Chloe Mason vs. Kaede Komatsuzaki – II: Bred for the Hunt

Chloe Mason:

Sometimes the one way to go forward is to go back.

Chloe Mason stood in her corner, finishing up her entrance routine as her music faded out. Doing some light stretching, getting nice and limber, getting the kinks out. Basic stuff, but as she went, she made sure to take a good, long look at the arena. Weirdly, she felt a bit remiss with certain factors leading up to this match.

It had been precisely three years, coming up to four, since her bare, smooth foot stepped into the Friction ring. In fact, it was the first time Chloe had stepped foot into the ring as an actual competitor, not as some level of authority that others would speak to. At that time, her mind was already made up when she would be removed from the same company the ex-commissioner built up to greater heights. Chloe wanted to join the Japanese federation. The change the blonde needed was the chance to start fresh and test her skills against new opponents. Work out her problems, find new solutions, find herself as a fighter. It had a few detours, but once someone dominating fools in the obscure shadows, it soon became a near breakout, going against many great competitors. It was interesting to think about it. She may not have the most illustrious career, but Chloe can say she had so much fun. Bringing many underneath her sole, thoroughly beaten.

And such person that she subjugated once before would meet her yet again. Kaede Komatsuzaki.

Now, this was intriguing. Of course, Chloe’s style and her methods meant that she would cause many enemies. Heck, Ace came after her last year just because she humiliated her fiance. However, out of all those that could have returned for revenge, Kaede was considered the lowest on the list. Mind you, it has also been many years since that loudmouth had stepped foot into the ring, and if Chloe didn’t completely forget about the pinkette’s existence, she’d be inclined to think she had left. Not that she was ever rememberable or had any considerable skill. But here we are. Again they meet.

Stranger things have happened.

Either way, ever since that Avalance match with Silver Ace, Chloe had been looking forward to getting back to the swing of things. And if having to soundly beat the very woman that she fought in her debut again, then so be it. Albeit not in the same stipulations this time. Although Chloe could bring herself to be excited for this, the ex-commissioner cringed to think of hearing that grating voice yet again.

Let’s hope those three years have taught her many lessons, this time.

”I got this, I got this, IgotthisIgotthisIgotthisIgotthis…”

Kaede muttered those words over and over, a mantra, as she hung around the gorilla position, getting nice and stretched out for her first match in - fuck, how long had it been? A while, a good goddamn while. She had spent the last few months in such hard training, it seemed like an eternity ago. Being with the Dire Pack was a rough life, with Yuki pushing her to the limit on a regular basis, giving her precious little time to recoup, always staying aggressive and keeping her on the move. It was training from hell, and it left her barely able to move at the end on most days, sweaty and bloody and aching...and when she woke, she was right back at it.

But now, the results were showing. Her body had more definition, tighter muscle. She wasn’t bigger than before, but a lot of the fat was gone, trimmed off. She was faster, stronger, better than before - the Kaede of today could beat the shit out of the Kaede of last year, she was sure of that.

But could she beat Chloe Mason? She was much less sure about that.

She didn’t let that doubt show on her face, of course. She was with the Dire Pack. A wolf in training, a cub, and if she ever wanted to be more than that, she had to learn to not flake out. She didn’t run from challenges, she embraced them. Every fight was a chance to get stronger, to improve, to test herself and show she was worthy of the Wolf Mother’s time.

But there was still enough of the old Kaede left, the one that remembered what happened the last she clashed with Chloe. She couldn’t forget the way she had been dismantled by the woman, the way she’d been left as a sweaty, cumsoaked mess in the ring. Since then, Chloe had gone on to dominate the competition, beating some of the best in the league. She was a strong contender for titles, the sort of woman that Manami would’ve been fighting. Top-tier. As much as she wanted to say she had improved, as good as she wanted to say she was now, she had to face reality - there was a gap, and it would be flat out stupid to think that gap would close all the way in a relatively short amount of time.

She hated those thoughts. She pushed them down. Instead, she focused on the heavy bag in front of her and let out her frustration in the form of punches, slamming into and only throwing quick, sporadic glances towards Yuki, her superior, hungry for the rare look of approval. She focused on her form, making sure each punch was a little better than the last, working on getting her weight into them, following through, that sort of thing. The Right Claw was a hard woman to please, and when she was, it was even harder to tell if she was pleased, but that made her approval all the more valuable. Kaede knew she wasn’t supposed to care, didn’t want to show it, but…

Well. She was here. Kaede was happy she was here. She’d say that much. Just not out loud.

