Eye of the Tiger

Ryoko was slightly worried that AJ might be put off by the massaging, so much so that she was ready to stop it the moment she looked uncomfortable. They’d both heard stories about backstage meetings that got inappropriate, unwanted touching, people taking things too far in the locker room, and she didn’t want her friend thinking that was the path this was taking - this was already complicated enough, no need to make it weird. But if she was bothered by the touch, she didn’t show it. Quite the opposite, in fact.

”I think it’s like tickling, kind of. Like, how you can never really tickle yourself, it works best when someone does it to you. Something like that.” Just a little unsupported musing as she continued to work on AJ’s leg, going for the tender spots, keeping her at ease. She looked on as her ‘student’ rolled with it, staring at the ceiling. Clearly content. that alone would’ve been a reward for her. AJ was happy. Mission accomplished.

When she paid her that little complement, though, Ryoko paused for a moment, startled, before the goofiest smile took over her face, making her glad AJ wasn’t looking her way. Being able to share the knowledge she’d been given, doing what her teacher had done for her, that was something special. She couldn’t quite put it into words yet, but she knew that much.

”You honor me.” Three simple words, but one she hoped would convey to AJ how she felt about that statement. When it seemed like she released all the tension she could in AJ’s leg, she eased up and moved over beside her, sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, breathing deep to take in the scent of their work.

”Hey,” She looked over as a question popped into her mind. ”Tell me: Why do you love wrestling so much?” It was a question they’d both likely heard before, usually with a condescending tone. That wasn’t the one Ryoko had, though - hers was one filled with curiosity. ”Like, what drew you to it in the first place? Why do you keep coming back?”

"It is." Alexa perked slightly at the thought. She wasn't sure how true it was medically speaking but she couldn't deny the truth of it to her in the moment. Not that she was going around getting tickled by people in her day to day to compare. She was thankful for the small lull in their training. They had been at this for awhile now and a small reprieve was in order.

Alexa lowered her head to glance over to Black Fang when she took the compliment as humbly as any hero would. It was just another reason why she was great. While she had met plenty of nice people at Friction, none of them had been this open and kind with her while putting up with her constant fangirling. She appreciated how her mentor never really put her down, just gave constructive criticism. It was a stark contrast to her early days back home.

"Hm?" Alexa sat upright, tucking herself inward to touch the soles of her sneakers together. She rested her hands on the sides of her shoes, keeping them pressed against one another as she stretched the range up her hips while bending slightly forward.

"Wow that's a pretty big question… you sure you have the free time for an answer?" The brunette let out a soft giggle broken only by a snorting inhale. She gave a soft cough, trying to hide the small quirk. "It's a family thing. My grand dad was a wrestler way back in the day when regional federations were still a thing and he passed on the mantle to my dad." There was clear admiration in her voice but a hint of information left untold. Silence lingered as her eyes idly wandered, thinking of where to pick up from where she left it.

"I use to compete in high school. The other kind of wrestling. It wasn't really the same. I had the itch to do it professionally so I went into wrestling boot camp for a league back home instead of going to college… or University. Whatever it's called here." She gave a soft huff, blowing a few wispy strands of hair from her face. She had played through this so many times. Her prospects in the league as a sideshow for the men's wrestling. The afterthought of equality that was the token women's matches. They lacked prestige, time to really build a story, or level of competition found elsewhere.

"I have to." She was still young, she knew she could start over at just about everything. But she had turned down a free ride to college and spurned the people who believed in her most when she ran away to Japan to pursue her aspirations. "I don't know if I could handle going back without accomplishing something out here. So much blood, sweat, heartache… I need to do better… be better. "

"I want to prove it to them and myself that I made the right choice, you know? That all of this trouble wasn't for nothing… I still love it though. Wrestling I mean. I just wish I could just… win. Feel what it's like to come out on top or hold a championship belt." She glanced off wistfully with a soberness to her tone. She was so tired of losing time after time. So bitter at each time she was made to admit defeat at the hands of a submission of powerless to break free from a pinfall. The league had done so much to beat her down, the fact she still had love for the sport was impressive.

"I also owe someone a kick in the ass." Her eyes narrowed at the thought of Spider, a woman she had grown to hate above any other. It wasn't just how detestable the woman was, but the fact Alexa was still terrified by her at even the thought they were in the same proximity. That powerless sense of fear was awful and it served only to empower horrible bullies like the blond veteran.

It was kind of silly that Ryoko had never asked AJ this question before, not that she’d thought about. She and AJ often shared little tidbits of their lives, but she always felt a little guilty when it came time to give her own experiences. She always had to be vague, skimp certain details. She never outright lied to her friend, but she omitted enough to keep her identity a secret. It was especially weird when the subject of their jobs came up, and she had to make references to having appointments and meetings, when she was really having matches or training.

Most people would’ve pried or snooped around until they found out the truth, or got an inkling of it. Not AJ. AJ trusted her. The rude word for it was ‘naive’, but she had better terms. ‘Endearing’. ‘Rare’. ‘Precious’.

