Nikki Lane vs. Mizuki Sakura: Debut Against a Jobber

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Nikki Lane was PUMPED for her LAW debut. She had been in the ring before, but never on a stage like this. Nikki had reached the big leagues. It was the day before her first match, and Nikki was at home, preparing to watch film of her opponent named Mizuki Sakura. The bookers at LAW had told her that Mizuki was a jobber among jobbers who Nikki could do pretty much whatever she wanted with. Nikki wasn't going to take any opponent lightly, however, and still made certain she was prepared.

That all went out the window when she actually watched the film. "What the hell? This isn't right." Nikki took one look at Mizuki and her heart dropped. Not from fear, but pity. Mizuki was a girl who didn't belong in a playground scuffle, much less a fight against a professional wrestler, and it showed. Mizuki got destroyed and humiliated by her opponent, Natsuki Makabe, and had no chance whatsoever. Nikki knew she couldn't fight this poor girl, at least not without talking to her and figuring out why in the hell she's doing this.

[CaptainL]

When she'd signed up for this, Mizuki knew she wasn't going to win a lot of her matches. It was just a fact she had to accept, however begrudgingly. She wasn't here to actually wrestle, or to make a name for herself, or become a famous athlete. She just needed to make money, and the quickest way to do that was to sign up as what they called "enhancement talent." Or, less politely, a "jobber." Perhaps she'd gotten ahead of herself in negotiating her contract. She was sure that she wouldn't need a lot of training for a job like this, and she agreed to take a bonus to her salary in return for not having training costs covered. Looking back now, though, Mizuki wondered if that was the right idea.

Even if she knew what being a jobber entailed, Mizuki still wouldn't say she was prepared for her debut match against Natsuki Makabe. She had prepared herself for being thrown around a few times and slammed into the mat, but she could handle that. What she hadn't prepared for was the physical and emotional torment that she had been helpless to endure from the moment she got in the ring to when the bell chimed again. She had barely been in the ring for more than a few minutes, and yet it paradoxically felt like both an eternity and the blink of an eye.

And now...she had been called back for another match. As far as Mizuki knew, it was all going to happen again.

It didn't help that Mizuki was going to be facing a newcomer to LAW for her debut match with the promotion - meaning she had no way of knowing just who she would be up against. For all she knew, it was someone who would go easy on her, but for all she knew, it could be someone who made Natsuki look like a walk in the park.

With a gulp, Mizuki took a seat in a nearby chair, just behind the curtains at the Gorilla position. She sucked in a breath, burying her head in her hands. Her heart was racing and her stomach churning, and she could only do her best to keep it still.

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It was the day of the match. 30 minutes before the bell that will start Nikki Lane's LAW career is going to ring. Nikki was backstage, looking for her opponent. She found Mizuki behind the curtain, and she looked the same in person as she did on tape: Small, scared, weak, and out of place.

"Hey," Nikki said as she put a hand on Mizuki's shoulder, causing her to jump as she turned to look at the girl who was talking to her. "I'm Nikki, your opponent tonight. Can we talk?" Nikki could see Mizuki's breathing increase as she looked at her nervously, silently, which Nikki took as a cue to keep talking.

"I'll be blunt. You are not a wrestler. You don't belong here. So why ARE you here?"

[CaptainL]

Mizuki was sunken in her seat, staring down at the floor. Her hands massaged at her temples, and she took deep breaths in an attempt to stay grounded. She tried to tell herself there was no use in letting this get to her now - she wouldn't do herself any favors if she got lost in the worst-case scenario. For all she knew, maybe Natsuki was just unusually bad. But...at the same time, what if she wasn't? Even worse, what if Natsuki was better than most?

The thought sent a shudder through Mizuki, and just like that, she was back at square one. If there was any mercy, it was that Mizuki didn't have to ponder over that for too long - she was soon distracted from her own catastrophizing, as she felt a hand lay on her shoulder. Given that she was staring at her own feet, Mizuki didn't see it coming - and she jumped up with a yelp. "GAH-!"

Her eyes wide as saucers, Mizuki stared out silently at the blonde girl standing in front of her. This had to be her - and sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed, as Nikki introduced herself. What did she want with her? Was she seeking her out so that she could attack her before the match had even begun? Mizuki's stomach churned at the thought. She didn't even think any of her opponents would need to do that - which, honestly, was true - but she had no reason to believe this wasn't happening here!

That was, until Nikki told her outright that she wasn't a wrestler. "I..." At first, Mizuki felt insulted. She blinked a few early tears out of her eyes, staring up toward Nikki with a stiff back. She wanted to say something in her defense, but she realized she honestly couldn't, especially not after the disaster that had been her first match. Instead, all she did was let her body deflate with a sigh, as she folded over her knees.

"You're right. I'm really not...I'm a punching bag, is what I am. I just needed easy money...I...I ran away from home and I needed some way to pay for college, so..." Mizuki's voice grew choked with tears as she spoke, no matter how much she tried to hold them back. In recalling how she got here, she dredged up all those thoughts of the misfortune that so constantly haunted her, and the weight she felt was a heavy one.

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Nikki hadn't expected Mizuki to cave so easily, but it confirmed her suspicions. "Well I'm not exactly sure what about being a punching bag you consider easy, but I'm not here to beat up on the weak and desperate-- Uh, sorry. No offense." Nikki paused and stammered as she realized what she was saying.