The fact that she wasn't even trying to maintain eye contact said quite a lot. Yuki herself couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like a bundle of nerves the same way Kaede did at this second. Maybe she never did. The consequences nor the fear of defeat never lingered too long in the back of her mind of the She-Wolf. Fighting was just what she did, it was all she knew, all she wanted to know. Though if she had to pick an opponent that would get her to that point, this wouldn't be a bad one.

Chloe wouldn't have been her first choice for a matchup. Probably even the worst in fact. She was fast, she was powerful, she was skilled beyond clear measure, and most importantly she knew Kaede. On a level far more intimate than most at that. The odds for nothing short of complete and utter humiliation were just too great. Not a good look for their rising star.

But orders were orders. Manami needed to see if their little cub would sink or swim. She couldn’t have thought of a person alive better suited to that task than an opponent that had dusted the pink-haired punk with her eyes closed only a year or two ago. It was a firm benchmark and not one that any of them necessarily expected her to survive. That was just how it was. Kaede should consider this match an honor. This was a meal that the Wolf Mother was dying to sink her teeth into, and she was giving Kaede first pickings. Lucky her.

“Why do you keep looking at me? Wanna take a swing at me next?” Yuki called out from across the room, sounding as impatient as ever. "I count four dull strikes. You're either trying to piss me off or you're hesitating."

There was no measure known to man that could properly calculate how quickly Kaede snapped focus away from Yuki and centered on the bag, honing in on her task. She almost apologized, but cut that off quick. Yuki wasn’t a ‘sorry’ sort of person.

She could do this. If she could do anything, she could punch, and she had spent no small amount of time improving that punch in the last few months. She always had a quick strike, but they had been sloppy before, coming from above the waist when she got too panicked. Yuki had put her straight on that.

Plant your feet.

Shift your hips.

Twist. Get your entire body weight into the affair, as much as possible. Recruit every muscle you can.

Fire.

After a hot second to focus, Kaede let loose with a sharp right cross, digging her fist into the heavy bag, blurting out a short war cry along the way. It wasn’t the most damaging punch the world had ever seen, but it was enough to get the bag moving and even leave a small deformity in the side. If that landed on Chloe’s face, it might even knock her down.

If.

Happy with the results, her head turned to Yuki on reflex, but only got halfway before she snatched it forward again. Bad habit. ”Right, no hesitation. Just a little psyched out. I got this.” She went back to muttering, and fired off another cross, aiming lower with this one. Maybe she could double up with them, catch Chloe off guard? ”IgotthisIgotthisIgotthisIgotthis…”

"Good.” Yuki pushed herself away from the wall she’d been hugging for the past ten minutes and slowly approached from Kaede’s left. “Now do something else for me." Her hand reached out and gripped the karate girl’s bandaged wrist the second after it made contact with the heavy bag. She turned Kaede and forced their eyes to meet, their faces separated by mere inches in the dim black and echoing cheers just beyond. Kaede’s opponent was ready for her.

"Relax. Don’t be confident, but don’t tense up. And more importantly, stop trying to think of a way where this all works out for you because it won’t happen." Her voice was stern and seemed blunt as ever, although her eyes reflected something curiously genuine. She wasn’t staring at Kaede as much as she was looking through her. She wanted these words to stick more than any. "Chloe Mason is smarter than you. She's stronger than you, she's faster than you, she's decimated people twice your strength without breaking a sweat. There isn’t any conceivable way for you to win this, right?"

Yuki squeezed her wrist tighter and felt her brow furrow. "But you're gonna beat her anyway. Why? Because the Pack demands it. Because it's not about winning or losing, or pride or humiliation. You’re above those kinds of things now. We destroy our enemies until nothing is left; nothing but this." She leaned in and came face to face with their little cub. Her pink eyes had changed since back then, but Yuki needed confirmation.

"I want to know here and now: what are you going to do, Kaede?"

