Sheila Chihara vs. Chiaki Nanami - Apex Qualifier Match

[CaptainL]

Match Type: Standard Match
Rules: Victory by pinfall, submission, or knockout. Completion will count to each participant's required Apex Qualifier matches.

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The stage was set for what promised to be a big night for Sheila. Of course, she had seen several big nights in the recent past, but all those were building up toward this one. Even from her humble beginnings in the Young Lioness Program, Sheila had risen to prominence thanks to her showing her strength and endurance, not to mention her devil-may-care attitude and acrobatic prowess, in a few matches, most recently her grueling TLC match against the Ace of Spades. Even when the Australian had yet to graduate from the training program, she still had plenty of eyes on her for the potential she showed. And that had led to her being approved to take part in a qualifier match for LAW's Apex event!

Sure, Sheila had no plans to compete for the Openweight Championship herself. But that didn't matter. Tonight, the stage was set for her to show what she could do in one of the most important matches she'd ever had, and with one of the biggest crowds of her career turning out to see her. She was going to put her best foot forward to make sure that no matter what happened, everyone would leave the arena wowed by her!

"Coming first to the ring, from Cooktown, Queensland! At 5'6, weighing 130 pounds, SHEEEEEILA CHIIIIIIHARAAAAAA!!"

Spoiler

As the crowd lit up with cheers, Sheila stepped out onto the entrance ramp, her arms raised high to greet the lights shining down and the flashes of cameras. For the first time in LAW, she was wearing her own unique attire - she had come far enough in her training to prove she could establish a new look for herself, and she couldn't think of a better night to do it! The Australian girl was all smiles, waving to the fans on both sides of the aisle as she came down to the ring. Then, she took off with a running start, jumping onto the middle rope and swinging herself around in a circle before doing a flip over the top rope and onto the canvas.

She took a bow to the sounds of cheers, then made her way over to her corner, where she slipped off her coat and handed it to the ring crew. Then, she leaned back in the corner, fixing a look of pride and defiance on the ramp before her as she let her arms rest atop the ropes. Sheila was sure that if her opponent was out to compete in Apex, she would be facing one of her toughest challenges yet. But she wasn't going to back down!

Spoiler

[deezcastforms]

Today was the second Apex Qualifier match for Chiaki Nanami. Compared to her first, the gamer girl honestly only just wanted a clean match, regardless of outcome. Chiaki most certainly did not want to deal with any antics reminiscent of Sylvia Steiner. Her opponent tonight, Sheila Chihara, was a Young Lioness. So Chiaki just had to hope that LAW didn't start it's cheating heels off that young.

Chiaki was often asked both in person and on her streams why she had signed up for Apex. Even if the best case scenario occurred, where the easy means of entry into the main tournament plus the method Apex would have for deciding the Openweight champion being questionable at best for actually providing the best wrestler led to Chiaki actually winning the first Openweight title, she wouldn't have it for long. She'd get beaten and her all but phony title stripped by whatever "real" wrestler was lucky enough to be the first top contender.

And what was Chiaki's answer to those questions? "It seemed like fun." Winning and accolades did not motivate Chiaki Nanami. She did things that she thought were fun. Especially if she could share that fun with others. And after all, in a tournament where victory is decided by who looked the best winning, it only makes sense that Apex would need some jobbers mixed in there.

Theme Music

Chiaki

And so Chiaki came out from backstage into the spotlight with her music, receiving the loud applause that she had become accustomed to. The gamer girl walked down to the ring, waving to her fans before stepping into the ring and waving to her opponent. "Hey hey," she said. "Let's have a good, fun match. Okay?"

[CaptainL]

At last, Chiaki made her entrance to the ring, and Sheila was no less thrilled to see her than any of the fans were. The Australian girl began hopping up and down as she saw her opponent coming down the ramp, waving her hand over her head to try and get her attention. "Ooh! Ooh, over here!" she cheered. As she looked Chiaki up and down, her smile grew wider. From the amount of cheers she was getting, Chiaki certainly seemed to be popular with the fans - which only made it seem more and more like Sheila had an uphill battle ahead of her; after all, she had to have earned her reputation somehow! Still, no matter how hard it might be, Sheila was still going to give it her all. She wasn't afraid of anything she might need to do - she just knew she'd do her best!

