Qin Liangyu vs. Theodore 'Theo' Logan - Taking Flight

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions:Victory by pinfall, submission, or knockout.

‘Qin Liangyu’.

Theo typed that name into Google on his laptop as he waited backstage, and after a little translation, his soon-to-be opponent popped up on the screen, along with a smattering of information. She was a cute Chinese girl from the look of it, and he only had to stumble on one Youtube video of her circus routine to guess what sort of wrestling style she’d be rolling with. Graceful, fast, agile - she was a high flyer, all day long, and an exceptionally skilled done if this footage was any indication. The way she worked around that pole, the deftness of her movements, the perfect timing and body control, all came together to paint the picture of a woman at the top of her game.

Granted, time would tell how well she fared in an actual match, but she had the physical chops, so Theo could take some comfort in that. It was exactly the sort of thing he wanted from his first singles match, a chance to show the Tension crowd what he could really do and get BlazeWave some good credit.  After that embarrassing loss to Mariko Ishii and that even more embarrassing loss to Sucker Punch, he was starving to get them both back into good graces with the crowd, and salvage something of a decent reputation. With the Akamatsus hold the Tension Tag Titles, a title shot wouldn’t be out of the question in the near future, but they had to prove themselves worth the opportunity.

A good, flashy win over a promising debut? That would do the trick.

”Huh. She’s kind of hot.”

Theo had a long, haggard sigh and looked over his shoulder towards his tag team partner, who was standing there with a cherry slurpee in hand. They were both dressed up in the ring gear, even if Theo was the only one slated for a match tonight. He’d wanted to come out alone, but Wily insisted on hanging around ringside. ‘For support’, he said. Theo suspected it was more because he wanted to hang around the cute ring announer that he’d been hitting on for the past few weeks. In the end, he’d only acquiesced to Wily’s request if he agreed to pay the full rent for the next month if he interfered in the match.

”Yes. Yes, she is.” Theo folded up the laptop and sat it aside on a nearby table. ”Just don’t heckle her, all right? I think she’s new to the country, and we don’t need any more bad press by picking on some girl.”

Wily held up his fingers in a peace sign. ”Best behavior, got it.” He took a sip from the slurpee, then fiddled around with the straw a bit. ”Just be sure to play nice, yourself. When she’s in that ring with that tight little outfit, rubbing all over you, getting all close…”

Theo groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to get his best friend out of his head - never the easiest thing to do. This was a serious match. He wanted to win it, straight up. If that was the goal, the last thing he needed were distractions. ”Just...come on, dude.”

A few minutes later and they were out and near the ring, setting their guitars aside near the announcer’s booth after their rocking entrance. While the strobe lights flickered about them, Theo bounced on his heels a few times before dashing forward and sliding in under the ropes. He straightened up and rose to his feet in a quick, single motion, bouncing there for a few moments as he warmed up. Clear mind, Theo. Keep it calm, stay focused, bring home BlazeWave’s first win.

Having only arrived at the AFW a few weeks prior, Qin Liangyu barely felt situated in this wrestling league before being thrown into her first match. She was quite new to this whole business, though she certainly had the physical chops to compete, using her acrobatic skills in combat was something she was completely unfamiliar with. Sure, she had a bit of training and coaching to teach her the basics of fighting, and pro-wrestling was more about putting on a show than actual fighting (especially at the AFW, which was more about lewdness and sex acts from what Liangyu had gathered), but there was still the likelihood of getting hurt, which was something the acrobat had been trained to avoid. But she was here now, and her first match was about to begin, so she swallowed whatever misgivings she felt to move forwards and face this next challenge.

At least her entrance was going to be something familiar to her. The ring lights dimmed as fake mist began blowing around, giving the entrance ramp an ethereal look. The jumbotrons flashed to life, showing Chinese artwork of mountains and bamboo forests, while traditional instrumental music played over the speakers. Qin Liangyu took to the stage, dressed in her incredibly tight leotard, one hand holding onto an unsharpened spear.

Her entrance performance was a mixture of Wushu and acrobatics, adapted from a routine she practiced for many years. She didn't incorporate the really high-risk moves, such as balancing the spear on its tip while spinning around as if it was a pole, but the fact that she could carry such a long weapon while performing leaps and flips that rivalled any Olympic gymnast was quite impressive to anyone watching. Her final pose against a backdrop of mountains and forests looked like something out of a Kung fu action movie, eliciting a cheer of approval from the crowd.

Spoiler:

After her entrance show, she tossed the spear aside to a stagehand, then dashed off to the ring. She demonstrated her athleticism there as well, jumping all the way up and grabbing the top ropes in a single leap, then flipping over them like they were Olympic bars, holding herself upside down for a moment and doing the splits before rolling over and landing cleanly on her feet. The Chinese acrobat gave the cheering crowd a wave, blowing them all a kiss before turning to face her opponent.

