Kyoko Akan vs. Masuyo Ai - Iron Sharpens Iron

This was different. The leg sweep worked, executed to perfection and leaving the Belly Queen stunned, but Masuyo’s intuition just kept sending her danger signals for some reason.

Part of it could have been how Kyoko was managing to shake off the damage somewhat. What was a bit more surprising to see was how she almost expected it. As if she knew the kind of power she was dealing with, yet was charging headfirst towards it all the same. There was something about that that Masuyo couldn’t help but get amped up by. That made the hackles on the back of her neck stand up on end. She was tangling with someone that invited danger like a neighbor to take tea. Reveled in the challenge. It sent a shiver up her spine. Made her hungry for the war to come.

All in due time, though. Right now, she had to focus on getting the first point in this bout. Getting the advantage now wouldn’t secure her victory, but it would shift the momentum away from Kyoko and make her work all the harder to get it back later on.

“You can see it coming. Dosen't mean you can take it, Kyoko-san.”

With her opponent on the ground, the Demon would hurry to get a hold on Kyoko’s leg. Moving to wrap her arms around her shin and her legs around the woman’s thigh before shifting the both of them on their sides. Fully locking her into a kneebar, she’d buck her hips and apply pressure to Kyoko’s kneecap. Had to start working towards that submission. Even if she didn’t get it, she was hoping the lock would at least slow her adversary down a bit.

Kyoko was knocked down to the floor, another sign of the constantly shifting momentum in this match that seemed to be setting a precedent for the way this match would likely be going for the duration of its time. Masuyo had come across as stoic to Kyoko at first but she seemed to already be getting excited for this match grabbing at her and pulling her in and trying to crank her leg and knee in any uncomfortable position she could possibly twist it into as Kyoko turned and tried to adjust it.

"Gnnggh!!" Kyoko felt the girls submission hold working her knee as Kyoko tried to grab at her knee and attempted to slowly pull the leg off her. Making sure to grab the leg she had attacked earlier in an attempt to get one leg off and hinder the hold as much as she could from her current position.

The longer she had the kneebar in place, the more pressure Masuyo was able to put on Kyoko’s kneecap. If her match with Valley had taught her anything, even a move as simple as this could turn the tide with enough force behind it. The Belly Queen may have had a core chiseled from stone, but she was willing to bet her legs didn’t have the same resilience. She just had to keep exposing those vulnerabilities, open her up to more damage later on, and kill whatever momentum this woman would try and build up.

It wasn’t a surprise then that she did her best to get out. She did the smart thing and tried going for the leg that was still shaking off some damage, where her inner thigh was still throbbing a bit. A good effort, but brute force could only get her so far. To make sure the hold wasn’t going anywhere, she locked her ankles together, squeezing her legs tighter together to add some pressure to Kyoko’s leg.

“Go on. It’s just one point. No shame in admitting when you’re beat.”

Kyoko was thankful she had built up decently everywhere, being a brawler most assumed she had the core down and her arms could pack a wallop, both were true but when she started to take wrestling seriously she made sure that there was more to her then that. Afterall one needed to be in the best condition possible and though her knee was hardly what shed call even close to the strongest part of her body she wasnt going to give out that easily, not would she sacrifice a point and fall behind so early in this match. No matter how much Masuyo tried to coax her into thinking it was okay to do.

"That's because...im not..beat!" Kyoko said keeping ahold of the leg she had and pulling on the ankle to try and mess with the lock it hand around her while also turning her body more towards the ropes. Slowly pushing off the floor to get closer to them while Masuyo had her limbs focused on her legs she figured her best chance was here while Kyoko went to grab the ropes and secure a ropebreak of her own.

The more time she spent with this woman, the more of a liking Masuyo took to her. She assumed her to be the tenacious sort, given the nature of this match, but there was something about seeing her boldness in action that heightened her opinion of Belly Queen. She wasn’t going to give up easily, and she wasn’t going to just give the Demon the first point of the match. She was going to prove she wasn’t one to be trifled with either. How Kyoko Akan had stayed off her radar for this long was beyond her.

