Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Ashley and Lisa

[Afterhoursclub]

Japan's nightlife was something else entirely, quite different from any other place Ashley had lived on up to this point; The streets were filled with a plethora of activities to experience, things to see, shit to buy, and people to meet. Restaurants, sites of interest, and other businesses covered each avenue... offering hundreds of possibilities for entertainment... It was practically impossible to get bored when going out... that part of the equation didn't bother Ashley at all... the problem was, when she had to share the space with dozens of other people who had the same brilliant idea of going out as she did...

"Gahh!... what the fuck!" Ashley cursed, angry at the sight of a long line of people waiting to enter her favorite coffee shop; there was no way in hell she would be part of that! "The hell is wrong with you people? Aren't there any coffee shops in this damn city?!"

There were a wide variety of things that pissed Ashley off... and having to suddenly change her plans was among the top ones. The place was too crowded, and her patience would only last so long before she ended up punching someone in the face... earning a free trip to the police station... again...

She turned around, swallowing her anger and thinking about what to do now...wherever she looked, places were brimming with people... filled to the top with patrons. "Brilliant idea... going out on a Saturday night..." Ashley scolded herself, thinking about how easy it would have been to stay in her apartment and fix herself something in the microwave, instead of ending up adrift in a sea of ​​annoying people.

No... this just wouldn’t do! She was already out, and there had to be some damn place around here that didn’t look like a godforsaken hardware store on Black Friday! Ashley turned the corner at the end of the block, moving away from the main avenue, where all the crowds were, in the hopes of finding somewhere else... somewhere less packed, where she could have dinner without having to wait an eternity in line...

Ashley Morgan - Casual

[BlackAkuma]

Lisa swore, all she wanted was a donut.

Yes, it was cliche for a cop to want donuts, she was well aware of the trope, but screw it - she liked donuts. Who didn’t? She didn't scruff them down by the boxful or anything, but they were a good treat every now and then, especially after a hard day’s work. She hadn't had a single one since she’d come to Japan, and the cravings finally won out.

The idea’d been a simple one - just put on her

, head out of the apartment into the Saturday night air, and take home some crullers to gnosh on while she watched a movie, maybe this Obsession she kept hearing about. In practice, it had turned it a nearly hour-long odyssey with her going to one shop only to find it closed, then another which was strangely out of pastries for the night, and now this one, with a line long enough she’d have thought there was a concert going on inside.

Irritating. The special kind of irritating when you want to get something done that shouldn’t be complicated, and it grows impossibly complicated. She was frankly of a mind to just call it even, settle for whatever fast food she could find, and use a milkshake to satisfy her cravings, and…

Her.

Lisa had good eyes, but frankly, she could've been half blind and still spotted the redhead a mile away. A woman like Ashley Morgan was just too hard to miss. Talk, packed tight with muscle, eternally pissed at everything around her. She turned a corner and the big bitch was just there, as if fate or destiny or god or just stupid luck had ordained for them to come across each other on a Saturday night in Tokyo.

Lisa didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to say anything. She just stared at the woman for a moment - the same woman who’d nearly put her in traction twice - then tip her head to the side towards the nearby alleyway, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and walked into it.

[Afterhoursclub]

"Ughh... good..."

The insufferable noise from the main avenue was fading; she was finally able to hear her own thoughts at last. "I fucking... hate people..." but Ashley was already in a bad mood... well, a worse mood than usual. Not finding any place that suited her liking, the Red Menace was really close to simply giving up and heading back home... having wasted her precious Saturday night for nothing... time that would have been better spent sleeping or training, anything but the shitty experience of a sea of people all around her...

Thankfully, this alternate path was okay... not too many faces around; she had personal space and, hopefully... it led directly to the subway station.

