Yuki Kazikura vs. Mayori [D]

[CaptainL]

Match Type: Standard Match
Rules: Victory by submission, pinfall, or knockout

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With another match about to ensue, Yuki stood backstage in front of a mirror, doing some last-minute shadowboxing to keep up her form in preparation for what was to come. She huffed, looking up at herself from her position, where she gave herself a tacit nod. She had this.

While Yuki hadn't had many matches in LAW so far, she had at least gotten a couple under her belt. The same couldn't be said for her opponent, who was set to debut tonight. Yuki didn't know much about Mayori and what she was capable of, but word around LAW was that she was quite similar in her skill and style to Yuki herself, relying on strikes and aerial moves to use her smaller size to her advantage. To pit the two against each other would be a contest of equals, to see who would emerge the superior of the two based on their own merits alone. It was a match they had been eager to see - and Yuki knew she had to keep up to make sure she wouldn't disappoint. A few minutes later, the call went out that it was time for her to make her way to the entrance ramp, and like that, she was off.

"Coming first to the ring, from Yokohama, weighing 118 lbs., YUKI KAZIKURA!"

Spoiler

Yuki stepped out into the arena, holding her hand up high to draw a cheer from the crowd, before she would soon drop into a stance, focusing her attention on the ring across from her. The strides she made on her way down to the ring were careful and made with purpose, her mind set on her goal. Even as the crowd cheered to her from the front seats as she passed them by, Yuki wasn't going to let herself be distracted. She was here to wrestle and prove herself. As she came to the ring, Yuki propped herself up onto the apron with a huff before sliding in under the ropes. She went across to her side of the ring, hopping a few times in place to get herself warmed up before her opponent made her entrance.

[Caduces]

Mayori sat in a fetal position next to the metal lockers. She had a hoodie over her head, but her arms weren’t in the sleeves.

In the shadow of the hood, her earbuds were in.

IHeartRadio was soothing her nerves with classical music. She only did this when she was stressed. Getting hyped up and bouncing on her toes was not something she needed upbeat music’s help in doing.

Girls were walking in and out of the locker room. Most did not give second glances to the girl hugging her knees on the floor. They must be used to all sorts of pre-match rituals, Mayori reasoned. She checked the time on her phone.

Two minutes to the stage call.

She let out a tense breath and returned her earbuds to their place in her backpack. She stood up, folding her hoodie once over her forearm and then stuffing it in the pack. Maybe if this match went well enough for her, she would be given an actual locker.

She adjusted the red waistband of her bottoms and made sure the towel she was sitting on didn’t leave any fuzz on her bottoms. She brushed off some lint pellets and made sure her ponytail was tight enough for fight and flight. The match and what she might need to do to keep on top of her nimble opponent.

Spoiler

And her opponent, from Kyoto, weighing 117 lbs., making her debut, Mayori!

She rushed to the stage. That was a quick 120 seconds! She managed to make it down the ramp in a sprint by the time her intro music hit the 22 second mark.

Spoiler

When she reached the ring apron, she nearly had a collision. She managed to pause her sprint in time. She ceremoniously climbed on top of it and the contrast in speed the crowd might take for a style choice. Whether it was appreciated remained to be seen.

Her debut almost didn’t happen because of her nerves needing soothing.

[CaptainL]

As Mayori entered the ring, Yuki watched from above - and she gave a brief pause when she saw her would-be opponent nearly run into the corner. She had been bracing herself for this, rapt with anticipation to apply her skill and show her opponent, and her fans, what she was capable of. But Mayori seemed different, somehow. She clearly wasn't used to this, and she seemed almost as if she didn't belong in the ring. For a moment, Yuki let down her guard, lowering her stance a little as she looked over at Mayori.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Yuki asked. "I will warn you...I don't hold back. You might be new, but you won't learn anything from anyone going easy on you. If you're going to be in this ring, you have to be ready for it. I hope you're ready for it." Yuki was a kind girl at heart, and not knowing her opponent's capabilities, she didn't want to throw Mayori into hot water before she could swim. Yet, Yuki was hardly a seasoned veteran herself. Something within her hoped that Mayori would rise to the challenge and prove herself to her...

[Caduces]

Mayori managed to utter almost the same amount of verbiage back, continuing the conversation in Japanese. Yuki would not have been able to hear it, despite the length of the response.

The girl in red and white just offered her hand and kept bowing with respect toward her opponent. Were Yuki to accept the act of sportswomanship, Mayori would retreat to a side of the ring and await the opening bell.

Embarrassment and a reminder of the seriousness of the business about to be undertaken. That's what Mayori recognized and her nerves were starting to get shot, again. No more time to calm them, she would need to convert this negative energy into a viable wrestling form that would not dishonor her opponent, this audience and the chance to wrestle for LAW.

