A Friendly Wager

Masuyo Ai:

The sound of bodies slamming into the canvas and the whiffing whistles of flying fists echoed throughout the gym. Masuyo was going at it with one of her favorite trainers, pacing back and forth around him. She liked this gym. It was a good gym. Large, full of dedicated people, and the trainers weren’t half bad. This guy in particular was one of the few gym hands around with any MMA experience and she’d taken a liking to his style. It reminded her of Gin, in a subtle way, and she’d prefer training with him whenever her mentor was away. With one final effort, she gave him a strong uppercut, breaking through his guard and sending him stumbling backwards onto his back. The impact resounded throughout the place, turning a few heads their way.

The dust settled and she let out a slight sigh of relief. A proud smile grew on her face as she helped the trainer to his feet.

“Nice fight! I think you’re getting faster. If you’re not careful, you might actually hurt me.” The trainer let out a groan. These spars weren’t getting any less intense.

“You’re a million laughs a minute, kid.”

“Heh, you know it. Same time next week?”

“How ‘bout next month? I think my shoulder’s dislocated.”

“Ha! You’re really funny. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Ugh.”

With that, the trainer grabbed his equipment and walked away to the backroom, in desperate need of a bag of ice. Maybe some gaws. Masuyo watched him exit as she grabbed her towel and water bottle. She looked around while wiping a bit of sweat away from her forehead, thinking of what to do next. She wasn’t too familiar with the equipment and wasn’t too keen on using a sandbag. Stationary targets weren’t her forte. Giving her neck a slight crack, she decided on just heading home. Probably better not to push herself and risk an injury before her next match. Whenever that was.

Exiting the ring, she hopped down and looked for the locker room. Where was it again? Jeez, this place is big.

Fubuki:

Watching from the shadows of the gym, a attractive woman in her mid twenties watched Masuyo take down the trainer with seemingly little effort. In her time as a wrestler, and as a manager, the woman developed an eye for talent. While her record was nothing to sniff at, no one could deny that Fubuki was irresistibly drawn to strong women with innate talent.

No sooner had the woman left the ring, than Fubuki sauntered down, waving so she could catch Masuyo's attention, "Hey there gorgeous! Impressive work over there! I take it you are new here to AFW? The name is Fubuki Kessho. I'm a manager here, and always looking for talented women in the ring."

Ah, there it was.

Masuyo started making her way to the lockers when something caught her eye. There was a woman waving to her, getting her attention as she came closer. She was very...impressive to say the least. Masuyo’s eyes were drawn to her chest sooner than her eyes. Snapping away, a slight blush formed on her face as she heard the woman’s introduction. It was both out of surprise and a slight embarrassment.

“Manager? Well, you have a good eye Ms-” She was staring at her chest again. Her eyes snapped back up. “Ms. Kessho. I’m one of the rookies that arrived last month. Masuyo Ai, the ‘Demon of Shibuya’, or 'Demon Masuyo'. But uh, I guess ‘gorgeous’ if fine too."

Wasn't the first time she'd gotten those kinds of compliments, but man did they catch her off guard.

"You may have seen my debut against the Entropy champion, Valley. Sucks that I lost. And there I was planning on challenging Northman, next!”

Masuyo let out a slight chuckle before focusing a bit more on Fubuki. She stopped to see her reaction. Hopefully she was making a decent impression. She’d never met a manager before. They were probably used to this kind of boasting.

Fubuki was quick to catch those subtle hints. THe dropping of her eyes, the double take, the subtle blush. Seems she caught this "demon's" attention in more ways than one. All the better for her. Walking around Masuyo, the manager and part timer looked the MMA fighter up and down with a hum of approval.

"Yes...indeed. You have a lot of potential gorgeous, but Northman is a nasty piece of work. You'll have to fight your way up the ladder to get to her, and even then there is no guarantee that you'll win. However....I think you got what it takes."

Stepping up to Masuyo, Fubuki was less than a foot away from the other woman, "Prove my hunch right hun. Show me what you can do in the ring. Manage to impress me, and I might be able to connect you with the right people who can get you on the right path to Northman."

Masuyo couldn’t help but tense up a bit as she circled around her. She had never met someone so appealing. There was something a little odd about how suddenly this situation was moving forward. Yeah, she’d clearly made an impression around the federation, but she expected...I don’t know...papers? A meeting? Starting things off with a match was a bit off.

But that offer was a little too good to refuse. Her fists likely couldn't solve every problem thrown at her. What could be the harm? It’s just a fight. And this was what she was here for, after all.

“You really think I got what it takes? I mean...I figured as much but…” Ah, forget it. She could use the help, even if it was just a little.  “Alright, you’ve got a deal Fuboobi-buki. I don’t know what exactly you can do for me as a manager, but I can’t wait to see what the wrestler in you has in mind.”

She took a step to the side, making a little space between them. She smelled fresh, like lilacs. Smiling pleasantly at the woman, she raised her empty hand towards the ring.

“Managers first?”

Fuboobi huh? Well wasn't this a pleasant surprise. Fubuki wondered if her appearance alone was leaving this tough gal all hot and bothered. Not that she minded. The manager admired strength, both in her clients, and occasional partners in.....other activities.

