Thunder and Hurricanes: Makie Akamatsu vs Blue Thunder Mask

One fall
Victory by pin, submission, or KO

The crowd was buzzing with excitement tonight as the stands were cleared for yet another Tension match. Rumour had it that two well-known faces in the Tension roster were finally going to be battling it out. Though there was plenty of rumour as to who those established faces her, that mystery didn't last long as the first of them stepped into the ring.

Spoiler:

"Lotus" by Dir en Grey began to play in the background, and the fans cheered as Makie Akamatsu suddenly burst into the arena. The younger of the Akamatsu Siblings acted her usual, energetic self, clapping her hands and appreciatively cheering her fans back as she skipped her way down the ramp. Hi-fiving a few fans as she walked past, Makie quickly burst into a run, athletically backlipping up onto the ropes and, just to show off, doing a leg split across the corner, continuing to clap back at her fans all the while.

Makie had been itching to get back out into the ring with some singles matches. True, she liked tagging with her brother Kyo, and the two had had some really good matches together even. But Makie wanted to make a name on her own, to climb the Tension ranks, and she hadn't had a good singles match since her brutal braw against Mako Adachi a while back (and to be fair, to say she and Mako had gotten along well after that was...well, an understatement, an understatement she'd like to keep from the public eye for a while).

Not only was she eager for a match, but she was also eager for a win tonight. She had no idea who she was facing tonight, but, she thought to herself, whoever they were, she was going to give them a fight to remember her by. Dropping down from the ropes, Makie stepped toward the center of the arena, waiting for her opponent to show up...

The audience had been thrilled to see a familiar face in Makie returning to the squared circle after what felt like far too long away. A notable up and comer with explosive style that managed to draw a good following for herself as was evident by this surprise going over so well. As for her opponent though, it seemed to be a mystery. Billing for this match had been near nonexistent, springing it upon the crowd at the ticket gate for those who inquired about the evening line up. For anyone watching at home, there hadn't been a single mention or advertisement to be found. Returns however were always a welcome sight and got what many would consider a fantastic bit of excitement flowing through the stands. Even though those who were more in the know knew another Tension star would be making some manner of return, expectations seemed low. To onlookers, they came across as an exhibition match in the making to bring Makie back into the spotlight again where she rightly belonged.

When the lights began to dim throughout the arena, cheers simmered to a rumbled murmuring. Perhaps this was something more? There was a building sense of tension as nothing played for a long while until finally...

Theme:

Music that was unfamiliar to any one wrestler but had about it a pang of heroic intent and excitement. Onlookers watched and waited the entryway for who would slip through the curtain though as the music ramped up no one seemed to come out. Several trained spotlights rested on the empty void. "Kyoto!" The spotlights snapped from the entryway, floating through the crowd at random, as if searching. "I am with you!" Finally the spotlights converged in one spot, far in the back. Blue Thunder Mask stood in an open isle between rows of seating where nearby patrons were already screaming and cheering as they frantically tried to prepare their phones to take pictures. Dressed head to toe in the iconic attire of his namesake, there was only one new addition that stood out like a sore thumb. A leg metal leg brace on his right knee, detailed in blue and gold to match the rest of his ring gear. The crowd exploded to life as all eyes turned to look up towards him, grinning boyishly with mic in hand, giving nearby fans low fives as they reached out to him.

Blue Thunder Mask:

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"THUN---DER THUN---DUER... MAAAAAAAAAAASK!"

"Thank you! Thank all of you for your energy! I've been away far too long! I've seen it in my absence, a creeping darkness. Negativity swallowing up the whole of Tension. Not here though, not now." Blue Thunder Mask casual made his way down the steps, closing in on the ring. He gave a few firm nods in passing, not fussing as a few members of the crowd reached out to touch him briefly. He sounded stoic in this moment, an unwavering pillar of truth.

"In my fight against the injustices of Tension I failed in one of my sworn duties. One man with a mask cannot fight these battles alone. Its up to us to spread that light on others to take up arms for all that's good and right in this world!" He threw a finger out, pointing down to the woman he was about to face tonight as a spotlight traveled from him to her in the ring.

"So what do you say, Akamatsu Makie? Will you light up this dark night with me and shine bright on Tension's stage?" He gave a firm upnod, falling silent as the crowd let out another booming round of cheers. before long they were jumping out of their seats with rolling "YES!" chants circulating the stands. He was grinning from afar, waiting for a response as a microphone was passed into the ring for her.

Well, as far as entrances went, that had been impressive.

Makie had watched, in awed fascination, as the newcomer made his way through the audience, the fans parting like a sea before him as they frantically grabbed for their phones and snapped eager photos and videos. Of course, Makie had heard of Blue Thunder Mask-- by this point, few in Tension hadn't, especially after his high-profile feud that saw him run a gauntlet and take down an entire vicious tag team one at a time, culminating in a brutal but epic brawl that had ended in the streetside. It had been a highly entertaining match, and Makie had to admit, she had been rooting for the masked fighter the whole time. Maybe it was her secret love of sentai shows, but she had wanted to see Blue Thunder Mask win.

And now he was here, striding towards the ring, his leg still in a brace, declaring his intent to take her on.

