Crane & Eagle (Tsubasa vs. Tlatoani)

[dlamp]

No-DQ Match
Win via Pin, Submission, or Knockout

Back when Tsubasa was first learning martial arts his instructors had told him that if worst came to worst he should forget about neatness, shame, and appearances and fight solely to protect himself. That at the end of the day his study of martial arts was as equally about keeping himself safe as it was using physical movement as a form of expression, and that he shouldn't hesitate to strike with the intent to harm and even kill when backed against the wall. When Tsubasa learned he was to be in a No-DQ Match these memories replayed in his mind, and it unsettled him a little. "It's just a match..." He told himself, looking at his reflection in the mirror before him. "Don't hold back. Don't hesitate. And don't regret anything." Honestly, he couldn't believe the words his reflection spoke to him. Being merciless, being ruthless, being abrasive... it just... didn't feel right. Fighting to improve and compete was one thing, and fighting intensely with pride on the line was fine too. But... if Tsubasa understood this "Tlatoani" right, then this match might be more than that. It would be a wild savage against a trained noble. And as fun as the idea sounded it only had Tsubasa's nerves in a bundle. I just hope my opponent isn't too frightening. It was the last thought he had before he heard his cue to go on stage.

And as his theme kicked off and he walked down the ramp he could see the audience celebrate and cheer his name throughout the crowd.

It did a lot to settle him down and keep a serene expression, the onlookers excited to see their white crane prince as he calmly made his way down the ramp, dressed his usual light regalia of a gray sleeveless robe and his sleeveless kimono underneath. The walk down the ramp had his steps gaining more and more confidence, balancing easily atop the single-tooth geta and making his way to the ring's apron with little issue. Kicking off the geta sandals, he gave of a quick hop and slid right under the lower rope, kipping himself up to his feet and making a flourish of showing himself to the crowd, taking in their excitement as he focused on the match ahead of him. Okay... I can do this!

Stepping into the ring, he waited for his opponent.

Spoiler

[Person]

Isabela was once again in her locker room all by herself, looking in a mirror to help her prepare for the match she had tonight. Though this wasn't just another match, no, this one was a bit special for a couple of reasons. First, it was her very first intergender match, facing off against a male. A win here would help boost her career, showing that she could compete with all genders and nothing was going to stop her. The second reason that this match was important was the theme of the match, it had this whole royalty versus savage. She had seen it trending on several social media websites. She would pull out her phone and look, it was still trending right now, with a lot of her fans joining in on it. The idea of calling her and everything she stood for savage enraged her. But she knew not to let it get to her. If she gave a reaction, and showed that she hated it, it would stick with her forever, such is how things on the internet worked, as such, she put her phone away. She would instead take her frustration out on her opponent.

The Mexican wrestler would then close her eyes as she then inhale slowly before exhaling. She would repeat the process a few times and calm herself down. If she got worked up now, this would leave her vulnerable and could cause her to make some rookie mistakes. Having now calmed herself down a bit, she would then remind herself of the match. It was a no-DQ match, meaning it was probably going to be brutal. Isabela needed to be ready to fight dirty and use everything, including the whole ring itself and everything around it. She was sure that her opponent would do the same, so she needed to stay on guard and start the match strong so she could exploit these rules early on and build an advantage and momentum.

Looking at the clock, she could see that her match would start soon. She would make one last check on her uniform, looking at the mirror as she moved her head up and down before turning her whole body to look at the backside. Feeling confident with it, she would then exit the locker room. The Aztec-style warrior would make her way down the hallways, once again nodding and even calling a few of the staff members by name. While they weren't wrestlers or fighters, she respected them heavily, they were pillars of her career and many other wrestlers' careers. She would even give a fist bump, high fives and shake a few of their hands. Isabella then reached the entrance and stayed out of sight of the crowd while looking at a few of the staff members there before making her way towards the sound control team. "Hey, can you do me a favour, can you increase how loud my entrance theme is for tonight's match?" she asked the sound team in a friendly tone. The sound guy would nod her head and give a thumbs up to her. "Thanks, you guys are the best." she stated as she gave them a nod. The Mexican wrestler would then be given the signal to say it was time for her to go out. Isabella's theme song would roar out, catching some of the audience by surprise due to how loud it was.

Spoiler

With that, Isabella would make her entrance and strike a pose, letting everyone see her and get used to how intense the music was.

Spoiler

She was glad to see her theme song had shocked some of the audience and caused them all to focus on her. She wondered if it also shocked her opponent as well. Making her way down the ramp, she would give some high fives to fans. She saw a few of them had brought all sorts of props as well as a sea of signs to show support for her. This would cause her to smile and give her more confidence.

The Mexican wrestler would then get to the edge of the ring before climbing up the stairs and entering the ring. She would take a second to scan her opponent who seemed to be in their own corner. Seeing as they weren't making a move, she would climb up the turnbuckle and raise her fist in the air to gain some support from the crowd. Getting some more applause from the crowd, she would then jump off the turnbuckle and spin around to face her opponent. Not wasting much time she would move to the center of the ring, trying to already assert dominance over them by claiming the center. Isabela would also size them up, it seemed that she was the bigger one of the two. She could use this to her advantage.

