Acting Tough

[Noob]

Suzume had been doing pretty good her past few matches. And even though her subsequent spars and hijinks were a mixed bag, the brunette was quickly building up her confidence. Perhaps that was why she found herself in the gym much more lately. If she wanted to keep that up though she couldn't remain the same old weak Suzume. She was ready to transform herself into the lightweight terror that she knew she could be. In the ring anyway. Step 1...swap out her standard green track suit to a new blue one. Nevermind the fact that her green one was just in the wash due to an unfortunate food related accident. This was totally a planned transformation.

Spoiler

After dropping her stuff down next to a locker, Suzume would rummage through her bag and take out a little book where she had jotted down her workout plan for today. "Alright noodle arms. After I'm done with you I'm gonna one punch the rest of the competition." She said to herself before stuffing the book back in her bag and stuffing it in the locker. The lightweight slammed her locker a bit harder than needed. She couldn't help it though. She was excited to start taking some good steps forward. She'd throw a few quick jabs in the air, now shadow boxing an imaginary opponent.



After a few hard hits to her imaginary foe, and one accidental hit to her locker, Suzume was pumped up. "Heh, alright. Who's next?" She'd say to herself, trying to practice what she was hoping would be her new tough in-ring persona. After all, the way she handled herself during a match certainly needed some toughening up too. It was probably more appropriate for her to practice her acting in front of a mirror, but Suzume was a bit too caught up in her little moment right now to consider how dumb she might be looking to anyone passing by. The locker room was usually pretty dead anyway though so who'd even see her. And if they did, it's not like she'd likely be seeing them again.

"You! You don't look so tough!" Suzume said as she pointed out towards what she assumed was a mostly empty locker room. " I'll have you leaving here on a stretcher!" She'd call out in a voice a bit too loud for standard locker room chatter.

[winner3]

"Hrm?!" A startled Sumiko heard the sound of metal crashing into metal in the distance. Little did she know, it was Suzume's locker.

As she walked the halls of this LAW-partnered gym, she could hear noises emanating from the same place that the initial sound came from. It was hard to make out, but after focusing, she could parse some of the words. It helped a great deal that there was practically no one here on this particular afternoon.

"Who's next?!" The petite brunette would repeat the words.

The air of competitiveness and fighting spirit only peaked Sumiko interest! Where Suzume was working on toughening herself up for her matches, Sumiko was a wrestler that was practically bent on throwing down with the best wrestlers she could find! There was a fire in her heart that was drawn to the energy that Sheska was radiating right now! And as she rounded the corner and pulled herself into the doorway or the locker room, Dreamer got all she was hoping for and more!

Sumiko Dreamer

"WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME?!" Sumiko would roar out! She immediately broke out into a shadowboxing session of her own!

Her hands were practically a blur as she fired off combination after combination! The towel she had around her neck flew to the side, not due to a throw, but due to Sumiko's own movements! The lightweight dynamo thrived on her efforts to overcome her opponents with her power in spite of her size! Her match history saw her almost exclusively go up against other powerhouses and against some of the boys at LAW! And in her mind, she had just met another powerhouse that was not only willing to trade blows with her but adamant about the idea that she could send Sumiko leaving this facility on a stretcher!

After getting progressively closer and closer to Suzume with her punches, Sumiko would abruptly stop and smile. She'd place her hands on her hips and lean forward, toward a likely distressed Suzume!

"If you wanna find out how tough I am, whaddya say you and I grab one of the practice rings right now! I'll show YOU who's leaving on a stretcher! Let's freakin' go!" Sumiko would attempt to grab Suzume by the collar of her tracksuit and pull the girl with her as she tried to march towards the open area of the gym and look for the nearest ring! Sumiko was ready to throw down right then and there! And she wasn't about to take "no" for an answer! Especially not after having been challenged like that!

[Noob]

Sumiko's words didn't quite register to Suzume at first. The lightweight just stared black at her with a puzzled expression on her face. In fact she was even a bit scared to just have a random gym goer just start yelling at her. "W...wut?" Suzume stammered at first. The wheels in her head began to turn though and as she watched Sumiko throw a few punches in the air she slowly began to realize what was happening.

