Blue Imugi Vs. Jasper Rhys - Blue Shift II

Match Type: Standard Type.
Victory Condition Parameters: Pinfall, Submission or K.O.

Well... This was interesting, interesting as in well... Jasper was as far as most within Tension were concerned... An anomaly. For unlike the vast majority of his fellow male wrestlers within the brand, Jasper found himself facing off against other males quite regularly, having never participated in one of the mixed matches that the Tension brand was so famous for. Instead, the boy finding himself pitted against wrestlers of his same gender, with interesting results. Tonight however things were going to change as for the main event of the evening the plucky little Welshman found himself pitted against a female for the first time in his AFW Career and well now Jasper was to put it lightly... both a little excited and just a bit nervous as the past week hadn't gone so well for him, suffering two losses in a row with the latter of which being a long and grueling fight against a top-tier talent that had outclassed him in just about every respect, had dealt a nasty blow to the feminine boy's pride and left him sore for several days afterwards... So now given the opportunity to redeem himself in the ring, the little Bluenette readily accepted the first challenge that would be thrown at him, Eager for victory.

"Hmm... Did I forget to buy more tea today?..."

Young Jasper mumbled absentmindedly to himself, chirpily working away at his final last-minute pre-match warm up stretch, keeping himself calm and eager whilst simultaneously pushing away his nervousness and concerns to the back of his head as he finished up with his stretches, So what if he was wrestling a girl today? It really meant little to him any difference between female and male competitors and what ever nonsense misogynists and misandrists said, To Jasper it was no actual concern, whoever this 'Imugi' was would get the same treatment he gave pretty much everyone he fought. And besides... Jasper had no real interest in women to begin with.

He didn't swing that way.

Jasper Arthur Rhys - Ready for action!:

Stand Up To The Victory! - Tomohisa Kawazoe:

The Arena lights dimmed slightly, and the excited crowd grew quiet as the lights converged on the entrance walkway with the opening buildup of Jasper's entrance theme, a quick and quiet buildup before finally exploding out in a cascade of up-beat excitement as Jasper's theme hit high-gear with the little Bluenette running out from the gorilla position, casually jogging down with his left-arm extended out for fans to high-five, a bright and competitive smile on his face as he made his way down to the ring and up the steel steps that led up and into the ring, the Welsh boy climbing in by expertly squeezing himself between the ropes with a feline precision and grace, whence finally inside the ring proper the Welsh boy would turn to face the crowd with that same confident up-beat smile that made him so beloved by the Tension audience before shouting aloud "Shwmae Kyoto!" and then shooting his fans a playful pilot's salute (Which got a pretty good pop from a decent portion of the crowd, but the remainder seemed quiet...) before making his way to the nearest corner of the ring and leaning back, humming a tune to himself whilst waiting for his foe's appearance from the opposing walkway, Eager to get started.

"That's a dude?"

"Yup."

The two of them stood in silence a moment longer, watching the screen as her opponent made his entrance. Imugi looked back to the janitor and pointed a finger at the screen again.

"Like, naturally?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Imugi didn’t entirely understand what was going on here. She had been away from Tension for a while, enjoying these past few weeks with her boyfriend, Armando. That didn’t mean she had stopped fighting. To the contrary, whenever the two of them planned a date, a fight just somehow worked its way into those plans one way or another and she had the bruises to prove it. It was good way for her to stay fresh while enjoying herself a bit. When she finally got her next match, Imugi figured she would be ready to go.

But did the male competition change this much in that time? Don’t get her wrong, the person she was watching made his entrance look...decently athletic. But his clothes, his demeanor, they didn’t make people like this in South Korea. She couldn’t help but stare along with the passing janitor as he mopped the same spot on the floor for the tenth time.

"...He's not prettier than me, right?"

"Think they're calling you."

Theme:

Blue Imugi:

The beat of drums came flooding through the arena as a familiar silhouette came into view through the fog at lights around the arena entrance. Imugi came walking down the runway to the usual fanfare. It was a bit more intense than usual. People looked genuinely happy to see her for the first time in a while. There were new posters in the crowd that caught her eye. “Go Blue” and "Giant Slayer" in bold letters, a blown-up picture of her chiseled six-pack with a heart Sharpied around it. Nice.

