The Phoenix's Flames- Zetta vs Mayori!

[SubtleRoar]

*As she took a brief moment to meditate on the impending match ahead, the always stoic Zetta Quinn continued to suspire gently within the otherwise vacant locker room. Her legs crossed over each other, her quiet rumination was rudely disrupted by the match coordinator, who just so happened to barge into her room at the exact moment The Phoenix Queen was about to transcend into an enlightened state.* "M..Mrs. Quinn?" *She tentatively asked, knowing she had warranted the woman's ire just by her baleful glare alone.* "Y..you're up next." *Without squandering a second, Zetta hopped to her feet, shaking off whatever torpor she had lingering in her joints before jogging towards the threshold of the room.* "Thank you." *She nodded, extinguishing any type of tacit animosity she shared with the nameless informant.*

Spoiler

*Clad in her exotic outfit, bird wings and all, she marched towards the opaque curtain with a certain intent in her step- She had just conquered her first foe, a snarky princess named Monaka, and had absolutely no reason to slow the momentum she had gathered. As soon as her music dropped, the audience showered her with a cascading waterfall of applause and cheering, something that the diminutive Zetta hadn't quite grown too accustomed to yet. Knowing she had to preserve the mystique of her character, she approached the ring apron before leaping on top of it, subsequently slipping through the center opening and into the ring.*

*As the calm firebird approached her neutral corner, she discarded her mask by gently placing it near the outskirts of the ring- As gimmicky as it seemed, Zetta had hand carved that mask herself, and it held a special place in her heart. However, once she had ensured herself that her prized possession was safe, she relaxed her body against the metallic pillar, awaiting her challenger for the evening.*

[Caduces]

Unlike before her debut match, Mayori kept her earbuds out of her ears an entire hour before the LAW show. She neglected her music for fear that she was going to miss her cue or news that the match order had changed. She couldn’t suffer another tardy entrance.

She camped out between the makeup artist’s row of booths and some sound equipment to prepare for her bout. With her backpack as her seat, she just sat and tried to think about what she had learned from her match with Yuki to prepare for the opponent she was assigned tonight. Having only one match was a mental hurdle when it came to readying a strategy for someone like Zetta Quinn, another relatively new face in LAW.

Mayori hadn’t been accepted by the promotion yet when Zetta wrestled her debut match with Monaka, but she did manage to catch some of the highlights from the bout on YouTube. Her opponent tonight could move, had a rigorous and speedy arsenal and needed to be kept at bay when it came to close quarters. This meant that Mayori would need to wrestle her differently than in her own debut with Yuki.

All of these things went through her restless mind before she was given the half hour mark to her match, then ten and then two minute call to the ramp. Zetta went to the ring first and that’s when Mayori saw the headdress as she walked ahead of her.

Someone with close to the same height walked as if she was double that. Mayori couldn’t help but marvel at the commanding presence. The confidence. The underlying danger that once the mask came off, bursts of speedy attacks were to be unleashed. The wrestling school dropout was frozen in place from that moment to the one when her own music was playing.

A shout from behind her shook her apprehensiveness and then she started her way down the ramp to officially meet with Zetta in the ring.

Some of the audience members recognized her by the attire and reached out to Mayori for a hand slap. She gave a few and then looked up from the arena floor to Zetta. She had a focused expression and no doubt would see residual nerves in Mayori’s.

The girl in red and white used the ring steps and steadily made her way up. She stood on the apron outside and held the top rope with both hands and felt her eyes drawn in to and locked by Zetta’s. Like a moth to the flame, she entered the ring without breaking contact and drifted toward Zetta in anon-threatening way.

“Are we even still the same height?” She thought with doubt.

[SubtleRoar]

*The unflinching glower that inhabited Zetta's stern demeanor remained plastered across her face. However, there was something undeniably charming about her opponent- Wether it was the brazen lack of confidence she had, or perhaps her natural, radiant glow of timidity that piqued the phoenix's interest, she knew that tonight wasn't going to be as lackluster as she had originally perceived. So, while it seemed that Mayori was keen on making the first impression directly, Zetta decided to reciprocate her initiative, meeting her halfway inside of the squared circle.*

"...Welcome." *Was the solitary word that escaped her silent lips, eyes firmly locked on the shaken female. While it was almost customary for Zetta to have an intimidating presence within the ropes, someone of Mayori's disposition would find her especially threatening, given her unorthodox methods of approaching people before a fight. Without uttering another word, Zetta delicately bowed as a sign of respect- Not just to hope for a fair fight, but as appreciation for the courage it took for Mayori to accept her invitation for a brawl.*

*And with that, the bell sounded with a thunderous* "CLANG CLANG CLANG!" *Instantaneously, Zetta hopped back into her trained stance- Shoulders cocked, feet perched upwards, and her body dropping to focus on her center of gravity. However, Zetta was above utilizing cowardly tactics, so she allowed her opponent ample time to assume whatever fight position she was acquainted with, maintaining a steady eye on the female just in case she tried to start off with anything underhanded.*

Spoiler

[Caduces]

Mayori was transfixed by every movement Zetta made.

She felt compelled to match each movement with a version all her own. The threat of immediate danger seemed to increase with every breath, every drop of sweat that already coalesced. The match bell didn’t even resound with Mayori; it was the mirroring of Zetta’s fighting stance that caused her to look like she did hear it.

