Rogue Harpy vs Jesse Rogers

Standard Match
Victory Condition: Pinfall, Submission or KO

Spoiler:

Things hadn’t exactly gone according to plan for Jesse since her arrival in Japan.

Her dumb brother had come up with the whole idea of them coming to AFW. She’d been skeptical about it all from the start, despite her confidence in her own abilities, but everything that had happened since only seemed to confirm the worst of her fears. They might’ve been the brother and sister of Julia Rogers, but neither of them had anything close to the breakout start here that she had. Hell, neither of them had even managed to claim their first victory here yet, even with Jesse’s fearless tenacity and Josh’s tremendous strength.

But maybe tonight was the night all of that would start to turn around. Tonight she was scheduled to take on a new, debuting star for Friction. She knew next to nothing about her foe. But on paper, this was a perfect opportunity. A solid win here could possibly, finally, be the first step down a road to prosperity that had thus far eluded her. So when her music began to play over the speakers in the Friction arena, Jesse was full of confidence and adrenaline as she stepped through the curtain.

Clad in her black top and trunks, red fingerless gloves, and black taping over her ankle and the middle of her feet, the blonde brawler quickly walked down the aisle, never once even sparing a single glance to anyone in the crowd. None of them had ever been a point of focus for her in the slightest, and tonight was no exception. She gave no indication that any cheers, cat calls or other shouts from the audience even reached her ears. Jess rolled under the bottom rope and popped up to her feet, then immediately turned to face the stage and glared, awaiting the arrival of the unfortunate woman she’d be painting black and blue tonight...

Spoiler:

Finally. She finally has her debut match. Only took management six years or something.

Not that she was complaining, she did enjoy her time in Japan so far. But even then, Rouge couldn't deny she was getting bored.

"Might as well gone back home when I signed that contract and waited for them to call me..." The blonde sighed as she sat on her chair, her feet resting on the dressing table. Holding a pair of cards from her own personal pack, Rouge looked at the Straight Flush poker hand with lethargy as she waited for the stage hand to come. Don't be wrong, she is excited to finally have her debut, making an appearance to the many in attendance, kicking ass and taking names. She didn't feel much pressure about fighting in front of an audience. But she was a bit worried that her skills have dulled since having her 'holiday' in Japan, travelling to Tokyo and Kyoto and even getting into the bike scene there. Oh well, hopefully her opponent could knock some rust off her. Not too hard that she gets knocked out of course.

In fact, who is her opponent anyways? Rouge had next to no clue as to who it might be, management just said that there is a fight and that's all. She wondered if that is how it's gonna be, but she cannot like, not knowing your opponent did make her excited. Hopefully her opponent could actually fight. She's not here to fight a complete jobber.

The stage hand knocks on the door and tell her that it's time. Rouge lets out another sigh before getting her feet off the table and standing up, stretching her limbs. "Well then. C'est l'heure du spectacle." She leaves the hand on the table, but takes the eight of spades as she prepares to make her entrance.

Egregori blasts through the speakers and  Rouge makes her appearance to the Friction crowd, clad in her main attire, which doesn't seem like the one you'd use in a professional fight, but this is AFW so it probably doesn't matter much. Playing with the card in her hand, both of them in gloves that is only fingerless in the little fingers, same could be said with her trousers, the right side is cut off and showing off her thigh. Her attire could be best described if a office secretary and a Final Fight game did a fusion or something. Her black and red ankle boots looking stylish though. Rouge did play with the fans a little, blowing kisses as she walked down the aisle. All eyes are on the newcomer and they can't wait to see what skills she's got.

Climbing up the steps, and getting to the apron, she flicked her hair back, blonde but fading to black at the ends, she slips from between the top and middle ropes before skipping towards her opponent. Unlike Rouge, Jesse looks ready to fight. She looks up and down at Jesse, appraising her. It seems like an unfavorable matchup, Rouge's opponent was taller and outweighed her by another 20lbs. Things to be wary about. However, Rouge doesn't give a shit about that. As they say, 'It's not the size of the girl in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the girl.'

"So. You're my opponent then." Rouge speaks, hands on hips as she slowly struts to Jesse. "And you look like you could fight. Très sympa. I'm no pushover either, sweetie." She offers her hand for Jesse to shake before the match began. "No hard feelings when you get knocked out, right? Hate to make an enemy on my first day."

Watching her foe make her way down to the ring, Jesse couldn’t help but be reminded of Julia, if only slightly. There was a certain confidence and flare about her. This girl wasn’t playing to the crowd quite as much as her sister would, but she gave them more than enough attention to garner some extra cheers while she strode down the aisle. Jesse never really saw the point of that. The way she saw it, nothing they could do influenced whether or not she could beat an opponent, so it seemed needless to put effort in winning their favor.

