Raul Tejada vs Makoto Takeda: Mismatch?

Rules: Standard Match
Winning Conditions: Pin, Submission, 10-sec knockout

Raul had done a little bit of research into the person he was supposed to be fighting this evening before the match had begun, curious as to what he could expect from them. What he found shocked... and awed him, to say the least as Makoto, his chosen opponent by the divine figures that were the AFW management, was 19 AND only 5'2''! He was going to be fighting a girl that would barely come up to his chest... and who was 6 years younger than him...

"Dios mío..." He sighed, running his hands down his face in disbelief. "They let children in here..." Indeed, her moves were nothing to scoff at. Girl was a fighter, without doubt... BUT he couldn't help but hesitate... She was so damn young and so much smaller than him... How was he going to be able to fight THAT without hurting her and getting a bad rep?? He wasn't going to be able to hold back... and yet, he didn't feel like he should go all out either!

OH BOY was he in a pickle...

....

Raul stepped out before the crowd waving casually waving with a cool, warm smile upon his face! Internally, as he walked down the ramp, however, he was quietly nervous... He wasn't like some of the overly fanatical people back in Mexico who had no problem hurting kids... He liked to think of himself as a benevolent force... more or less... half-and-half.

Bah. This was going to suck for him one way or another.

Raul slipped into the ring, tugging on the end of his black gloves and adjusting his jacket, letting out a huge sigh to help calm himself... Well... here we go...

”THIEVES!

THIEVES AND LIARS!”

The audience went into a sudden booing frenzy as the Valkyrie’s music hit, turning all of their hate towards to the top of the ramp. Sure enough, the familiar roar of motorcycles began to emanate from behind the curtain, coming closer, roaring louder, growing and growing. First, Stone came out, sliding over to the side of the stage on her bike. Devine came through a moment later, throwing a flirty smile towards Raul from the top. And there, at the center, donning a skull helmet, Makoto took position. His opponent for the evening.

The three Valkyrie’s made their way down to the ring as their theme music leaving a trail of smog in their wake that had more than a few audience members coughing. They came all the way down, right in front of the ring, and came to a stop there. Stone and Devine sat and waited on their bikes, kickstands up, while Makoto dismounted. Their leader.

Only she wasn’t their leader, not anymore. Ever since she lost to Blue Thunder Mask, he was the guy running the Valkyries, more or less. At the least, he’d laid out some guidelines on what they were and weren’t supposed to be doing, and she’d have to answer to him if she stepped too far out of line.

It wasn’t a taste that Makoto care to have on her tongue, and she intended to take it out on...who was this again?

She popped her helmet off, gave her hair a shake, and looked at the man in the ring. Raul. Tall. Dark. Hispanic, though she couldn’t even begin to guess where from, exactly. He looked tougher than the usual weaklings that Tension had for male competitors, but she’d beaten bigger before. Nothing to be impressed with.

...handsome, though.

”Hmph.”

She hung her helmet on her bike’s handle, slid into the ring, popped up to her feet and promptly marched over to him, looking him up and down as she neared. She stopped when she was right up in front of him, looking at him straight from below. Staring. Waiting. Almost daring him to take the first shot.

Raul tilted his head as he heard the low growl of a motorcycle... or several... and almost on cue, the crowd started BOOING the other side! Well... whoever these people were, they haven't made many friends with the crowd, have they...? Before the Mexican knew what was even happening, a trio of bikers RODE into the arena from backstage, no doubt being a health hazard to themselves and everyone else in the process! Damn... Not even back home did the overly theatrical and bombastic luchadors try anything like THAT! Most of the showmanship was saved for the fight... nothing like THIS! Raul did little to hide his shock as the ladies dismounted their vehicles one smiled at him... another didn't appear to care in the least... and the third, the shortest one in the skull-painted helmet... came into the ring.

"Makoto, huh...?" Raul murmured to himself as the girl shed her head-ware.... Yup. That was her... He probably could've guessed that she was already, what given her fame and body-height but he didn't want to assume. Would be rude, you know? Yes, this would be his 19 year old opponent... the girl who had inflicted upon him mixed feelings as to how he would fight...

...But judging by her reaction of him, he could tell the feeling was less than mutual.

Raul simply did as she did, looking the biker-girl over with an analytical eye, taking in detail... short of aesthetic appeal. After all, looking pretty didn't do much for anyone during a fight. ...And she was quite... something, he wouldn't lie. Without a word, Makoto marched RIGHT up to to the mexican wrestler until they were toe-to-toe looked UP into his eyes... and all Raul could do... was offer a hand.