She’d been able to piece certain things about her together from their time, but this was the most complete picture she could recall getting of her friend’s life before they met. It was the story of a woman who’d put everything she had, everything into this sport. Her money, her time, her family, all of it had been sacrificed at the altar of wrestling, but she wasn’t getting the response she expected. Just silence.

And yet, she kept on giving.

It was the sort of thing that almost took the heart out of her, but there was hope, there, too, and the fire she saw when she brought up Spider was a good sign. ”I don’t know about kicking her ass, it’s kind of…” Ryoko brought her open palms close together. ”Small target.”

She smiled at her little attempt at humor, hoping it landed, before she moved over to her knees beside AJ and straightened up. ”You see, that...” She reached out and laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze on top. ”That right there? What you just told me? That’s the reason you’re going to beat Spider. Women like her, they’re good, sure. But they don’t do what they do because they love wrestling, they do it because they get off on hurting people or they’re out to have lots of sex or make easy money or...whatever. They don’t train hard, they don’t study matches, they don’t love this sport like you do. You have this, this…”

Ryoko threw her arms up, wide, as she searched for the right word. She settled on it after a moment, and poked AJ’s shoulder. ”Passion. They can’t even comprehend the drive you have. And until they do, if they ever do, they’ll never be as good as you can be. As you will be.”

Alexa wilted slightly when it seemed like Black Fang was about to dissuade her from taking on Spider. She imagined her mentor didn't believe she was up to snuff…And frankly she couldn't blame her. When the joke hit, it landed hard when it caught her off guard. She let out a sudden laugh, letting out another one of her gigglesnorts though this one went unmasked. While she didn't really pay Spider's backside much thought, the fearless and casual way her mentor shot on the other wrestler was gold.

Alexa's eyes drifted over to her teacher, blinking as the hand was laid on her shoulder. Her lips parted slightly, mouth open in silence as her hero expounded the virtues of all the hard work and dedication Alexa poured into her wrestling. A rousing speech which on its own may have been effective, but coming from Black Fang while the two of them were alone was something special.

It made all her hard work feel appreciated, even if it hadn't made its way to the crowds of AFW yet. She found herself smiling, setting up every word of encouragement being poured over her with eager anticipation for what would come next. She gave a firm nod as she pushed herself up with balled fists, fire burning in her eyes. "Alright! Let's run the drill again!" With a few light steps back she leaned into her ready stance, ready to try again.

Ryoko had decided to skip the gym yesterday, wanting to save the bulk of her energy for this session today. She’d done some situps at home, sure, a few pushups. Just enough to keep the blood pumping and make the bare requirements for the day. It was important that she give her friend all she could spare.

In hindsight, that was more prudent than she’d realized at the time. AJ was quite the workout, it seemed.

She’d decided to push hard for the last leg of this, really testing her friend as they continued on. Wanting to see how well she could hang in multiple areas. Her own style of wrestling was great for this, versatile enough to push her friend in multiple ways, give her a taste of just about anything. Not the full meal, but enough for them to assess where she excelled and where she needed improvement. That way of working was paying off, as they found themselves deadlocked in a tight collar and elbow in the center of the ring, resetting after a particularly hectic exchange.

”Not bad, not-” Ryoko gritted her teeth and pushed harder, really having to lean into it to press forward. ”Not bad at all." She whistled and threw her hair back, clearing her face so they could look eye to eye, see each other's intensity. "Where do you go from here?”

It had been a long time since Black Fang first had agreed to be her teacher. Not only had the opportunity been a dream come true for her personally, but it was the shot to the body she really needed to find her footing again in AFW. Hours, days, weeks of training and researching on her own didn't even hold a candle to a few hours with Black Fang. Her teacher was everything she wanted from a mentor, and dare she say it, a friend. Knowledgeable, insightful, and not afraid to set her straight when she started to stray. Having someone to focus and hone her was a blessing that was not only improving her skills but making her day to day life brighter.

With renewed vigor she found herself locked in with her teacher, trying her best to hold them steady and even. She had trained long enough with Black Fang to know the other woman had a bit more raw muscle than her, a bit more everything really, so it generally came down to how well she performed in the moment. The brunette was forced to taking a bracing step back when pushed, losing ground before managing to shift her center enough to bring them back to a null state.

"Need to move or let you push and use that against you…" Alexa grunted, talking through her thought process out loud, a practice that had become normal for these mock spar sessions. She gave their lock up a hard testing tug, trying to drag an arm off her finding both clamped down hard. Stepping to the side she moved at angles, circling the two of them, denying her mentor the ability to really throw her weight forward and muscle through her.

"If I go for a knee you are going to trip me… again." The rookie murmured, learning early on that the fundamental heavy wrestler across from her was always quick to show her how bad it was to put herself off balance for the sake of thoughtless offense. She would still try from time to time, to switch things up and surprise Black Fang, but more often than not it would be at the expense of getting herself put down on the mat.