"Yeah... screw this... I'm out..." The Brit was going back home, having had enough of "nighttime fun" for the rest of the month, most likely. She took a turn in the direction she imagined the station entrance was, but... as soon as her eyes found the other side of the corner, she met with an unexpected sight... something that completely froze the redhead in place... not out of fear, but... shock, surprise...

and anger... more anger than she was already feeling, the one thing that could make this night even worse... or, better said, the one person who could absolutely become the figurative straw that breaks the camel's back regarding Ashley's Patience:

Lisa Vazquez... The damn Raid... a woman whom the Brit would simply not forget, not only because of the grueling matches they had together numerous times, not only because Lisa had left Ashley cuffed and tied up inside of an ambulance the last time they had seen each other...

But also, for the simple and irrefutable fact that... Ashley absolutely hated this woman and everything she stood for with a passion. So as soon as she laid eyes on her rival... everything else disappeared for Ashley... a serious expression washed over her features... her entire body tensed in an instant, and any plans of going back home disappeared from her mind, replaced by a single idea... a single "need" for extreme violence. And she sensed in the air that... the feeling was very mutual...

She wouldn't like it any other way...

A single motion sent them straight to a solitary alley on the other side of the street... a place where they could have their little "chat" without any interruptions... Ashley didn't say a single word, not even to curse at the woman; she only followed her, clenching her fists together, gritting her teeth, and trying to suppress the growing rage inside of her...

Yeah, one of the things that Ashley hated the most was having to change plans on the go, but... for this... she would gladly make an exception. As soon as they entered the alley, the redhead was already removing her jacket, leaving her only with her dark denim shorts and a crimson sports bra...

[BlackAkuma]

Lisa wasn’t a vengeful woman. That might be a hard thing to buy now, as she was about to start a fight with a woman she hated at the mere sight of her and nothing else, but she really wasn’t. In her line of work, revenge was too much of a luxury. It tended to lead to feuds, and feuds led to wasted time and hospital bills, neither of which she had patience for. In her experience, it was better to just let things go.

But not with her. Not with Ashley. There were always exceptions to the rule, and this was one of them.

She took a moment to look around the alley, doing inventory. Good space. Tokyo was always a fairly clean city, so even its dankest, dirtiest holes were still clean enough to eat out of. There were some scattered trash cans, a dumpster, some old posters on the walls, but nothing terribly worrying.

Most importantly, they were between two office buildings that seemed closed for the night, with no lights on. No interruptions. It would do.

She tucked the sunglasses into her jacket, then hung it on the bottom rung of a nearby fire escape. Her badge, one of the most precious things she owned, hung beside it, and her T-shirt would follow soon. Underneath, she wore a sports bra, black with white trim and clinging tight to her skin.

Lisa cracked her knuckles, rolled her neck around, locked eyes with Ashley, seeing that familiar fire in the woman’s eyes. The woman acted like she was eternally pissed off at the world, like she always had violence she needed to unleash, and she was just praying for #006400.

Lisa could relate.

”Okay.” She slipped into her trademark fighting stance, one leg back, the other extended, arms at the ready and hands likes blades. ”Whenever you’re ready.”

[Afterhoursclub]

It was mutual understanding at its best... no words needed, just a straight, instant agreement on what was about to happen... almost as if it had been destined, like two apex predators fighting for prey or a piece of land to rule... just as it had been in their previous encounters... To be honest, the reason for the bad blood was a real mystery by now... neither remembered the exact moment each appeared on the other's radar for the first time... but it was undeniably true... and undeniably real.

More than a simple wrestling rivalry... it was a grudge... fueled by the same common and reciprocal hatred.

Ashley stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders, cracking her knuckles while keeping her gaze fixed on the woman in front of her; The redhead had not even paid attention to the alley... surely it was just like any other godforsaken piece of solitary urban architecture in this damn city... no reason to waste time in the little details, at least not regarding the setting... but when it came to thinking of ways to punish, crush, and torture her foe... that's when the Red Menace would become meticulous... very, very attentive to what she would do.

