Eiko Bando vs Noriko Yamamoto: strength against sumo

Eiko Bando vs Noriko Yamamoto
Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Victory by pinfall, submission, or KO.

--

The day had finally come! It was time for Eiko’s debut in the good ol’ AFW, and she could hardly keep herself from bouncing off the walls!

What would her first foe be like? Would they be powerful enough to give her a challenge? Would they be a Face or maybe a Heel? Would they be as interested in having a good time as she was?

Questions swirled around in Eiko’s skull. She purposefully kept herself ignorant of what her opponent was in order to keep it a complete mystery! She knew her opponents name was Noriko Yamamoto, but otherwise, this fighter was a completely blank! All of this was to help get Eiko excited for the fight. Nothing got the blood pumping like getting ready to fight someone who could be capable of absolutely anything! Eiko was so lost in thought, she almost did not hear the quiet tapping on the dressing room door.

“Ms. Bando? Its time for your match to st—”

“Alright! Is it that time already? Well then lets not keep those kiddies waiting!~”

Eiko practically darted past the AFW employee, hiding the red flush on her face as she headed towards the gorilla position.

--

Eiko Bando:

The loud, upbeat theme of the titular tarantula began to blast over the speakers, riling up an already excited audience. Just when the excitement appeared to reach its peak, Eiko stepped out into view, and a new rush of cheers filled the arena. The woman had her voluptuous frame covered in a long purple coat with white fur on the collar and cuffs, matching the outfit that lay underneath. Needless to say, Eiko had a large, goofy grin practically cemented to her face as she waved to everyone that casted her even the slightest hint of a greeting. She greeted a few of the audience members closest to the railing before finally pouncing into the ring with a dazzling display! Within seconds, Eiko cast her jacket aside, her revealing costume putting her exquisite body on full display, causing some flashes from cameras in the crowd to snap photos of her as she blew kisses and did various poses.

It would be a few minutes before Eiko would calm down enough to actually get into her corner and wait for her opponent. Truth be told, the referee would have to remind her that there was actually a match that was supposed to happen sometime soon, and basically push her into the corner. The reveal of her opponent was too exciting for Eiko to ignore, so she stewed in her corner like a kid waiting for a gift, waiting and wondering what was going to come out the opposite entryway.

Noriko clapped her hands together, fingers clenching as she wringed out her palms roughly. Eyes closed, mind locked on focus. Tonight she was competing. An obstacle was being set before her. It didn't matter what form it took, a wooden board, a granite boulder, or a person of flesh and bone. All things bent, broke, and we're cast back to the earth, so too would her opponent…

Her eyes snapped open, intense silver pools staring at the painted brick wall. Her nostrils flared, breathing hard and heavy as she pushed herself up to her feet. Olympia and her feminine wiles had proven to be a formidable first bout for her. It had mostly been due to her manipulation and trickery her opponent had nearly brought her low. Not today. She had learned her lesson and would not allow it to cloud her mind again should it come to that… she hoped.

Noriko Yamamoto:

Theme:

Noriko ducked through the black curtains from gorilla position. Still a fresh face to Tension, but one that was immediately recognized. The crowd was already cheering for her and she had done little more than walk out onto the stage. It was an odd sensation, receiving such praise… for what? She had put her last opponent down in rather dominant fashion. They remembered and we're hungry for more.

She couldn't afford to soak it in. She had to remain focused and collected. Taking in a deep breath, she moved down the rampway. Her bare feet creaked along the grated surface as she made her way to the ring. She lacked charisma, stone faced and serious, oblivious to the fans reaching out to touch her or receive a high five. Unfamiliar with what was expected of her, she kept her eyes forward and locked on the woman she was set to face.

Her brow furrowed slightly, taking her in completely. A scantily clad woman with a large build. Perhaps her size, but it was hard to tell from a distance. She couldn't imagine trying to slip herself into something that garish… or revealing. Not that her opponent didn't wear it well. She paused at the ringside, half staring at this point as her imagination wandered. With a shake off her head she dismissed it, making her way to the ring via the stairs located beside the nearest post.

