Shizuko Himuro vs. Sachiko Kanda - GOD's And Monsters

Match Type: Standard Match
Win Conditions: Pinfall, Submission or Knockout.

Sticking to what she knew best was how Shizuko tended to cope with these turbulent times. Divination through tarot card readings was how she intended to relax and have her better understand the unfathomable depths of the human consciousness. This was how she would prefer to be spending her time before her next match...had not a line formed at the table where she was now doing customary tarot readings for a modest fee. It was an...odd, occurrence. One minute she was peaceably sorting out her cards in preparation for her divining's whilst sitting in a hallway besides the gorilla position after already donning her wrestling attire, when one inquisitive passerby stopped by to begin asking rudimentary questions about the differences between Arcana cards. Shizu's passive offer for a basic reading to help the stranger better comprehend the ethereal forces at play was her attempt to simultaneously demonstrating her fortune reading talents, and reclaim her privacy so that the psychic can concentrate on her own issues. But that initial passerby had long since departed after being told of their oncoming opportunity for new beginnings thanks to The Fool card. Except suddenly the person behind them sat in their chair politely asking for the same reading. Shizuko peered over their shoulder to notice the newly formed line and resigned herself to what she'd be doing until she was called in for her match. Only packing up her cards and taking her leave once the supervisor said she was due for her entrance after he bellowed to the employees to get back to work.

The Girl Guided By Destiny:

Theme:

Shizuku than waltzed through the curtains once the tempo kicked up to her bewitching melody with a carelessly aloof stride down the ramp, flicking her twin-tailed hair behind her with both hands and her curvaceous backside swaying with every step. A modest smattering of applause greeted the troubled clairvoyant as she walked with a purpose towards the squared circle that had been a source of failed trials and tribulations for her recently. Back to back loses to former Wrestle Angel alumni was an irksome blotch to have on her wrestling record, and a far cry for someone who was once heralded as one of the best submission tacticians in the wrestling game for several years. Shizuko couldn't explain why the fates have put her on this path of downtrodden misfortune, but she was more than willing to veer off of this misery-laden road she had been set upon, and on to a road where she could reclaim her dominance in the ring. She climbed the steel steps and stepped through the ropes with an almost unsettling calmness, than striding towards the middle of the ring where she'd take a stance with her legs parted. A piercing stare directed at the hard camera before she'd raise an arm and with a flick of her wrist, present one of her tarot cards. She'd offer it a passing glance before flicking it away and backpedaling towards the ropes, pacing slowly in anticipation of the challenger who had her draw the Chariot card just now...

Sachiko:

Everyone had their own way of preparing for a match by getting rid of excess energy; for most it was stretching, others passed the time by doing some small recreational activity. But when one was up for a good fight like Sachiko Kanda, shadow boxing was the best way to put that building energy to use. As she threw punch after punch at an imaginary opponent Sachiko was psyching herself up for her first match ever in AFW as it was also her return to the world stage after Wrestle Angels was shut down. That didn't mean she hadn't been out of practice though, as after it had shut down Sachiko went back to bouncing between various indie circuits across Japan. Sure the crowds were pretty decent in size but it was nothing compared to being in a large arena.

What made this upcoming match even better though was the fact that her opponent was one of her fellow Angels from the WA days; Shizuko Himuro. A smile began to show on Sachiko's face as she practiced a quick jab combo that ended with a surprise uppercut at the thought of fighting a former WA champion and one part of Wrestle Angels' infamous "Beautiful Butt Four Devas" in this new chapter in her life so soon. Sure it was more than likely a stunt to cash in on some WA nostalgia but that didn't matter to Sachiko as she was more than happy to take on Shizuko and show these AFW women and men why she was once a major contender back in WA.

Finally she heard Shizuko's theme play over the speakers in the back which meant that it was time for her to make her way to the gorilla position and make her debut. Once there, it didn't take long for John Cafferty's Hearts on Fire to start playing, giving Sachiko the signal that it was time to embrace this new chapter. "GOD-san! GOD-san! GOD-san!" was the first thing she heard as the crowd chanted one of her old WA monikers upon seeing her out on stage. "Mama's home." Sachiko muttered to herself as she then began to make her way down the ramp, giving high fives to some of her fans as she passed by.

After a few more high fives and a couple of requests for poses for pictures, Sachiko would go up the steel steps and made her way into the ring through the middle and top ropes and would immediately make her way over to Shizuko. "Good to see you again. Still into tarot cards, little miss BBFD?" Sachiko asked as she sized up her fellow Angel.

