Noriko Yamamoto vs Olympia Starr - Moving Mountains

Noriko’s surge of aggression had been just that. A surge. As she threw blow after blow she started to show signs of fatigue, still yet to recover from Olympia’s smother nor the knees she had just received. She came to a slow stop, standing up to grab the blond’s shoulders to follow up her barrage with something else. She instead wound up leaning in, slumping up against the woman in the corner.

She panted heavily, just pressed up against the girl to try and keep her unable to break free just yet while Noriko took the time she needed to recover from wearing herself out. “You’re…” she paused for a moment, shifting slightly as she felt the woman up against her so close. She bit her lip lightly as her eyes glanced away. “... Pretty tough… where did you even come from?” She wasn't sure where Olympia stacked up against the rest of Friction's roster, but overall the woman had made quite the impression on her, possibly in more ways than one.

She hadn't been challenged by someone her size in so long, there had been some initial shock to how easily Olympia had been manhandling her. The two seemed capable of bringing out a bit of fire from one another, it made things unpredictable and to Noriko, a bit thrilling. Her opponent was dangerous, but there was an undeniable playfulness that underlined it all that she couldn't quite tell if it was genuine or malicious in nature.

Her head drooped a bit on Olympia's shoulder. It was hard to ignore the girls scent, the touch of her, the heat she gave off this close. "That all you got?" She inquired softly, it didn't seem to have a hard edge to her tone. Her taunt hadn't been one to berate, but encourage Olympia to push on and keep fighting. She didn't know if she had reached her own limit or if the blond was spent either, but this wasn't over yet.

The blows on Olympia's body slowed, then eventually stopped. The blonde hung her head down, eyes hidden by her messy bangs, still standing against the turnbuckle, holding herself up by a tenacious grip on the top ropes. She had no reaction as Noriko leaned against her and asked her the questions. It didn't seem like she was awake at this point.

And indeed, the second Noriko stepped away from the corner Olympia would fall forwards and land flat on her face. That last barrage had proved more than enough to knock the blonde out cold!

Olympia was still. No sharp words or flirtatious touches. Noriko continued to lean against the girl, suspicious at first until she heard the girls light breathing. She was t playing possum again like earlier in the match… Was she actually done?

She couldn't help but feel guilty if that were the case. Taunting a defeated for, how shameful. As she drew back slowly, the blond tumbled off the ropes to the floor. Noriko scrambled to catch the girl before she actually hit the mat, holding her close. With a few careful steps away from the turnbuckle, she knelt to lay her foe out along the canvas.

“You fought well… a worthy opponent.” She gave a small respect bow of her head before dropping herself out across Olympia’s body. Chests nestled up against one another, she settled down against the unconscious woman and hooked one arm around the girl's legs to pull it up.

The referee dropped to their hands and knees, clapping the mat with their palm. “One!”

Olympia began to stir as she fell, some primal part of her brain waking her up before she hurt herself. She did notice Noriko catching her and laying her down carefully, feeling rather grateful that her opponent didn't just let her smack her face against the mats. She was still limp though, her body seeming to not want to move at all.

"Two!" the referee called. Olympia's body twitched a little in response. It was humiliating to lose like this, Olympia certainly did not want to go out completely beaten down. That was a far too embarrassing way to go out. But her body wasn't moving at all.

"Three!" the referee called out. And it was over. Olympia stirred some more, eyes finally opening.

"Wha-?" she said, eyes blinking, "It's over already?" She knew that she got pinned, and was finally starting to feel the pain throughout her body. "Owww...."

Once Noriko had lowered herself down onto Olympia and locked in her pin attempt, she let her eyes fall shut. While it wasn't guaranteed the match was over, it certainly seemed as though it was. Rather than apply too much force or put her opponent in an embarrassing position, she opted to make things as dignified as she could with a fairly standard pin.

She felt the gentle rise and fall of the blond’s chest beneath her, swearing she could also feel the beat of her heart… but maybe that was just hers. Her burst of adrenaline had departed leaving her feeling exhausted. Her eyes opened slightly as as Olympia began to stir, but it was too late, the final count had been reached. She had won.

She thought it would be a more joyous occasion. One to jump and cheer over. She was happy, in both how she was able to pull things together and how fierce her competitor had been, but she hadn't wanted to celebrate. She could do so later in private without risk of rubbing it in.

Noriko glanced down to Olympia, giving the girl a faint smile. “Yeah… sorry. I may have gone a bit overboard.” She winced at the blonds groan of pain. The sumo’s cheeks suddenly took on a bit of color as she noticed despite the match being over she was still pinning the girl down. She quickly leaned back, lowering the blonds leg to the canvas. She quietly cleared her throat, breaking eye contact as she got up on one knee, reaching out an arm to offer her opponent a hand in getting up. "...Are you going to be okay?"

Olympia coughed slightly as Noriko moved off of her. Raising a hand, she rubbed her eyes a bit to clear her vision. "Hoo... Okay," she said to herself as she ran a mental check down her body, "OK not too bad." She slowly began pushing herself up, waving a hand at her opponent's palm to show she didn't need any help.

"Man that hurt," she said, but soon a smile came back onto her face. Or maybe Olympia was just trying to hide the fact that she was wincing in pain. "Hehe, no worries, I've been through far worse!" She gently felt her side. "At least you didn't crack any of my ribs!"