...Why be an asshole in this situation, you know? It doesn't help to keep tensions high.

"Saludos, señorita." He greeted, flashing the smaller girl an appropriately sized smile. "My name is Raul. I would hope it is a pleasure to meet you."

The moment Raul extended his hands, the crowd rose up and threw warnings his way, telling him not to try that, to just go on the attack, to watch out for what Makoto was about to do, like they all had glass balls and could see the future.

Makoto, for her part, just looked down and stared at the hand for a moment, with the same expression she would’ve worn if Raul had just handed her, say, a trout. A quirked eyebrow, a tweaked lip, a canted head.

”Headbutt.” Stone sighed, as she settled down into the seat of her Harley, getting nice and comfy. ”She’s going to headbutt him.”

Devine rubbed her chin, looking on. ”You think so? She did that to the last guy, don’t think she’ll repeat herself so soon.” She snapped her fingers. ”A knee. She’ll go for a knee."

Stone just shook her head. ”She’s getting into position for. Just watch.”

Sure enough, Makoto put on a slim smile, reached out, took Raul’s hand, and gave him a firm, solid shake...right up until the moment where she used that grip to pull him down, leaped up, and cracked him in the face with a vicious headbutt.

Devine winced. Stone shrugged. ”Told you.”[/color]

Hmph... What's their problem? Raul wondered to himself as a wave of panic washed over the crowd, their cheers for him turning into... Jeers...? No, not jeers. The tone wasn't sharp enough and the words he couldn't make out didn't SOUND hostile... It was more like... warnings...? What? Who were they warning and why...? Nothing's happened yet! The Mexican wrestler cocked an eyebrow as the smaller girl simply stared at his hand in disgust, Raul getting a better look at his palm as he adjusted his vision... What, did she not like dragons or something? Why wasn't she taking his-

*BONK*

Raul's eyes went blank as his head SMASHED into Makoto's, the smaller girl literally HOPPING UP and headbutting the top her her skull into the larger man's chin! Oh boy, were he watching this from an outsider's perspective, he might've just laughed... and kept laughing for the next minute. It was a hilarious image, the smaller being literally forcing a larger being back with such a comical technique... But to the wrestler suffering it...? Well... He was lucky he didn't break any teeth with that hit! He stumbled back, nearly losing his footing entirely as a gloved hand shot up to his jaw, his yellow eyes filled with confusion... But also a sharp awareness. Whatever comradery that could've been was now forsaken with that cheap-shot...

...And he supposed it was just as well. He really kinda needed a good, convincing argument to not hold back. Goodie for him that Makoto provided him with one.

"Alrighty... If that's how you want to do it." Raul muttered, lowering himself down a tad and raising his hands in front of him. Let's see if she was reactive... or proactive... He could work with both.

It wasn’t the prettiest way to kick off a match, but then, Makoto had never been one for doing things gracefully, and she rarely cared much for sportsmanship. This dumbass was stupid was enough to give her an opening? Fine. She’d glaldly take it, and wreck him before he even had the chance to get...back…

...huh. He was still standing.

Makoto blinked a couple of times as her vision focused and confirmed that, yes, Raul was still on his two feet after that blow, managing to keep his wherewithal despite taking such a huge blow. Okay, so the guy was a little tough. Nothing she couldn’t handle.

Up came her fists, nice and tight. Deep breath. Solid stance. Go.

She hopped towards him, closing the distance quick, and threw out a left jab towards his guard. It wasn’t much of a blow, really, just trying to keep focused upstairs, while she lashed out with a low roundhouse kick aimed at the side of his knees.

T'would've been comedic that this girl was hopping towards Raul like a kangaroo ready to box... it would have had her skull not left a nice little CRACK along his jaw-line a few moments earlier! Well... it might've not been that bad... after all, he could still open and close it well enough without his face feeling like it would shatter like a grenade in it's explosion... BUT THAT DID NOT MEAN THE PAIN OF THAT ATTACK DID NOT LINGER! It did... and it made him wary... Cautious for the inevitable attacks that would come from this girl. Yeah, she was a kid but apparently that didn't register with her at ALL before coming into this ring! Makoto was mean... and she hit like she meant it.

Fair enough. He could work with this.

Makoto lashed out with a quick punch at his guard, the smaller girl's fist impacting with his soft palm but retracting faster than he could close his fingers around it! Like a desert viper, Makoto struck hard and struck fast, leaving stings upon his padded palms as if she had sunk her tiny fangs into it...