Ashley watched Lisa take off her jacket and hang it on a fire exit next to the side of one of the office buildings... when something shiny caught her attention... it was... Lisa's badge?

"Hmph..." she smirked, such a pretentious fool, flaunting that piece of metal as if it gave her any kind of privilege... for a second there, the Brit forgot that she was fighting an actual agent of the Law, not that she cared too much about it, anyways... for her, Lisa was nothing more than an arrogant Brat who needed a real beating... She watched the Raid get into position... which prompted the Brit to respond to her question in the only way she knew how...

"Huh... sure you don't want to call some cop buddies to cover your sorry ass?" she said with as much disgust and sarcasm as Ashley could muster in a single sentence, spitting out each word as if she was aiming to hurt Lisa with them.

The Redhead raised her arms and put her guard up as well, slightly curving her back, getting ready for what was about to go down...

[BlackAkuma]

The whole time Lisa was undressing, she was keenly aware of Ashley and kept an eye on her as much as possible. She knew better than anyone how feral this woman could be during a sanctioned match, but what about when there was no security, no referee, no cameras? Nothing would stop her from closing the distance and swinging if she felt like it. Lisa had to be on her toes at all times.

To her slight surprise, Ashley didn’t kick things off. Instead, she noticed the woman seemed fixated on her badge. It couldn't have been the first time she’d seen it; it was fitted into her ring outfit, but she seemed to find it funny to see it out in the field.

Perhaps not that surprising; she didn’t know Ashley’s history beyond LAW, but it was safe to assume the woman wasn’t exactly a fan of law and order, neither on TV nor in reality.

Then the woman spoke, and if Lisa had forgotten why she was doing this in the first place, she would’ve remembered it instantly. This woman had an obscene amount of nerve. ”Did I need them when I put you in an ambulance?” She leaned forward. ”No. Now shut up and fight.”

Whether she would or not, Lisa wouldn’t give her the chance for otherwise, as she rushed in and closed the distance in a flash. She dipped low as she closed in and swung her leg out like a scythe, trying to clip Ashley's knee with a swift sweep. The sooner she started chopping this tree down, the better.

[Afterhoursclub]

Now, when it came to any encounter between Lisa and Ashley... things felt a little different... or, a lot different to be more precise. The hatred between these two was quite evident and obvious to anyone who had the misfortune of ending up in the middle... The two simply could not coexist with each other... and in a world where physical confrontation was practically their daily job... this only meant money for whoever managed to take advantage, as the LAW executives had experienced with their last two official and sanctioned matches.

But now, LAW had nothing to do with this... nor its rules and regulations; this was pure, genuine dislike for each other at play.

Watching the other woman take her jacket off and prepare for the fight... Ashley couldn't stop thinking how easy it would have been to simply rush right in and start bashing the hell out of her... There were no referees to hold her back, or any risk of being disqualified in a damn alley... but something kept her from doing it...

To call it "respect" would have been too much of a stretch... but the redhead just didn't feel like it would do any service to her ultimate goal; she wanted to prove that she was better without any kind of advantage or ambushes; she wanted to tear this damn woman apart... but she wanted to send a clear message while doing so...

Ashley waited (in)patiently until they were both in position, hearing Lisa respond.

"Hmph..." she smiled. "No... You needed a stupid handcuff gimmick to even things out instead..." throwing shade at Lisa's idea for their previous encounter, one that still left a sour taste in Ashley's mouth. Then...

Ashley peeled her eyes open, watching the Raid dart forward in her direction like a bullet. She took a step back just in time to move her leg out of the way of a vicious sweep by her foe, a bit impressed by Lisa's speed... seemed faster than last time, but this wouldn't be enough to hold her at bay for too long. The Red Menace responded with a massive hook, looking forward to taking Lisa's head right off her shoulders. Regardless of whether this one connected or not, she would continue with another fast strike with her other arm... a blow to her midsection... She knew that giving Lisa the time to plan would be too dangerous, so Ashley needed to act fast.