Something was off, silightly uncomfortable. She couldn't place it at first, but as she moved to the center of the ring she finally figured it out. Eiko had been grinning this whole time. It was unsettling a little bit… and distracting. The sump found herself glancing back over her shoulder, just to be sure something amusing wasn't just behind her… nothing. She turned back to Eiko with a furrowed brow, giving the woman a small nod of acknowledgement. Standing face to face with her opponent, her stoney exterior crumbled a bit, a thing of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She wasn't nearly steely as she was trying to be.

“Yamamoto Noriko.” She proclaimed proudly, dipping forward in a deep respectful bow. She held it for a brief moment before rising upright. “I will be your opponent tonight.” The smile finally shined through, she couldn't help it between her own excitement and Eiko's big doofy grin staring back at her.

“I look forward to knocking you down.” She had a lighthearted tone that lacked any real malice, it carried with it an edge of truth though. Slowly she backed away from the middle of the ring, giving ample room between the two of them. Raising a leg up, she stomped it to the canvas. Her bare foot clapped against the mat loudly, the stomp itself causing the ring itself to quake. Her framed dropped into a low squant, her fistsing lowering to the mat. She held her pose like a coiled spring, waiting to snap forward at the sound of the bell.

Eiko could hardly keep herself still after seeing her opponent walk out into the entryway. She really was nothing like Eiko had ever seen before in the ring. If she didn’t know any better, she would have assumed that AFW had plucked this sweet looking girl right off the street and tossed her into a wrestling ring. This girl, this Noriko’s outfit was one of the most fashionable and adorable outfits Eiko had ever seen before. Truth be told, she was a little jealous she got all gussied up while this young girl looked like she woke up like that. The whole thing just made Eiko smile all the more.

Noriko had a powerful air about her as she walked down that ramp, her eyes never once leaving Eiko’s frame. She was so serious, her face as hard as the concrete the ramp was built on, yet as graceful as a feather falling gently to the ground. The mystery was intoxicating! who was this girl? Why was she hiding her power behind such a cute outfit, but most of all, what was her preferred style?  Eiko could see some powerful muscles in the girl’s forearms and legs, but not clear enough to guess which she used more in a fight. All of the guessing made the purple attired woman want the match to hurry up and start so she could find out.

When the girl finally climbed into the ring, Eiko’s eyes were practically sparkling at her opponent. Perhaps Noriko was not used to such treatment from her foes, because she looked around in a rather odd fashion and seemed to be hiding a smile from the multi hair colored beauty.

She greeted Eiko with a respectful bow, surprising Eiko and putting pressure on her to do the same, which she did, if somewhat awkwardly.

“Please call me Eiko! Looking forward to a great fight with you tonight!” That excited smile didn’t drop for a second, even with Noriko’s light hearted banter towards her, “I just hope your as entertaining as you look~”

Both of the fighters backed up and gave the other some space. It was here that the biggest question Eiko had was answered, as Noriko got down in a low stance, then raising a leg up just to slam it down into the floor. It was like a meteor hit the canvas, as the whole ring shook violently, rocking both Eiko and the referee around just a bit.

“Oh my god… SUMO!!!”

The sheer power that was on display with the previous move made Eiko’s face red with desire. She wanted so badly to see if she could match that power, fight it, maybe even beat it! She had never fought a Sumo based fighter before, and she would not pass up the chance now.

Eiko would get low in a grappler stance, arms ready to intercept Noriko’s charge as the bell rang, and she pushed forward. Eiko never stopped smiling the whole time, even as she was rushing the sumo wrestler from the front, ready and willing to test her strength against her unique foe.

Noriko's stance was solid like the base of a mountain, forged from tradition and endless hours of training. She look still, statuesque, powerful. Her hunched form seemed to contain a building force waiting to be released in one violent explosion.