She nodded her head, greeting Chiaki with a smile as she came to the ring, and lowered herself into a stance. So far, the girl seemed agreeable enough, which meant well for Sheila - she was sure this would be an enjoyable match, no matter how it ended. But that didn't mean she would go easy on her foe. "Mhm! I'm gonna do my best, okay? So don't hold back!"

*DING DING DING*

As soon as the bell rang, Sheila's eyes narrowed into a determined look, as she got ready to throw herself into the competition. She closed in on her opponent, but then, letting out a shout, she would kick up her foot to direct a superkick toward Chiaki's jaw as she got near!

[deezcastforms]

When Chiaki approached the ring, she was met with quite funny sight. Sheila, her opponent, jumping and waving to catch the gamer girl's attention like she was no different from any one of the many thousands in the crowd. Though fortunately for Sheila, she was different. In a few moments, when the bell rung, the Aussie would have Chiaki's full, undivided attention.

Well Sheila was quite new to LAW, being a Young Lioness and all. Chiaki wondered if perhaps she was like her friend Shiori Takeda. A big fan of LAW who had managed to break into the ranks of actual wrestlers. If that was the case, then it would make sense if Sheila knew and liked her, considering that Chiaki was a popular face whom LAW liked to push due to her popularity.

"You sure seem quite excited. Are you a fan of mine?" Chiaki asked, wondering if her assumption was accurate. But answers would have to wait for now, because the bell rang right as the words came out of Chiaki's mouth, and Sheila did not seem like a woman willing to delay. The Aussie immediately charged, sprinting at Chiaki. Once Sheila got close, Chiaki saw her step out to the side and begin to turn her hips.

Big kick! Chiaki quickly recognized. In response, the streamer rolled back and to the side to dodge. She felt the wind created by the force of the kick blow at her hair. Sheila's kick very well might've been meant to but Chiaki down in one hit. Hyper aggro, hmm, on one hand, Chiaki's offense would come quite easily, as the Aussie's style would inevitably leave many opportunities to her. But on the other, any mistake that the pinkette made on defense would be very costly.

But for now, Chiaki had defended well. Thus, an opportunity arose for her. A kick as strong as Sheila's came with a lot of end lag, or follow through in non gaming terms. And with little distance between the two wrestlers, Chiaki could easily strike while Sheila was still up on one leg. Quickly closing the distance, Chiaki would lower her shoulder into the Aussie's chest to topple her, and would also try to grab her airborne leg as she did so. If successful, Chiaki would pull Sheila's leg around the back of her neck while wrapping her legs around Sheila's other leg, and then start pulling them in the opposite directions for a banana split hold.

[CaptainL]

In starting the match off quickly, throwing the heaviest-hitting blow she could think of from the moment the bell chimed, Sheila was hoping she would be able to catch her opponent off-guard, hopefully bringing her down before she had a chance to mount any defense. To her credit, though, Chiaki had quick wits of her own. She managed to dodge out of the way before the blow could land, leaving Sheila's leg hanging in the air!

The Australian girl let out a gasp, finding herself teetering on one foot while Chiaki swerved to the side. She hadn't anticipated that her opponent could have been so speedy with such little notice - and it showed in the wide-eyed look on her face. "Whoah-!!" she said with a gasp, looking around her to try to get her bearings. However, Chiaki wouldn't afford her the opportunity to do so. She saw that Sheila was teetering on one leg, and while that happened, not only was her balance compromised, but she would need some time to recenter herself after the fact. And that was time Chiaki wasn't going to afford her, as she knocked her over with a shoulder charge, toppling her to her back!

Sheila landed with a thud, wincing as her back met the canvas and she bounced against it. "Oww..." she muttered to herself, letting out a huff before she glanced back up at her opponent. She realized she had asked a question she hadn't gotten around to answering, and she didn't want to be rude! "Uh...actually, I don't think I've seen your matches before! But the fans seem to like you, so I figured you had to be pretty good, and that this would be a good match, so-hey, HEY, WAIT-!!"