Kaede tensed up as Yuki pulled in, almost expecting an attack. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust the woman - far from it, really. Out of the other, Yuki was probably the least unpredictable. She wasn’t playful and coy like Fumika and she wasn’t chaotic and wild like Manami could be. She was a hammer: blunt, simple, destructive. She didn’t sugarcoat anything, and as much as it had rubbed Kaede the wrong way at first, it was growing on.

Having her be this close was a tad freaky, but Kaede straightened up and didn’t waver, didn’t falter, didn’t break her gaze. She steadied her breath, forced her lungs to obey her commands, and eased up. Everything Yuki said was right - harsh, but right - and in another time, Kaede would’ve taken it as an insult. Now, though, she only accepted it for what it was, a frank summary of observable facts.

But it wouldn’t matter. This wasn’t the same Kaede that Chloe had decimated. This wasn’t the same girl who’d snuck into the Dire Pack’s lair with silly ideas on revenge. This wasn’t the same Kaede that Manami had dragged into the dark and sunk her teeth into. She was different, a changed beast, something wilder, and as she stood there, staring up at the same woman who’d nearly beat her to death the first time they met, a few words from the start of all this came back to her. Words that had left her shaking and haunted her nightmares for weeks after she heard them. But now...

Kaede straightened and leaned in to meet Yuki. Relaxed, calmer. Not touching, but close, close enough to feel their shared heat.

”Eat her whole. For the Pack. For the Wolf Mother.”

A few moments later, Kaede emerged from the curtains, ready to face off with Chloe again. But it wasn’t the same Kaede was likely familiar with. Oh, the pink hair was still there, but everything else? Her skinny arms had more definition now, were tighter and tauter. Several new scars were clear on her body, on her shoulder and her stomach and right below the neck. The hyperactive chatter was gone, instead making her way down to the ring with a bold stride. And her outfit? Well, the color scheme was the same as before, but…



The world would never know it, but Kaede was bursting on the inside to wear this. A last minute surprise from the others, probably Fumika’s idea. It wasn’t just that she had her own outfit that matched theirs, or that it was in her old colors. Having this made everything feel real. An unspoken sort of declaration of who she was now, a way for everyone to know without her saying a word : She was in the Dire Pack. She was a wolf.

It was one more thing driving her on, as she made her way to the ring and slipped under the ropes. She tossed her hat and jacket out of the ring and approached the center, swinging her arms to get them nice and limber along the way.

”Okay.” Kaede brought her fists and worried at some of the tape with her teeth, cutting of a frayed edge. ”Get your dumb jokes out of the way.”

Huh. This is interesting.

By all accounts, the ex-commissioner really had no idea what to expect when Kaede came out of the curtain. It had been years since the last time they both met, and it was at two different points in their careers. Kaede was young, brash, cocky, annoying and trying to prove her toughness to the whole world. Chloe was matured yet still feeling things out within her journey as an actual competitor and not someone stuck behind a desk. The crowd had since seen a gradual progression of Chloe, seeing the changes quite near. Kaede has been absent from the ring for such a long time that the crowd would notice it if there was ever a change.

And oh boy, was it noticeable.

So much that it brought some raised eyebrows from Chloe. Sure, the pink hair and the worn-out jacket she still comes out with are even there, but many things more different from the same. The bra and shorts combo made her more professional-looking, whereas the white tape and the scars adorned on her body gave a rougher contrast. She wasn’t so slim but rather fit, toned and muscular. Stronger. Better. Keep in mind that all of this would have been ruined if her old, hyperactive mannerisims and cocky personality were still there. Chloe was lamenting on having to again a voice akin to sandpaper to her ears. And yet, there’s nothing to be seen of that old Kaede.

Much to the relief of Chloe, at least. And probably anyone else in the audience.

It was a drastic change, yet there are still things that made Kaede, Kaede. Just brought it in with a different package. Chloe straightened up, taking two steps from out of the corner. With hands on her hips, her eyes surveyed the new Kaede. From head to toe, there was a lot to pick out from. Bits and pieces began to form Chloe’s head already, and she managed to create some theories on what to expect from the pinkette. But there are still a few more questions to confirm her suspicions.