“Have it your way.”

She brought her hands up to the woman’s ankle, trying to add pressure reminiscent of an ankle lock in addition to the kneebar to help deter her efforts of escape. She wasn’t under the impression, of course, that Kyoko would just stop in her tracks. But she had her on the ground now and she was going to make the most of it while they were both here. Getting out of the hold wouldn’t mean quite as much if she didn’t have much of a leg to stand on.

The hold seemed to be getting worse as the seconds ticked on and while Kyoko was struggling to fully break out of her bad situation. Though that didnt deter her, she hadn't tapped out ever before and she certainly wasnt going to let the first fall of this match be the one to get her to do it. Turning and ignoring the hold as she felt her ankle being turned every which way Kyoko inched towards the ropes and tried to grab at it and hold on figuring like before she wouldnt be let out instantly either and would have to endure a few more seconds of the move.

"Guess..that first round finish is on hold for now." Kyoko would declare through the pain she was dealing with, her leg was likely going to be hurting for a good while after this, if not the whole match if Masuyo opted to focus on it but it was a situation she had dealt with before and was confident she could overcome it with time anyway. Hopefully she would be able to start turning the tables soon and get some time to take the focus off of her leg.

Inch by inch. Mile by mile. Her opponent continued to make her way over to the ropes and Masuyo made sure to hound her the whole way over. She wanted to make this trip as painful as possible.

Kyoko was going to get free. She already could tell that much. Her resolve was even stronger than she’d realized and she’d had the strength to match, dragging all 155 pounds of solid muscle along with her. Clearly she wasn’t getting a submission from this hold. The Demon’s strategy changed at that point as she moved on to the ankle, wanting to send shockwaves of pain up and down the woman’s leg, maybe even numb it if the Belly Queen was slower than anticipated.

But the time eventually came. Once they reached the ropes, Masuyo let go as soon as the official told her. She’d gotten as far as she could with the kneebar. No point in milking it. She stood up and walked backwards, giving Kyoko some space until they could again, her mouth upturned in a grin.

“I’ll get it from you sooner or later.”

The struggle was intense and difficult, as Masuyo made it out to be much worse in her efforts to hinder Kyoko's escape, though she would get there eventually. Grabbing the ropes and awaiting her freedom which eventually came shortly after she grabbed them, at which point she brought her leg up and rubbed the areas that hurt the most. Mainly her ankle as by the end The demon had turned it more into something of an ankle lock, a hold Kyoko had sued a few times and knew she wouldnt be shaking off the affects anytime soon.

"Dont worry, ill get you first...and last.." Kyoko said as she climbed up to her feet feeling out her leg to see how hurt it was and checking f she could put pressure on it before she let go of the ropes. This wasnt over and she knew she still had a chance to take the first fall, though she didnt think he was going to do it without some issues.

Masuyo bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet as her opponent stood back up. She needed to keep her energy high if she was going to outlast this woman. It was clear that her efforts with the kneebar hadn’t gone to waste if the way she was messing with her leg was anything to go by. Definitely something to keep an eye on. Kyoko could play it off all she wanted, but that hit to her mobility was going to cost her if she let the Demon capitalize on the opening she’d made for herself.

As soon as her opponent was back on two feet, Masuyo would lunge forward to quickly close the distance between them. Striking forward, she’d shoot out a snap fist straight at Kyoko’s jaw, looking to knock her clean of her senses. In the event it hit, she’d follow up with another shot to the center of her face, straight for the bridge of her nose.

Masuyo wasnt one to play around it seemed, shortly after she got back up she was being pressed for an attack as the girl moved in and tried to take her head off, attempting to throw punches at her face. thankfully her arms were still fully functional and she tried to defend herself as much as she could moving to block the punches as one pushed her back against the ropes but left a stinging feeling in her arms where they connected.

Though that wasn't going to stop her. Instead Kyoko tried to counter as best she could throwing a feint at her face and instead going for her belly, following it up with a right to the side and then going for another jab to the face. If there was one thing she knew how to do it was punch and it was high time she let the Demon feel the full extent of that.