[Pendant Match] Boxing: Akashi Tanikaze Vs. Taylor Parker

Boxing Match:
Winning Conditions: KO, TKO or by Points

Match Stipulations: The fight will go for 4 three minute rounds. Points will determine the winner if a Knockout is not scored. Getting knocked down three times in one round will result in a TKO. The fight will be stopped and scored int he case of an accidental headbutt in any round later than the second.

Each Team Member will win the Number of Pendant pieces stated for Participation in the match

Akashi Tanikaze: Team Green Monkey (Captain) [½ Pendant]

Taylor Parker: Team Blue Barracudas (Captain) [½ Pendant]

Akashi was bouncing on her heels in the backstage area. She was honestly a little nervous for what was coming up. She felt so... out of her element as she looked in the mirror. Adorning her fists were a pair of green boxing gloves. She squeezed her hands in side of them. She was used to having an open palm.

She tugged on the Kelly Green trunks that adorned her waist. They were trimmed with a dark forest green and Akashi frowned. They certainly covered more than she was USED TO having covered, but she had felt the snug tightness and freedom of her mawashi for most of her life. These loose fitting boxing trunks almost made her feel more naked than the mawashi.

The worst part of it all, however, were the shin high boots that she was wearing. The same light/dark green combination as her shorts. They fit her tightly and made her feet feel trapped and claustrophobic. She was used to wearing nothing int he ring. And outside, she usually wore sandals. She winced and shrugged and shuffled around. About the only thing she was used to wearing was her dark green sports brra that covered up her well endowed chest and smooshed her breasts against her chest a little tightly. She didn't even wear THAT half the time and knowing who she was about to face, she almost didn't wear it out of spite.

"What a whiney... ugh!" Akashi growled out at the thought. "It's like she's never seen a pair of tits before!" Still, as much as she wanted to do that, she didn't. But why?

Akashi let out a sigh as she was told it was time for her to enter. These temple games had been interesting to say the least. Her heart beat quickly in her chest. Finally she was going to face Taylor and finally she was going to beat the ever loving crap out of the mouthy blue haired girl. But still, in her heart of hearts it felt... wrong... to do it this way. Obviously someone was having a good time at her expense. Still. Akashi pushed those thoughts aside, threw on her green "Team Monkey!" robe and muscled her way out of the back stage area as her [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40z7aeqOQYo:q2nwdd1u]Team's music[/url:q2nwdd1u] began to play.

The crowd cheered as she came down the ramp and she did her best impression of a boxer, raising one glove int he air and shadowboxing down the entrance ramp. The whole situation was really quite unusual for the Sumo but the crowd seemed to love the side showiness of tonight's match up. Undoubtedly they were hungry for any sort of contest between Taylor and Akashi. A tiddlywink competition between the two would have been a welcome event for this, sometimes unintentionally, hyped rivalry. Akashi slid into the ring and bounced on her heels. She was mostly adjusted to her new ring gear and threw off her robe, stepping up to the turnbuckle and raising her hands int he air. When she turned around, she let out a deeper sigh than she had expected and her eyes instantly went to the entrance ramp. Her heart began to beat again. Maybe... just maybe the two could hash things out in this awkward sort of fight. Maybe this would give the two a chance to let out all their pent up frustrations? Part of Akashi hoped against hope that this silly match was truly the best way for the two sisters to finally work things out without killing each other.

Taylor napped backstage most of the evening, using her blue satin robe as a blanket. She already had her ring gear on, bright blue trunks and a blue sports bra with a black hornet over her right breast, and black boxing boots that came up over her ankles and fit like a glove. Of course, she had a pair of blue boxing gloves, each with a design like pigtails on the back. She felt good. She felt fast. And about thirty minutes before her match, when she finally got up off the couch, she felt relaxed, and very well rested.

She was finally going to get a piece of Akashi, and it couldn't have been any better. Boxing. Just boxing. The thing that scared Taylor the most about fighting Akashi had always been what would happen if Akashi got a hold of her. Having her back broken and her guts squished out in a stupid sumo bearhug would ruin her day real quick. But now, it was just boxing. Speed was king. Akashi wasn't going to touch her, and Taylor was going to pound her face in all night if she had to. She couldn't wait to swell her eyes shut and make her bleed. She wanted to hurt her, she wanted to see her lose confidence and realize that she was stuck in there with a better fighter.