And Kaede seemed more than welcome to open the floor. “Trust me, there can be a lot to say about you. But frankly, we’d be here all day. And that would be such a waste of time. Kinda like you all those years before.” Chloe took one careful step forward, all the while taking more notes from Kaede. The way she stood, the way she talked even. At the very least, Chloe wasn’t outwardly cringing every time she heard her speak. The blonde finally meets Kaede in the center, giving another look down and then up to her eyes.

“So. Dire Pack, huh?”

She was a little shorter than Kaede remembered. A little skinnier. Had a different outfit - last time, it was this weird pantsuit looking kind of thing and now she was in something that looked straight out of a superhero comic. Flashy, red top, black tight. Barefoot, because of course it was.

Yeah. Yeah, that was Chloe Mason all right.

As much as Kaede didn’t want to do it, there was no getting away from the memories of their last match, nothing she could do to completely wash off the stain. It was a little hard to forget the woman who did that to you, try as she might...

No. No. None of that mattered right now. All that mattered was putting this bitch in the dirt, taking everything from her that there was to take. Push everything out. Focus.

Chloe was looking her up and down, taking her in. She didn’t know how much the woman remembered her, especially since she wasn’t the only one who’d gotten the footbitch treatment over the years, but she had to assume that some of the differences were noticed. She didn’t seem all that impressed, but that was a good thing. The less she expected out of Kaede, the easier it would be to surprise her. If there was one thing she picked up with her time in training, it was that defying expectations and surprising people was something she could do well.

For instance…

”Yup, Dire Pack.” She stepped forward, too, getting nice and close. “Which reminds me-”

The referee had just begun to get between them, looking to begin the match and space them out, which Kaede kicked things off on her own, moving in and pushing past him. She reeled back as if she were going for a punch towards Chloe’s face. A tempting target, but not the one she really wanted - instead, she brought her up and dropped her heel towards her opponent’s instep, trying to mash her precious foot to the mat.

That answer alone confirmed many things for Chloe. Not that the ex-commissioner needed it, but it’s just to hear it straight from her.

The outfit itself gave it away; although it was in a different color than the Dire Pack’s green, the kanji letters remained similar. Add in the fact that her body looked like it had gone through a lot; it was safe to say that group had been training her. An interesting thought, considering how the Dire Pack were in the ring, especially their leader being the current Entropy champion at the time. Known for many things, but most notably their blend of savagery and skill. To Chloe, they didn’t seem like the type to enlist newer people to their group. A pack of wolves is like a family, a tight-knit bond between each one. And even if one indeed expressed any, if, at all interest in joining, none could have ever survived the harsh reality they live.

No one but Kaede.

If there was anyone that could have made it possible, it was this pinkette. Say what you will about Kaede, but she was resilient. Even going through losses to a humiliating, demoralizing degree, the pinkette picks herself up, get’s back up and reverts back to her cocky, self-aggrandizing ways. It’s a testament to how strong-willed Kaede was…even if that didn’t translate to actual skill in the ring.

This brings to this. After their last meeting, the bar was set so low that the ex-commissioner was expecting something different. Even if it’s minuscule. If she’s going to stand there in this ring, representing the Pack, there must be an improvement. Nothing more, nothing less.

At the very least, the pinkette didn’t come out with the personality akin to sandpaper. So there’s something.

The rest Chloe will have to see once the referee kicked things off. And Kaede was quick right off the gate. So much so that she pushed out of the referee’s way to get to her. Chloe saw the telegraphed fist being reeled back and slid back as she widened her stance. Her right foot sliding behind her as if it glided through the mat like a knife through butter. Keeping things a reasonable distance in case Kaede did throw the kick, her heel has since begun to peel off the mats. That was before she noticed what the pinkette was actually going for.

A stomp. How crude. Not a bad idea. Kaede was smart enough to want to take away Chloe’s weapons straight away. In that aspect, she has respected and feared them. And in the current trajectory, Chloe’s foot would be smashed down to the ground before she would have fired a kick. Something had to change. Instead, Chloe swung her leg inwardly, in a swift arc as her toes flexed back. Letting the balls of her feet lead the charge.

A twisting kick. One that has caught many opponents off guard before. And if Kaede wasn’t going to punch her jaw off, then Chloe would let her foot do the honours.