Theo had to admit, Wily wasn’t wrong when he said that Qin was hot. Granted, he wouldn’t have used that word, but the general gist of it was spot on, and that idea was reinforced when she came out and did her entrance routine.

Haunting, mesmerizing, dazzling - those were some of the words that came to Theo as he watched the elegant display. Qin was fast, but it wasn’t just speed. She moved with the confidence of someone who’d done this routine more times than anyone could count. Swift, agile, the crowd was rightly awed, and he found himself leaning back against the turnbuckle to enjoy the show. Even Wily seemed to be taken away by the show, looking behind the ring with rare focus. Knowing him, it wasn’t just form that she liked - he was probably a big fan of the tight leotard she had on. But it was something.

She made her way to the crowd and played to them, throwing them some love with a kiss, before she turned to face him with bright eyes and a brighter smile. She was a sweetheart, no doubt about that.

And he was going to knock the crap out of her, all the same. ”No hard feelings, Theo.”

He came out of the corner and nodded her way as he approached. After stopping near the ring, Theo rolled his shoulders, taking one last chance to get nice and limber. ”This is your first match, right? Ready for it?”

Now that she was in the ring, Qin Liangyu could finally get a good look at her opponent. The blonde man facing her was quite the male specimen, taller than her by several inches, very blonde, well-muscled and surprisingly handsome. Her grandmother would have approved of Theo as a grandson-in-law, but unfortunately Qin wasn't here to find a husband. She did resolve to not hit his face too much though, as ruining something that looked that nice would be quite a huge waste.

She had no idea what to expect from her opponent. Being new to the business, she didn't know to look up Theo's matches before the fight, and the only information she got was a single sheet listing his stats and a small picture. Terms like "high-flyer" and "enzuigiri" were completely meaningless, though she could decipher that her opponent was a relative newbie as well. Perhaps since she was new, management put her up against someone not so tough? At least that was what she hoped.

Her opponent offered no greeting or handshake when he moved to the center of the ring. That seemed a little rude to Qin, though it may have just been an intimidation tactic. The Chinese girl wasn't going to be impolite just because her opponent was. She faced Theo, placing a hand over a closed fist, and bowed from the hip, greeting her opponent with the traditional greeting used by Kung fu practitioners before their fights. To her, this was basically going to be the same thing.

"I am ready for this fight," Qin said in lightly accented English, "I hope you are as well Theo Logan. Let's have a good match!"

The Chinese girl stepped forward, then got into her fighting stance with one foot forward, the other behind angled at 45 degrees, knees bent and palms open. Despite her nerves, Qin Liangyu looked quite calm on the outside. She just needed to focus on her training, that was it. That was all she needed to win this match!

See? This was nice, wasn’t it? Qin seemed nice enough, and while ‘seemed’ could often lead you down the wrong path in the AFW, he liked his instincts with her. Cute smile, bright eyes, brimming with a vibrant, welcoming energy. He felt there was a low chance this would end with him getting beat down or knocked out by a facesit. Prospects were looking up.

He placed his fist in his palm and leaned forward, mimicking her bow as close as she did in a sign of respect. Probably wasn’t totally necessary, she didn’t strike him as the type to be a stickler about that sort of thing, but people were starting to get an impression of them as rude frat boys. Not the sort of stigma that a rising tag team like them wanted to foster if they intended on ever getting popular.

”I am.” He took a step back as the referee came between them. ”Looking forward to seeing what you can do. It’ll be a good one.”

He moved back and dropped into a grappling stance after the bell rang, holding back for a moment. He was more of a striker, really, good with kicks in particular, but he didn’t want to lead with that for the moment. He wanted to hold back, get a good idea for how dangerous she was before he made any big moves.

Theo mimicking her bow confused Qin for a moment, as she didn't think her opponent knew anything about the formalities of kung fu. However, his stiffness and awkwardness while doing it made it clear he was just imitating her. Was it flattery, or was he mocking her? Qin kept a polite smile on her face, but her mind was racing. She didn't know what to expect from the opponents she'd face here, and just hoped that Theo was the nicer kind and not some brute looking to use her body to get off.

After their greetings, both fighters seemed to hold back, settling into fighting stances with neither one making the first move. Qin Liangyu narrowed her eyes, watching Theo as she expected the more experienced fighter to come charging in. When he didn't, she was confused for a moment, but she quickly decided that if Theo wasn't planning on striking first then she would have to move in!

The Chinese acrobat stepped lightly on the ring canvas, her feet making barely a sound as she moved in closer. Her footwork showed her acrobatic background, as she took small light steps first directly towards Theo, before suddenly stepping sideways and ducking down low to get below his view. She swept her leg out wide, aiming to quickly sidestep Theo and get behind him in a quick motion, extending the full length of her legs as wide as she could to make the move in only two steps.

Once she was behind Theo, she would bounce up, her acrobatic training allowing her to spring up high from a low squat. Her aim was to grab onto Theo's shoulders from behind, using the man's firm back as a brace to rocket herself up, kicking up both her legs to catch Theo's head in a head scissor from behind, all while the man was still standing!