"So, you are my opponent and soon to be sacrifice." she stated to her opponent. This was another way she was trying to assert dominance and show she was the alpha of the two.

[dlamp]

The first thing that caught Tsubasa off was the music. A loud crash of guitar, drums, and vocals that thumped and shook the very ground. A rhythm the crane prince found harsh and overbearing as the vocals shrieked into his ears and through his skin. He flinched a moment, immediately shifting his face to a neutral position to keep himself focused. So loud... He gritted his teeth under his mouth, forcing his features still as he endured the song playing and his opponent revealed herself in a flashy pose, much to the crowds delight and excitement.

Which was the second thing that threw the prince off, the crowd's reaction. When he heard the concept of savage vs. royal he expected a reviled and despised fighter, someone that barely cared for the audience and only wanted to hurt Tsubasa. But the woman he saw coming down the ramp to cheers, high fives, and even people gifting her props, weapons and items was... surreal. Even more so the woman's attire. A headdress, a cowl, face paint, and just the bare essentials of clothing to cover her body's most private areas. She looked the part of a savage from the wilds, untamed lands across the ocean, but the small smile on her face as she walked down, the pleasant atmosphere she gave off when with her apparent fans on that short trip... it made Tsubasa question what the promoters had advertised.

And last, as his opponent came into the ring, as she took center stage both figuratively and literally, as she examined Tsubasa and he met her gaze for a split second, Tsubasa felt he was in the presence of another member of nobility. The way she walked, the way her eyes scanned the area, the way she spoke down to Tsubasa. If this woman was a savage, she was a princess savage. And the crane prince wouldn't let himself be intimidated by another person with an aura he was already used to being around.

He met the taller woman's gaze, walking forward to the center with poise and dignity, the same balanced stride as if he was still wearing his toothed geta. He fought back the shiver of fear he felt as the woman spoke to him, refusing to back down as he forced courage into his voice before speaking.

"I am Tsurume Tsubasa," He stated politely, giving a short, elegant bow as he would an opponent of a rival martial school. "It is true that I shall be your opponent, but I won't be your sacrifice, Tlatoani-han." He maintained eye contact, keeping a polite smile and refusing to look away or back down. His heart was beating fast, but he kept his nerves together. "That said, I look forward to facing you, and learning from this bout."

[Person]

Isabela watched as her opponent made his way towards her. She would look for any sort of weakness, anything she could use to show she was the dominant one to gain a psychological advantage. Though the way he walked seemed to show confidence. She wouldn't move from the spot, refusing to even give him an inch. The Aztec-style wrestler then listened as he spoke, giving him at least enough respect to fully listen to him. He was kind and polite and spoke about how he wouldn't be a sacrifice but there was something he failed to mention. As such, a confident smile would appear on her face.

"You are scared. I can tell. You talk about not being a sacrifice but you don't claim anything about being the victor." she stated as she then took a step forward, getting pretty close to him now, almost having her chest touch his. Stepping forward and her statements were both two things to show that she was superior to him. The audience would start to get hyped, many cheering and wanting to see the match get underway, while others were enjoying the tension between the two wrestlers. Seeing the audience invested only gave her more confidence, if she could win, she would win a bunch of them over and build her fandom even more.

The referee would then come in and place her hands in between the two wrestlers to split them up and put a bit of distance before the match started. Isabela would take a step back while having a smirk on her face. "Let us see how much you can learn before I knock you out cold."

[dlamp]

Tsubasa fought back the flinch Tlatoani's words gave him, a hand twitching at her words. It was hard to argue against the point. She was right, he didn't claim victory outright and went for something more passive. Still, he couldn't help but have his smile chill over at the insult. Politeness seemed to be taken as weakness, and the psychological warfare was already draining. Truly, he was dealing with a princess from another land in a verbal bout before the physical one.

And as the referee started to push both fighters back to prevent a cheap shot Tsubasa simply took a few modest steps back and kept his now-icy smile. "I simply didn't want to be presumptuous, Tlatoani-han. To be assured of your victory in blind confidence while underestimating your opponent is how you lose before the battle is fought." With that said, he took his stance, legs apart, hands up and facing forward, staying light on his feet. His eyes narrowed and focused in on his opponent. This savage princess would need to learn how to communicate like a proper royal.

*DING*

At the bell's ring Tsubasa immediately took action. Knees bent and eyes right on his opponent, he hopped off the ground, shooting his back leg forward in an arc for a heavy and flashy jumping roundhouse to Tlatoani's head right at the start. Honestly, it felt wrong to start off a fight with something as flashy and hard-hitting as his signature, but Tlatoani's words still pricked at him. He wasn't a sacrifice. He wasn't prey for this princess of savages. And what better way to prove it than with a bold and flashy move to start of the match and show her he meant to fight hard and win.

