Kyoko Akan vs. Masuyo Ai - Iron Sharpens Iron

For some reason, Masuyo was under the impression that because Kyoko was struggling to retain her balance, that meant she was vulnerable. She should have known better than that when she managed to take that first couple of punches in spades. Though she forced her back against the ropes, it didn’t seem like the Belly Queen was inclined to stay there long. Masuyo moved in to capitalize, to punish the opponent she’d just put against a wall when she saw a fist flying towards her face.

Except it wasn’t. She brought an arm up to deflect a fist that never came. The feint cost her a shot to the belly that made her lurch forward, finding a right hook waiting for her. The jab to the center of her face sent her stumbling back a couple steps, before she regained her balance. The Demon put a hand to her cheek, getting an idea of where Kyoko's true strength lied. The taste of iron on her tongue was all the confirmation she needed. She spat a wad of blood off to the side and looked back to Kyoko, bringing her fists up in a guard.

“Nice one.”

As her punches connected Kyoko got a good feeling out over everything beyond just what she was interested in, Knocking Masuyo back netted her some breathing room and some momentum after spending who knows long in that hold. There was probably a clock somewhere to let her know but she wasnt going to take her eyes off of The Demon and risk her slipping in a punch or a move she was unprepared for. Instead just moving around slowly as she tried to find an opening to strike again.

"Ive been punching things since i was a kid. So dont be surprised if a few good hits might knock you for a loop if your careless. But..you dont seem the careless type/" Kyoko said as she started to move in again. Careless or not she was going to keep it up, she wanted to engage and see what she might try to do next. Throwing a random jab at her face before going for the chest she began looking for an opening to strike and go for a kick to the leg.

Hm. Something told her she was going to be feeling that shot to the cheek for a while. The pain hadn’t left straight away, the force from the Belly Queen’s strike still leaving an impression on her muscles. Her stomach wasn’t exactly feeling up to par after that sly punch to her abs, either. Kyoko wasn’t lying about her experience. She could tell that much. If she let her get into a position to really let those fists fly, Masuyo might actually be in a really bad spot. She was starting to see why this woman was a world champion contender. She could see how she could get the advantage on someone as cocky as Cecilia Northman.

But Kyoko said it herself, Masuyo wasn’t stupid. She was confident she could come out on top, but she’d keep gauging the Belly Queen every step of the way.

“I’m not, but you can try anyway. That was the last hit you’re getting this round.”

She’d already had her guard up when Kyoko came on the attack. She stepped back from the loose jab thrown at her, aiming to make enough distance to deflect the punch headed towards her chest. A more difficult task than it looked, though, as each had some malice behind it she’d rather not be caught by. Her attempted parry would hopefully open Kyoko up to a low, straight kick aimed right at her injured knee.

As her punches connected Kyoko would try and move in to continue the fight, taking her best shots in as Masuyo was reeling from her previous hits still and hoping to keep on capitalizing on them. Closing in she threw her combo of punches that the fighter did her best to deflect, moving out of the way of her jab and deflecting her hook before trying to counter her kick with another kick, both connecting as Kyoko's kick stopped her from catching her hurting leg, though it did cause Kyoko to stumble a bit as she took a step back.

Still she had to shake it off, to keep going now, she had to leave the wind out of Masuyo and keep on punching. Trying to stay close and sink an uppercut to Masuyo's belly and try to grab under her arm hooking in close to drill a knee into her shortly after that. All while hoping that this allowed her to stay on the offensive.

Nimble. She was also nimble. Now she was seeing why Kyoko Akan was a fairly big name. It wasn’t enough that her strikes could be punishing once they slipped through, but she could fire them off in rapid succession. That kind of technique only came from true experience. Someone who’d gotten used to swinging their fists and flattening foes beneath them. That also took a lot of stamina in the reserves. This match really wasn’t going to be as easy as she would have thought.

As if to prove that point, Kyoko followed up with a sharp uppercut to the gut after kicking the Demon’s leg away. That one got her to reel, but it just ended up being the opening the Belly Queen was looking for to live up to her namesake. Her knee buried its way into Masuyo’s gut, forcing her to cough some spittle to the canvas as she fell to one knee, clutching her stomach for a moment. She liked to imagine that her core was a step-up above the rest, but that only spoke plenty about what Kyoko was capable of that she could lay right into it with only a bit of wear. This match was starting to take its toll.

