Modern Day Warriors - 'Demon' Masuyo Ai vs. Saikawa 'The Samurai' Saigo

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

Masuyo gave her fingerless gloves an unconscious tug as she looked down at the tablet in front of her. She cocked her head to the side, then the left, reading the text slowly as she thought about her match. Standard rules again, just like last time, which she was honestly happy with. Straightforward and no nonsense. A good and honest fight. Her first one since her debut. She couldn’t be more content with the arrangement. Her opponent was likely going to be happy with that too, from what little she was reading about her.

They were putting her against a newcomer this time. Not just any newcomer, either. A modern-day warrior of the Land of the Rising Sun. A samurai. At least, that’s what her profile seems to suggest. Masuyo had taken to scouting out her competition after the not-so-pleasent surprise that was Vritra Savage; her last match and the toughest one to date. Then again, she was probably about to say the same for her current opponent.

Saikawa Saigo. This woman certainly didn’t look like a pushover. She was a bit taller, had a similar build, competed in a number of martial arts tournaments, and seemed to be a serious practitioner of Kenjutsu. So she had the reach, the experience, and she could swing a sword with such expertise it was as if she were one of the soldiers of old. Good to know.

Even so, Masuyo wasn’t deterred. In fact, she was practically beaming with excitement. This was going to be her first time in the federation going up against someone of a similar hertiage. The high-flying acrobats and boisterous personalities that formed the bulk of AFW were all well and fun to be around, but she'd never gone toe to toe with someone who wasn't all about being big or entertaing. She'd never gotten a real fighter until now. For that reason, she decided that today was a special occasion. It was her first match against a rookie, and her first fight against a woman who, like her, was deeply proud of her heritage and wore it proudly. This time, she decided to unveil with her new attire. She looked over her appearance in the mirror. Nothing too different from before, but the key addition was Gin’s scarf wrapped around her neck. It looked good, too. Flashy and lucky.

Masuyo Ai:

The stage hand came around the corner, eyes just barely visible past his sunglasses as he looked down at his clipboard. He looked up at her before knocking on the door, getting her attention. “We’re ready."

He disappeared back around the corner before she could reply. Masuyo put the tablet in her locker and shut it. A few moments later, she made her way to the gorilla position, giving her arm one good crank.

A wide smile grew on her face as she heard the koto chime in. The lights flashed and she quickly made her way down the ramp. Reaching out to the side, she gave some of her fans a few slaps. The energy was up and the atmosphere was electric. Quite a good turnout for a rookie’s debut. Then again, maybe Masuyo was just a fan favorite. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, things were already looking up.

Running and leaping over the top rope, Masuyo bounced to the center of the ring and threw a fist in the air, hearing the roar of the crowd all around her. She threw a few fists before turning around and leaning against the ropes, facing the ramp.with her arms crossed beneath her chest. Her eyes took in the view for a couple seconds as the koto faded into the emerging silence. There was a bit of a rabble even after her music died down. People seemed excited to see the Demon take on the Samurai. Now all that was left was to just wait.

Saikawa was focusing on the match ahead of her. This was her first match in AFW, and she did not allow herself to make any mistake. For now, the woman was preparing as she was before any competition. In front of her, her replica Katana and Wakizashi were placed on their traditional stand while she was sitting in the Traditional Seiza position, eyes closed. In her mind, Saikawa was going through the entire match, going over all the things that she had managed to find out about her opponent.

Masuyo Ai was the name of her opponent. As far as Saikawa knew, she didn't have the intense training in Traditional Japanese Martial Arts that she herself had, but with what she had heard about the woman's experience in MMA, she could not afford to underestimate her. Nonetheless, the Samurai had a confident smile on her face as she picked up the two replica swords from their stand and tied them to the side of her black Kimono.

Saikawa Saigo:

While she was making her way towards the entrace, hearing the cheers for her opponent. As the music and the crowd started to grow Silent, Saikawa nodded to herself, just as she heard her Entrance Music start. Slowly, the Samurai made her way towards the Ring, to face her opponent, the Demon.

The crowd didn't cheer for her as much as they did for Masuyo, but Saikawa couldn't have care less. To her, they were simple peasants, and as long as they did not disrespect her, she had no reason to even notice them while making her way down the ramp. Once she was standing in front of the Ring, Saikawa undid the knot keeping both the replica swords tied to her hip, placing them down on the ground before taking off her Kimono as well.

Her Ring attire was simple, no need for any Decoration, black boots, Purple tights and tanktop, along with her fists and forearms wrapped in white bandages. Once she had made sure that her swords and Kimono would be taken care of, Saikawa slid into the Ring under the bottom Rope, getting to her feet and giving Masuyo a short, courteous bow. "I am looking forward to fighting you. Know that you will be defeated by a true Samurai."

Well, she seemed to know how to make an entrance. The woman came out in a fluttering black kimono and a couple swords at her side. Long hair fluttering behind her with the flowing cloth. It was quite a sight when you were standing in the ring, seeing the devotion in her eyes and knowing it was coming at you. She was receiving a mixed reception, but that was typical for a newcomer. For Masuyo, she was getting amped. Her opponent was showing quite a bit of promise, and she hadn’t even stepped into the ring yet.

As she neared the ring, she admitted she was getting a little nervous. Were those katanas real? No way. It wouldn’t surprise her coming from a Kenjustu specialist. Thankfully, she didn’t enter the ring with them. Her actual attire was less flashy. Less so than her own in fact. Tank top and shorts, but the colors suited her. Masuyo couldn’t help but smile when she heard her promise. It reminded her of her own debut in a subtle way.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Saikawa.” She placed her fist in her opposite palm and bowed forward, returning her gesture with the same amount of composure. She leaned back and bounced off the ropes when the referee called for the center, letting her scarf flutter slightly behind her. He was explaining the rules, but Masuyo had learned to block him out. “You seem pretty sure of yourself. But you’re facing the Demon of Shibuya. If you’re gonna beat me, you have to come at me with everything you got!”