In the first few seconds, Theo learned some important things about Qin. Primarily, that she was fast. Really fast. Probably faster than him, and by no small margin.

He was trying to keep track of her as she moved, doing his best to track her movements, but that was proving to be no easy task. The same grace she’d shown on her entrance was on full display here, plain to see. She scarcely touched the floor with each step, almost seeming to glide along the canvas, and there was a hypnotizing ease to it, an ethereal beauty. It was nearly enough to make him forget the reason behind it, that she was coming to attack him, but any illusion on that point wouldn’t have lasted too long.

He thought he got a bead on her when she came into his range, and threw out a low kick as she moved towards him, and swung out his leg low, looking to catch her with a quick kick, but she was out of range before he could even think of hitting. She was only in his blindspot for a moment, but that was a moment too long.

Theo gasped as a pair of powerful thighs clamped around his neck from behind, squeezing tight and constricting his breathing. He reached up to paw at them on reflex, but he might as well having been trying to pry open iron bars  - her legs were small, but solid, brimming with deceptive power, and he knew he couldn’t stand it for too long.

”Woo! Already getting between her legs! Nice!”

And he wasn’t crazy about comments like that from his partner, either.

Theo needed to do something about this, and soon. Gritting his teeth, he jerked  forward hard, looking to pull Qin’s body up with him and make her fold forward. After that, he jumped up, kicked his legs out, and attempted to bring her down hard on her back with an Electric Chair maneuver.

Qin noted that Theo had good reflexes. The low kick had almost gotten her, but she was already in motion before his strike could reach. She had caught him by surprise this time, if Theo was prepared for her rapid advance she didn't doubt that he could hit her. Now that the rocker knew what to expect, Qin knew her next attack wouldn't go nearly as smoothly.

Which was why she got into a dominant position to quickly, to try and end the match before Theo could get his bearings. Her plan was to lock her legs into a figure four choke around Theo's neck, then to throw herself over backwards, stretching down his back and using her full weight to lock in a choke that would leave him out in seconds. Theo had a different plan. Using his greater weight and strength, he flung the light acrobat forwards, aiming to throw her down in what would be a devastating slam!

But Qin had good instincts, and had trained for years to minimize the impact of falls. She flowed with the momentum, allowing herself to be flung forward and releasing her scissor hold on Theo's neck. Instead of getting slammed, she hit the mat and transitioned into a smooth roll, reducing the power of the impact by turning it into a somersault, putting a bit of distance between herself and Theo. She still hit the canvas a bit harder than she would have liked, wincing a little as her back felt a bit sore at the point of impact, but she recovered very quickly.

She didn't want Theo coming at her from behind though. Bracing herself on her palms, Qin kicked backwards with one foot, aiming to smash her heel into the underside of Theo's prominent chin. Her aim was to daze the rocker so she had time to scramble away and get back to her feet, preventing Theo from grabbing her while she was vulnerable.

Theo was painfully aware of how close he’d been to something terrible between Qin’s thighs. While he hadn’t been there long, even those few seconds were enough to show him how deadly her thighs were, as he could already feel his conscious start to slip away between them. It wasn’t just the power they wielded, but the compact size, making them a perfect fit for his throat. A living noose - even a few seconds in their grasp were more than he could stand.

Thankfully, he wasn’t going to learn that lesson the hard way, as he managed to pull off an escape, albeit a narrow one. His reversal was able to get her off, but even in this weird position, he could tell that she’d managed to escape taking too much damage, releasing at a pivotal moment. Even so, this was a moment he didn’t want to lose.

He threw his feet up, flung forward, and rose in a smooth kip up, swinging around in time to see her trying to raise up as well. Charging forward, he reared back, preparing to try another kick, but she came out with a kick to his jaw before he could close in. The blow didn’t hurt all that much, and he suspected that was much of the point - her way of covering an escape, little more.

Theo staggered back a couple of steps, before gathering his bearings and soldiering forward once again. This time he brought his arm up and swung it fast and hard, hoping to take Qin down with a quick, clubbing lariat to the chest.

Qin's heel connected with something, though without lookingnshenwas unsure of whether it hit Theo's chin or somewhere else. It did stop the rocker from coming at her while she was down though, giving her more than enough time to get back up to her feet. So she took her time pushing back up, spinning around to face Theo expecting him to only just be recovering from that last hit.

Instead, the second she turned around she got hit hard across the chest with a powerful lariat! "Oof!" she gasped, completely unprepared to take a hit that big. It knocked her backwards clean off her feet, her big breasts jiggling in her leotard as she fell back, landing with a thud on her upper back.

Qin coughed with one hand on her chest after taking that blow. She was surprised Theo could recover so quickly. Or perhaps it was her own attack that did little damage? Either way she was in a bad position, trying to catch her breath after taking a big unexpected hit.