Makie's heart thumped in her breast, and for a moment, she had no idea how to react...especially as a microphone was passed to her. Just what the hell was BTM asking her, exactly? Not many people had put forward a challenge so...poetically to her.

Slowly, she raised the microphone. "I don't know if you know me that well, masked hero," she said, "or if you've seen me fight...but when I'm in a match, I always shine brightly, and when I'm competing, I always light up the stage!" She paused a little, as her own fans burst into cheers at this display of bravado. She waited for the cheers to die down a little before she continued.

"I didn't come here to be a hero, Mr. Mask," she said. "That's your job. What I did come here, though, is to wrestle. I came here to kick ass and look amazing while doing so! I came to give all these people here--" she gestured out to the crowd-- "a battle they'd remember!" The cheers came again, louder this time. "The question is, did you come here to do battle, Blue Thunder Mask, or did you come to pose on the sidelines and look heroic?"

Blue Thunder Mask may his way down through the rows of fans. Reaching the ground floor where chairs were scooted aside and bodies parted to make room. His eyes had remained locked on Makie, giving her all his attention as he closed the gap in distance between them. By the time she had finished and posed her question to him, he stood just beyond the barrier that separated the fan from the members of Tension at ringside. He had been gone for so long, forced to watch at a distance as his leg mended and his hard work in defeating Makoto had started to degrade. He flashed a boyish smirk, bringing a hand up to contemplatively stroke his chin as if milling over the choices presented to him in her question.

"I'm flattered you find my presentation heroic, but flattery won't keep me from testing your mettle the only way I know how." There was symbolism here as he looked on from the crowd before finally hopping himself over into the ringside area. The familiar give of the thin mats, the feel of cheers coming from all round him. he had missed this. With an ease stride he moved up to the ring, popping himself onto the apron to slide beneath the ropes in an easy roll. Slow and deliberate he rose to his feet, circling Makie until both of them were face to face with microphones in hand. Rolling chants of "welcome back" started to flood the audience, working their way to every corner of the building as excitement reached a fever pitch.

"In Tension's time of need, I appear. Show me, Akamatsu Makie, that fire deep inside you. I won't hold back, so you had better burn bright if you hope to stand a chance." A bit of good natured trash talk, from anyone else it may have come across as being boastful. He somehow managed to still sound genuine and humble. Holding out his hand, the referee came to take the microphone from him. He didn't look, intense gaze still locked to his opponents in an unwavering sign of respect. Once she had handed off her microphone as well, he would take severl measured steps back, dropping into a ready grapple stance, waiting for the bell.

Makie watched with interest as BTM approached the ring, noting that, for all of his outward confidence and exuberance-- and yes, she would have called his pose heroic, there was no other way to describe it-- there seemed to be a wariness as he made his way to the ring as well, almost as though he were being cautious about getting back into the ring. The would be understandable, given how badly Makoto had brutalized him in their match.

And now, here they were, standing practically face to face, microphones in hand. Up close, Makie could see the leg brace BTM wore a lot more plainly, and though she did her best to hide it, she felt a surge of respect for the man: even though he wasn't a hundred percent healed, here he was, openly challenging her, confidently about to throw down in the ring with her. While she couldn't judge his ring skills, Blue Thunder Mask had a fearlessness to him that she admired. The fact that, up close, he was rather easy on the eyes didn't hurt either.

The fans were already chanting and clapping eagerly at BTM's return to the ring as he handed his microphone over to the ref. Makie did the same: she had nothing further to say. Keeping her eyes locked on BTM, she grinned, raising her arms and mirroring his circle.

"Oh don't worry, hero," she said, "I'm not going to hold back either." And with that, she launched herself forwards, moving in to tie up with her male opponent in a classic collar-and-elbow tie up!

The sound of the bell was all it took to bring him bounding forward. he had been away from the ring so quite some time, but his sense of spacing remained impeccable. His boot came down in a hard stomp, grounding himself as he took the blunt of Makie's charge, clamping down on her arm and behind her next in a traditional collar and elbow lock. He held the position like a rock, keeping a solid footing as they shifted left or right. He kept himself from pushing her at his full strength, not because he was holding back but because he was testing the differences between them. A little give and take in the power struggle. She had good balance and a strong grip... but when he leaned in her could feel the give. His size and power was a clear advantage here. Which wasn't exactly a surprise. he was a whole head taller than her.

"Not bad." Rather than doing the obvious thing in trying to bully his opponent into the corner or grind down on her, he decided to draw their opening dynamic out a bit longer and get a better handle on how she moved. Taking a step back, he let her push in on him, feinting a weakness in his footing briefly. With a sudden twist, he shattered their hold with a hard shove of their arms to the side, snapping his hands back to grab for Makie's wrist and shoulder. He would try to drag her forward as he shuffled his footing, bringing her around to throw her out towards the ropes with a big Irish Whip.

If he sent her running, he wouldn't wait to see if she stopped her momentum behind the ropes. Instead he would run in the opposite direction. He covered the ground easily with long strides, whirling about to throw himself into the ropes at the last minute. he would spring from the ropes, rocketing back the way he came with the added momentum. he looked to rendezvous with her back towards the middle of the ring, leaping up into the air and kicking his legs out to strike out at her with a stiff dropkick to the chest.

