Sheila Chihara vs. Louise Vandenbroeck [D]

[CaptainL]

If the kick Sheila had used to intercept her elbow drop was the hardest hit Louise had taken...well, it wouldn't be that way for long. As soon as the newcomer was down, Sheila had a chance to lift her head and survey the situation, and she was quick to realize that with her opponent grounded and stunned, she now had the perfect moment to strike. A grin came to her face, as her heart began racing in her chest. When she lifted herself to her feet and ran to the ropes, and when she heard the fans eagerly cheering her name, she only felt her spirits soar higher still, as she was emboldened to finish things off! Sheila had been perfecting her finisher in training sessions with her fellow Young Lionesses, but it was finally time to show it to the world in a main roster bout - and she couldn't have picked a better time to do it!

The next thing Louise knew, Sheila had come down on her hard, wrapping her legs around her head and flipping her into the mat in a flourish of acrobatic brilliance! As the Australian girl rolled off of Louise and got up on her hands and knees, her grin split her face from ear to ear. She had done it! Everything had gone off perfectly, and the raucous cheers of the crowd were enough to prove to her that she had made the splash she was hoping to. Now, no one could deny she would be a force to be reckoned with!

Her heart pounding, Sheila knew there was only one thing left to do. The cheers were encouraging her more and more as she threw herself forward, pouncing on top of Louise with the lunge of a jungle cat. Once there, she would quickly reach for her foe's leg and pull it back, going for the pin, as the referee dropped to their side to begin the count!

"One!!"

[FreestylePoet]

The Earth was off its axis. Spinning endlessly, tilted into a wobbling mess. Or perhaps that was just Louise. Either way, she could hardly notice when Sheila laid atop her for the pin. The referee's hand slapped the mat. "One!!" Then did so again. "Two!!" And finally once more. "Three!!"

"And your winner... with her first victory against a member of our main roster... SHEILA... CHIHAAAARAAAAAAA!"

That was that. The bell rang, and the referee quickly picked Sheila up to raise her hand in victory. Distantly, Louise groaned below. She'd lost, and even though she had no real love for the sport that demanded she win, the competitor buried deep within her heart lamented the outcome.

Louise stood upon her shaky legs. With a sigh, she pulled out the sheet of stickers from earlier. She stepped towards her victorious opponent, offering it to her with a sheepish scratch to the back of her head. Louise never really knew what to say in these spots, but a congratulations usually fit well enough. "Er... Good match," she said. "I, uh-"

"RE-MATCH! RE-MATCH! RE-MATCH!"

Whatever she was about to say was quickly interrupted by a raucous cheer from the stands. Clearing her throat with a curt nod, Louise stepped away from her opponent. Her hands clasped behind her back, awkwardly polite. Clearly, this was a big moment for the young Australian, and Louise would gladly allow her to bask in it. To the victor the spoils -- especially for such a bright and rising star.

And so the Scarlet Streak ceded the spotlight, stepping back to accept her place on the margins of the stage.

[CaptainL]

When the count began, Sheila felt like she was dreaming. She actually had someone from the main roster pinned - and as the count ticked higher and higher, Louise showed no signs of kicking out! Her eyes grew wider, and her heart pounded in her chest as she began to quiver from excitement. She'd never been this close to victory before, not on a stage like this, in front of a real audience, and against someone who - in theory - had more experience than she did. If she won now, it would be a pivotal moment of her career, one she would never forget. It would mean that she was really going somewhere.

And just a second later...Sheila's wildest dreams came true.

When the ref's hand hit the canvas a third time, the Australian girl could have been convinced her heart had stopped. Everything screeched to a halt. Even as the announcer proclaimed Sheila the victor, she was having a hard time believing she was really hearing what she thought she was. But there was no denying it. It was true - Sheila had won.

"Ohhh my god! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!" Sheila grinned wide as the referee hoisted up her arm, and she was quick to hop back on her feet to stand at her side. When she heard the uproar of cheers and applause coming down from the stands, her grin could only grow wider, and she soon broke away from the ref to run to the ropes, waving at the fans from all directions. "Thank you!! Thank you, all of you!" It had been a long, hard road to get to this point, but now, Sheila was convinced she'd made it.

She spun back around to see Louise approaching her, and she met her with a wave, too. She'd almost forgotten about the offer of stickers, but seeing Louise hand them to her was enough to jog her memory. She eagerly took them, then reached for Louise's hand to give it a vigorous shake. "Oh! Yeah, that happened, almost forgot! Thanks a ton!~"

And then, the crowd burst with applause once again - this time, calling for the two wrestlers to face each other once again. Sheila's jaw dropped at the call. Not only had she won her first main roster match, she had also endeared herself to the crowd so much they wanted to see even more from her. There was no doubt that Sheila would be cemented as one to watch out for among the ranks of LAW's home-grown talent, and already, she knew it. As she stood a little straighter, she could feel her heart racing from the excitement. It was all so much to take in.