The referee for this match was a guy, a rarity for a Friction match, but that didn’t translate to him being any less of a pushover. When Kaede shoved him, he went stumbling back, arms flailing, nearly falling on his butt before he managed to get his feet under him. Miffed as he was by it all, he knew what to do - he called for the bell, it rang, and things were already kicking off.

For Kaede, it was a stronger start than she could’ve hoped for. Trying to nail Chloe with a punch, even her best one, off the gate was just not happening. Grappling with her would’ve been dumb, too - she was probably stronger than the blonde overall, but she knew how fast the woman was, how slippery should be. That sort of thing would just wind up with a foot in her face, and while she knew that was going to happen eventually, she didn’t have to rush to that point.

So. Solid start. What next?

Get out of dodge.

Kaede didn’t know what was going to come her way next, but she knew enough about Chloe’s pattern to hazard a guess. It would be a kick, and a fast one, faster than she could punch. That stomp had to hurt, but it wouldn’t be enough to slow her opponent down yet. As long as she was in this range, she had to be super careful.

As soon as the stomp landed, Kaede leaped to the side. A full jump, completely moving out of Chloe’s lane. It would’ve looked silly in just about any other circumstance, but here, it worked - she looked to her side and sure enough, her opponent was shooting out a kick that would’ve dropped her flat, one that she wouldn’t have been able to block and wouldn’t have done all that much if she had. So far, so good, but she didn’t have the time to breathe a sigh of relief. Just act.

Her foot had only just touched the ground, a bare tap, before she launched herself back towards Chloe’s from the side. This time, she came at from up top, whirling her arm around for an elbow that was meant for the side of her opponent’s face.

It's surprising how much stomps could be an effective tool against those who are kick-orientated, yet it's been mostly underutilized. Underhanded as it is, it still gets results. Kaede was wise to take advantage of it, knowing all too well the fate that befell her before.

Mind you; this isn't the first time that someone tried to stomp at Chloe's feet. With how dangerous they can be upon impact, it was best to take away that edge as soon as possible. The blonde imagined this was a threat Eliza had to go through, with everyone targeting her legs constantly. It's an annoyance that is to be expected, and that will not go away any time soon so long as she continues with her career. Luckily her leggings have some special padding around the instep when she designed the attire. Having had a stiletto heel driving down into it before, the ex-commissioner wasn't going to make the same mistake of leaving her foot completely exposed.

Regardless, that won't deter Chloe for too long, however, as she moved her foot just in time for a kick to curve inwardly. The twisting kick is a peculiar attack to those not expecting it. Even if someone is trained, the odd angle it comes from can befuddle anyone. Before they could even think of blocking it, they'd already catch one right to the face and be left reeling.

Kaede, however, didn't think to block that. A smart decision in her case.

Even after her foot thrust to the floor, the pinkkete completely bailed out of reach, jumping to the side a great distance. Chloe's gaze watched as Kaede moved to the side. In normal circumstances, the American would have been left wide open for a counter-attack if Kaede was fast enough to capitalize. Sure enough, Kaede was. Much faster than before. Swift with her movements, a far cry from the last time they had faced off. The pinkette moved as if she was a predator—a hunter.

A wolf.

However, there was a slight miscalculation on Kaede's part. Chloe's kick did not aim straight towards a target, like a front kick or a side kick. It came at a curve, an arch that twisted inward and then out. Which would not have been much of an issue had Kaede not just jump in the same direction that Chloe's kick was going.

So all Chloe had to do was make a quick adjustment, twisting her leg before firing that same foot off just as Kaede got in range. Her heel led the charge, going for the throat with a much simpler kick. Simple yet effective.

Ugh, Kaede even hated the way this woman moved. It was a weird thing to get ticked off by, but she couldn’t help it. She could still recall how fast Chloe was, how fluid she was in her movements, and being back in here with her was bringing everything back. It was such a different kind of fighting than she’d gotten used to with the Dire Pack, almost more of a dance than anything, like a ballerina. Beautiful to watch, but deadly to be on the receiving end of. A level of grace that she could never touch.

It was pissing her off. It was designed to piss her off, and it was working, and that pissed her off even more, and maybe that was making her too eager, too quick to rush in. That was the reason she’d go to for what happened next, at least.