In an instant, Makie and Blue Thunder Mask were grappling, Makie's arms clamping around BTM's and her hands gripping his shoulders as he more or less did the same to her. She dug her booted heels into the mat, pushing and twisting fiercely against her male opponent as she pushed against him, doing so not just to force him back but also to show her masked opponent what he was made of.

As it was, BTM was certainly showing her that he was made of more muscle than she was, as Makie slowly but surely felt herself being pushed back, gritting her teeth as her forehead pressed slightly against BTM's chest. Before they could reach the corner, though, BTM suddenly shifted his grip: Makie felt her arms being grabbed, and the next thing she knew, she was being flung across the ring towards the ropes. Though BTM knew it not, Makie was totally okay with this: her best battles were ones fought at high speed, and when it came to bouncing off the ropes for high-flying attacks, she was in her element.

The moment she bounced off, though, she saw that BTM had the same idea as her, bouncing off the ropes and running at her. Knowing she had to react quickly, Makie threw herself to the side, spinning at the last second to avoid whatever BTM had planned. If she managed to evade his drop kick, then she would waste no time in attacking while his back was turned, leaping at him legs-first in an effort to affix him around his head and flip him hard to the mat in her signature hurricanrana! Otherwise, BTM would nail her hard in the chest and leave her lying on the mat, moaning as she clutched her ample bosom.

Blue Thunder Mask was bearing down on Makie as she left the ropes, leaving painfully little time to actually react as he took to the air. His body twisted, legs snapping out behind him to kick his boots out towards her chest while he was horizontal. He caught a brief blur of motion as she slipped past, leaving him to land front first on the canvas. He bounced with the momentum, sliding a few extra inches along the mat with the practiced fall, mindful to not take the bump on his bad knee. Digging in the balls of his feet and planting his palms, he popped himself up to start to rise, not wanting to give his opponent any room to catch her breath.

It seemed as though she had a train of thought. No sooner had he gotten to his feet than she launched herself up at him. Time to act was limited so he braced himself for impact, expecting her to return the favor and drop kick him back. Instead she closed distance, too close, too high... Blue Thunder Mask's eyes snapped wise in quick realization as he brought his arms up in a crisscross as her legs came down across his shoulders. Before she could close them in around him, he let out a shout and thew his arms up. His biceps flared with straight as he absorbed the impact of her weight and gravity and shoved them back upwards, trying to throw the woman off him, possibly over onto her back.

Narrowly, Makie managed to dodge to the side, causing BTM to miss her altogether and land front-first on the mat. Her heart skipped a beat at managing this impressive dodge. Yes, now he's vulnerable! she thought...although BTM, rolling fluidly back to his feet, looked anything but vulnerable in spite of his embarassing mishap.

All the same, Makie launched herself legs-first at BTM just as he was turning around. Time seemed to slow as she hurtled towards him...and then, with speed that shocked even Makie, BTM brought his arms up in an X-shaped cross in front of his face, causing his boots to impact against them harmlessly. Her eyes widened. What? He blocked it?!!

With a loud shout, BTM pushed out, the movement sending Makie hurtling backwards. Crying out in alarm as she was flipped through the air, Makie narrowly managed to right herself in time, landing with one boot on the mat and one knee bracing down against it. The crowd went wild, both at BTM's amazing deflection, and at Makie's impressive superhero landing.

She winced, slightly, as her knee took some of the impact, but she still stood up, staring BTM down and circling him slightly, waiting for him to make the first move this time...

It had been a gamble to meet Makie in the air, cushioning her legs to absorb her flipping momentum. She wasn't a heavy woman, but his position didn't lend itself well to what he was trying to accomplish. His body tens d, muscles visibly flexing as he poured every ounce of his strength to throw her and was greeted with great effect, sending the woman head over heels away from him in a masterful return to sender. His eyes followed her spin, looking for opportunity to capitalize on what happened next. His arms were lowering, legs shifting, preparing to pounce on the dark haired girl the moment she hit the mat on her back… but that never happened. With a remarkable display of serial control she had managed to turn the fall into a flip and hit a three point landing.

While he wasn't in the arena crowd anymore, he joined the spectators in being impressed, so much so he decided not to jump on her immediately and ruin the moment. The audience was absolutely on fire with a. Uproar of cheers for both athletes which he let play out in full, waiting for her to get back to her feet. Once their eyes locked he gave her a firm nod, a show of respect. They circled one another for a moment, letting the cheers die down for a low rumble of anticipation as tension hung in the air.

Blue Thunder Mask suddenly snapped forward, arms up, seemingly looking to grapple. But he came in too fast, moved too close. He brought his arm in, swinging his forearm up to try and catch Makie below her chin. It wasn't a forceful blow, it wasn't meant to be. He forced his arm up trying to lift her head, exposing her chest. Rearing back with his other hand, a small warning of what was to come. Like a bolt of lightning he whipped his arm back around, bringing his palm down to crack Makie across her chest with a thunderous knife edge chop.