Her brow furrowed at Eiko's words. She looked entertaining? Noriko was unsure what the woman meant by that and whether or not she should take offense. The woman seemed good spirited, but looks could be deceiving.

Her rough look softened at the excitement in Eiko's voice at the realization she was making use of a sumo stance. She could sense the appreciation though the reason behind it was still a mystery to her. She supposed it was strange to see someone making use of sumo in pro wrestling. It wasn't going to stop her from running her over though… she could apologise later.

"Ikozu!" At the bell, her fists left the canvas, surging forward like a raging tidal wave to crash her form against Eiko. In sump, matches were decided in the opening seconds when two opposing forces collide. She threw her weight into the initial charge, ramming her shoulder inwards towards Eiko, her arms snapping to grab for her opponent around the waist to grip the sides of her bottoms to try to rip her off her feet and plant the woman with a commanding slam.

Eiko did not seem to worry about Noriko’s coiled stance, actually welcoming it as she rushed forward to impact against the tsunami that was the Sumo fighter. Her wide grin indicated her excitement, and her eyes practically glowed as she approached Noriko, readying herself for the violent impact that was sure to come. Eiko absolutely adored strength, especially when it looked to be completely understated as it was with Noriko. It was clear she had some powerful muscles if one knew how and where to look, but if you did not, Noriko would actually look like an average, beautiful young woman. Her sumo stance would be laughable if one underestimated her, but it promised overwhelming power, and who was Eiko to deny such a gift?

When the two combatants crashed against one another, it could be felt throughout the arena. Even the ring shook violently once again as the powerful fighters smashed into each other like forces of nature. Amazingly, neither fighter seemed effected by the others charge, both of them still standing in the center of the impact zone. Though that would not last long.

Noriko moved much faster than the Sumo stereotype would have one believe. Before the shockwaves were even finished coursing through the ring’s canvas, she moved in and wrapped her arms quickly around Eiko’s waist, cinching it tightly like a belt as the Sumo girl grabbed onto what little she could of her bottoms.

After that, Noriko lifted up Eiko, much to her complete surprise, and took her for a ride that ended with a hard slam to the floor. The impact was hard enough that the canvas actually pushed back against Eiko, tossing her upwards like she was bouncing on a trampoline before finally hitting the floor a second time with a solid sounding “THUD”.

“ACK!”

Eiko laid on the floor for a few seconds before her head pooped back up, her face a flush red with the grin turning into an envious smile. Hardly anyone went for a slam against her at the start of a match. This would actually be the first time something like that happened.

“Wow! So that’s what Sumo is like? That’s cooking with some serious gas!”

Eiko would attempt to kip up to her feet, rubbing her stinging back as she eyed her opponent, wondering how best to take on a fighting type she really had no experience with. She wanted to try and charge her again, but was pretty sure that it would just result in her getting slammed again. How would she topple such a powerful defense that was backed up by an even stronger offense? She was pumped up to find out!

There was a likelihood she would.bowl Eiko over upon first contact. Noriko may not have been the tallest or heaviest woman on Tension but she managed to carry what she had like a wrecking ball. It came as a surprise then when the two women deadlocked, stopped in her tracks as forces collided against one another. Eiko didn't give her an inch past the amount she sank up against the woman's body. Every fiber of her muscles flared, the soles of her feet grinding up against the canvas without aid of boots to keep traction.

She was thank then when the woman's attire was easily grabbed, as tightly fitted as it was. It took a mighty burst of energy, throwing in her weight to counterbalance the shift in their standoff to take the woman off her feet. From there, planting her to the canvas was simple, rocking the ring with the violent impact that would have shattered lesser women into a thousand pieces. Eiko had remained still, and Noriko in her opening aggression slowly backed away, leaving her to rise if she were able.

She had been prepared for Eiko to rise, but to do so with such gusto was beyond her imagination. A brow raised curiously as like a gopher the other woman's head popped up, grinning at her again. She returned a small awkward smile of her own, rubbing the back of her neck lightly. “Ah… yes. To a degree.”

