of damage at Masuyo’s level. If it had worked.

She caught Valley’s kick too little too late. She’d only clued in when she noticed Valley’s double flop onto her back. The foot hurling towards her face and her instinct took over. Taking no time to wind her head back, she shot forward, effectively headbutting the front of Valley’s foot. Once again, however, she underestimated her opponent’s strength, as they clashed for but a moment before Masuyo stumbled backward out of her submission lock. Rubbing her forehead, she looked back with a smirk.

“Whoa, nice moves! Are you getting faster?”

Waiting for Valley to get to her feet, Masuyo picked up a few chimes from the audience that made her smile grow. Seemed the popular opinion was changing a bit.

Whoa, this new girl is no joke. Pff, I’ve seen better. Maybe I shouldn’t have bet so high. Nice shot, newbie! What a fighter. Didn’t expect that. She’s a local, right? One more time, Masuyo!

The smile on her face couldn’t get any wider. She had to start forcing herself to get rid of it before it tired her out. She was by no means in the majority in the presence of the undisputed queen but at least she could start getting comfortable. Really, though, this wasn’t any time for it. She no longer had the advantage and had to start thinking how she should go about this, analyzing her opponent carefully. It only took a second to notice Valley glaring at her. This might be bad. Might be.

“Oi, what’s with that look? You getting scared?”

It was precisely the opposite, actually. Although, she wasn’t scared, just getting jitters. She hadn’t felt this way since her time as a rookie. Well, she was a rookie now, it seems. This woman wasn’t going to fall over as easy as she thought. More than that, she wasn’t slowing down and was keeping in toe every step of the way. She planned on making for another charge. Taking a step forward, she stopped in her tracks when she felt her head lighten, drawing a heavy breath.

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to take all of those kicks. Or waste all that breath. Okay. Slow down, Ai. There’ll be another time.

She squatted down, looking for any signs of retaliation whilst regaining her composure.

From outside, it might’ve looked like Valley was being slick with her kick, that she was commanding control of the ring by saving herself from that Boston Crab at the last minute.

In fact, it was the opposite - that kick was one of desperation. She knew too well what would’ve happened if she let Masuyo sink it in. While it wouldn’t have been impossible for her to go and win the match after suffering the move, particularly when they were in the opening stages, it would’ve been a complication she didn’t need. It was becoming rapidly apparent that Masuyo - despite being a bit of a chatterbox - wasn’t someone she could roll over with ease.

”Nope.” Valley made her way back up to her feet after a moment, taking care not to put too much pressure on the tortured leg as she rose. ”You getting slower? A little winded?”

Not her best jibe, but it would have to do on short notice. Especially when she was keenly aware of the shift in the audience. Valley was the veteran and the popular champion, but there was a strong undercurrent swelling for Masuyo’s strong showing so far. It was a similar situation to what she’d had with Samiya, where a young up-and-comer had a chance to make big waves early in her career, at the Slamazon’s expense. A romantic idea. Valley wasn’t about to let it happen, though.

She was up now, Masuyo was up, and for a second she swore that the younger woman would make her charge and come rushing in. She didn’t. Valley tensed up when she saw the step, but nothing ever came off it. Masuyo was waiting, and the initiative fell back on her.

”Huh.” She clicked her teeth. ”Okay, then.”

Her leg was still hurting, but Valley tried to push past it as best she could for the moment. Took a big step in to close the distance between them, raised her foot up, and shot it out hard as she moved toward Masuyo, looking to hit her in the chest with a push kick towards the ropes.