Sheila had gotten so carried away with trying to make conversation that, for a moment, she had forgotten how Chiaki was looking to pry her legs apart like a wishbone. But Chiaki was going to remind her of that soon enough, as she felt a wave of pain run through her body from the waist down as each of her legs was wrenched in different directions! She let out a cry of terror, her jaw dropping and her eyes going wide. Immediately, her survival instincts kicked in; at first she tried twisting her hips from side to side to try and break Chiaki's grip, and when that wouldn't work, she would try clawing herself closer to the ropes!

[deezcastforms]

Chiaki executed her dodge and counterattack as cleanly as she would have a whiff punish in a fighting game. And soon after, she had secured the first submission hold of the match with her banana split. Sheila gave a rather belated answer to the question Chiaki had posed before the match had started, and it confused the gamer somewhat to hear it.

Sheila hadn't been excited over Chiaki because she was a fan turned fighter. She had been given the impression that Chiaki was a strong fighter and a tough opponent by the reaction of the crowd to her entrance. Chiaki would've answered, but Sheila was also trying to escape the banana split. First the Aussie made a doomed try at simply pulling and twisting her legs free. But when she shifted to crawling for the ropes, it became a problem for Chiaki.

Chiaki really didn't have a way to stop Sheila from making it to the ropes beyond simply pulling as hard as she could and hoping that managed to cause enough pain to stop her opponent. But Chiaki knew that was unlikely to work, and really only did it to get as much out of her hold as she could while she still had it. And, as expected, the Aussie did reach the ropes and force a break.

When Chiaki released her hold and the two wrestlers got up, the pinkette used the pause in action to respond to her opponent. "My popularity comes from being a cute body with a likeable personality, I think," said Chiaki. "I'm not the weakest fighter in LAW, but honestly my record's hovered at or just a bit below .500 for pretty much my entire career." By no means was Chiaki embarrassed or ashamed to admit that she probably wasn't quite the fighter Sheila was expecting, but she was curious as to how the Aussie would react.

[CaptainL]

Chiaki tried her best to keep her grip on Sheila's legs, and her efforts did manage to slow the Young Lioness down some. As her body writhed across the canvas, she cried out from the pain, a few times falling on her back and panting for breath in an effort to refill her lungs. But she had a few things going for her - for one, it was still early in the match; Chiaki wasn't the strongest; and perhaps most importantly, Sheila was just stubborn enough to refuse to go down that easily! Her teeth clenched and her eyes squeezed shut, her face growing red as she closed in toward the ropes inch by inch, but eventually, the Australian girl pulled herself just close enough to where she could reach out and grab the ropes - and there, Chiaki obediently let go, stepping back to give Sheila from space.

It would take her some time to regain her strength - she rolled back up into a seated position, panting and groaning, and she reached down to rub at her leg, wincing as she touched her sore and strained joint. "Oww..." But, eventually, Sheila managed to collect herself, and she used the ropes to push herself back to her feet. Standing across from Chiaki, and preparing for the next round, she looked her dead in the eye with a glare of defiance...one that was met by the gamer telling her that she didn't have the best record.

Sheila stopped, blinking a few times. She felt a little disappointed, seeing now that this wouldn't be quite the thrilling contest of strength and will she thought it would, and she felt bad for her opponent for having such a record. At first, she was at a loss for words for how to respond. But then, a grin spread over her face, and as she nodded her head to Chiaki, she balled one hand into a fist before pounding it against the other. That would just make things better! She had an easy in for Apex...a contest she forgot, for a moment, she wasn't even entered in!

"Aaaall right, then! In that case, this'll be easy!" With a battle cry, Sheila went to throw a strike at Chiaki from point-blank range, aiming an elbow right at the side of her head!

[deezcastforms]

It was clear to Chiaki that Sheila was quite an excitable woman, and now she also seemed to be proving herself somewhat flighty as well. After hearing Chiaki's explanation, the Aussie's view took a hard 180 from "A tough fight against a worthy opponent!" to "Free dub! Les go!" despite the fact that the gamer girl was the only one of the two who had actually made a successful attack so far.