Once Rogue entered the ring and skipped over to her, Jesse quickly noticed she was the bigger of the two. Not by much, but it was still the first time she’d be enjoying a size advantage in this league, and she made a mental note to use that to her advantage as often as she could. Although, if the other blonde was even remotely worried over being shorter or lighter, it damn sure didn’t show. That smile, the carefree nature about her as she approached, and particularly her words… It seemed pretty evident this chick seemed to think a win over her was a lock, and this was all little more than a formality. That thought didn’t sit well at all with Jesse. She may not’ve exactly been the league’s most seasoned veteran in her own right, but she had absolutely no intention of letting some newbie use her as a stepping stone.

Jesse grabbed the hand extended to her, firmly, then pulled Rogue in nice and close, so their foreheads pressed together and her fiery eyes were glaring right into her opponent’s. “We’ll see how friendly ‘yer feelin’ after I’m through with ‘ya,” she said, then released the girl’s hand before stepping back into her corner. Jesse put her fists up and started to bounce lightly on her feet, eagerly awaiting the sound of the bell. She wasn’t here to make friends. Her only intention tonight was to have her arm raised by the ref. Beyond that, not much else mattered.

A little confidence can be healthy. Although there might be a thing of a little too much confidence.

Rouge certainly doesn't hide that she's extremely confident in herself. To her, you have to be if you wanna succeed. While acting a bit cocky, Rouge is still looking forward to this. By the looks of her opponent, she'd be in for a tough fight. And she liked that. It would make her debut win more convincing to the audience.

Her hand has been extended for a moment before Jesse soon accepts the handshake, giving a firm squeeze before pulling the smaller blonde towards her. Jesse glared, fire in her eyes and are starting straight into Rouge's cyan-like pools. If Jesse was planning on intimidating Harpy then it doesn't seem to be having an effect. Maybe because of the brilliant poker face that allows her to not change her expression, but Rouge had little to fear about Jesse.  She just...smiled at her. Zero fucks given. "Hehe. Somebody's mad. And oh so serious. Probably high strung too." Rouge assess Jesse's reaction, there could be some buttons that could trigger the Rogers sibling. She could use that to her advantage...

Jesse soon let's go of Rouge's hand and steps back to her corner. The blonde turns, her eyes following her. "So we could still be friends, right?" She would ask, knowing the kind of answer she would be getting.  She didn't need to but can't help but joke after Jesse went all serious on her. A brief moment before she turned to her own corner, giving a grimaced/yikes facial expression to the fans. "Maaaayybeee not..." Rouge muttered under her breath as she made her way to the opposite corner. Turning to face the ever so serious blonde, bringing her dukes up before bouncing on her feet as if she has springs under them. Adrenaline pumping through her veins as she waits for that bell to ring.

The only answer offered to Rogue's question was Jesse's silent but intense glare continuing to focus on her. She could respect that this girl wasn't easily intimidated, but her attitude still rubbed Jesse the wrong way. Granted, there were few people who didn't rub her the wrong way, but still.

When Rogue finally took her stance, Jesse right away saw that it practically mirrored her own. The only noticeable difference was that she was getting much more air on her bounces. Hard to tell if she was intentionally jumping higher just to mock Jesse, or if she just naturally went that high when she bounced like this. If the latter was correct, it could mean Rogue had more in common with Julia than simple showmanship. Then again, it could mean a lot of things. It was probably best to be patient and learn more about this girl before she made any assumptions.

With that in mind, the second the bell rang, Jesse quickly moved out of her corner and went to close the distance between herself and Rogue. As soon as she was near striking distance Jesse put on the breaks and began to shift right and left, carefully eyeing Rogue's movements. She was hoping to confine her foe to a limited space and give her less room to work with. Then after a quick step forward Jesse would throw her right foot out, aiming a low and quick roundhouse kick at Rogue's thigh. Nothing too big or fancy, just testing the waters a bit.

No response, Jesse going back to her corner and there is just silence as the two wait for the bell. A bit awkward, there wasn't much to say after that. Rouge registered that Jesse wasn't the type to joke around with or have some good banter. Stuff to at least levitate the mood a little. No. This one was serious. A stark contrast to Rouge. But she seems like she could fight, above cheap stuff, doesn't waste time and not the type to hold back. That is probably the only good thing she could take from Jesse. That and the fact that she's a blonde too but who gives a fuck about that.

Rouge isn't the type to be lazy, especially with her stance, which does have a bit more bounce than Jesse. The Rogers Sibling could take it however she wants, Rouge is just excited and eager to get this party started against a fellow striker. And just a second after the bell rang, both fighters coming out of their own respective corners, Rouge was correct as Jesse came in with grace that only a professional fighter could do. Left foot in front, right in the back, not a step misplaced as Rouge meets Jesse. She keeps her eye on Jesse as she moves, being cautious against this one. Being an experienced striker in her own right, it is quite common for fighters to start low, just testing one's reactions and gauging their abilities. A known tactic, starting from the ground up and making your way to the top.

Rouge brought her left leg up just to parry the kick, Jesse's foot clapped into the leg with a meaty thunk. "Ngh!" The kick did make her grunt, the stinging pain brought by the impact. It ain't her knee, but she did get a taste of how strong Jesse's legs were. It will sting, but Rouge is close enough to have her turn. She goes for something simple, wanting to gauge Jesse's abilities and she fires a quick left jab aiming towards her opponent's jaw before firing a right jab, this time aiming towards the solar plexus.