[Person]

The smirk would remain on Isabela's face as she heard him speak. There was a bit of truth to his words but one needed every advantage they could get, including looking dominate over their opponent. "Then let me give you a lesson, when you go into a fight, plan on winning it. Otherwise, why are you going into a fight that you think you might lose? Look at you right now, you appear weak and like a rookie." she stated in response to his comment. While it was a real genuine lesson, it was also her attempting to make him doubt himself and for her to appear to be the superior wrestler. If she could get him to start questioning himself or get mad, he would make mistakes and perhaps even slow his reaction time, which would all give her a better chance at victory. As she saw him enter a wrestling stance she would do the same, bending her knees and starting to extend her arms up.

*DING*

With the sound of the bell, the match had started, much to the crowd's delight who was eager to see this fight. Right now their cheers were neutral, simply wanting to see a good fight. Isabela's original plan was to circle her opponent before getting into a collar and elbow tie-up to get a good feel of her opponent. But it seemed her words had worked and caused Tsubasa to get mad at charge right at her before jumping in the air and going for an aerial attack at the start of the match. As her opponent jumped into the air and swung his legs, she would move forward and bend her back forward, ducking under the leg and letting him hit nothing but pure air.

As he flew past her, she would then quickly turn around and attempt to close the gap between the two of them before extending her arm out and trying to connect with his neck for a brutal clothesline in hopes of knocking him down.

[dlamp]

There was a hope of catching Tlatoani off guard with the harsh offense, but it seemed his opponent calculated it. Tsubasa's kick swished right by her head, a wide move that touched nothing and no one. The crowd gasped, but at the sight of seeing a big move so early and seeing it completely miss, and their excitement heightened as the shouts and mutters rose in volume. Like the crane of his moniker, Tsubasa was quick to realign himself, landing on both feet and quickly getting his bearings. It was only a moment, but Tlatoani was already out of view.

A chill ran down his spine. He turned his head, seeing the woman set upon him, arms stretched out right for his neck with a murderous clothesline. He stared, a deer in the headlights as his body froze up to brace for the hit.

"Gugh!" The impact was hard and the fall was hard, his body slamming back and landing back first onto the canvas with a hard thud. Immediately he felt his mind buzz as pain shot up his neck and spine. His hands shot up to his skull, trying to protect his throbbing head from further punishment. "G-Gh..."

[Person]

Charging forward, Isabela extended her arm out. She would see her opponent turn around and freeze for a split second before her arm connected right into his neck. The attack sent her opponent down to the canvas. The audience would cheer at the sight. The female wrestler would exhale before smirking, feeling good that she got the first hit as well. The audience would let out a bit of a cheer at the sight. But she needed to keep building her momentum, this was just the start of the match and if she wanted to win, she needed to give him no quarter.

Seeing him cover his head, meant he was getting ready for another attack but was still feeling the current one. She would raise her foot up and then bring it down. The Aztec wrestler could have aimed for his privates but she felt that was a bit too cruel even for her and the audience would probably side against her. Instead, she decided to try and hit his exposed stomach, trying to take the wind out of him. This attack also had a second purpose, to make him let go of his head so that she could grab his arms. If he did let go of his head and went for his stomach she would proceed to grab one of his hands before trying to suddenly pull him to his feet and Irish whip before he could even fully balance into the turnbuckle.

[dlamp]

Tsubasa remained on the ground, his head still wracked in throbbing pain from the fall. He lost his shot at the first blow already, and both the momentum and crowd's favor moved to Tlatoani. It was a bitter pill, but he had to push forward from here before he completely lost himself to the flow. Already he could feel Tlatoani's shadow loom over him and he forced himself to look up, seeing the woman's foot hovering above him. He gritted his teeth, locking eyes with his opponent. That was going to hurt, but his mind was already whirling with ideas and plans. She clearly was going for his open body.

"Gh-!" He flinched at the heavy stomp, hearing the crowd gasp and shout on impact. He let out a low hiss, forcing himself to keep eye contact with the woman. He wasn't going to take that hit lying down.

With a glare, he lashed his legs out, shooting a foot forward right for Tlatoani's shin to try and get her off balance and get some breathing room.

[Person]

Isabela would bring her foot down onto his stomach, taking a bit of air out of him. She was starting to gain control of the match and started to come up with a plan. She was planning on grabbing his arm and Irish whipping him into the turnbuckle before sandwiching him. Her whole plan involved taking the air out of him so he would quickly become exhausted. As she moved to grab her arm to start this maneuver, she would suddenly feel something hit her shin. The attack would cause her to lose her balance and take a few steps back as she hopped a bit due to the pain. This gave her opponent a moment to breathe before she could do any sort of follow-up. It wasn't the most powerful attack but it meant one thing, Tsubasa wasn't going to stay down and take a beating.

"Alright, you have a bit of fight in you but you will need more than that." stated the Aztec-style wrestler as it was going to take more than that to keep her away from him. As she had told herself, give him no quarter. Deciding to take a few more steps back she would hit the ropes before using it to slingshot herself back at him. Running towards him and trying to close the gap, she would attempt to deliver a brutal kick aimed at his chest, still trying to take the oxygen out of him.