"Oh god...did I really look that ridiculous when I was going that?" She thought to herself, unable to stop watching Sumiko get closer and closer as they continued to jab the air. Soon enough her thoughts rebounded back to the situation at hand once Sumiko was close enough. She was getting a bit too close though, their last jab almost hitting Suzume.

"I umm think you got the wrong...waaah hey!" Suzume started before she was grabbed by her tracksuit. She let out a little gasp as she was dragged away from her locker and toward the open area of the gym. Suzume didn't know what the heck was happening to her anymore. She felt like she was in a bad sit-com with Sumiko obviously misunderstanding the situation. They seemed to be taking things pretty seriously though.

The old Suzume would have panicked and started flailing. But then again the new Suzume was also panicking even if she wasn't showing it much. It would have been easy enough to back out of the current situation. But that wasn't an option right now. She hadn't been talking to herself for nothing. Today would be the birth of tough girl Suzume! Or so she hoped. Regardless it meant that there would be no backing down today. At least there would be no backing down once she pried Sumiko's hands off of her and regained her footing. "UGh let...go! Or you're... well totally gonna lose a hand!"

[winner3]

Sumiko's misunderstanding probably could have been cleared up with an explanation or three. But now that the girl was riled up upon hearing Suzume's earlier boasts and threats, Dreamer wasn't going to back down so easily! And much to the boisterous lightweight's delight, she didn't have to!

"Ngh!" Sumiko would grunt when a more assertive Suzume broke free from her grip!

The two of them were near the ring that Sumiko was dragging Suzume towards. Sumiko couldn't have been privy to Suzume's efforts to become a more confident and fiery wrestler. The more Suzume doubled down on her boasts, the more spirited Sumiko became! She did love a challenge, after all! And Suzume seemed to promise to deliver one to her!

"Then take it from me! In a fight! Right now! In that ring!" Sumiko would point to the ring.

Her shouting came from a place of excitement and anticipation of a good match rather than anger or annoyance, not that it would matter to Sheska.

Sumiko would hop onto the apron of the ring and sit on the middle rope. With her toned bum in the rope and her arm above her head, the lightweight LAW wrestler would push up on the top rope above her to make room for Suzume to enter the ring. If and when Suzume stepped into the squared circles, Sumiko would turn to Suzume and get her first concern out of the way.

"Don't tell me you're gonna be fighting in that tracksuit! We're wrestling! That outfit will be super restrictive and hinder your movement! You....got anything on underneath? Or do you need to walk back to the lockers and change?"

[Noob]

Sumiko was getting riled up to a concerning degree. Or at least it was concerning to Suzume who really had no intentions of fighting anyone when she came to the gym today. It appeared trouble had found her today though. With Sumiko increasing in volume, Suzume was starting to wonder if she could be heard outside the gym now. "I umm...you bet I will!" She'd yell back, trying to keep up with the other woman's hype. That was a lot easier said than done for her although that might have been more a reflection on Sumiko's extreme enthusiasm.

With her soon to be opponent parting the ropes for her, Suzume slipped into the ring. While she might have been a bit intimidated by the other wrestler's pure gusto, this was certainly the first time she had been welcomed into the ring nicely like that by a pure stranger and it was a nice change of pace. "Oh thanks. Don't think that's gonna make me go easy though." She'd tease.

Now in the ring and getting herself ready, Suzume had every intension of fighting in her tracksuit. She couldn't help feel a bit silly as it was pointed out to her though. "N-no of course not!" She quickly responded, now scrambling to pull her tracksuit over her head. Her intention was to dramatically pull it over her head and toss it to the side. But in reality she would get stuck with it halfway up her body and just flail around for a moment before it finally slipped off of her. "Guuh!" She'd huff, tossing her top to the side and trying to salvage the moment.

Soon enough Suzume was left in a black tank top. "Ok! There! Totally ready for anything now!"

Spoiler

[winner3]

Sumiko's hype wasn't always contagious, but in her own odd way, it began to rub off on Suzume!