She pounded her gloves together, pressing her knuckles into the foam to conform it to her hands. She felt the surge of energy that preceded every walkout and couldn't stand still. She bounced on the balls of her feet, shadow boxed, bobbed and weaved, jumped as high as she could and brought her knees to her chest, paced back and forth, checked the mirror several times though she couldn't adjust her hair with gloves on. She couldn't stop smiling, though there was no joy in it. She was so excited that her breathing was quick and tight, and when she got the cue from the AFW staffer it was like the gates had opened and she was free at last.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgN-GAzKEg]Her team music played in the arena, and right on cue she bounded onto the ramp. She stopped at the front and threw her robe off her shoulders, throwing her fists in the air over her head with a big grin. The crowd was electric with anticipation for the showdown between the two former sisters, even if it was only boxing. Taylor wasted no time getting to the ring and slid easily under the bottom rope. She stood up and skipped to the center to pose for the crowd again before moving back to her corner.

"Hey, Kashi." She called across the ring to her opponent, leaning against the turnbuckles with her arms resting on the top ropes. "You look a little uncomfortable. What's wrong?" She asked. Taylor had spent more time training her striking than she had her wrestling, something that ended up being a bit of a handicap in a normal match. Akashi, on the other hand, didn't.

Akashi's heart skipped a beat when Taylor's entrance music started up. She saw how confident Taylor was and Akashi furrowed her brow. Akashi wasn't lacking in confidence. Not against Taylor. She knew, even though Taylor was fast, all Akashi had to do was catch her with a few shots and she'd put the excitable punk down on the mat. She was just uncomfortable in her ring gear but even that was starting to fade as she became overcome with anticipation.

The Sumo's eyes never left Taylor and she fiercely stared at the girl, trying not to show anything. But Taylor seemed to read it and when she spoke, Akashi banged her mitts together and stepped forward. "Get up here so I can pound your face down to the mat!" She snarled and eased towards the center of the ring. She lifted her head up as the ref called them both to the center even as Akashi was already halfway there. Unlike Taylor, Akashi took heavy, purposeful steps that fit with her large implacable stature.

Taylor flitted to the center of the ring and bounced from foot to foot while the ref gave them a brief overview of the rules. She never once took her eyes off Akashi, nodded when the ref asked her if she understood, and then backed up to her corner without touching gloves.

Across the ring, she didn't see her friend who had stood by her for so long, through so much. She saw her enemy, who hated her, looked down on her, and who would take great pleasure in hurting Taylor if she let her. She couldn't let her. Taylor needed to beat Akashi because of everything she stood to lose if she didn't. She wasn't just fighting angry, she was fighting scared, although part of her knew her heart just wasn't in it.

The bell rang and she quickly skipped to the center of the ring. She kept her right hand up by her cheek bone but carried her left hand low and lazy. She was relaxed while she bounced and moved and waited for Akashi.

"I'm not going to make this quick." She said. "You're in for a long night, you yeti."

Akashi kept her eyes locked on Taylor's as well and she barely even blinked as the ref explained the rules. She nodded as well but wen the time came, she put her gloves up. No matter what, Akashi felt like all that had passed between them, that they could at least touch gloves. But as Taylor turned around, leaving the Sumo hanging, Akashi frowned. She had gone back and forth herself between hating and missing Taylor. She had thought, or hoped, that Taylor had felt the same way. It was apparent she didn't. In the end, Taylor was exactly like Akashi had come to believe she was. A brat who had no respect for anyone, especially the people who had tried so hard to help her and be close to her. The ungrateful bitch needed to be taught a lesson. Akashi knew that as she walked back to the corner and leaned against the turnbuckle, glaring at Taylor.


When the bell rang, Akashi hunched her shoulders and put her gloves up close to her face as she stepped forward. The stance felt awkward, she really ddn't have a lot of training or knowledge in boxing but she felt confident in her power and in her stamina. Whatever Taylor thought she could do to Akashi, the big Sumo knew she could soak it up and dish it back out manifold. Akashi narrwoed her eyes at Taylor's words as the two circled.

"Too bad, I AM!" Akashi shouted back. "I'm tired of looking at your face, you little brat!" Akashi threw her right hand up and over, throwing all her power into an overhand hook that was hurtling towards Taylor's head, grunting loudly from the punch.

Taylor quickly stepped in and ducked under Akashi's big, looping overhand. She came up on Akashi's right side and stung her with a stiff straight right to the cheek before circling away. She laughed and laughed at the apparent hilarity of Akashi's effort, with infuriating gleefulness.

The two of them resembled a sparrow harrassing a bear, Akashi pawing at Taylor as she flitted around her.

