Start of a Rivalry

It was just another day in the Friction gym, the room filled with young women working out and training in readiness for their next match.

In the ring, Alicia was busy wrapping up a quick warm up match with one of the trainers.

It had been a distinctly one-sided affair – the trainer proving to be better in a fight than most of her colleagues, but the redhead had dominated throughout. Putting aggressive pressure on the other woman from the moment they started, the British fighter had battered her opponent down with her sledgehammer kicks and now had her on the mats.

Shortly thereafter, Alicia scored a mount and from there it was the work of moments to roll her opponent into a crushing bodyscissors.

In seconds, her opponent was wheezing desperately, whining in pain as the Scissor Queen’s thick thighs went about their brutal work.

With her match against Valley coming up, Alicia intended to be in the best shape possible. More than that, she intended to be as ready as she could be, ready to give the high-flying blonde the greatest challenge of her championship reign. At the end of the day, Alicia knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Valley hadn’t been sitting still since they last crossed paths in a ring.

And she wanted to make it clear to the veteran that neither had she.

If that meant the Friction trainers had to actually do their jobs and suck up some punishment, well, that was just too bad. That was what they got paid to do after all.

Not that Alicia enjoyed it much but she consoled herself with the idea that it’d make the match with Valley all the more special, just like the time she spent reviewing footage. It wasn’t so much trying to build a strategy as Alicia doing her best to make sure she was ready for whatever Valley threw her way.

This match was the one she’d been looking forward to most since she joined Friction. It was going to be something special.

The sound of a hand pounding frantically against the mats broke her brief reverie, the trainer having apparently decided cracked ribs were not her preferred future.

Immediately, Alicia released her, shoving her opponent casually out of her grip with one foot before rising to her feet.

Pausing only to grab her towel and bottle of water, she dropped out of the ring and strode towards the nearest workout bag. She wasn’t done yet, not by any means.

Masuyo Ai:

Man, this gym stinks. The air was humid and thick with sweltering heat and the rough scent of sweat. The locker rooms were fine enough. Pristine, in fact. Suppose that just showed that the women here were certainly going the extra mile.

Masuyo walked around, looking for something to use. The place looked like it was in full swing, and the women seemed remarkably dedicated. She looked around and confirmed her thinking. The sound of racking weights chiming left and right, the shouts of encouragement from friends and trainers alike. The AFW seemed to have an endless supply of hard-working beauties.

In fact, that described one such woman that Masuyo noticed as she made her way past the dumbbells and to the bench press. Some distance away, she sat for a moment and watched as the red-haired woman inside thrashed her opponent from one side of the ring to the other. What a brutal showing. This was a person who clearly had a lot on her mind if you could work over someone so dismissively.

The trainer was still on the mat when she exited the ring. Masuyo noticed the woman’s pained expression and how she clutched her arm. The redhead didn’t even look back. What was that spar to her? Another rep on an exercise machine? A tool that was used and put back without a thought between? She felt her eyebrow twitch as the trainer stood up and walked in the opposite direction.

She stood up, eyeing the fighter as she followed her. It looked like she was making her way to a workout bag. Scurrying behind the equipment and pillars, keeping out of view, Masuyo hurried over to the bag just as she was approaching it. Before she could begin her workout, Masuyo would slam her side into the bag, leaning into it whilst raising a hand.

“Yo!” Masuyo popped in out of the blue, assuming she hadn’t seen her approach. “I’d notice that aggressiveness and footwork anywhere. Mixed martial arts, right? That was a nice fight. You’re pretty good.”

Inwardly, she wanted to find out what this woman’s deal was. At the very least, she may have met a kindred spirit among the rabble.

She’d just had time to set her water bottle and towel down and eye up the bag when the dark-haired woman seemed to materialise out of nowhere.

Having not seen or noticed the newcomer’s approach, Alicia started, taking a step back and her hands starting to come up defensively before she caught herself.

”Hey,” She returned curiously to the stranger’s greeting, taking the opportunity to cast an eye over the other woman as she spoke. Japanese if Alicia was any judge, dark haired and dark eyed and built like a fighter. Lean but well-muscled in a functional way, one that immediately had the redhead curious, and of a similar height (if not build) to Alicia herself.