Masuyo certainly as a product of whatever intense training she had put herself through. The young woman had sculpted her body into a sexy mound of muscle, perfect for the federation. Wins an losses mattered little really. What made you succeed or fail was how you impressed the crowd. Sometimes that required a dominant victory, and other times it meant you were jobbing out to the biggest heel on the roster.

As she entered the ring, her eyes met those stormy gray ones. Strength and beauty....perfect qualities. She could imagine Masuyo succeeding here. She could easily see both scenarios. Masuyo standing tall over a mountain of her defeated opponents holding up the title. She could also see the young woman eating a LOT of pins and knock outs. Already the thought of smothering that cute face for the knock out was too appealing to her.

"Well hun. Just for a bit of fun, how about some stakes? I do this with most of my matches, If you win, what would you like from me? Don't worry gorgeous, whatever it is, I'm sure I can take it." she said, stretching and subtly showing off her attractive body.

Masuyo took a moment to lag behind a bit as she watched her challenger enter the ring, taking in her figure as she bent down and crossed between the ropes. God, was she really gonna have to grapple with all that? How could she retain her focus? Thankfully this was just a spar. There was no doubt in her mind she'd use that to her advantage.

Fortitude, Masuyo, fortitude. There's nothing but the fight in front of you. Focus on that.

Her suspicions were more or less confirmed when they were both in their respective corners in the ring. She couldn't help but stare at the busty woman as she started stretching across from her. There was no need for Masuyo to follow suite. She was limber enough after her earlier spar. Her fine curves and voluptuous chest and thighs clung tightly to her as she twisted and bent this way and that. Her sighs nearly put her in a trance. Then, the manager made her wager. Needless to say, Masuyo was taken aback.

“Really? Um...well…”

Masuyo looked around a bit. A few people exchanged glances before returning to their routine. This was a bit of an awkward setting for this exchange. Her mind was drawing blank after blank. Fubuki was the one making all the offers and conditions up until now, and Masuyo was fine with how things were going. What more could she want? The woman had offered her everything. Except...except...

“I-I couldn’t think of anything, really. You're being awfully….generous, Ms. Kessho. How could I ask anything more of you?” Her eyes glanced over to the side, trying to find something to focus on. “Unless you wanted to...I don't know...have a post-match, uh, evaluation? For you, I mean. The 'Demon of Shibuya won't just waltz into these kind of arrangement. Coercion is essential in business, right? I’d like to see what kind of assets you have that you can bring to the table. We could do it right after. If you have time on your hands, that is.”

So this is the game they were playing. Nothing was ever straightforward around here.

"Oh? A post match evaluation you say?" Fubuki answered masterfully hiding her smile as she tapped her chin, "Well I don't see why not. Yes...that sounds great. In fact, I have just the place that will work perfectly."

Finishing up her stretching, the woman cracked her neck, eyes sparking with that mischievous glint that hadn't been there since her full time career was booming. Truth be told, she didn't care how this match ended. She felt she nabbed her quite the fighter. Fubuki could wind up eating a pin or smothering Masuyo until she was snoozing peacefully against her....it truly did not matter.

Sauntering to the middle of the ring, she held out her hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship, but if Masuyo accepted it, she pulled the MMA fighter closer so the two were face to face.

"Alright Masuyo" she whispered, practically purring the other's name, "Impress me."

At least she was getting better at this back and forth they had going. Masuyo seemed to have struck a chord with the woman, as she graciously accepted her offer. An approving smile made its way onto her face as she made a nod of approval towards the alluring manager. Thankfully they could do this in private. And that look in her eyes was getting her hyped up.

As the woman slowly made her way towards the center of the ring, Masuyo would move towards her as well. Seeing her offer a handshake, Masuyo gladly accepted, only to be yanked forward until their faces were inches apart. Her heart skipped a beat as the woman asked to be impressed. Her cool breath waft past her face, making her twitch involuntarily a little. This woman was using all the mind games. But Masuyo was never one to back down from a challenge.

“Alright. If you insist.”

Keeping a grip on her hand, Masuyo would attempt to deftly sidestep around Fubiki, getting behind her and into a reverse armlock. With her free arm, she’d lock her in a chokehold.

From this position, she would whisper into her ear. “Get ready to be blown away.”

Ohhhhh she was a sly one. Not only was Masuyo catching onto her word's but offering her own bit of banter to keep focus. She was a quick learner, and adept at submissions it seemed. Taking Fubuki's arm, the MMA fighter locked in behind her, wrenching her arm to keep the manager in check. As painful as it was, she mad a critical error.

"Oh honey, don't get too sure of yourself." she breathed, her free hand reaching up to Masuyo's head wrapping her forearm around it. It was good timing when she did, blocking Masuyo's attempt to lock in a choke hold. Dumb luck probably, if you ask her, but she'd make use of it. Not skipping a beat, she let her body become dead weight, dragging her opponent down into a makeshift stunner!

The manager would try to bring the cutie's jaw slamming into her shoulder, more to prove that she wasn't one to be underestimated.