She had fans for as long as she could remember, but this was the new energy she was feeling for the first time. A pro-wrestling fandom. A fighter's following.

It felt nice. Imugi smirked faintly in her usual way and half-pumped a fist into the air, gaining a pop from the audience as she came up to the ringside. She rolled under the bottom rope and popped up to her feet, jumping on her heels as she looked straight at her opponent.

That was when it hit her: this guy was short. Like, really short. He was probably the first man in her life that Imugi could meet at eye level. She knew he couldn't be anywhere close to the 6'0" powerlifters AFW had seemed content to throw at her up to now, but now that she was here at eye level, the difference was profound. Imugi had a hard time knowing what to think. He didn't look like a fighter, barely a wrestler. He looked like a slimmed-down version of herself if that was possible.

...Were they making fun of her?

Imugi kept a curious eye on her opponent as she bounced her way over to her corner. The Korean girl brought a leg up and stretched her quads, going from one to the other. She wasn't expecting much but she wanted to give her fellow blue-haired wrestler a chance to surprise. Just a small one.

The soft and quiet murmur of the classic Welsh battle hymn 'Men Of Harlech' that Jasper hummed to himself would come to an abrupt end as he heard his opponent's theme start with those powerful drums, both startling him from his light daydreaming and disappointing him slightly as he was just about to finish his little bout of humming by quietly singing the final lyric of which he was rather fond of ("Keep these burning words before Ye!... Welshmen Will Not Yield!") To himself, However despite the slight disappointment that his humming was interrupted, it didn't compare with the eagerness he felt as he watched his opponent come down the ramp and towards the ring, the crowd cheering for her and holding up signs with an enthusiasm that drowned out Jasper's own (outnumbered) fans, something that the boy took note of but really didn't pay much mind to.

After this 'Blue' Imugi entered the ring and began her quad-stretches, the eager young Welshman made his way towards her with an enthusiastic and friendly smile on his face, intent on introducing himself in a friendly manner as he tended to do with most of his opponents, (whilst also toning down his childish impetuousness, remembering how badly it ended for him the last time) all the while noting that she reminded him of himself of all things in an odd way, the girl being just as small as he was whilst simultaneously looking far more err... 'Hench' than he was, especially with those abs that made his toned feminine form seem even more meek and effeminate than it usually appeared, although in regard to Jasper's physique appearances were deceiving, the visual differences and similarities between the two and making it really quite the interesting match-up.

An Effeminate Welsh boy versus a Masculine South Korean girl? Oh, what a lark!

"Shwmae!... Hello! That means 'hello there' where I'm from... I take it you're that famous 'Imugi' I'm facing off against tonight." He said with that famously strong accent of his, a playfully cheeky cadence to his tone as he spoke, left-arm outstretched for a handshake with the girl, Jasper wondering if she'd reciprocate his politeness.

Friendly. Friendly was good.

Jasper was probably the first person in Japan that Imugi had met who didn't immediately dislike her. There was always some lame drama associated when it came to their job. Whether it was pairing her with overly aggressive Fake publicity meant to garner views. Imugi had gotten enough of that in Korea, she didn't need it here.

Was she ‘famous’? Imugi never paid attention to that as much as the PR department and her social media manager. She was international now, technically.

Imugi shrugged the thought away and stepped out of her corner to meet him at the center of the ring. The official was already explaining the rules but Imugi wasn’t focusing any of her attention on anything other than Jasper. She was up close to him for the first time now and was able to discern two things. One: he was, in fact, a boy. Two: he wasn’t just as short as her, he was a little bit shorter. The difference was next to nothing, but for someone of Imugi’s size, this was a momentous occasion. She could kick somebody’s head off without having to leave the ground for once.

“And you’re the not-as-famous Jasper. Maybe that'll change if you give me a good fight.” She didn’t intend for it to sound as condescending as it may have read. Her hand reached out and gave the Welshboy a casual shake. He seemed to mean well. She just hoped that translated into a good fight. “Jal boseyo. That means ‘good luck’.”

Assuming he didn’t have any last-minute additions, Imugi was ready to get this started. She leaped a step back and bounced her heels, arms hanging loose at her side as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She didn't know how Jasper intended to approach, but she was more than ready for it. She’d been away from the ring for long enough to start to miss the energy...and the money.