She took a half step back as the woman acrobatics got to her feet, catching her off guard at the difference in their agility. She would have to be careful about that, especially if this woman was capable of shrugging off damage like that. There had been no aggressive moves to follow though. Slowly, she lowered herself towards the mat again, clear ched fists tapping the ring as her face hardened with the same serious expression as before. She was a freshly loaded shotgun, trained directly on Eiko to fire off the moment the other woman made a false move.

Once again, the two fighters were at a standoff, though it appeared Eiko was far more hesitant to go charging in wildly at her foe then she once was. The Sumo wrestler was back on the ground, in position and ready to fire off again if Eiko was foolish enough to approach her haphazardly. Eiko could take the initial charge, that much was proven, but Noriko seemed to have more experience in power lockups and quicker reflexes. If they did clash, Noriko could probably just slam her to the ground unless Eiko could think of some way to counter such an attack…

The answer hit her like a truck and made her feel like a complete dunce! It was so simple a kid could figure it out…which made Eiko think it was possible Noriko already had a counter prepared for such a thing. It was entirely possible, but standing around and guessing while an audience was watching and an opponent was waiting really was not Eiko’s style. Learn by doing, that was her thing.

Eiko rushed forward at the loaded Sumo wrestler much as she did previously, looking as if she was going for another clash. However, Eiko was simply attempting to bait the Sumo woman, hoping to get her to blast off again so that she could (hopefully) sidestep the charge all together. If she succeeded, Eiko would try to latch on to the right side of Noriko’s waist and heave her up in a similar way that had been done to her before slamming her to the ground. Eiko was not sure how successful the tactic would be, but she was willing to take the risk.

Noriko's body rocked forward and back slowly. Waiting, watching, her gaze tearing into Eiko with an intensity that could intimidate lesser foes to be sure. She hadn't pressed the assault when she should have, but that wasn't really her way. Both women were still learning and devising strategies after all. She could afford to give Eiko a small breather.

At the hint of aggression, Noriko snapped forward, white knuckles shoving off the mat as she charged forward. Her arms reached out as before to grapple, only to have Eiko shift to the side. The sump planted a foot hard, grinding to a stop. She pivoted, arm cocked back to deliver a palm strike only to have Eiko pull her arms around her. She surrendered her offense again, immediately shifting her weight on the pivot of her heel. Her leg swung out between Eiko's leg then hooked back, locking her in with her foe, keeping her from being taken completely off the mat.

The sump was still in an awkward place, Eiko grappling her side unopposed with no real way to grab hold of her in a proper lockup. Her first instinct was to separate them, or try at least. She brought her arm up, shoving a forearm down between their bodies, trying to force her arm in like a pry bar to create room.

“Faster than you look.” A quick observation meant as a compliment, the clear strain in her voice from working to divide the both of them. She knew from their first clash this woman was a wall. Could tell by her steel grip she was also incredibly strong. Unlike her lass bout, this one made sense to her. They were as close to equals as she would have expected at any sumo competition. Similar size and power, a true challenge. A worthy challenge.

She still wasn't sold on the woman's attire though. Even as she tried to rip them apart, Noriko was mindful of where she put her hands to avoid any unnecessary contact that might lead to the wrong impression… something else she learned from.her last match and was not keen to repeat it. It was something she had to work through, but her encounters with Olympia had left her less sure with the seeds planted, making her hesitate for things she never once considered until joining AFW.

Eiko actually succeeded! It was a bit of a surprise even to her, impressed that she didn’t even trip over herself once she lunged at the sumo girls’ side. Eiko made sure to get a good grip on her foe’s waist, like two powerful chains of metal wrapping themselves around the poor woman in anticipation for a powerful tug. Eiko couldn’t help but notice the ridged musculature she could feel hiding underneath the outfit Noriko wore. She hid it all very well, no one would guess the sheer power this girl was capable of upon first glance.