"Tch." He tsked, stepping back just fast enough so that Makoto's leg grazed the front of his pants, BARELY missing his leg... Yeah, what a little snake she was... Not quite as subtle as one, but she had the speed and bite... A Rattlesnake. That's what she reminded him of. He had to be just as quick... just as unforgiving if he intended to survive a pit-fight with one... A mindset not easily slipped into when your opponent was this much smaller that you...

Raul lashed back with a quick front kick of his own, aiming to slam the sole of his shoe HARD into the girl's chest and hopefully send her sprawling on her back! It was quick... it was strong... but less of a damaging move and more of a push... Cautious...

Persistence. In Makoto’s experience, that was the one thing she always had on her side in a fight. Oh, her opponents were always bigger and stronger and more experienced, but that could work in her favor - they always looked down on her, always underestimating until the hits started to wrack up. She would just keep coming and keep coming and keep coming, wearing them down, and before they knew it, they were on their backs while she bashed their faces in.

Worked like a charm. Always.

Raul wasn’t going to be any exception. Oh, he managed to avoid her kick - barely - but she was already closing in, catching up, getting ready for the next attack. She was just about to strike, too, when the guy showed some speed of his own, lashing out with a boot that landed square in her chest.

Weight and momentum weren’t on her side here, and falling flat on her back was the only thing that could really happen after taking a hit like that. Didn’t mean she had to stay on her back for long, though.

Makoto threw her legs up, kicked out, and rose to her feet in an instant wtih a kip up. Her feet had barely touched the ground before she was off again, leaping through the air to come at Raul’s face with a flying knee.

Raul's boot connected HARD with Makoto's middle, sending the smaller girl HARD to the floor! Not his most graceful kick but hey... What worked, worked right? His current strategy was playing keep-away, to continue pushing her to the floor until she tires out... Then he would go in for some real damage. He stood ready, arms raised... yet, he was uncomfortable fighting someone so much SHORTER than him. It wasn't really a moral point... after all, that surprise headbutt eliminated any inhibitions he had polluting that department. It was just... he couldn't really PUNCH her could he...? Not without throwing a punch at a significant downward angle and that would just be awkward!

...Looks like he would have to rely on grapples and kicks... Predictability wouldn't be working for him in this fight, he figured!

Raul cocked and eyebrow as Makoto KICKED back up to her feet faster than the former gang-member had anticipated, the Mexican's frown deepening... if only slightly. It was almost as if she were made of rubber with how fast she rebounded back... He figured with her spine impacting with the ground in that way, it would've at least stunned her for a second. HALF A SECOND even.

...Nah. That would be too easy, wouldn't it?

Raul quickly folded his arms over her face like a shield as Makoto LUNGED at him with a flying knee, her knee-cap DIGGING into his toned, trained forearms like a musket-ball would into armor! Instantly, the point of impact FLARED up in pain, the Mexican's teeth GNASHING as her attack BIT into his guard... How strong WAS she...? So small... yet so powerful! While Makoto still hung in the air after connecting with his arms, Raul would Reach out to GRAB Makoto, one arm shooting out to grab her shoulder, the other reaching for the opposite thigh... before PULLING HER DOWN as he knelt... Makoto's crotch coming down HARD on his knee!

If this connected, Raul would push her off... ONLY to lift that knee up to SLAM into her chin!

It was taking her a moment, but Makoto was starting to getting an inkling on just why this guy was pissing her off so much right out of the gate. It was the look in his eye. That look. The same one she’d seen in so many guys over the years, more than she could ever give a shit about counting.

The ‘I can’t believe I have to fight a little girl’ look.

It shouldn’t have bugged her, she knew, since she used that perception to her advantage all the time. It was a great way to get a quick edge in a fight against bigger, dumber, slower opponents, no harm in seizing it when it came her way. But, at the same time, people looking down on her, treating her like some dainty flower that they had to be careful not to step on, not giving her the proper respect…

Yeah. That shit needed to stop.

Cracking Raul in the jaw would’ve been a good step in that direction, too, if her shot had landed. The dude had decent reflexes, though - up came his guard, and it all went downhill from there.

Instead of just letting her fall, Raul went an introduced Makoto’s groin to the point of his knee, a meeting that sent shockwaves vibrating up and down her spine. She fell back, only to find that same knee crashing hard into her face, right on the chin. It was a nasty combination that she sort of wished she had the height to pull off, rough and effective. She stayed down when she feel on her back this time, groaning and rolling about, trying to get the sense back into her brain. ”Goddamn it...stupid fucker…”