Dressed to work out. And sharp too, given what she was saying. Yes, she’d definitely have remembered this woman if they’d met before. This wasn’t just another trainer, this was someone who fought seriously for a living, if Alicia was any judge at least.

”Good eye,” the redhead offered by way of reply, nodding, ”MMA and kickboxing, since I was a kid.”

For a moment, she wavered, debating whether to point out that had hardly been a good showing of her skills, that Friction trainers were only one step up from workout bags when it came to putting up a fight, before deciding to at least try and take the compliment in the spirit it was meant.

”Thanks, though I’ve got to be honest – that was kind of boring. But I’ve got a big match coming up, need to be sharp. I’m Alicia by the way. Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before?”

Introduction made, she extended a hand to the other woman, curiosity very definitely peaked.

Alicia, huh? English, by the sound of her accent. She must be quite a fighter to be competing on the other side of the world. She seemed cordial enough, too. Maybe her impressions of this woman were off, just a bit.

Masuyo was still as sharp as ever, though. The woman was a mixed martial artist, and a formidable one at that it seems. She heard the Alicia’s reply and thought on a detail that caught her attention.

Boring? Hm. Never had a fight like that.

Masuyo noted inwardly her tone and expression as she said those words. Getting punched was never a “boring” thing in her experience. Fights were sometimes fast or slow, long or short, exhilarating or dreadful, and on a few occasions degrading. But boring? What kind of mind comes up with a deduction like that? Was she hardened, arrogant, neither? Maybe she’s just never been hit. She’d find out soon enough.

“You thought right.” She said, taking her handshake. “I’m Masuyo. Masuyo Ai. I’m one of the newbies who arrived last week. I was born here in Tokyo. I’m really impressed by how far the federation has come. I never thought AFW would become world-class, let alone fight in it! Its weirdly nostalgic walking around here.”

Ah, Alicia mentioned having a match coming up. Maybe that’s the reason for her nerves. She could probe a little deeper. Enough to see what this woman was really thinking.

“So that spar was for your match. Alright.” She gave a nod and crossed her arms, relaxing a little. “I never knew AFW had professionals working personally with everyone. They must be pretty strong to be hired by a world-class arena. Hopefully they’re as good as the gym hands I know back home, though a lot smarter I bet.” She eyed one male trainer in particular as he helped another wrestler set up. “And cuter.”

Her eyes snapped back to Alicia once the trainer caught her staring. “But I’m sure I’m just pointing out the obvious to you! That match coming up must have you pretty shaken with how hard you two were going at it, right?”

While Alicia wouldn’t have been able to pick up on the accent specifically, it was clear even to her that Masuyo was a local, something only confirmed by the other woman’s comments.

Her handshake was firm, her lips quirking in a little grin as they talked.

”Can’t say I ever thought I’d be fighting in Japan either. I’ve still not got used to it.”

At that point, Masuyo settled into a crossed-arms pose, watching Alicia. And the redhead’s eyes narrowed slightly, instincts prickling. There was something a bit wrong about that line, though she couldn’t put her finger on it before the other fighter moved on to talk about the trainers.

Well, the British amazon couldn’t say she’d been paying attention to the training staff’s looks at least… Hey, each to their own though. She was happy enough. But she was about to make her own opinion known on the trainers when Masuyo changed track again.

And this time caught the redhead completely on the hop because that came out of nowhere.

”Shaken?”

Alicia blinked in surprise, before her lips curled in the wide, eerie (even creepy) smirk she sported between the ropes.

”The opposite. I can’t wait. This could be the best fight I’ve had since joining this place. And I want to make sure I’m bringing my A game.”

There was a hunger underlying her tone, her eyes bright and hard with anticipation – anyone with eyes to see or ears to hear would never mistake her as shaken or worried. Hardly. The contrary in fact.

”Plus I spar hard. It’s why I’m not too popular with the trainers here, cute or not.” She shook her head, ”Don’t get your hopes up though. Most of them are pretty weak if you’re looking for a challenge. Good for a warm-up, good to practise on, bad to practise with.”