With a notable enthusiasm, Jasper shook his hand with Imugi and ignored the official explaining away the rules of the match to the two, instead keeping his focus on the girl before him, and it had to be said, his brown eyes locked with her sharper blue eyes and from what he saw of her now that the two were up close, She was two things... First off she was definitely the taller of the two, Secondly and more pressingly she was definitely the more 'Hench' of the two, Imugi looking like a proper fighter in comparison to the athletic but more lithe build Jasper had. Which was something that intimidated the boy, but didn't dissuade him from the fight ahead, the plucky boy didn't come all this way just for a former pit-fighter's physique to intimidate him.

"I guess you could say that, Yeah." Jasper replied casually, tilting his head curiously to the girl's somewhat condescending tone. "And no, don't you worry, I happily intend to win this." He said, a playful tone evident in his voice as he spoke, eventually when the two ceased their handshake and made their way to their corners of the ring Jasper innocently replied to Imugi's seeming taunt. "O-Oh? Well Pob Lwc! That means Good Luck where I'm from." He said chirpily before making his way to the corner opposite to his opponent and leaning back against the turnbuckle, awaiting the start to the match.

-DING-DING-DING!

And with that, the Match had started with Jasper getting off the ropes and rolling his shoulders one last time before raising his hands in a defensive manner and approaching his opponent, initially going at Imugi with a cautiousness until, when the two were seemingly close enough, the rambunctious young Welsh-boy plucked up courage and made his move by throwing caution to the wind and quickly moving up towards the Pit-Viper for a lock-up with her, looking to test his strength against her as he planted his hands against her shoulders and began to push, eager to show that he's not backing down.

Imugi never really liked taking the initiative when it came to...well, most things. But especially fighting. Nine times out of ten, she was dealing with someone that was severely underestimating her. It made her job ten times easier when they came at her with their guard down and their heads in very comfortable kicking range. Some days, she would leave home and be back in under ten minutes. It was nice. Left her more time for Street Fighter and a second power nap. She was expecting a similar pattern here tonight.

Don’t get her wrong, Jasper looked like an agile fellow. More athletic than the average person and not afraid to show it off. He seemed like a tested competitor. The problem she was seeing here was that was kind of all he had going on. Anyone could say that Imugi was just counting her chickens, and they might have been right, but at this stage, she liked to think she had an eye for people. An innate sense of who was strong and who was trying to look strong.

Well, the proof was in the tasting.

After only a moment of circling, Jasper broke away from his caution and charged straight at Imugi. The Korean girl reflexively threw her hands up to catch his hands before they met her shoulders, meeting him evenly in a clinch. Despite putting in a bit of unconscious effort, Jasper was still able to slowly start pushing her back towards the ropes. It was a nice surprise even if she didn’t fully show it. Imugi regarded his hyped expression with a causal smirk beneath her half-lidded eyes. He was determined. Cool, but not enough.

Imugi leaned slightly back, allowing Jasper to lean in and seemingly take over the advantage before her leg shot straight up in the narrow space between them. The Korean demonstrated her flexibility with a single, swift skyward kick into Jasper’s chin from below.

Well this was a pleasant surprise!... Jasper thought to himself as he somehow successfully managed to push his more muscular foe, the Welsh rookie surprised that his opponent actually lost ground to him in their opening grapple... "Maybe I can pull this off?" Jasper said internally to himself as he dug his heels into the mat for just a bit more traction as the two struggled against one another, with the smaller Welsh bluenette seeming to come out the better-off of the two in their clinch as Imugi was pushed closer to the ropes.

That was all fine and dandy until, well... Much to Jasper's surprise, the Korean girl leaned back allowing him to take the advantage, and much to his opponent's delight the little Welshboy had taken the bait with confusion... This opened him up to a swiftly delivered, sharp, and high aimed kick that smashed into the boy's chin. Jasper let out a pained and surprised yelp as this head-shot from Imugi sends him stumbling back, arms swinging in circles, trying to maintain his balance. The young Welsh boy's hopes for an easy match now dashed just as quickly as Imugi's kick, the tables have turned!

"S-Shite!" He cursed internally.

