Sea Turtles & Stars: Akari Ito & Kimiko Nagasawa

[Misfit_Alien]

With everything almost in place, Akari started to stack on the weights, putting them on two separate machines, starting them off at one-hundred-and-fifteen pounds, about the average amount recommended for someone of her weight and age. When Kim approached her, Akari could immediately spot that eager disposition once more, but this time it seemed far more excited. This girl's radiating positivity was infectious, even for Akari, she just couldn't help but smile back. "Hey 'Star', you seem brighter than before, you said you did weightlifting earlier yeah? I take it you're keen on showing your skills on this machine?" Akari asked. "How much do you usually lift? I like to push around one-hundred to maybe one-hundred-and-twenty." She said, stacking the weights on and setting the machine up. She points to another machine right next to hers, directing Kim to sit down beside her. "How about a friendly little competition? The first one to do three sets of ten wins...let's say, the loser buys lunch later?"

[TriggerBunny]

Kimiko was surprised to actually have Akari offering her a competition between them. She confidently walked over to her machine and sat down. Kimiko didn't remember the weight she could usually work at, but she assured herself that she had this in the bag. She wanted to show off to Akari as well! "You're on!" She exclaimed.

Akari seemed happy for Kimiko to accept the challenge and counted down the start. "3... 2... 1... GO!" At first it felt like nothing. Then an unexpected painful burning crept up on Kimiko as she was approaching 10, making her feel weak. When she reached the end of her first set she couldn't help but stop and gasp for air due to doing so much weight in fast succession. She looked over at Akari and saw her doing more at a healthy pace. Not wanting to give Akari the upper hand, Kimiko pushed through the pain and immediately started on her second set!

The speed at which Kimiko did her reps began to decrease dramatically making it even more difficult for her. Her legs felt like jell-o and the pain was starting to get to her. Nonetheless she wanted to beat Akari so bad, so she kept pushing forward! And as she approached the end of her second set her legs began shaking. Her skin was already covered in a sheen of sweat. It started dripping off her face and onto her chest. She reached 10 and immediately took another break and started wheezing. She was used to doing the weight, but so much in such a fast succession was really wearing at her. Kimiko didn't even want to look at Akari to see how she was doing, but she knew that if she took too long of a break that she'd fall behind. So she persevered and started on her final set!

1... 2... 3..... She began to grunt from the pain and exhaustion. The grunts became louder with each repetition. She knew she was embarrassing herself, but finishing the set and winning was the only thing on her mind!
4... 5... 6..... Her grunts turned into moans as her reps became even slower and much tougher. Her legs felt like they were barely hanging on! She knew that if she'd stop now that she'd never be able to get another rep and Akari would win! Kimiko pushed even more, but tried to stop herself from yelling uncontrollably.
7... 8... 9..... She was so close! But it was so painful that she considered stopping right there. Sweat was beginning to bleed through her entire suit. She could barely think and moved once more based on instinct and pure willpower.
"10!!!" she finally screamed, slamming the weight down. She immediately fell back in her chair and started uncontrollably gasping for air, sweat dripping off of her.

It was agonizing, but she did it! She was proud of herself for pushing through, she just wasn't expecting that many reps without break to do her in. She looked over to see Akari casually off the machine and finished with her sets. She had won without Kimiko even noticing... But instead of Kimiko feeling distraught that her effort was unsuccessful, she felt oddly joyful. Akari once again livened Kimiko by showing off how much she was physically superior. She was glad that someone pushed her so much. After much catching of breathe, Kimiko slowly got up and carefully walked towards Akari. But her now weak legs stumbled and she started to fall! She caught herself on Akari, barely even able to stay up. "S-Sorry!" she said with her arms desperately clinging onto Akari's waist and shoulders. Kimiko looked up at Akari innocently and smiled. "I guess lunch is on me" she giggled.

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari was happy to see just how eager Kim was about doing all of this. It reminded her so much of her little sister, to a scary degree almost...there was this inexplicable feeling of joy and pride she felt when she was able to help someone else do their best in something, to see that person carry on and shine like they're supposed to, to make the world their own and define their story with pride and confidence, something about that radiated with her. Kim's positive, cheerful personality was making that sense of "happy-go-lucky" attitude beyond infectious, it was becoming utterly contagious at this point.

The two prepared for the little contest and at Kim's signal, they were off to the races. Akari kept a firm, steady pace whereas Kim started off in a speedy blitz by contrast. In her head, Akari knew exactly what corner the young rookie was driving herself into. By starting off incredibly fast, she'd tire herself out and the weight she was lifting would only feel heavier and heavier as she continued to strain herself. Sure enough, by the time she was partway through her second rep out of three, Kim was starting to slow down a bit. Meanwhile, Akari had caught up to her by the point and she was still feeling fresh and able, passing the masked woman in terms of the race by reaching the third rep first and finishing strong as her masked acquaintance pushed and struggled to finish the last of her set.