There was a cool, remorseless matter of fact tone to her voice. She wasn’t even annoyed about it – it was just the way the world was as far as Alicia was concerned.

Something clicked in the back of Masuyo’s mind at that last remark. Clearly, her assumptions weren’t far off. She could already feel her attitude slowly beginning to change.

“Hm. That so? Yeah, I guess wouldn’t be very popular.”

There was a sly implication in her voice that pointed towards Alicia’s attitude. Masuyo had met her fair share of these kinds of competitors. Sparring alone. Lacking respect. Self-centered. Yet, utterly devoted. Yeah, she fit most of the criteria. Now that she thought about it, she did recognize the woman from somewhere. Some sort of promotional material. Couldn’t have been that important, but it did make her just a bit more curious about the woman’s strength.

Masuyo stood up straight and placed a hand on her hip. Her gray eyes were still focused on the redhead despite the momentary pause.

“Either way, if you’re looking to bring your best, I don't get why you're being so safe about it. Look around. We’re in one of the best fighting circuits on the planet. You have local legends and world champions alike gathered here from every corner of the globe. So...why waste your time on a dime a dozen workout bag or, as you put it, subpar trainers?”

It was obvious to Masuyo that Alicia wasn’t downright hatred incarnate, but she could easily capitalize on her disrespectful attitude. She wasn’t going to go full frontal. There was an art to this, knowing how and when to provoke your opponent. Gin had taught her as much back in her days as a rookie. In and out of the ring, it was just as important as knowing when to strike them.  Here she was, not long from quite possibly the best match she was ever going to have, and the kickboxer was about to go to town on a simple sandbag like it would change something. There was only one reason Masuyo could surmise for that.

Her eyes narrowed before she finished, taking a step forward. “...oh, unless it's not just the trainers you’re unpopular with.”

She could avoid a real fight all she liked. Masuyo was intent on teaching this woman the benefits of pushing your limits, as well as a lesson in respect.

To be honest, Alicia hadn’t known what to expect by way of an answer. Different people reacted different ways and she had no idea, hadn’t even tried to guess what Masuyo’s would be. Fine. Not everyone agreed with her, that wasn’t something that bothered her.

So long as they didn’t bother her about her views, she was happy to live and let live.

On the other hand, the redhead wasn’t stupid. She knew when she was being baited.

There were a lot of things she could have said in response. For one thing, Masuyo had been here a solid week next to Alicia’s year in Friction. For another, any fighter worth their salt knew that you couldn’t spar all the time against equal or superior opponents. Punching bags might be boring, but they were still a valuable part of a training routine. And, for all the league was filled with legends from all around the world, that didn’t mean they were always available or willing to spar.

But instead she just narrowed her eyes and stepped forward to meet Masuyo.

”If you want a fight, stop wasting my time and just say so.”

Her tone was biting, her gaze uncompromising.

If Masuyo thought Alicia had avoided a fight in her life, she had a thing or two to learn. She was rapidly starting to dislike this newcomer who’d strutted in here and thought she knew anything about Alicia.

It might not be in Alicia’s nature to return the favour, to question Masuyo’s own skill or bravery, but she particularly loathed any suggestion that she was playing it ‘safe’. Or the not-entirely-subtle suggestion that she was too stupid to see the other options.

If she despised anything, it was the idea that she was some sort of thug.

Ah, there it was. The glare. She always enjoyed receiving that look. The all but certain guarantee of a confrontation. It just took a little more pushing.

“Easy, easy.” She said, holding her hands up innocently as if she weren’t in the wrong. “Waste your time? You were about to do that all yourself, hitting this bunch of sand like it would do something. I’m trying to help you here. But if you want to go back to your cloth, go ahead…”

Running her finger down the bag, Masuyo felt the texture of the sandbag. Synthetic. Firm. Perfect. In that instant, she unleashed all out fury onto the bag. The solid impact echoed like thunder. In just a few moments, the force would poke a hole on the other side, causing sand to leak out and speckle the gym floor.