Olympia didn't make any sudden movements, but she was on her feet far faster than anyone who was knocked out only moments ago had any right to be. "You got me pretty good this time!" she said, "Goes to show I can't underestimate anyone here. Big leagues indeed..."

She extended a hand out to Noriko. "Next time I'm going to be the one kicking your ass!" she said with a wide smile. Even though she had lost, it was still a fun match! And Olympia fully expected to be meeting Noriko again. She was going to make it happen if necessary!

Noriko gave a small nod at the refusal for aid. She had wanted to insist, but knew full well what it felt like to be in the other woman’s shoes. Wanting to stay strong in the fact of defeat. It could have just been how the girl coped, or she just didn't like to come across as vulnerable. Regardless of why, she wouldn't take that away from Olympia.

She remained crouched beside the girl, rising up alongside her so the two stood tall together. She grimaced at the mention of damaged ribs, just as glad as the blond she hadn't caused serious injury. Should she apologize again? Noriko decided against it, otherwise she would be here all night saying she was sorry. It was a match after all. It was over now. No reason to hold on to what happened, just move forward. They were peers again, she should embrace that.

Noriko eyed the hand for a moment before taking hold of it, a firm grip and a big shake. She couldn't help but grin a bit at the show of good sportsmanship. She had been worried part way through their match that she had somehow offended the blond, if she had, it seemed like water under the bridge now.

Competition had always been a driving force in her life. It brought people together and ripped them apart. She was thankful Olympia was taking things well. Both girls were new to AFW, not likely to have many good contacts. Who knew, perhaps this was the start of something great.

She blinked at the friendly bit of trash talk, she would still need to get use to that. She flashed a smile, leaning in closer as they shook hands. “Any time. Any place. Bring it on.” She punctuated the challenge with a firm nod, her personal stamp on it. She was very much looking forward to another match with the woman, now that the two had a bit more knowledge of their styles, she imaged their bout would be far more impressive.

Olympia chuckled gently at Noriko's response. "Don't make any promises you wouldn't want to keep!" Olympia said, her green eyes twinkling as she had some very bad thoughts, none of which she planned to share with Noriko until it was too late for the sumo girl. She shool Noriko's hand vigorously before letting go, turning to leave the ring.

Before she could though, she noticed that Safia was already down the ramp and climbing her way in. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern in her eyes, "Gosh I told you this would happen! You should have properly rested up and trained before fighting like this!"

"I'm fine! Really!" Olympia said with a smile, "See?" She tried to jump up, but then made a small pained noise as her back popped. "OK, maybe I need some time to recover," she said, Safia crossed her arms and looked on disapprovingly.

"Oh, by the way," Olympia said as she straightened back up, "Noriko, meet Safia. She's a friend of mine."

Safia gave Noriko a quick nod, then went and grabbed Olympia. "Alright, let's get you home," she said, half-carrying Olympia out of the ring.

Noriko made a quiet thoughtful sound. “I am a woman of my word.” Olympia had proven herself to be quite capable. Aside from wishing to face her again, strictly for competitive sport, their match had been close enough she felt the woman deserved a rematch. She hadn't thought much about the offer at the time, to her it was just the right thing to do from one respected competitor to another.

As someone she was unfamiliar with climbed into the ring, she distracted looked towards the new woman. Her lips parted, about to inquire as to who she was and why she was here, but she had already opened on on mothering Olympia with a barrage of words. She fell silent as an awkward third wheel for a moment as she glanced between the two women. It seemed Olympia had other friends in AFW, or at the very least a strange manager.

Noriko winced as Olympia tried to show off a bit with how “okay” she was only to have a less than stunning reaction. The sumo instinctively shifted, arms out to the side ready to catch the blond if she fell. When she didn't, Noriko stood back up and looked off to the side, blushing a bit.

Noriko looked to Safia, giving the girl a deep respectful bow. “A pleasure to meet you.” It seemed she was a friend after all. “Do you need any help?” She inquired softly, assisting if needed. Otherwise she would simply nod and let them handle this their own way. She would take up the rear, moving to the back slowly, keeping pace with the two friends in front of her.

Olympia refused to let Safia carry her out, gently pushing her away and waving her hand to stop her from trying. Safia seemed a bit off put, but she didn't push. Olympia did what she wanted, and nobody could stop her short of kicking her ass (which Noriko did admirably, Safia thought).

When Noriko asked if they needed help, Olympia suddenly stopped and turned around. "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask," she said, "Do you know where I can find a nice hot spring? I think you guys call them onsen over here." She smiled slightly sheepishly. "I've heard about them ever since I was little, and I've always wanted to visit one!"

"Oh here we go," Safia said, rolling her eyes, "You're going home to lie down, not to some hot spring!" She grabbed Olympia's arm.
and began dragging her out. "Please excuse us Noriko," she said, "Olympia's still loopy from passing out earlier."

Olympia giggled a little bit. Safia was right, Olympia was putting up a brave front but her head was really starting to pound. It was most likely from that big hit she took in the corner, probably a concussion. As Safia half-dragged Olympia out, the blonde waved quickly at Noriko.

"Give me a call when you want to take a bath!" she said.