"Pfffft you better not go easy on me! Especially after talking all that smack." The girl smiled and replied after hearing Sheska's remark. Sumiko had no way of knowing just how out of character Suzume's gratuitous tough gal talk was. She only knew that it made her that much more excited to throw down with her!

It was nearly go time! There was only the matter of the tracksuit to work out. Despite the budding rivalry, Sumiko was intent on making sure there were no handicaps. No excuses. Just two alphas vying for supremacy!

As Suzuken struggled to part with her top, Sumiko began to grow concerned.

"Hey, are you sure you won't need....help?" She reached out with her hand, only to witness Suzume grunt and toss the garment overhead and to the side!

"Ready to get rocked by the one and only Sumiko Dreamer!" The boisterous brunette said to her sparring partner. Sumiko flexed both biceps in anticipation for their bout! It was only at this point that two thoughts had occured to her.

"Huh...you look really good in that tank top, you know? What was your name again? I'm sorry I pulled you out here without bothering to do proper introductions first. But you were practically asking for it." The girl stuck her tongue out at her newfound rival. She was eager to learn a little about Suzume before the two of them squared off!

[Noob]

Suzume was a bit busy dealing with a wardrobe malfunction to reply to Sumiko's first comment. "SHUT UP! ...Idon'tneedhelp!" She'd squeal before tossing her tracksuit to the side. Finally she'd just huff and stare Sumiko down. Despite the early struggles, she didn't want to come off as completely inept. Luckily for her it seemed the other woman didn't pay it much mind. She seemed just as pumped as ever to lay down a beatdown.

"Pfff oh yeah? Well let's see how well you can rock me when I hit you with my patent pending Star slammer!" The lightweight declared, not yet giving an inch to her soon to be sparring partner. She was a bit reluctant to flex along with Sumiko though. She didn't quite want to put her currently noodley arms compared to Sumiko's biceps. That's why she was at the gym in the first place, to firm up those noodles.

The one thing Suzume wasn't expecting now was a compliment. After a brief exchange of trash talk, she had just assumed that the two were now just going to be enemies."Oh umm wait really?" Her face flushed a light shade of red "Well I umm thanks! And Suzume, you too! I mean well...ugh words! I'm Suzume! And thanks you too! And...and... wait, YOU'RE the one asking for it!" It was a struggle but Suzume made it through the words, even if she forgot that she was the one calling out challenges to the void

[winner3]

Suzume's efforts to put up a tough girl act goaded Sumiko and drew her attention far more than her brief struggles with her tracksuit and with her body language. A more perceptive gal would have picked up on the situation right away. Suzume was practically radiating with the old mantra of "fake it till you make it". Sumiko loved a good tussle, especially with a capable opponent. But it was finally Sheska's fumbling of her own words that slightly clued the boisterous brunette in.

"Hey, no worries about words. Just take it slow." Sumiko tried to coach her through all this tension. But even now, Suzume doubled down the second she found enough composure!

"Ohhhhh!" Sumiko would lean her head in towards Suzume and raise an eyebrow. She had finally caught on a bit!

"I think I get it!" The lightweight declared. She extended a hand toward her reluctant sparring partner.

"Gimme your glasses. You can't wrestle with those things on, right? Wouldn't wanna break 'em." If Suzume complied, Sumiko would take the time to exit the ring and place the glasses in her bag at ringside.

She'd find her way back into the practice ring by rolling under the bottom rope. Sumiko would walk up to Suzume and place her hands on her hips to assume a power stance! Though they were both lightweights and of similar stature, Dreamer definitely had an advantage in size and muscle mass. She'd smile at Suzume intently and beckon her!

"Suzume, it's awesome to meet you! Now hit me with your best shot!" It came across like a taunt at first but Sumiko spoke genuinely.

"I mean it! I'm asking for it, so give it to me! I want your best! So show me watcha got!" Sumiko communicated that she wanted Suzume to come at her and come at her hard! It was clear to her that Suzume was looking to improve! And Sumiko felt that the best way to make progress was by trying!