“...except, it looks like this one’s no good. Told you, these things are a dime a dozen.” She uncurled her fist and shook her hand, feeling the pain subside. Considering she wasn’t entirely sure how Alicia would react, it was time to get serious. She turned back towards the woman with a proud smile on her face.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself.” She said, placing a hand onto her chest. “I’m Masuyo Ai, the 'Demon of Shibuya'. My days were spent trading blows with the best of Tokyo in the octagon, whilst my nights were spent dealing with ruthless vagabonds and gangsters forced to learn the errors of their ways. There is no one in the entire ward that dosen’t know my name. If you believe me worthy, Ms. Alicia, I’d like to engage with you in a sparring match. My technique against yours. I want to see what an MMA specialist, reborn within the federation, truly looks like!”

Courteous. Almost oddly so. It was a noticeable difference from how she began her debut. Perhaps Valley had succeeded in smacking some sense into her. The champion had managed better than most to beat that one lesson into her mind again and again: Never underestimate your opponent. That, and the fact that she was facing down with another practitioner of her style almost demanded some sort of respect, even before the fight began.

Extending her hand out, she awaited the red fighter’s response. A warm smile radiated on her face, in almost direct contrast with her actions. Not that she cared to notice though.

If Masuyo was expecting much of a reaction, she was destined to be disappointed.

An eyebrow rose as Alicia regarded the bag, then her, then the bag again even as the Japanese woman launched into what felt like a rehearsed spiel.

And that was another whole set of things she could have said in response.

Like ‘those bags might be dime a dozen, but so are uppity newbies who thought they could wander in and be the next big thing’. It wasn’t a sin Alicia herself was guilty of, but she’d already seen plenty of them.

And Alicia had been fighting in kickboxing and MMA for over half her life now. Punching a hole in a bag, while undoubtedly impressive, wasn’t really going to phase her.

”Cute.” Alicia’s tone and manner left it up to Masuyo to decide if the big redhead meant the destruction of the bag, the little spiel she’d just rattled off or both.

From someone else, Alicia would have put it all down to talk – the newcomer seemed to be a major chatterbox, something that grated by itself. On the other hand… Well, the confidence didn’t mean much. But the physique – that was telling. She hadn’t got a body like that hanging around.

And, for all she knew she ought to stick to her workout routine, Alicia hadn’t ever been able to resist the offer of a good fight.

”Like I said, all you had to do was say so,” The redhead offered, giving the offered hand a firm shake before turning away. ”C’mon then, Ms Demon. The ring’s still free.”

Alicia made her way over with swift strides, ducking through the ropes and adjusting her fingerless gloves as she waited for Masuyo to join her. There was a barely contained eagerness in her movements – while she hoped her opponent wasn’t so much of a chatterbox between the ropes, she was at least looking forward to a decent fight.

Her morning was officially looking up.

This woman clearly wasn’t your common fighter. Her face didn't yield in the slightest. Eyes steeped, focused on the battle envisioned before her. Masuyo couldn't help but smile at her adversary. She wasn’t just some holligan, hurting people for the sake of it, gaining victories because She carried herself with pride and purpose. Her existence extended beyond simply the opponent, beyond the ring, aiming high to achieve something greater. There was a gleam of admiration that flashed within Masuyo’s eyes as their hands.

Still, what was this nagging feeling in the back of her mind? She felt it back at school beating up bullies, she felt it in the alleyways after tripping up thieves and burglars, and she was getting it now. It couldn’t help but put her at odds with the redhead.

Her mind kept flashing back to the ring and the trainer, Alicia’s expression. Her mannerisms, attitude. The wires connected in her mind, sending sparks all over. The exhilaration overwhelmed her. There was no helping it. She had to fight Alicia. Even if it lasted just a couple minutes, she had to.

“Alright, then!” Masuyo exclaimed, following Alicia to the ring. “How do you want to do this? Normal rules? Submission? No disqualification? Whatever will prepare you for your match the most, I’m happy to oblige!”

Stepping into the ring, she took her spot at the center with Alicia. Cracking her knuckles, she tilted her head looking her opponent over. From a simple glance, she was a pleasure to  behold. Closer inspection revealed the formidable contours of her muscles. The impressive fitness of her arms and legs.

This was going to be fun. Holding her arms forward, legs spread wide, she awaited her opponent's response with a comfortable grin.