But despite all the merriment, Sheila couldn't forget about Louise. Her opponent had been as much a part of this match as she was; it wouldn't have been possible without her! She knew that if anyone else deserved to share in the pride, it would be her. And yet, the white-haired girl looked dejected, standing off by herself in silence. Sheila had to correct that!

Stepping up to her opponent, Sheila grabbed Louise by the arm, going to hold it up to the sky too. And at that, the crowd once again burst into cheers. "Why the long face?" Sheila quipped to Louise. "They're cheering for you too, y'know!"

[FreestylePoet]

Louise couldn't help but cross her arms with a slight smirk on her face. A bittersweet pride lit her features up like a parent at graduation. Though it wasn't as if she'd consciously supported Sheila through the effort of beating her, it did feel as if her proper role in this culminating moment for Sheila was now over.

Sheila, it appeared, saw otherwise, and approached Louise to grab her wrist! "Whoa, hold on-" she started. Louise tried to tug her arm away, but it seemed that Sheila wouldn't take no for an answer. Soon enough, her hand was raised right next to Sheila's! "I-" Any further objections were cut off as yet another set of raucous cheers came cascading down from the stands.

Louise's first reflex was to pull away even harder and speedwalk backstage in embarrassment. She'd lost, after all; why would anybody applaud her for that? It wasn't like Louise cared about her record, and in fact, she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. It was only a beat later that she realized: Sheila was right. An "encore," as the audience put it, was for both performers. Despite her scowls throughout the match, the chants were also for her. It seemed that Sheila's enthusiasm and Louise's athletic prowess had endeared them both to the crowd!

And all of a sudden, that crowd wasn't a weekly show at LAW. It was a small Dutch recreation center, or a bleacher-laden blacktop. Those images, even more than the sounds all around her, brought a sharp gasp to Louise's lips. Her heart picked up in pace, thrumming like a classic car recently restored. Her veins glowed with a thrilling kind of adrenaline that seemed to urge her forward. And her eyes... were they getting misty?

She hung her head low, though more out of self-consciousness than discouragement. One hand shielded one side of her face, as if to prevent anyone from making direct eye contact with her. Still, Louise did her best to look up at Sheila. "This... This is what wrestling is to you, is it?" she muttered. Those feelings in her heart and veins and eyes just wouldn't go away. Frankly, they were quickly becoming overwhelming. She needed to be alone.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she gulped. Louise bowed suddenly, belatedly remembering the customary sign of respect in Japan. "Thank you for the match," she said, "but I need to go now." With that, she turned to the entrance ramp and made an uncharacteristically skittish escape. Hoping to make it home before the inexplicable tears escaped their prisons.

[CaptainL]

For Louise, this had been her first match in LAW. For Sheila, it was her first victory against a member of LAW's main roster. Undoubtedly it was a major moment in both of their careers, yet it was Sheila who seemed to come away from it with a bigger smile on her face. How could she not? She had been working hard for some time in trying to reach this point, training as best she could and making friends along the way to guide her to the top - and now, all that work had at last culminated in a moment of glory.

But Louise had done her best, too. She had fought hard to win the match, and even if she ultimately came up short, she had kept Sheila on the ropes; more than once, the Australian girl was sure she might not emerge victoriously. It had been Louise's chance to show the world what she was capable of in the ring, and as far as that was concerned, it had certainly been a successful debut match for the former basketball player, who had been able to prove where she could shine and what to watch her for going forward. Yet, for all her effort, and for all her success, Louise seemed dejected - as though none of that mattered if she didn't win. As though the wild applause the crowd was showing them was meant for Sheila, and Sheila alone.

If that was the case...Sheila wanted to change it! She took Louise by the arm, holding it high, and the two of them stood side by side as they basked in the cheers of the crowd - who were all the more eager to cheer on them both. The Young Lioness was beaming with pride, her chin held skyward and her chest puffed out. And, while she couldn't get a good look at Louise, she knew that the Scarlet Streak felt the same way.

As they broke away, Louise exchanged a few words with Sheila - ones that she was quick to respond in kind. "Yep!~" she chirped, nodding her head enthusiastically. "And you did great! So, keep up the good work out there, all right?"

When Louise bowed to Sheila, the Australian returned the gesture. And when Louise made her way out of the ring and up the ramp, she stayed back in the ring, waving her hand. "Bye-bye! And good luck! Maybe we'll get that rematch some day?"

Even after Louise had disappeared from view, Sheila stood there a moment longer, looking off with a wistful smile. If this match had proven anything, it was that both girls had big things in their future. And Sheila couldn't wait.

Winner by Pinfall: Sheila Chihara