Blue Imugi vs. Armando 'Army' Rodriguez - Thunder and Lightning

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or KO

***

Army stood in the gorilla position, decked out in his usual wrestling attire - the red boxer shorts with the black trim, the matches boots, the grappling gloves - getting in some last second warming up with his cousin, Felina. Nothing too complicated, just working out with some pads, smacking them around as she raised and lowered them, perfecting the time.

”Up top! 1,2!”

She raised the pads up, he smacked them with a jab and a straight.

”Down low! 1, 2!”

She dropped them, he smacked them again.

He was usually good about concentrating during these things, and normally didn’t have a problem getting in the zone pre-match. Especially a match against someone he’d never met with nothing on the line. But there was something about this particular one that was getting under his skin a bit, something that had been sinking in since her first heard his opponent’s name, and was starting to fester.

”Imugi! Imugi! Imugi!”

Yeah, that. The audience was already chanting her name, and the match wasn’t even starting yet. After her interview, Blue Imugi had picked up a strong following over social media, and the Powers That Be ran hard with, putting her out front and center. Not that he blamed them, Tension could use more female names out there. But this...

Aside from a groan after one of his punches, he’d managed to keep it inside, but the longer it went on and the louder it got. ”Oh, come on!” He gave one of the pads a good slap and threw his hands up. ”Did everyone just show up to see me lose?”

Felina was quick to answer. ”Yeah. Duh.” She shrugged. ”It’s tension. You’re a big, smelly guy fighting a little cute girl. What did you expect?”

”Yeah, yeah.” He folded his arms and huffed. ”Don’t have to like it.”

”Well, you could bitch about it a lot. See how that works out for you.” Felina came up behind him and gave him a smack in the back of his head with the pads. Just hard enough to be annoying, but soft enough not to hurt. She could be precise like that. ”Or you could go and do something about it.”

Army mulled it over a moment, but one of the stage attendents gave him the signal before he could probably respond. Go time. ”Do something about it. Okay…”

A minute later found him in the ring, throwing blows in the air, getting pumped in his own corner while Felina waited below. In a moment, Blue Imugi would be coming out, making her Tension debut in front of the whole world - a world that seemed determined to see his ass get kicked by a woman half his size. He intended to make them all greatly disappointed.

Imugi had one leg crossed over the other, browsing through her phone in the green room as she sat with one eye on the television. She was watching her opponent make his entrance. He looked kinda peeved. Couldn’t really place his name from the interview though. Armeratus? Amadeus? Armadillo? Yeah, that sounds right. Armadillo Rodriguez. He looked kinda peeved, not that she could blame him. Beat down on a little girl until she cries, or get beat down by a little girl until you cry. Either way this went, it was going to be hard for him to come out looking like a winner.

Just glad it wasn’t her problem.

A minute or two later and she was called for and at the gorilla position in an instant. A thumbs up from the crew The lights came flashing on and the ramp lit up. Needless to say, the sight was absolutely dazzling. The sea of people shouting her name and faces lit up with smiles. It was like she was back on stage again. She saw it all. Body paint. Posters. Signs. A banner.

A...banner? Oh god, she recognized that logo. Seriously? They came here? All the way from Seoul? Already? Didn’t these guys have lives to get to? Even if she wasn’t the lead vocalist, more than a few polls had told Imugi that she was leaps and bounds over Dal-Dal as the most popular starlet. So, naturally, a fanclub emerged promising to follow her to the ends of the earth. She never really believed it but...

“I love you, Imugi!” “Do your best, Imugi!” “Super Cute Imugi!” “Beat him up, Imugi!”

...the results were kind of hard to deny. A long, awkward grimace made its way onto her face.

Come on, guys. Lemme fight first.

Well, that eyesore aside, Imugi was excited for her debut. She remembered that her manager mentioned the importance of looking good if she wanted to keep getting booked. So, putting on her best smile from muscle memory, she gave one big wave after another as she descended the ramp. A few high fives here, a couple hugs there. Oh, selfie. Okay. Another one? Why not. Alright, group photo now. Nice one. Time for the other side.

Once she managed her way to the ring, she slid between the ropes and kicked up to her feet. She turned to both sides of the ring, blowing a few errant kisses to the audience before finally winding down with a couple idle waves. Finally, she could wear her trademark placid expression again. That smile was gonna get her one day.