She placed her hands on her hips as the ref kept going on with his instructions. Her head cocked to the side as she looked the Samurai up and down. Toned, serious, impressive. Everything she was looking forward to so far.

Saikawa allowed a little smile to appear on her face when she saw masuyo bowing in return. At least this one knew respect, something that she heard not everyone in this league did. "Demon you say? I say Demons are not real, so let me demonstrate you actual strength." She told her opponent, waiting for the referee to finish his instructions.

Once he was done, Saikawa took a small step back and got ready, the smile vanishing from her face, replaced by a focused gaze, measuring her opponent carefully. Masuyo seemed to be in quite good shape, someone who would put up a good fight, at least Saikawa thought of her this way from the first impression. Still, she was determined to prove her superiority.

As soon as the bell Rang, the Samurai quickly moved towards Masuyo, aiming to slam into her with her right shoulder to hopefully get the woman off her feet, or at least disrupt her.

Masuyo liked the confidence. She really did. So many of the opponents she had spoke from an air of haughty arrogance. A sin she wasn’t entirely free of for her debut. But she could feel the energy radiating off this woman as her smile faded away. The aura surrounding her was thick with determination. The MMA specialist had seen it but a few times before. Saikawa was a woman who had seen countless battles. Every hair stood up on end. Masuyo could hardly wait to get started.

So when the bell finally rang, Masuyo placed her foot behind her, ready to sprint full steam ahead towards the long-haired fighter. Until she charged at her instead.

“Whoa-”

There was just enough time for her to get a guard up, letting her forearms take the brunt of the impact as they recoiled and smacked her jaw. She cringed and reeled back, purposely taking a few steps back to try and make some distance.That was a first for her. The Demon had always made a point to try and be the first to strike, but this Samurai squashed whatever plans she had in a heartbeat. That was a good charge. Quick and effective. What a nice first impression.

She stood one foot by the final step before firmly planting herself back down, trying to regain her composure for a second. Her eyes hastily darted to the side to find the purple-haired fighter before any more damage could be dealt.

Saikawa smiled as she felt her attack connecting, feeling like she had caught her opponent off-guard. She could tell that Masuyo was not an inexperienced fighter, and she absolutely loved that she'd get a capable opponent. Still, as much as Saikawa enjoyed the fact that she had gotten an opponent like Masuyo, she was also very confident that she would beat her. After all, to Saikawa her heritage and training were a huge advantage.

With Masuyo trying to regain her composure, the purple-haired woman quickly advanced, ducking low to avoid any potential punches to her head or chest, instead trying to drive her left shoulder into the Demon's chest from below.

Masuyo was just getting her footing realigned when she heard her opponent making a mad dash toward her. Her eyes snapped back to her as the Samurai hurried towards her. She was glad she’d played it safe now and taken a few extra steps to reorient herself. This woman came in fast and hit hard. Should have expected that from a Kenjutsu champion. Staying on the defense would only work for so long against someone like her. The Demon would have to respond just as aggressively.

Saikawa was coming in low, looking for another charge no doubt. She was very close to getting it to. Masuyo didn’t even bother to turn all the way back around at the first glimpse of it. Instead, she firmly planted on her back foot, her side facing the woman and leaning back slightly for a standing roundhouse kick aimed right at the charging warrior’s head.

Or chest. Or stomach. Anywhere, really. Hard to tell from this angle. So long as it made some distance between the two, Masuyo would be happy with how it landed.

Saikawa had expected some kind of kick to come her way, shifting in her charge and reaching out to grab her opponent's leg as she felt the impact right beneath her chest. Even for the Samurai, this wasn't something she'd easily shrug off. Still, Saikawa knew that she'd have to show strength and keep fighting, and that is what she did.

Focusing just on her opponent, Saikawa tried her best to get a hold of the Demon's foot before she could pull it back, hoping to take Masuyo with her and make her fall in an attempt to buy herself some time to recover from that kick.

The immediate response once Masuyo had realized her kick had been blocked was a mere click of her tongue in frustration.

There was power behind it, and Saikawa certainly felt that, but her guard was formidable nonetheless. Now, once she realized her leg had been caught, the next response was a lot less subtle. Her eyes went wide and her arms made some interesting movements as she struggled to retain her balance. The samurai threw her to the side, taking the MMA maven off her back foot and rolling onto the ring.

Couldn’t let her gain the momentum, though. It was a bit of a tumble, but the Demon knew better than to stay down for too long. Saikawa had power. No doubt about that, but could the same be said of her speed? One way to find out.

Masuyo would catch herself mid-roll and spring forward. Coming in low, she’d move to grab hold of Saikawa’s legs. Once she took her down to the canvas, hopefully she could land a few punches in the confusion.

Just getting up from the kick herself, Saikawa raised an Eyebrow in Surprise when she saw Masuyo already moving towards her to take her down. The Samurai had not expected such swiftness from her opponent and thus quickly found herself with her back crashing to the canvas and Masuyo's fists aiming for her face.

Saikawa knew she would have to gain the upper hand again, and for that she needed a plan. The first step would, quite obviously, be to get the Demon off of her. To get this done, the Samurai kept her arms covering her face as best as she could, but got hit in the side , gritting her teeth when she felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs.

But the Red haired Warrior knew she had to push through this, using this moment to lash out, aiming a left hand at Masuyo's side as best as she could while at the same time trying to hit her opponent in the shoulder with a right, hoping to distract her enough to create some separation.