With arms flailing wildly in a futile attempt to maintain balance the disorientated Welshboy would inevitably fall onto his butt with a light amusing thud, his hazel eyes rattling about in his head from the force of the kick leaving him dazed and even a little confused, but not out of the fight so soon, as quickly enough, he did regain his bearings despite the sharp pain he felt on his chin from the kick, really brute-forcing his way through the pain as he knew he needed to get back on his feet and fast.

“IMUGIIIII FLAAAAAAAAAASH!”

Oh her ever-loving God, this fan club.

The sound of their cheers reached her from their spots in the highest seats in the stadium. Imugi did her best not to look their way, but her mind could already picture the banner hanging high over the majority of the audience. Shouting along with her attacks, giving their own names for them that spread through cyberspace at the speed of sound, all the while Imugi was helpless to stop them. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“IM-U-GI! IM-U-GI! GABSIDA, IM-U-GI!”

She kind of missed them. Her life was just terrible.

The Korean idol kept her eyes fixed on Jasper, her leg still fixed skyward from the spot she’d struck him as she studied his reaction. He stumbled back a decent distance as she’d expected. Then he fell flat on his butt to the whistles and jeers of a few choice patrons in the front row. For a second, Imugi had to think it was something of an act. She didn’t even put most of her power into that one. Then again, it wasn’t like she had many opponents to compare against Jasper. He was new territory for her in a lot of ways.

Guess she could experiment a little more.

Imugi chuckled and lowered her leg back to the floor. The instant her shoe touched the canvas, she was moving to press the attack. Jasper was smart and moved fast to get back up, but Imugi moved faster to catch him. The Korean closed the distance and leaped at her opponent at swift speed, shooting her leg out in a jumping kick aimed at the Welsh boy’s pretty face.

With the disorientation from the kick now mostly gone, Jasper was quickly back on his feet with his bearings regained which was good, what wasn't good was first the somewhat obnoxious chants of support from Imugi's rather obsessive fan base, even worse however was that as soon as Jasper had turned his attention back to his opponent, The Pit Viper was already on her feet and running at him at a speed that in Jasper's mind was somewhere between Mach-1 or Mach-2, closing the distance fast. The Welshboy's mind racing through options on what to do to avoid the incoming kick that he just knew was coming his way...

However, just as it seemed that the Korean was upon him and that the strike, That he'd possibly be K.O.'d for an early match end and thus an incredibly quick victory for Imugi, the little Welsh git ducked his head down just as Imugi went in to deliver the kick, magnificently avoiding her strike at the very last second with mere inches separating his head from her foot, letting the Korean girl crash into the ropes behind him, all the while with a surprised expression scrawled on his face.

Jasper's immediate reaction, the mere second that he could bring his head back up from the close-shave. "T-That was cutting it a bit bloody close." he stammered quietly to himself under his breath as he turned around to face Imugi, quickly rushing the girl again to deliver a proper retaliatory strike with a Kick into the now hopefully surprised and or confused Korean's side!

Imugi didn’t intend to go back on her word, either: she was not holding back with his kick.

In the short term, it would be enough to knock Jasper unconscious and Imugi would be home early enough to make rank on Shinobi Striker. A lot of people would be upset about their bets and probably feel like a waste of tickets, but hey, that wasn’t her problem. She just took the checks, she didn’t write them. The people up top could find a new substitute for their late-night variety hours.

In the long term, however, she had to wonder whether winning this that fast would be good for her. Imugi didn’t care for the betting office, but she had to bet (no pun intended) that the odds were heavily stacked in her favor. A bigger bonus wouldn’t mean a whole lot. A thirty-second knockout wasn’t the kind of evening she had envisioned. The only thing that she realized she hated more than losing was being bored. The least Jasper could do for her was be entertaining.

Good for her, the gentleman aimed to please.

Her jumping kick whiffed. It whiffed hard, not so much as a graze. Imugi raised one of her blue brows, watching as Jasper dipped below her and out of sight. Her feet reached the ground in time for her to turn around and find herself two seconds away from a stiff kick to the ribs. Huh. Color her impressed.

The Korean ducked beneath her opponent’s strike, falling into a low split as her legs spread evenly across the canvas. From this position, Imugi would twist herself around and throw her legs out in a low sweeping scythe, aiming to kick Jasper’s planted foot out from underneath him by the heels.