[CaptainL]

Mayori responded to Yuki, but in a voice so low she couldn't make out any words. For a moment, the girl in yellow paused, blinking in confusion and tilting her head to try and assess this better. But Yuki didn't have much time to ponder her predicament, as Mayori would soon climb into the ring, bowing to Yuki. She was eager to return this gesture - above all, she wished to show respect for Mayori, and she was still keen to see what she might be capable of. Still, her gaze lingered on Mayori as she stood in the corner, still apparently gripped with fear. Yuki couldn't help but feel a little concerned, but at the same time, she asked herself if she was staring too long. She didn't want to seem rude - or to give off the wrong impressions.

DING DING DING

As soon as the bell rang, Yuki drew in a huff, collecting herself as she got ready for the match ahead of her. She got into a stance, keeping her gaze fixed on Mayori all the while.

[Caduces]

The bell sounded as Mayori fidgeted with her red waistband.

She led with her grappling stance and left the safety of the corner. She needed to get into a tie up with Yuki quickly so that the familiarity of a physical contest would nullify the mental-crippling her nerves that her nerves were causing.

She advanced more than she sidestepped, a change of plans from the “feel things out” approach that she originally wanted. The LAW logo under her red boots was soon straddled by the shadow and then substance of the lightweight fledgling warrior. Her fingers tingled as they needled through the neutral space between her and Yuki. Were her opponent to mirror her movement to the center of the ring, she would attempt to gain a comfort zone in a collar-elbow tie up.

[CaptainL]

As the sound of the bell ringing echoed in all ears in the stadium, Yuki took in a breath. Whether Mayori was ready or not, it was time, and she wasn't going to hold back. Thinking about if her opponent was out of her league was only going to cause Yuki to distract herself from what was important and make mistakes, and she didn't like being off her game in any situation - and a match, even one like this, was no exception.

Mayori drew closer, and Yuki took her by the arms, locking up with her to begin their bout. The two began to circle around the center of the ring, and Yuki never let her eyes leave her opponent's, fixing them on her to monitor her closely for any signs of action. The tension between the two was ripe, and for what seemed like an eternity they would strafe about the center of the ring, waiting for an opportunity. It would be Yuki, though, who would act first, trying to strike out with a knee into Mayori's stomach to open the match, and to see how the rookie was going to react to such a move.

[Caduces]

Still too distracted!

"Ughhh!" Mayori absorbed the knee lift in her upper abs and this forced her lower body to retreat, while still grappling with Yuki up top. Her bright eyes squinted with the effects of the dulling lower extremity jab.

The exploratory shot reminded the debuting wrestler that this match was not a spar and that the fans wanted to see a strategic contest as well as two wrestlers - not a wrestler and an amateur.

Mayori bit her lip and held her breath as she attempted to respond with her own strike. With both of her knees having retreated, she would take a step in and put the side of her left knee across Yuki's abdomen. If the in-kind strike landed, she would not want to wait for another offensive reaction in this hold and attempt a side-headlock on the yellow-clad girl. A chain of holds to confuse her opponent could buy her a needed minute to feel more comfortable out here. Comfort was going to lead success. Comfort was going to lead to educated risk-taking.

Too much was going to lead to her being late at a crucial moment like almost missing her stage intro cue. But, it tardiness due to a lack of comfort was going to spell a terrible result in her first match.

[CaptainL]

By kicking her knee up into Mayori's unprotected stomach, Yuki hoped to start the match off with a bang. While her strikes were a strong suit of hers, she was above all trying to fish out what Mayori could do, to get a sense for her skillset and what she was capable of. The crowd let out a cheer as her blow landed, signaling that the action had just erupted. And Yuki was bringing it.

Still, she wasn't going to get ahead of herself. All the while, Yuki kept a calm look on her face, her expression never changing. Her attention had to be focused on this match the whole way through, and it looked like she had no intention of ever letting it slip. However, Mayori would be the one to get the next attack in. She swung her own knee against Yuki's body, and just as promised, it would appear that she was no stranger to using powerful strikes herself. Yuki coughed, bending forward just enough for Mayori to get her into a headlock! Yuki grit her teeth, caught up in Mayori's grip. She wasn't going to fight back just yet, though. This could be a useful opportunity for her to feel out what she was capable of, as far as holds were concerned. It would be a gamble, but Yuki was still fresh, and she could afford the risk. For now, she would just see what Mayori could do.

[Caduces]

Mayori thrusted her hip into Yuki’s abdomen and attempted to hipstoss her to the mat. Following through while still holding her in the headlock would be ideal, so she tries to keep it.

Striking against someone like Yuki as a primary attack could heighten the risk of being countered by a more experienced retaliatory hit from the girl in yellow. Ground attacks would keep the fight more close quarters and Mayori needed to know that she had the option.

If the ground headlock succeeded, she would only hold it for a few seconds before changing the hold up for a grounding face lock. The blind spot would further confuse Yuki, at least it should if she isn’t as sound on the ground as Mayori hoped she wasn’t.