Chloe wasn’t just fast. Lots of wrestlers were fast. Hell, Kaede was pretty damn fast. The thing Chloe had wasn’t just speed, but agility. The kind of flexibility that let her move that leg around in ways most couldn't dream of. The instant that foot of hers left the floor, she was dangerous.

Kaede was moving in with her elbow cocked back, ready to dive in with a strong attack, when that kick sliced into her throat with pinpoint accuracy. The effect was instant: She gagged, coughed, and fell down to her knees in a sputtering fit. The reflex was to stay down there, too, and take the time to recover.

She fought past it. Chloe was preparing her next attack, she knew it, and Kaede had to stop whatever it was.

There wasn’t enough time to get back up, but Kaede did have other options, even down here. She planted her palms flat on the mat and brought her leg out in a wide arc, trying to hit her opponent with a wild sweep. It wasn’t a well-made sort of move, quick and desperate and rushed, but it didn’t have to be. All she needed was to take out Chloe’s ankle. Simple job.

Sure, Kaede has gotten better. Much better. Especially from the few brief moments Chloe got to see her. When Chloe first met the pinkette, she was pretty much a jobber masquerading as a real competitor. A fraud in many cases. And if Chloe didn’t know any better, a masochist. But there isn’t any resemblance left of that old Kaede. She was hungry. And if that elbow attempt was any indication, simply winning the match isn’t her only goal. An absolute terror, even skilled newcomers, would have had trouble if they weren’t careful.

The issue now was that she made a mistake. A costly error on her part. Which happens to anyone of all levels. Just that Chloe is proficient in punishing errors. And she punishes them hard.

If Kaede wanted to start things off with a stomp to Chloe’s foot, then a strike to the throat is fair game in her mind. The American didn’t have to put a lot of effort into the thrust; Kaede’s forward momentum would have been more than enough to deal damage on a part that’s so vulnerable. But she wanted to teach Kaede that just because the pinkette has gotten better doesn’t mean that Chloe hasn’t after all those years.

Chloe left her leg fully extended, holding it for a second before it returned to chamber. Kaede, however, was down, left in a gagging and coughing fit. It’s to be expected after an attack like that. It left her vulnerable, open for any kind of torment the blonde could think of. And there was one that came to mind. Something that really would have brought Kaede to a proper level. At her feet.

But Kaede wasn’t all that vulnerable, however. Simply a cornered, desperate wolf cub. Shown as soon as Chloe’s eye caught those palms planted on the mat and the leg swinging wide. A sweep. Not the greatest one, mind you, but it’s passable enough to do the job. One that would do more than take out her ankle. Something that won’t do with Chloe.

Instead, the ex-commissioner sought to deal with the problem. Just at the right time, Chloe lept off her standing foot, leaning forward and flipping in the air before Kaede. Letting that leg slice across in a crescent, hoping to tag the wolf cub’s head in her foot’s wide arc.

The mat. Kaede had to get Chloe on the mat to win this.

That was the answer she kept coming to when she was thinking of ways to make this work. The two of them weren’t too far apart in size, really - about the same height and weight, last time she’d checked. Kaede might have bulked up a bit, but she doubted she was too far ahead of the blonde, if she was at all. But the big difference was where they put their muscle, what they focused on. Chloe’s wor was in her lower body, where Kaede’s was more spread out. And Chloe was known for a lot of things, had a lot of skills, but you didn’t see her rolling around on the mat too much. It was all about those Chun-Li level licks.

Granted, it wasn’t like Kaede was a submission master, either. But she’d been working on it. Had a good armbar, one she’d perfected since she managed to catch Yuki with it months ago. If she could just get Chloe down, if she could get on top, then maybe, just maybe…

That had been her thinking with the sweep, and she couldn’t be faulted for that attempt, but she needed more than hopes to catch Chloe. She needed speed, and that attack simply didn’t have enough. ”Shit!” She hissed under her breath as her attack slicing through thin air, catching nothing. That was bad enough, but worse, she knew it meant that there was something bad coming her way, and there wasn’t enough time to suss out what that would be or find a way to deal with it.

No, she found out the hard way, as the blow crashed into her skull, hitting with hammer force before she could even come close to rising up. The blow left her stunned and rolling over to her back, clutching her skull on reflex. Eyes shut tigh, she tried to focus, keep a clear head, but those things weren’t coming easy.