While Kim was doing that, Akari was already off of the machine and resting. She had walked away in the middle of the last rep that Kim was trying to do, expecting the woman to be tired and sweaty after she finished. Sure enough, the masked woman accomplished her goal in doing all three reps but was left in an exhausted heap as she sagged down into the chair, the weights slamming down as her legs gave out. Akari smiled and applauded her for her efforts, she put in the work and did her best until the very end. Win or lose, she succeeded, and that's what mattered. With a soft towel and a cold water bottle in hand, Akari hands the objects to the young woman to help her rest and recover, trying to make it easy for her to stay hydrated and cooled so that she doesn't faint.

"Good job 'Star', while you didn't win you were SUPER close technically. Had you paced yourself better at the start, I would've been eating your dust." She said cheerfully, rooting her new friend on. "C'mon, let's go over to the benches so you can rest and get cleaned up before we proceed. I'll take care of wiping down the equipment." She said, but that's when she noticed the woman getting up a little too quickly, the Sea Turtle saw those shaky legs and moved in closer just in case. She managed to be right next to Kim as she fell, feeling her latch onto her waist and shoulder in a tight fashion.

"Woah there, careful now." She said, clutching and cradling Kim in her arms. "Don't strain those legs any further 'Star', you wouldn't want to hurt all those muscles and tendons in there." She helped Kim over to a nearby bench so they could both rest, holding her close the entire time with a soft blush across her face as she felt Kim's body against her own. It was soft, cushiony, and warm...Akari enjoyed the feeling, almost getting distracted by it. She sits down next to the masked woman and smiles back at her. "Don't worry 'Star', I'll be sure to avoid ordering a mountain of food later." She said in response, attempting to be witty while laughing alongside the young woman. "Although, who knows how big of an appetite we'll be working up~" She massaged her own legs gently, trying to soothe the post-workout soreness. "That said, we can continue on with the light stuff if you'd like. I was going to suggest a bit of a sprint or some work on the cycling machines if you're not afraid of trying some light cardio. Another idea was to skip onto the more serious stuff and practice a bit of drill work and do some sparring. I've got my gloves with me if you wanna go a boxing route, but we can stick to straight wrestling too." She offered.

[TriggerBunny]

Kimiko was embarrassed by unintentionally getting an awkward feel of Akari's body, and Akari doing the same. But she got help from Akari to sit down at a bench. Despite Kimiko being worn out, she got gleam in her eye when Akari mentioned them sparring. Her expression changed to excitement and exclaimed "I would love to wrestle with you!" Immediately embarrassed by how loud and forthcoming she was, she shrank back a little bit. She attempted to stand off the bench in excitement but her legs were pretty zapped of energy. "Well-... I mean..." she began to say.

She eagerly tried again and pushed herself off the bench. She was still wobbling at the knees, but surprisingly a lot less to the point where she kept it manageable. "I'm ready when you are!!" She said practically beaming. "And I might be a rookie, but you better not go easy on me!"

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari surveyed Kim's condition to ensure that she'd be okay to continue. Once she was rested up a little more, Akari saw that gleam of excitement and hope burning bright in her eyes again, so much so that at this rate, she'd need to wear sunglasses. "Well of course!! I never hold back unless it's necessary, but I can easily tell that here, it's anything but that. You deserve me at my utmost best, it's how another wrestler shows that they respect who they're facing. You give me your best, and I give you mine." She said, standing up and stretching. "How does a two-out-of-three falls match sound? I'll throw in a second chance for you to save yourself from paying for lunch." She said, giving her a teasing wink. "I want you to come at me like you're fighting for a championship title, I want to see that fire in your eyes manifest into your skill, got it?"

[TriggerBunny]

Akari asked for Kimiko to give it her all, as if she was fighting for the championship! That lit a fire in Kimiko as she looked straight at Akari and said “YOU’RE ON!”

Kimiko dreamed of being champion and is set on doing whatever it takes to win! She knew she doesn’t have a lot of moves in her arsenal, so she would have to improvise or rely on simple holds. But Kimiko wasn’t worried about it. This was her first challenge as a wrestler, and she knew she was ready to win no matter what!