Though Sheila did seek to remedy that problem ASAP, lunging forward with an overhead elbow. But Sheila clearly liked her hits to have power, and to have power, you had to rear back and wind up at least a little, and that gave Chiaki something to react to. Chiaki's first thought was a punch when she saw the Aussie's elbow and shoulder start to pull back, so she prepared to block. But when Sheila's arm went up and her fist pull back to push the elbow forward, the gamer girl then realized what was actually coming.

Now, when people called Chiaki slow, they mean her foot speed. How she runs and such. But her reaction time and reflexes were something else. Chiaki's body could twitch out a near instant response to an attack in fights both virtual and real, and that's just what she'd do here. Chiaki's hands were already near her face form when she was planning on blocking a punch, so she threw one of her own. A snap jab that would hit underneath Sheila's bicep and intercept the elbow.

Of course, Sheila's attack had a lot more force behind it, so Chiaki would be pushed a few steps back. But with the current position, more space wasn't a bad thing for Chiaki. At the very least it gave her an opportunity to quip, "Hey hey, I didn't say I was that bad."

[CaptainL]

No one was going to call Sheila the brightest bulb in the box. But no one could say that she wasn't passionate about what she did, either - for better or worse, the Australian girl had energy to spare, and she was packing it into every move she made, as she quickly spun herself back around to aim an elbow straight toward Chiaki's head! A determined grin crossed her face, and her ponytail swung in an arc behind her. When she was striking from such close quarters, with the force of her body's rotation behind her, she was sure it would all add up to a devastating blow!

But once again, Chiaki was proving to think a step ahead. With split-second timing, she shot up a punch of her own, one that struck Sheila in the arm and caused her elbow to glance off to the side, missing its target. Sheila stumbled back, rubbing at her arm where Chiaki's blow had landed. She winced from the pain, but soon, she looked back up at Chiaki, where her eyebrows were narrowed into an angry glare. "Heeeey! I thought you said you didn't win a lot!?"

In any case, Chiaki's next line answered that question. Sheila grumbled to herself as she shook out her arm, but she wasn't going to let it keep her back for long - she needed to throw herself back into the thick of things! Bending at the knees, she took off in a charge toward Chiaki, her arm raised to ram into her with a clothesline! A wiser wrestler might have figured by now that telegraphing moves around Chiaki wasn't going to work out, but...that was not Sheila.

[deezcastforms]

Chiaki smiled when she saw Sheila going for a clothesline, because she knew that it meant that her advantage was going to continue for at least a bit longer. The gamer girl equated a no set up clothesline in wrestling to something like Ganondorf's up-tilt in Smash Brothers. It was a huge hit if it actually landed, but the attack was easily read and easily countered. The Aussie was pretty much just sticking out a hit box while running at Chiaki and hoping that she didn't block or get out of the way.

But Chiaki would get out of the way, and oddly enough, she would do so by stepping in front of Sheila. A clothesline meant that the attacker's arm was stuck out to the side, so they weren't actually attacking the space in front of them, but the space next to them. Which is why a clothesline also involves running at the opponent. Chiaki's plan looked to exploit this.

Once Sheila got close enough that Chiaki believed she wouldn't be able to react, the streamer would slide her feet so that she was lined up with the Aussie, set into a firm stance, turn her shoulder towards the charging Sheila, and pretty much just wait for impact. All but setting a 80s/90s era dirty basketball screen on the her Aussie opponent.

Even with Sheila's momentum and moderate size advantage, running chest first into a stanced up shoulder would not end well for her. Chiaki would absorb the impact, getting pushed back a half step or so, while Sheila would have to save herself from dropping onto her ass if she was able to. Though it wasn't going quickly, Chiaki still felt good about her progress so far. Slow and methodical was the way to go against recklessly aggressive opponents. Another opportunity to lock in a hold or land a big hit would eventually show itself if the pinkette kept this up. Do that a few times over, and eventually victory would be hers. Or so she hoped at least.