It seemed of all her tactics her most well refined one was the one Masuyo was the least adverse to, targeting that tummy any time it was available to her. Her abs were still rock hard and punching the felt like punching a padded wall but she couldn't hold up to the assault forever and she clearly was showing signs of pain to it. Meaning she could wound the Demon, she wanted to play this slow and see what she could do but honestly that started to feel like she wasnt giving it her all. which was disrespectful to her opponent, even if she was newer then her. She was the Belly Queen who fought Cecilia for a reason, it was time to show her that reason.

Bringing her down to one knee Kyoko pulled up the arm she was holding and would try and hook around the head. Looking to pull her up to her feet while holding her there and attempt to lift her up and in the air for a hanging vertical suplex. Keeping her up there for a second before actually dropping her down.

Despite her best attempts to play it off, a solid knee to the gut wasn’t something a person just walked away from even if they were ready for it. All the worse that she’d been pulled into after having her abs softened up a bit by the uppercut. Kyoko knew what she was doing and didn’t want to waste a second taking advantage of the opening she’d made for herself. But even Masuyo hadn’t quite seen the course of action she’d decided on coming.

Her hands went to the arm around her neck as the Belly Queen locked in what she assumed a guillotine choke. Only after her feet left the ground did the MMA maven realize she was in for something a bit more...impressive. Kyoko made the best use of her momentum as she could, keeping all 155 pounds of Masuyo hanging in the air for a moment before dropping her back on her back. The Demon let out a sharp cry and arched herself away from the ground immediately after the impact. Bringing one hand behind her, she tried to find some relief for herself as the wind was temporarily knocked out of her.

Bringing her up was a bit difficult, she was a bit heavier then her and she wasnt sure how much pressure she was going to be able to put on the leg but as she held her up some of her fears were alleviated as she was able to hold her up for now. Before falling back and sending her down for the big slam. The impact was noticeable in Masuyo's body language as she arched and went to her back while Kyoko rolled over to her front and moved in to finish that encounter. Trying to get ahold of her once again Kyoko would try and keep her down pulling on her head and bringing her more to her side.

"So what happens when a Demon meets a Queen? Lets find out." She would say letting go for one second to drill her belly with one more punch before locking in the side headlock again and pulling on Masuyo to hold her down. Moving to twist on her as much as possible and keep Masuyo in a state that shed have to be fighting to get out of.

Damn. Kyoko was plenty stronger than she looked. The technique itself was nothing to be amazed by, but it was the way she poured into it that spelled the danger out for everyone. The ascent was one thing, being held in the air, while impressive, was another. But the force with which she was brought down seemed to be strong enough to aggravate some old wounds. Masuyo kept on nursing the stinging sensation in her back, bringing herself onto all fours -well, three - as she went to stand back up. Clearly she needed to be a bit more careful on her approach this time around.

Except Kyoko seemed to have other ideas about what the Demon should be doing on her feet. Another shot to the belly brought her off balance just long enough for the Belly Queen to put her in a side headlock. Bad, but not the worst hold in the world, at least not to get out of. She’d just moved to make her escape when Kyoko started shuffling, bringing them both from side to side, making it difficult for Masuyo to get herself grounded. Smart. This woman had done her homework. For now she could only move with the tide. She brought both hands to the arm locked around her head in attempt to pull free. Whenever she had a chance to, namely the moments when Kyoko stopped shuffling her feet, she’d kick her leg up to send a knee up and into her side.

So far Kyoko had done pretty well, turning things up a few notches to try and overwhelm her opponent, she wasnt sure if it could last but she knew for now she was laying down the groundworks for the match and showing Masuyo a thing or two in the process. Grabbing her head she pulled her around and tried to get to her side making sure she was never in a position she could sue to her advantage all while attempting to show her the control she had in the hold. Something Masuyo didnt stand much for afterwards, essentially pulling and fighting back as she tried to pry her arms away and even go for a kick or knee to the Queens side.

The constant shuffling was likely wearing Masuyo down but she still didnt like the focus going to her side like that, she was on a roll and if Masuyo could cause some issues there it would make trying to lift her use her strength a pit harder then shed like. Trying to shuffle one more Kyoko would try and hook around her head with one arm and run forward. Pulling on her opponent and attempting to drag her down with a running bulldog to send her face first into the mat.