Now the only thing in front of her was her opponent. She gave her glove an unconscious tug as she looked him over. Yup. He was big. That’s all she really could have asked for. Pretty handsome, though, in a rugged sort of way.

“Hey, Armadillo.” She reached her hands up to the sky, crossing one over the other as she closed her eyes and tilted to the side, trying to relive some of the tension from her taut body. A yawn worked its way out of her mouth. “How's this crowd, huh? Didn’t expect this kind of turnout.” She dropped her arms and shook her head, immaculate blue strands fluttering in the air before she stepped forward, looking up at her larger foe for the evening with her hands on her hips.

“Hope you’re ready, ‘cause I’m-”

“She’s gonna knock you the FUCK out!”

A pause, then a chuckle. “What he said.”

And here she came. Army turned his attention to the ramp as the drums started enough, and it wasn’t long before the theme’s owner came out - to ridiculously overblown fanfare, of course. ”Jesus fuck.” Army spat off to the side and looked back to Felina, who’d hopped up on the apron to help tight his gloves. ”Carmen didn’t get that much love when she was the fucking champ.”

Felina just shrugged, giving Imugi a quick glance a she came down before focusing on the task. ”To be fair, Carmen’s not nearly that cute.”

Army opened his mouth, then shut it, silently conceding that point with a nod.  The Tension audience definitely had an overall type, and few of them had come to see the cute girl get trounced by the big, bad Puerto Rican. If that was what they wanted to see, they could watch lame videos on Pornhub, with some guy letting a girl half his size batter him around a room. They weren’t getting it from him.

Felina gave him a pat on the bat, then hopped out of the ring. ”Have fun beating up the little girl, Army. Good luck!” She matched his grimace with a playful grin, backing off as Army marched towards the center of the ring.

Right away, he could notice something was a little...off about Imugi. Maybe it was the yawning. Yeah, that was definitely a big factor. She looked like she was about to get ready for bed, not about to step up against one of the biggest guy in the AFW.

Didn't stop her from being snarky, though. ”Armadillo. Cute. Haven’t heard that one since the third grade.” He took a pause to flip off that over enthusiastic fan. Didn't’ help his popularity points, but it felt good. ”Anyway, correction: you’ll try to knock me out. You’ll run around and take potshots at me, right up until I hit you with a hook and take you out faster than the Iraqi army.”

He brought his hand up, extending his finger, and gave her a tap on the nose. ”Ready to start?”

Army was probably within his rights to look down on her, for reasons aside from the obvious.

The audience probably wasn’t helping upon reflection. As much Imugi was getting a kick out them, the people watching were no doubt giving the big guy a hard time, especially if that last outburst was anything to go by. She’d never let that kind of bickering bother her, but for someone with a reputation to protect and career to think about, it probably wasn’t all that easy. Not to mention the problem of having to get his ass kicked by a girl half his size with half the experience. That’d be annoying to deal with even if he agreed beforehand to take the fall.

But he didn’t. This was a fight he was determined to win. Good for him, but dedication and mild annoyance was only going to get Mr. Rodriguez so far. Imugi was bred from a different kind of arena. One filled to the brim with men just as large and twice as pissed off. They all hit the ground in the end. Army just had the added benefit of it happening in front of a packed stadium rather than a stinky hole in the ground.

Sucks to be him. But hey, he was managing to keep his humor through the whole thing.

She eyed his finger as it came close and pressed against her dainty nose. It tickled, making her ruffle her nostrils a bit after he pulled away. With pursed lips and a slight tuck of her chin, she looked back up at him with a small smile. So that’s how things were. She stepped forward and gave his abs a light, backhand knock with her knuckles- whoa, by the way- as she looked up at him with a wink.

“Ready to lose?” She chuckled. "After you, big guy."

She took a couple steps back and let the referee get between them to do his thing. Imugi let her arms fall to her sides, swaying them back and forth with a swing of her hips. Her head and shoulders craned from the left to the right, eyes focused on nothing in particular as the official went on. Free and loose. Free and loose. That’s all she had to do was just stay free and loose. Call it a pre-match routine if you want, she just had trouble staying still. Either way, when the bell rang out, she’d be good to go.