"Wow, you've had your ass kissed for way too long, champ." Taylor taunted. "You think that's gonna do the job?" Of course, Taylor didn't want to actually feel what it'd be like if Akashi landed a punch like that. It would likely shorten her evening significantly.

Akashi turned her head to see Taylor's blue hair come swooping under her fist as she staggered into Taylor's glove, wincing as the punk bobbed away and began taunting her. Akashi clenched her teeth tightly and brought her hands up as she waded in. She knew as well as Taylor that all she needed to do was hit once. She didn't have to smack talk back to Taylor even though she wanted to.

Snorting through her nose, she lowered her body, raised her gloves and tried something a little different. She rushed at Taylor and tried to muscle in close so she could aim a hook into Taylor's chest.

Taylor quickly backed up as Akashi rushed in, using her excellent footwork to control the distance and keep Akashi from being able to just charge through her. She flicked out a fast jab into Akashi's face just as the sumo loaded up her right hand, just to mess with her balance, and then sidestepped quickly out of the way to avoid having her guts skewered but the hook. She circled away again.

Akashi was faster than she looked, but was still nowhere near someone like Chigusa, who Taylor kept up with very well, if not outpaced. However, Akashi did have excellent stamina, and if Taylor was going to try to wear her out, she couldn't just kite her around. She had to keep hurting her. She cursed herself for playing it safe and getting back out of range, but took the opportunity to taunt her some more.

"Awww, don't give me that faaaace!" She said cutely. "That's your 'I'm not going to let you bother me because I know I'll win anyway' face. I know better, though. You're bothered." She beckoned with one gloved hand for Akashi to come at her again.

Akashi shook her head like an angry bull when Taylor popped her again. Akashi was thankful, at least, that even though Taylor could probably attack her at will, having gloves on reduced the girl's power significantly. Taking a straight punch from Taylor probably wouldn't feel too good, not that her jabs were somethign she enjoyed, but Akashi was confident that she could take Taylor's hunt-and-peck style of offense all night and eventually Taylor was going to run into one of Akashi's bombs.

But Akashi growled when Taylor backed up and taunted her. "I can't wait to shut that mouth of yours up. Why don't you come here and mix it up with me? It's because you know one hit and you're going down. It's because you're scared, little girl."

Still, despite her words, Akashi was never one to back down. And despite her lack of boxing skills, she still had a pretty good idea of where the two were. Sumo gave her a very good sense of ring space and she thought that maybe she could drive Taylor backwards towards the ropes if she just kept the girl moving backwards without thinking. She tapped her fists together and charged, trying to club at Taylor's head with cross combinations, that amounted to swing her beefy arms like bombs. Not as looping or arcing as her opening haymaker, these crosses were much more straight, if still sloppy and easily telegraphed.

"Oh, totally." Taylor sassed back.

She waited for the inevitable bull rush, in many ways she found Akashi to be a one-trick pony in that respect, and Akashi didn't disappoint. She came in again, and having had many hours of training with Akashi, Taylor could match her rhythm all day long and could see her punches coming so far in advance that slipping them was no big deal.

She rapidly backed up, keeping her balance and enough distance to stay at the very end of Akashi's punches, bobbing her head to the left and right to slip each punch. At the right moment, she would slip a punch, plant her rear foot, and step in to counter right in Akashi's stupid face, but that plan was shot down when out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the ropes were right behind her.

She threw her body to the side to avoid having her head taken off, let out some stifled profanity, bounced off the ropes and dove under Akashi's punch, colliding bodily with the massive sumo in the process. Her considerable weight disadvantage meant that she bounced off Akashi and staggered off to one side for a moment before she regained her balance and spun to face Akashi again, while Akashi hardly moved an inch.

She backed up to the middle of the ring and stood straight up with one hand on her hip. "You have to use your fists, stupid, you can't just try to fat ass me to death. Just think, if you started boxing, you might even land a punch!" She said. She was hyped up enough that she spoke so quickly she was barely comprehensible. "But... nah. I don't think I'll let that happen." She pounded her fists together and got back into a stance, her chin tucked down and right hand up at her cheek with her left lower and farther to the outside.

She circled, one way and then the other, skipping erratically around Akashi to keep her guessing. She figured that Akashi might be expecting her to stand back and avoid her all night, which meant it was time for something else. She lunged in with a big step, ducked her body way down low, and then sprung up and threw her body into a fast lead hook that came up at an angle at Akashi's jaw.