She was mindful of her steps as she moved with Black Fang, trying to add what she called "chores" to their lockup. Variables that she could add that gave her opponent more things to think about or react to. Keeping them moving was one, applying pressure was another, even talking to her served a purpose. So when she finally took a half step in to wedge her leg up against the inside of her mentor's it had come out of the blue. It was only then she pulled hard, twisting to draw the other woman in added by her own applied force to trip her off balance and try to flip her down onto the mat.

If she managed to get her down, she was quick to take a knee and whirl up behind her, immediately trying to secure an arm around her throat, attempting to apply a light sleeper hold. She didn't concur it in if she got this far, they were just sparring after all but gave it enough of a squeeze to demonstrate she had finished its application so her mentor knew what she had just done.

Ryoko loved hearing AJ work things out like this, growing through this insightful process, step by step. It meant that she was learning, for one thing, that everything was sinking in. That was a reward by itself, to know that her efforts were bearing fruit. She was a great learner, not just absorbing what she was taught, but applying it well.

”Right, right.” Ryoko grunted through her acknowledgements, nodding her head as AJ assessed the situation. She didn’t want to give too much away, wanting her to pick up the cues on her own and learn how to work through them naturally, but she could give her some encouragement. Not carrying her down the path, but lighting the way for her to proceed. Holding back her friend was taking real effort, made even harder as she started to work around, probing the hold, feeling her out. She kept expecting AJ to try a knee, give her something to work with and exploit, but time and dedication had beaten those old habits out of her, it seemed. She was going for something solid.

”Heh, probably for the best.” She had a quick chuckle at AJ’s assessment, as much as she could before she had to hunker down and get back to applying pressure. ”Still, the longer we dance, the longer I have to figure something out, too.” She gave AJ a hard jostle, emphasizing the point. ”Sooner or later…”

Ryoko let those words trail off, as her friend suddenly made it a moot point. She felt a leg against her own, and from there, the world went spinning, as AJ whipped her about in one smooth motion. Dynamic, natural, solid, it was enough to bring her to the floor in an instant, whirling her around so fast that her mask nearly came off.

Ryoko moved up after the landing, trying to make a quick escape on reflex, but AJ was on point and shut her down, catching her around the neck with a sleeper. She brought her hand up to try and pull it away, only to find that it was too late. It was already locked in. Or would’ve been, if they’d been serious.

Instead, she used that hand to pull her mask back down all the way, then looked up to find AJ’s eyes, brushing her forehead against her friend’s chin as she did. ”That’s the way.”

"I surprised you. Admit it, you didn't expect that, did you?" She had a cheerful singsong tone to her voice that teetered on the verge of gloating. Alexa leaned herself forward to peek over Black Fang's shoulder while she kept the other woman secured in the loose sleeper hold. She was positively brimming with pride, a wide smirk on her face. Like a pair of roughhousing siblings, she kept her mentor locked in until, to some degree, the other woman admitted defeat.

Once she got her own little ego rub for a job well done, the brunette was more than happy to let the other woman go. Standing herself back up and offering a friendly hand to help Black Fang rise with her. Once they were face to face, she would dust off the other girl off as if she had been thrown around in the dirt for awhile.

"So… I was thinking…" Alexa took a few steps back, bringing her arms up again for the both of them to prepare to run the drill again. Once her teacher was ready, she would rush in to lock the both of them up again and begin the struggle for control anew. "Maybe it's time I get in the ring again… for real I mean. I think I might be ready."

Ryoko rolled her eyes as AJ rocked her back and forth, letting out a long, exasperated groan as she was grappled. It was like having a little sister, without all the family baggage and disputes. ”Okay, okay!” She held her hands up, admitting defeat. ”You might have took me off guard there. A pinch. A little.” She brought her index and forefinger together. ”A smidge.”

Her goofy smile probably made it clear that it was more than that, but she didn’t want to rub it in. Eager to get back into it, she accepted AJ’s help back up and moved into position, eager to make another go of it.

In a grappling stance now, she moved in to grapple with AJ, hunkering down to stop her advance and needing a solid stance. She lit up at the mention of AJ returning to the ring, another sign of her returning confidence. ”I think that’s the right move. We can spar all day long, but…” Black Fang made a sudden jerk back, pulling instead of pushing, just to test AJ and make sure her footing stayed solid, before she went back to advancing. ”You have to take the test, sometime. Apply it, you know?”

Alexa was locked in and ready to battle, applying pressure the second her mentor was good and ready. She was brimming with confidence when Black Fang seemed in support of her return to the ring. It had been quite awhile now of ducking matches. She had hidden away from offers out of fear of failure at first, later on it had to do with lack of time due to her full time commitment to training. She was finally starting to feel ready for real competition again.

When her mentor let up to pull her in, she was taken off balance, her mind wandering elsewhere. When the push came she staggered back and was taken backwards a few steps before dropping to a knee, practically pinned down from rising. She let out a hard grunt, trembling to stand again but with leverage backing Black Fang, she was handily outmatched.

Rather than fight it further, she tucked a leg behind her, dropping onto her backside. Both her legs kicked out towards her mentor, bringing them in to try and clamp down on the other woman's legs and twist, trying to drag her down to the mat as well with a sweep.