[Noob]

Suzume tilted her head. She wasn't totally sure what Sumiko thought they got. Whatever it was, she wasn't privy to it. And so as Sumiko extended their hand, she instinctively raised her hands to start the spar. Upon hearing the other lightweight ask for her glasses though, she couldn't help but let out a sheepish chuckle. "Oh haha woops. Guess I forgot about those." She mumbled.

While her eyes were focused on Sumiko as they handled her glasses, she let out a little sigh. She was actually quite relieved the other lightweight seemed to be genuinely nice unlike some of the other fighters. At the very least it meant she could tone down her admittedly unconvincing act. She took a deep breath to compose herself before Sumiko finally joined her back in the ring, looking confident as ever. So confident, in fact, that she even offered Suzume the first shot for free.

"Of course! No holding back! Just don't whine when you can't take it!" Suzume responded, trying to muster up an equal amount of confidence. After a bit of a pause it became apparent that Sumiko actually wanted Suzume to just go all out and hit them with her best shot. "W-wait. Do you actually mean just do it?" A puzzled Suzume asked. Another pause before Suzume finally pulled her fist back and prepared her attack. "Well ok then! Taaaake this!"

The next moment had Suzume aiming a solid strike right to Sumiko's toned abs. She mustered whatever strength her small frame had to try and swiftly knock the wind right out of her new sparring partner. While likely not the hardest hit, Suzume was just looking for enough to stun Sumiko and double her over. Next she'd slip right behind them. Her arms quickly wrapped around Sumiko's neck. And then a tight squeeze! "There! Now for...the follow up!" Suzume leaned back, hoping her body weight was enough to pull Sumiko to the floor into a seated position.

[winner3]

Sumiko was nothing if not earnest and straightforward! When she told Suzume to take her free shots and make them count, she stood her ground. The boisterous bluenette opened up her guard and used her hands to beckon Suzume to come in for a free shot or three! Sheska was understandably skeptical. The girl had been putting on perhaps the most convincing brave-face act of her career, but she wasn't fooling the lightweight powerhouse! That puzzled look of Suzume's gave her away!

"Darn right I do! Just do it! Hit me!" Sumiko beat her own chest once with her fist and beckoned Suzume once more! She was almost convinced that she was calling her new rival's bluff! But just when she began to think that Suzume might be all bark and no bite, Sheska stepped up and showed some spirit!

"Mmm!" Sumiko looked at Suzume expectantly! She eyed the girl's form and posture as she doubled up her fist and threw it forward! Sumiko let out a soft grunt when Suzume connected with a full swing to her toned abs! Sumiko bent forward slightly! It was hard to tell just how effective Suzume's punch was! There was little time for Sumiko to react! Suzume followed up immediately!

As Sumiko doubled over slightly, she covered her core where Suzume had just hit her! And in the time it took her to recover, Suzume slipped behind her and leaned forward to reach out and snake her slender arm around Sumiko's neck and pull her into a Sleeper hold!

Once again, Sumiko did not contest the move! She let out a growl of discomfort as Suzume proved that she wasn't a deer in headlights when it came to wrestling! At least not in this spar! Suzume pulled back and wrestled Sumiko down to the ground in a seated position! Sumiko would soon find herself wincing with one eye open! She struggled visibly as Suzume took command here!

"Hgnnnf ar! Ya got!" Sumiko would struggle to speak while she was trapped in Suzume's hold! But she would slowly and surely find more and more strength! Sumiko would gradually rise up off the canvas beneath them! She reached behind her person to grip the backs of Suzume's thighs! If Sumiko got her way, she'd soon find her way up to one knee, and then to both feet! She'd lift Suzume onto her back like a backpack despite the sleeper hold she was in!

"Is that....all you got?!" Sumiko would finally summon the strength to speak clearly! Though she wasn't out of the woods yet! Dreamer would begin to amble towards the nearest corner! She'd summon her strength to carry Suzume there and if Suzume didn't change it up, Sumiko would then around and ram the girl on her back into the turnbuckles, back-first!