They made their way to the sparring ring. Kimiko practically jumped herself over the ropes, landing less than gracefully on both feet with a solid thud! She leaned against the turnbuckle, both arms wrapped around the ropes with her legs spread, ready for the sparring to begin. Her heart was pounding incredibly hard, making her chest jiggle ever so slightly. She was so exhilarated by the thought of exerting herself in an actual sparring match, and against such a toned fighter at that! “I’m ready when you are! Remember, no holding back!” She egged Akari on!

[Misfit_Alien]

Akari smiled upon seeing how explosively positive Kim was reacting to her little provocation. It was exactly what she was looking for in terms of spirit and it seemed like the masked woman had plenty to spare. "Well, if you're willing and eager, let's get to it!!" She cheered, entering the ring alongside her sparring partner and moving to her own corner on the opposite side. Her green, padded boots comfortably pressed against the soft surface of the ring's canvas, that familiar feeling was electrifying. The ring had become something of a second home to the Sea Turtle, the battles waged and the stories amidst the confines of the 'squared circle' were ones that she'd remember for years. From finding her in-ring character to developing her moves to winning her very first championship. A wave of memories hit the Japanese woman each time she entered the fray, inspiring her to make a new one to add to the collection.

She pulled out her phone and set a timer, preparing a countdown for a bell to ring after a short grace period. Things began to wind down as the phone chimed closer and closer until it reached its alarm. With a smile on her face, Akari's demeanor changed to a more serious one as she got her stance ready and positioned herself accordingly, lightly bouncing on the edges of her feet as her body swayed from side-to-side. "I'm more than ready to take you on, I'll show you what LAW has to offer if you're willing to have the courage to face it."


-BEEP-

Like that, the match was on and Akari was quick to move out of the corner with some haste in her feet as she rushed down Kim. Normally, a wrestler would grapple with their opponent to try and go for a short contest to decide who would get the opening advantage, but Akari had recently been undergoing some training in order to better improve her striking game. She opened up with a burst of quick kicks, using her thick legs to strike Kim's upper body, shoulders, and midsection, trying to overwhelm her with a combination of attacks before aiming an Enziguri at the woman's head.

Spoiler

[TriggerBunny]

Kimiko felt like she was prepared for anything, but was immediately surprised by Akari's raw speed. Her quick astonishment was snapped out of it as soon as Akari started landing a flurry of powerful kicks to her body. Kimiko instinctively brought up her arms to guard her head, only for Akari to land devastating strikes to her core. The kicks to her gut drove deep and dented her soft fragile stomach, driving the air out of her with every strike! Then Akari struck at her tender chest and shoulders, causing Kimiko to lower her guard and grab at the sore areas Akari just struck. And finally Akari made a well-placed enziguri powerfully striking poor Kimiko's head! Kimiko was sent with her chest twisting down, colliding and bouncing off the mat.

Kimiko was motionless for a few moments before she made some faint movements with her arms to prepare to get up. As she frailly pushed her torso off the ground, she immediately fell back down. Kimiko let out a quick wavering yelp "Aah!" as her strength gave way and her chest squished itself on the mat. Kimiko was incredibly dazed letting out belabored huffs. She would need a second to gain her composure after receiving such a blow to the head. But she knew she had plenty of fight left in her as she attempted to get back up, driving up with her hips.

[Misfit_Alien]

The Sea Turtle would spare her training partner a moment's rest from the fight as she waltzed around the ring, shuffling around as she awaited the masked woman to stand back up. When the masked woman was up and ready, Akari would make her approach slowly and methodically, taking precise care in moving with caution. Though Kim was a rookie, she was not to be underestimated, nor treated as a lesser wrestler. Her movements were calm and calculated, and not a single misstep was made as she closed the gap between herself and her foe.

This was the intense focus and mind of a seasoned combatant, and LAW was full of them. Not to mention, the aura that Akari was giving off was a little heavier than before. That smile remained but that same positive attitude was gone, it was honed into a more competitive nature as the woman would move in to attempt a lock-up, aiming to snag onto the masked woman's body for a classic Collar-and-Elbow Tie-Up, jockeying for control in order to get the upper hand in the match. Whoever managed to win the tie-up would no doubt have an easier time transitioning to another move, a surefire chance for the masked woman to impress her friend, or to make a fool of herself in trying...

Spoiler

[TriggerBunny]

Kimiko and Akari tied up with colliding rather heavily using her momentum. Despite this Akari wasn't playing around and barely budged! Kimiko tried to push against Akari, but was too weak and winded from almost being KO'd earlier. Kimiko moaned as she tried to push against Akari again, but her legs were completely depleted of strength from the leg machine previously. Instead of pushing forward, Kimiko's immediately legs gave out and she began to fall to the floor! Kimiko quickly folded under Akari's sustained pressure!