Nikki then took a breath and continued, "How about we make a deal? During our match, I won't hurt you. I won't do any huge slams or brutal locks that will put you in serious pain, and I'll also hold back a bit with the moves I do use. In exchange, all I need you to do is let anything that I attempt to do work, sell my holds to make it still look real, and to not submit until I give you a cue, so I can have plenty off time to show off for my big debut." Nikki paused a bit before adding on, "Oh, and so you're aware before you make a decision, I'm mostly going to put you in smothers and scissor holds. Also it'll probably last roughly twice as long as your last match, which was really fast. So, what do you think? I get to look good in my debut, and you get to get through this relatively unscathed." Nikki had made her offer, and waited as she watched Mizuki ponder it.

[CaptainL]

Mizuki let out another sigh at hearing what Nikki said. Though she was still slumped in her seat, she propped her chin in her hands, idly looking off. "I shouldn't take any. I know what I am..." She sniffled a little to herself, wiping a tear away from her eye. For a moment, she let her gaze settle on Nikki, but it was back at the floor a moment later as she hugged her arms closer to herself. Nikki was at least more personable than she had expected, but she couldn't help but feel less than adequate next to a bright-eyed bikini-clad beauty like her. She was confident and assured in herself, and Mizuki...wasn't, in any regard. It wasn't just her slighter frame that made Mizuki feel this way, though there was still some of that. When she looked at Nikki, she saw someone who was proud of herself and had nothing to fear. Mizuki only wished she could be anywhere close to that.

She was about to tell Nikki that she shouldn't bother with her, only for the blonde to go on. Her interest piqued, Mizuki turned her head toward her, listening. "Huh..?" This seemed to be a strange offer. Was Nikki offering to let her throw the match? Was she...allowed to do that? Something about this felt underhanded, like Mizuki shouldn't have been signing off of it. But the more she considered it, she realized that it wasn't like her match was ever going to go any other way. The bookers weren't putting her into matches in the hopes that she would win, after all. After her match with Natsuki, Mizuki felt relieved to have an easy out. She looked back up at Nikki, smiling. "Okay. I'll do it."

There was one thing that still lingered in her mind, however. "But...why? Why go easy on me? I'm...well, I'm nobody..."

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"Honestly, pity." was Nikki's reply. "I saw your match against Natsuki and I saw a girl who needed help, not another beating. When I envisioned myself doing the kinds of things to you that she was, I felt sick. So I decided to talk to you and see what your deal was. When you told me, that just confirmed what I thought. Nikki was never great with words, so she hoped that her point got through to Mizuki. "One more thing before I have to go get in position; if you ever need me to let up, just squeeze my thigh or whatever else you can grab. Alright then, I'll see you in the ring Mizuki. Nikki flashed her opponent a smile and started walking off.

[CaptainL]

Mizuki blinked, listening to what Nikki had to say. In truth...she didn't know how to feel. The thought that she would need to be pitied just told her that she really was as bad as she thought she was, and that was a hard pill to swallow; it made her look off with a sigh. But she didn't know why she would expect anything else.

No, she could expect something else. She could expect the same scenario she had been dreading - that Nikki was going to point and laugh at her for her failures in the ring, and to rub it in even deeper. But she didn't.

Instead, she felt sorry for her, and she was approaching her with an offer that she thought could help her. Even if Mizuki had seen a lot of trouble in her life, in the ring and out of it...Nikki still had it in her heart to be nice to her. She sniffled, wiping her eye. "...Okay...thanks, Nikki. Thanks for everything." Even through the tears, she smiled toward her. "Not a lot of people have been...this nice to me, so...it means a lot...I'll make sure you look good out there, okay?"

Nevertheless, the match was starting, and Nikki had to get in place. "Alright-!" Mizuki said, getting up from her chair. "If it means anything...good luck..." Maybe, she thought, if Nikki was going on first she'd actually get to have an entrance this time. It was the little things that counted.

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Feel Invincible began playing, the curtain lifted, and Nikki's career was starting. She walked slowly towards the ring at first, clearing her mind, then the cheers began to register in her ears. She heard the announcer: FROM SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, MAKING HER LAW DEBUT AT 5 FOOT 3, 120 POUNDS... NIKKI LANE! With that, she began sprinting, leaping onto the ropes and waving to the crowd. She felt ready to take on the world champ in that moment.

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

"AND HER OPPONENT! FROM FUJIKAWA, JAPAN...at 5'0 and 99 pounds...Mizuki Sakura!"

Well, at least she got an entrance this time, but that was a bit of a double-edged sword. At the announcement of her less than impressive stats, Mizuki bit her lip, and the fact that a few snickers audibly went through the stands at such a mention didn't make things sting any less. But her name had been called, and she needed to answer to that. Taking in a breath, Mizuki straightened her back, pushing herself through the curtains and onto the ramp.

Spoiler

A few more chuckles were heard as she made her way down the ring, as well as a few wolf-whistles that Mizuki didn't know were sarcastic or not, and she didn't know which prospect was more comforting to her. Even those who hadn't seen her last match already had a pretty good idea of what to expect given the noticeable gap between Mizuki and her opponent in just about all regards, from her size to her confidence. A blush rose to her cheeks and she hugged her arms tighter around herself as she shuffled her feet toward the ring. Mizuki was tempted to turn and run, just to spare herself the embarrassment - but, as she looked back up at where Nikki stood, she was reminded of what had to be done. She had a job to do in making Nikki look good, and she would still have to hold up her end of the bargain. At least, she reminded herself, it would go better than last time.

Finally, she came to the ring apron and slid in under the bottom rope. As Mizuki got to her feet, she turned her attention up to look at Nikki, just for some reassurance she was doing this right.