Not a single beat was missed, nor any motion wasted as Rogue came out to meet Jesse. Every step was taken with calculated purpose, both wrestlers constantly adjusting to the other to find the best positioning possible, searching for an opening to strike at while being weary of what might come back. Barely seconds had passed since the opening bell had rung, and Jesse found she was already learning a lot about Rogue, but there were still too many important pieces missing.

One thing she could tell for certain though, was this girl knew what she was doing.

Jesse’s leg lashed out, and though her foe raised the leg to parry the blow, a loud smack rang out and brought a nice little grimace to Rogue’s pretty face. But she didn’t get long to enjoy it. Her opponent was quick on the counterattack. Jesse brought her left hand in front of the first oncoming punch to intercept it with her palm, but wasn’t quite so lucky with the next. It slipped right through her guard and smacked right against her chest. “Rgh!” she grunted out at the blow, taking a step back to recover. It hadn’t been anything too devastating, but it was a good sign that Jesse might want to be careful with how she proceeded next.

She circled the girl for a moment and thought over her options. From what little she’d seen thus far, it seemed like a safe bet that Rogue was a more than confident striker. But how was her grappling? Only one way to find out. Jesse shot a sudden jab out toward Rogue’s face as a feint, before ducking down and lunging forward, trying to throw her arms around the girl’s legs and tackle her down to the mat.

The crowd cheering loudly, already attacks are thrown and it hasn't even passed 20 seconds or so. Neither wasting any time here as the two trades there first strikes. Rouge scoring first blood when her right hand hit it's mark, striking right against Jesse's chest. It wasn't a powerful and devastating shot but it does show that she's not someone you could sleep on. Her smile not leaving the blonde, just this short exchange and she was learning a lot from her opponent.

Jesse sure as hell doesn't just look like a fighter. This would be a tough one.

Going back to looks, Rouge at first glance may not look like a fighter but she proved it already. Jesse meanwhile does have some tells that gives the blonde some clues. Rouge watches from her gloves fist, studying more on her opponent. Just from the get up alone, she hazard a guess she's more than a striker. From the looks of it, possibly MMA. If that's the case, then she'd have to be a bit careful, picking her momemts.

Jesse came in again firing a jab, her head swiveled to the side, although being a mere feint to setup for something else. An experienced fighter in her own right, Rouge can recognise the setup. "This one's smart..." She thinks to herself as Jesse dips her body down and lunges towards her, trying to take her legs.

She's no stranger to this sort of tactic, and that proved to confirm Rouge's suspicions. As Jesse comes lunging in, Rouge attempts to get her left arm around Jesse before swinging her legs back. "Oh no you don't!" If Jesse wants to take this to the ground then Rouge has no quarrels with that, looking to sneak in a guillotine choke if possible.

From one martial artist to another...

That persistent little smile on Rogue's face was irritating Jesse to no end. Right now she wanted nothing more than to drill the other blonde in the lips so hard even the thought of smiling again would hurt. All in due time, perhaps.

For now, it was time to test Rogue's grappling game. Jesse managed to duck under the girl's guard and lunge in. But in doing so she'd only succeeded in diving right into a trap. Her foe's legs moved out of reach, an arm snaked around her neck, and Rogue's weight pulled her to the ground. It all happened in an instant, but Jesse immediately recognized the severity of the danger she was in.

"Fuck!" she blurted out while her hands immediately pulled against Rogue's arm to try ease the pressure of the hold, and her feet madly scrambled around in search of the ropes. One of the benefits of advancing quickly on Rogue right when the bell rang was that she was closer to the ropes than she'd be if they had started right in the middle of the ring. Jesse hadn't planned on needing the escape route, but she was more than glad it was there now.

Still, even if she got to the ropes and forced the break, the fact that she got caught in such a deadly hold so early wasn't about to do anything to help Jesse's already sour mood...

Rouge was loving it so far. The fast paced struggle between the two got her heart pounding and adrenaline flowing. Guess management was trying to find a good opponent for the blonde's debut.

She managed to get the bigger blonde down, with her arms wrapped around Jesse and attempts to put the pressure on the hold. Jesse's hand trying to pull on Rouge's arm to ease the pressure, Rouge trying to weaken the Rogers Sibling.

"Nice try. blondie." She chuckled as Jesse struggled in the hold, it took a while for Rouge to clock that Jesse's feet were attempting to find the ropes. Rouge's right eyebrow cocks up. She dresses like a MMA fighter but this seems a bit too quick to try and get to the ropes to break the hold. There could be the argument that Jesse has good awareness of her surroundings but surely she would be capable with some ground work.

"Not the brightest idea you had, ne pensez-vous pas? Almost as if you don't know what you are doing..." A bit of verbal barbs and taunting to add more salt to the wounds.

Rouge, not really caring that Jesse is trying to get to the ropes, tries to roll the bigger woman over so that they both would be on their backs, attempting to transition into a gator roll. Sure, it would make them more closer to the ropes, but she doesn't intend on making it such a quick victory.

Although it would be funny if it was.