It was unsurprising in the slightest that Sachiko had caused Shizuko to draw The Chariot arcana card, considering that it stands for control, willpower, success, action, and determination. All attributes that could have described her impending challenger to veritable "T" given the emblazoned fighting spirit Sachiko carries herself with. The Lightning Fist had been acclaimed as perhaps the best striker in all of Wrestle Angels and was always an aggressive contender never to be underestimated lest you wind up learning the hard way how she earned her moniker. Signs were seemingly boding ill for the Girl Guided By Destiny, were it not for Shizuko noticing that the The Chariot card was presented to her upside down...which has different connotations altogether, as it represents opposition, lack of control and lack of direction.

Shizuko felt renewed at this casting of misfortune, and steadied her resolve as well once Sachiko's triumphant theme music began playing through the speakers to the riled up enthusiasm of the audience at large. Obviously not forgetting how much of a fan-favorite Sachiko was as they began their rallying call for the GOD-ly striker before she had even come confidently striding down the ramp. Basking in the adulation of the nostalgic fans of Wrestle angels who were treating this as a homecoming of sorts despite Sachiko having kept her wrestling presence alive through competing in the independent circuits. The calm and poised clairvoyant noticing the spark in Sachi's eyes from how obviously thrilled she was to be back on the world stage and to cavort with photo-snapping fans, but regardless, it was still her destiny to lose this day. Shizuko was coldly undeterred from becoming the herald of that destiny, and from making all of those high-fiving, selfie-taking fans witness their hero tapping out in submission...but the psychic's natural calm was somewhat perturbed by Sachiko's greeting.

"Hm? BBF-...oh." Shizu curiously began reiterating what Sachiko called her before realizing what the abbreviation stood for, sighing exasperatedly with a hand propped atop her hip and right above the alluring derriere Sachiko was referring to. "...*sigh*...you know, I WAS Wrestle Angels World Champion once upon a time. And yet I'm still more renowned for becoming voted into that absurd club, against my consent as well. I may very well be remembered more for that than anything else I do in my wrestling career...but yes, the feeling's mutual Sachiko. See me again once you leave the infirmary and I'll be glad to foresee your future with those same tarot cards if you wish. For a fee, of course..." A few steps being taken backwards by the aloof clairvoyant than settling into a grappler's position to the ringing of the bell...

Sachiko listened as Shizuko complained about her "infamy" over the fan poll that branded her and three other great WA Talents as probably one of the greatest unofficial teams to ever be made and how it overshadowed her brief reign as Wrestle Angels World Champion. Still, it looked like Shizuko was looking forward to this match as much as she was, even more so if the clairvoyant was able to make such a bold statement like sending her to the infirmary. "You sure it'll be me in the infirmary? If you aren't careful, all I'll need is one shot to send you there." Sachiko's stoic demeanor was unshaken by Shizuko's retort.

Sachiko then took a few steps back and watched as Shizuko took on a grappler's stance once the bell rang. If she wanted to have a test of strength at the onset of the match then that was fine with Sachiko. If anything it would allow her to see if this former WA Champion had leveled up her strength here in AFW. Sachiko approached Shizuko carefully, raising her own arms, intending to lock up with her. "Alright. Show me what you got!" Shizuko yelled as she lunged forward, hoping to force the clairvoyant back against the ropes.

Shizuko supposed...regrettably, that it wasn't the worst fate in the world to have been inducted into such a ludicrous club. Her popularity never truly waned beneath a modest level thanks to her inclusion, which came with requests for modeling pictures along with the other three "members" of the faction. Still, for all the considerable money thrown her way for those photoshoots, it was nevertheless a dreadful embarrassment at times. The Bubble-Butted Psychic steadying her resolve with calming breaths meant to center her swirling chakra, hands resting on her angled knees like an animal poised to strike...


...although she was really just waiting for the bell to ring. Shizuko assigning her arms at the proper placements for a typical lock-up with the spirited striker, which would be clamped onto one another with the clairvoyant arching her back into forestalling being bullied back for but a second. In one swiveling reversal Shizuko would snatch onto the striker's right arm and twist it behind her her back into a debilitating hammerlock position. She'd tug Sachiko's wrist upward to wrench in the pain and further pin her arm between her shoulder blades. "It may not be in the infirmary...but that depends entirely on how quickly you submit." Shizu whispered quietly and close to her ear, but not before a stomping reaffirmation of the hold.

Sachiko latched onto Shizuko's shoulders and Shizuko in turn latched on to hers, beginning the test of strength lock up between the Wrestle Angel stars. The lock up was pretty even at first with neither Angel budging, but gradually Sachiko started to overpower Shizuko and force her to arch back to keep it from getting any further. But Shizuko would quickly prove why she was once a champion as she would break the lockup, snatch Sachiko's right arm, and in one flowing reversal bring it behind Sachiko, putting the Striking Angel in a Hammerlock hold.