From the outset, Imugi would prefer to hang back, dancing back and forth on her heels and eyeing her opponent carefully past those droopy eyelids. Armando could have the first strike, it was the only one he was getting from her.

So, right off the bat, what did Army know about Blue Imugi?

There was what he remembered from what little of the interview he’d paid attention to. Some kind of idol/superstar/flavor of the month. She was confident. She claimed to have some history pit fighting, but people could claim all kinds of shit, and wrestlers had a habit of claiming more than most.

She didn’t sweat him one bit, and if she did, she was doing an excellent job of hiding it. He loomed over her, full and imposing, but he might as well have been a midget for all the caution she was giving him. Just a tap on his stomach, the little knowing smile like she had this whole thing wrapped up. It might have been cute..if he’d been the one watching this match and not inside the ring. Here, it kind of ticked him off and made him want to knock that smirk of her face

All in good time. All in good time.

After a curious glance between them, the referee backed off and signaled for the bell, starting the match - officially. Unofficially, it hadn’t begun until the first blow was thrown, and it seemed like Imugi was giving him the honors. And, since Army wasn’t that dumb, he knew that probably meant one thing only: trap.

So, how was he going to spring this trap? He was tempted to just lay back in the corner and wait for her to come in, but he knew his attention span would allow that.

Instead, he started to casually walk around her, edging closer and closer as he circled, edging into his range, drawing in...then stepping forward and throwing out a flash of a left jab at her face.

Ding ding.

The Korean speedster felt herself getting more and more into the action with every second that passed after the bell rang out. It may have been a different setting, but the start of a fight worked all the same at getting her hyped up. Her face was never great at expressions, but rest assured, that bell made her feel all warm and tingly inside. It was just an itch that nothing in her life could ever satisfy. She’d been waiting for this fight for so long, not that she had a single plan for how things would go.

Planning was never Imugi’s forte. Always gave her a headache, and things only ever worked out the way they needed to about half the time. Waste of time if you ask her. She just kept bouncing from one foot to the other, ready for the sweat and fists to fly. Seemed like Armando was more interested in taking a leisurely stroll, though.

Cool with her. Imugi just kept facing him with her delightful little smile as Army ever so casually made his rounds. It felt like a game of cat and mouse. Although, the big guy lacked too much of the subtlety and grace of a feline. He didn’t look like he was about to attack, that was usually the point. Maybe things would be a bit different here? Maybe a professional fighter was above using stupid surprise hits like- nope, there was the fist.

Oh, come on. That was the oldest trick in the book.

Imugi twisted brought her head back and kicked back on feet, letting the fist brush just past her face as Army stepped into it. Catching herself on her back foot, she’d bring the leg up and throw a roundhouse kick straight into Armando’s exposed side with a twist of her hips. Whether it hit or not, she wasn’t planning on staying in the same place for too long. The second she got her feet down, Imugi would leap to the side, tuck, and roll over her shoulder, and be back up closer to the ropes.

Positioning was a big part of her strategy. Had to keep out of sight and keep the other guy guessing. Assuming he didn’t have the wits to track her, that is.

Army closed in, threw a punch to try her out, and then...he honestly wasn’t sure happened. Even now, as he was taking a pained step back from her quick blow to his abs, he couldn’t have made a better summary than: stuff happened.

There’d been nothing wrong with his punch. There couldn’t be. He wasn’t the perfect wrestler by any stretch of the imagination, but when it came to strikes, he was around the top.

But Imugi was fast. He knew she would be, was expecting it, but it was still a sight to see the way she flowed around his punch, as if he’d told her about it a minute in advance. Which meant she was the smart kind of fast, the kind of fast that didn’t just know to move, but when to do it for the best effect. The most annoying kind.

So much for the element of surprise. Oh, well.

”Beeeeeeehind you, Army.” Felina, never one to miss an opportunity to give him some guff, chimed as he spun about to find Imugi, who’d managed to put a frustrating amount of distance between them . He was right back on the attack the second he caught sight of her, stepping in fast and throwing a thundering right cross towards her chest.

The crowd let out a collective hiss after they felt the smack echoing across the arena. Yeah, even Imugi had to admit, that was a nice one.