Mayori’s hands came up in front of her and her stance took shape. It would look paralyzingly rigid to Zetta. Though she wasn’t cornered, Mayori already looked defensive. She wasn’t daring to make the first move after the chilling tone of “...Welcome” warned her against it.

*What’s wrong with you?...Shutup!...Then, be fluid and make a move that she isn’t!*

She was put on the defensive, mentally, with herself by Zetta.

[SubtleRoar]

*Almost immediately sensing the trepidation from her opponent, Zetta calmly calculated the probable means of initiating the brawl- For starters, both women were relatively short. The Phoenix Queen had become acclimated to being the tiniest figure wherever she went, but tonight, she was only shortest by a handful of inches, providing her with a unique method of combat. Taking a brief moment to ponder on what she should do, the slender asian darted forward with the speed of a cheetah before launching a vertically elevated axe kick to Mayori's neck!*

Spoiler

"....Begin!" *The otherwise taciturn Zetta murmured under her breath in a rather authoritative fashion, bringing her foot down across her adversary's upper region to try and cut her down to size, both metaphorically and physically. If this attack managed to succeed, she had something quite devastating in mind for a subsequent attack. For now however, she needed to concentrate on what was, and not what may be.*

[Caduces]

The flame burned her first.

Mayori was taken by surprise by the axe kick and it found its target just to the left of her head! She didn’t have a moment to thank the heavens for it not striking her head. The kick brought her down to one knee and bowing in front of Zetta. She clasped her hands over the spot the kick found with precision.

“Ayyyahhh!” Her pained yelp escaped through lips obscured by her bangs. She arched her back to try and look back Zetta. She let her out of her sight for up to two seconds at this point. The pain of slightly turning her neck caused her to squeeze her eyes shut once more.

[SubtleRoar]

*Her blow successfully landing against Mayori's vulnerable neck, Zetta would instantaneously recoil her leg before dropping it back into it's original position, bounding from foot to foot to generate a sliver of momentum.* "..Stay." *Zetta muttered under her breath as she began putting the next phase of her plan into motion. dashing towards the opposite set of ropes behind her, she bounced her slender body off of them, ricocheting off of the suspended cords before flinging her weaponized body into Mayori for a cross body!*

Spoiler

*With a sonorous* "THUD!" *That reverberated throughout the entirety of the packed stadium, Zetta was certainly beginning to make an impact at the start of this exhibition match! However, she knew to never count a foe out until the final bell had sounded- Regardless of wether or not Mayori would be able to recuperate was anybody's guess, but for the time being, Zetta would attempt to go for a quick three count!*

"One..." *The official began his long, arduous three count while Zetta remained firmly pressed against the grounded woman. Her body may have been petite and otherwise non-menacing, but she was obstinate on attempting to capture an easy win!*

[Caduces]

Mayori grimaced under the impact of the crossbody splash. When she landed on the canvas, her knees were up and her arms were at her sides. The shoulder-check was made and the first count was made.

In a matter of seconds, she was looking up at the ring lights. But, not one more would pass by before she would kick out of this unsecured pin. Mayori’s abs were was stunned, but not to the point of being rendered incapable of aiding her escape. She arched her back and bridges out of the crossbody. The crown of her head pressed against the mat while the soles of her boots pushed against the canvas.

“Yahhhhh!”

The bridge was high and more than enough to stop the count at “One...”. Her curves accentuated the escape. Her slightly toned abs elongated and made her briefs climb up her hips for the moment.

[SubtleRoar]

*Even though her spunky personality and energetic bursts were enough to win the crowd over, Zetta knew that she was physically unable to keep her prey stable long enough to achieve an easy victory. Once the ringside official reached* "TWO!" *She instantaneously felt an aggressive jolt from underneath her, an immediate indication that Mayori wasn't out of this skirmish just yet!*

"...Good." *She quietly muttered under her breath, relieved that she wasn't in for yet another forgettable fight. Brushing the hair from her eyes, Zetta gradually returned to her feet, beginning to fiercely stomp against Mayori's midsection to try and drive home the fact that she was the dominant force within the ropes.*

Spoiler

*With her bare foot pressing against the vulnerable spine of the wounded Mayori, Zetta had devoted the vast majority of her focus on trying to inflict as much damage as she possibly could- She was well aware of how quickly the pendulum could swing in her opponents favor, and another opportunity like this may not come across her way again!*

[Caduces]

Zetta made Mayori pay for her tenacity by putting a few stomps in her abdominal muscles.

“Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!”

Mayori rolled onto her stomach to protect herself from more of the onslaught. She would need those muscles to escape a future pin. She did not want that future attempted pin to come about. She raised her hips off of the canvas and got her knees to push her bottom in the air in an effort to get back up to a crawling position. Then, another stomp to her lower back put her back onto the canvas. Zetta’s foot lingered there and

“Ahhh!…” Mayori put her hand against Zetta’s foot. The match was getting away from her and this put a healthy panic and sense of preservation in her psyche. Zetta had her face down on the canvas and this needed to change fast. She attempted roll onto her side and shake the bare foot of her opponent loose from her spine. If she succeeded, she could attempt to find that foot with her forearms and apply an ankle lock that could topple Zetta. It wasn’t much of a counter, but it held the promise of a momentum shift.