The hold quickly began to hurt, especially since for a former-boxer targeting their arms would greatly reduce their potential. Sachiko listened as Shizuko whispered into her ear about how she could avoid a stay in the infirmary if she just submitted now. There was no way Sachiko would give up so easily, especially at the beginning of a match! "In you dreams, Shizuko." Sachiko retorted as she would then raise her left arm over them and then hook it around the clairvoyant's arm. If she succeeded, Sachiko would then try to reverse the hammerlock and wrap her, hopefully freed, arm around Shizuko's neck to better secure and wear her down.

Shizuko did not need to be a profound mystic, attuned with the cosmic energies of the celestial heavens dictating our fated destinies...to know that continuing to engage with Sachiko in a test of strength would be ill-advised, at best. Their brief stalemate after locking horns may have seemingly put them on even footing, but it was a mere fallacy beginning to falter along with the psychic's trembling stance. Which was as distressing and telling a sign Shizuko could have asked for to than skillfully duck around and behind the Angelic Striker with her right arm being tightly pinned against her upper back.

The Hammerlock having been the psychic's intended maneuver all along whenever Sachiko's strength inevitably came into play in the lockup, the first step of an arduous process towards targeting the striker's arm's. But one that Shizu would have hoped to not be swiftly countered via her green-haired adversaries unexpected flexibility. One high-pitched yelp later and Shizu's situation would become dire indeed, a latched on side headlock prompting her to abandon the hammerlock and become far more concerned with the ratcheted strain of Sachi's bicep mushed up against her cheek. For now Shizu was subdued, opting to adjust her stance after some awkward wiggling rather than panic...

Shizuko was going to be a tough for Sachiko if she wasn't careful, thankfully her quick thinking and movement managed to get her out of the psychic's hammerlocks hold and even reverse it on her! Now Sachiko had Shizuko in a hammerlock hold of her own, with an added headlock to weaken her a bit more. Of course, even with the hold locked in Shizuko would attempt to try and wriggle free from it before deciding to adjust her stance.

Sachiko didn't know what she was up to but she wouldn't give Shizuko a chance to get comfortable, if there was one thing Sachiko learned from her Wrestle Angel days it was that a calm Shizuko was a troublesome one as it gave her time to think. So she would would release Shizuko from the lock and turn her around. Sachiko would attempt to strike the psychic in the gut with a shovel hook punch, if she succeeded and it managed to stun her, Sachiko would grab the psychic and dive her into the mat with a DDT!

One disadvantageous aspect that came from grappling wrestlers whose specialty revolves around distributing thrashing pummels, was that any maneuver that revolved around their arms was amplified tenfold by the honed musculature within. It was a troublesome fact that Shizuko was reminded of due to the vice-like torque being accomplished from but a mere headlock that the psychic was latched into, squirming and fidgeting laboriously from beneath the fighter's armpit until her freedom was granted with a sigh of relief. One that was regrettably short-lived once the meathook socked her in the abdomen.

The clairvoyant huddled over herself with a puffed exhalation from the unprotected punch with her arm now shielding her belatedly protected stomach, rattled and winded before being set-up for the DDT...but not enough to accept her head-drilling fate. Shizu instantly clapping her arms around the Sachiko's waist and interlocking her fingers together, scrunching her face before bucking her hips backwards to attempt a front headlock suplex. Slamming Sachiko back first to the canvas, and maintained with an angled arching of her spine and Sachiko's shoulders pinned to the canvas for an early pin attempt.

"1!"

One didn't get to be a Wrestle Angel champion, they had to work tirelessly, have great ring awareness, and be able to take advantage of any opportunity that presented itself in the ring. Sachiko would be reminded of this fact when right as she was getting ready to drive Shizuko into the mat the clairvoyant would wrap her arms around Sachiko's waist and turn the DDT meant for her into a headlock suplex for Sachiko!

Sachiko would find herself briefly lifted off the ground as Shizuko lifted her up and over her body before slamming her down on the mat. To Sachiko's surprise Shizuko didn't immediately release her after the suplex but instead kept her back arched, forcing Sachiko's body and shoulders down in an attempt to get an early pin in. Against someone who had there guard down or was less skilled such an attempt would probably work but that wouldn't work on Sachiko Kanda even if part of her was still reeling from the suplex!

Sachiko began to move her body, attempting to break free from Shizuko's pin before it got further than the one count!