She’d been practicing those kicks for a whole hour these past few days, so she was glad to see it impressed. The woman on the side certainly seemed to approve. Who was that? Girlfriend? Nah, didn’t get that vibe from her. A bit too friendly. A bit too okay with the hypothetical boyfriend getting kicked around by a super cute girl half his size in front of an audience of thousands. Definitely didn’t fit the picture. She’d call her “helper” for now.

And help she did, pointing the big guy in her direction before he got lost. Then she felt an earthquake coming on.

Or rather, her opponent was coming straight at her. Man, he was quick on the uptake. Kinda faster than she was expecting, too. Not fast enough, of course, but still. Not bad. The right cross came in hard, aiming dead center at her frame. If that hit her square on, all of the air would leave her body the instant it finished cracking her ribs. If it hit. That was a bit of a hidden blessing that came with being so small. The head was fair game, but you really had to get that reach in to get all the other areas below that. Attacks lost their subtlety that way.

Imugi met the strike head-on, twisting her body ever so slightly as he came charging in with the strike. She let the fist zoom past her chest as she reached out and grabbed his arm. Not sure how much force her small frame could add with this, but she was a tough girl. Eh, worth a shot. With whatever force she could muster, Imugi would lead with his arm and throw Army towards the ropes. She’d let her arms fly to her side as she did as if flourishing a cape.

“Olé!” She shouted with a twirl, throwing her hands in the air.

“Olé!” The crowd echoed.

Imugi kept her hands out before rolling to the side. One cartwheel...two cartwheels...then a backflip! Her goal was to make some distance from her opponent once again, landing with on two feet just past the center of the ring, but this time it had the added effect of getting cheers from the crowd. Lots of them, in fact. It seemed silly at first, but she was managing a real smile now. It had been so long since the pits, she had almost forgotten just how much fun this could all be. Wonder if Armando was enjoying this as much as she was?

Yeah, probably.

Felina just sighed from the sidelines, watching Army make his first big miss of the match, but undoutedly not his last.  It was too easy to call anything for certain, but the way Imugi danced around the blow was good. Too good.  This was the sort of opponent that was tailor-made to give Army a headache. Quick and wild and crazy, with enough smarts to be useful about all of that. He’d get tired if the chase went on too long, get tired, make mistakes, and then…

She just hoped it wouldn’t be too bad when it happened. If it happened. If.

For the moment, Army was still fresh and firing on all cylinders, coming at Imugi with the same right cross he used to put down Jose Sanchez in the rookie semi-finals four years ago. A good move, in spirt...but in execution, all he wound up hitting was thin air.

Just missing would’ve been aggravating enough, but Imugi had to be slick about, using his momentum against him and impossibly throwing him into a corner. He’d only hit it when he looked straight across and saw her tumbling away from him, doing flips and cartwheels and showing off. Cute. Not too effective, but cute, and he had no intention of just sitting back and watching it. Especially after that ‘Ole’ thing.

Seeing a possible opportunity, Army didn’t wait for her to finish her routine before he came her way. He stormed after her as fast as he could, charging straight out of the corner. He raised his leg just as she was finishing the final flip, aiming a Big Boot straight at her face.

Flips and twirls. Flips and twirls. Always had to keep it up with the flips and twirls.

It kept her free and loose. Light on her feet. Blood always flowing when she needed. Getting herself psyched. And, of course, the crowd liked it, not that that was always at the front of her mind. From the start, Imugi needed as much momentum as she could build. She would say it was important to her strategy, but she really didn’t have one. All she knew was the faster she could get, the harder she could hit. Seems like Mr. Rodriguez was fixing to shut that down, though. He wasn’t letting up for a second.

Wasn’t until she actually snuck a look back at her opponent that she caught the underside of his foot instead. Her immediate reaction was to go low again It work for punches. Kicks? Bit of a different story. Army’s heel gave her a good knock on the noggin’ before she hit the canvas back fist. The crowd let out a collective gasp at the sound of the smack. Yeah, it was about as bad as it looked.

“Owiee.” She gave her forehead a rub. That better not have left a footprint.

Okay, probably could have done without the showboating. Army didn't appreciate it, it was only getting her in good with a crowd already completely on her side, and it wasn't very efficient. There were better ways to spend her energy. Like getting up, for instance. A second later, Imugi flipped onto her stomach and moved to scramble away before her opponent was any the wiser.

Number one rule of the pit: Don’t stay on the ground. Ever.