And to top it off, she was smart too. Before Eiko could hoist her up, Noriko moved her leg around Eiko’s and effectively tied herself to her. The purple haired woman pulled and tugged, but due to Noriko’s positioning, she could only really get one leg off the ground, and even then, the effort required to get even that much progress was hardly worth the pay off. It was like Noriko was rooted to the floor, and no matter how hard Eiko pulled, Noriko was not budging from that spot.

“You’re…*Grr*…Really stuck, aren’t you?”

After a few more tugs, Eiko seemed to slow down, as if trying to think things through. She hardly noticed Noriko trying to pry themselves apart, nor the specific placement of the arm. Noriko was strong, but so was Eiko. Paired up with the angle and awkward hold, and the arm only purchased her an inch or so of spare room. Still, the hold was going nowhere, and Eiko released it after pushing Noriko, a quizzical look on her face.

“I’m starting to wonder why not a lot of people use Sumo around here… but I think I see some chinks in that defense of yours~”

This time, Eiko didn’t wait around for Noriko. She moved in, not exactly quickly, but her stride was powerful. Perhaps Noriko would recognize what Eiko was doing next, since the Titan was copying her earlier movements. Her arm was cocked back, and just as she was about to approach the Sumo woman, she took one final, powerful step. Her whole bodies strength was put into the following palm strike, and while it was certainly powerful, there was little doubt it was Eiko’s first time attacking in such a unique manner.

“That's the idea.” Noriko grunted, straining against Eiko's grip. The sump was a veritable powerhouse, but it seemed she had found an equal in strength. Without weight and momentum at her side, she was deadlocked in this woman's grip. She couldn't be lifted nor should she escape. What she was doing clearly wasn't working, it was time to change things up a bit.

Noriko threw an arm back, attempting to hook it around Eiko's head. She had been intent to apply a lock and perhaps force a release, but to her surprise Eiko seemed keen on separating as well. She was shoved away, spinning like she was let loose from a rip cord due to her leg placement, stumbling to find footing again.

“A little early to assume you understand what I am capable of. Do not become overconfident, it will be your undoing!” Noriko planted her feet, bare soles grinding to a halt. Her body shifted to turn towards Eiko moving in on her. She wasn't ready. The sump threw up her arms in a makeshift defense, bracing herself from whatever was coming. Her silver eyes narrowed, lips pulling tight in anticipation as locked, loaded and released her mortar shell of a palm thrust.

The impact was immediate and visceral, the hard heavy slap of flesh and bone causing a collective gasp throughout the audience. She had taken the blow on her forearms, held up in a defensive cross. Noriko was sent skidding backwards, feet dragging along the ground until her back hit the ropes with a small bounce. The blow had rattled her, arms quaking, fingertips twitching as a numbness filled the spot that pain had once resided.

Staring over her arms at Eiko, the dark haired sumo lowered her arms, trying to present herself as unphased despite the apparent surprise in her eyes. She flexed her ringers slowly, working feeling back into her limbs. This was going to be difficult… incredibly difficult. She took a step from.the ropes, tapping out her toes on the canvas as she looked on.

“Very Impressive Ms. Eiko.” Proper respect was due, there wasn't many women she had met able to stand toe to toe with her in raw strength outside of a sumo ring. She knew that she hadn't been slacking in her own personal training, so this other woman was the real deal. How to crack her though? Her normal method of bowling over opponents wasn't likely to work on this one the whole match, and grappling with her seemed dangerous given that iron grip. Blow for blow then?

Noriko partially turned, approaching at a slight angle with her side leading each step she took. There would be a time for her to make use of her usual tactics, but for now Eiko seemed to understand not to try and clash against her directly. The sumo rolled her shoulders, taking this time to shake out her arms one last time. She was almost thankful for the throbbing sensation that let her own they still worked. As she neared her direction shifted again, slowly allowing for her to circle her foe in preparation.