[BlackAkuma]

This was the third time Lisa had crossed fists with this woman. They’d fought two times before.

That might not have seemed like much, but it was already twice as many times as she’d fought pretty much anyone else in her life. As such, it meant that she had experience - painful experience - with this woman and what she fought like, better than she could’ve hoped to get from any YouTube clip. Through all that she knew that there was one real way to deal with Ashley Morgan.

The woman was a tank. You could dance around her, you could try to wear her out, but there was only one real way to take her down, especially in an alleyway like this. Lisa had to bring the fight to Ashley and hit the bitch more than the bitch hit her.

A lot more.

So she came, going for the low sweep, hoping that taking the initiative would buy her a free hit. Tenacious, a solid theory, but it didn’t work out in this case, with Ashley being too quick on the draw. She moved away, a deft step, and Lisa was left with nothing but air to kick.

Ashley didn’t waste a second with the retaliation. In case a punch up high, easy enough for Lisa to duck under, but the one below was a different problem. She dropped her arm and blocked the blow, but she might as well have been trying to stop a sledgehammer with cardboard. The blow sent her staggering back, numbed under arm, and still knocked the breath out of her. Just not as much breath as it would have clean. Hardly a win.

There was a gap between them one she expected Ashley would fill soon. In anticipation, she threw out a quick jab, just to demand her opponent’s attention, while she brought the real attack down lower - another sweeping kick, meant for the knees, still targeting that same area.

[Afterhoursclub]

This has started just as Ashley had anticipated, with each one rushing ahead... looking to establish dominance from the early phases of the encounter, and despite each having more than enough energy to repel any attack thrown their way, often... the one who took the most risks at first had the more chances of winning... This was evidenced by Lisa's fast offense, looking to fulminate the Brit's balance from the get-go.

"Hmph..." However, Ashley was quick to avoid that first sweep, not wanting to compromise her standing... it was better to dodge rather than tank damage coming from the officer... at least, if she could help it.

"Fuck Off!" Ashley was quick to respond with two bombs, first a hook that was ducked by The Raid, but the next blow... it was a direct hit toward her torso..., and even after being able to block the straight, the sheer force the punch carried made Lisa flinch in an instant, having to absorb the hit almost entirely with her forearm... and even then, it looked like it hurt-

"Good..." Ashley thought; whatever damage she could get in was welcome. She had no mercy for Lisa... Not after everything that had happened between them... The Red Menace was about to further her offensive just as she saw a quick jab looking for her head... crossing her arms in front of her face, Ashley diverted the attack, but that only meant that her lower half was left exposed... and soon, she would find out the consequences of this...

A direct strike to her dominant knee saw the heelish redhead stumbling to the side, with a visible limp... while trying to put some distance between herself and the Raid...

"You mother....-!" Ashley cursed; she was hurt but far from done... The Brit raised one arm and darted toward the Brunete like a bullet, charging at her with a hefty shoulder tackle... Ashley had the physical advantage, and she was going to exploit it as much as she could, ramming her entire body into the woman to send her flying to the floor in a heap...

[BlackAkuma]

No flashing lights, no screaming crowd, no referee hounding their every step. This was raw, visceral, pure, and if Lisa was being honest? She preferred it this way. It was like eating a fine steak - not something she could or would consume everyday, but on this special occasion? It just fit.

She would wager that Ashley had a similar opinion. Not that the two were ever going to share it, mind you, but that was a safe assumption.

You could tell it in the way she struck out. Maybe it was Lisa’s imagination, but there was more venom in those punches than the last time they traded blow, something meaner and more vicious. It was worrisome, and it made her glad when her feint worked and the kick to her legs, putting the Red Menace on the backfoot for a fleeting moment.

Lisa was already moving in to close that gap once again, only for Ashley to beat her to the punch, rushing and ramming into her with a full body blow, slamming their shoulders together. Her body flipped back, coming down for a rough crash on the asphalt and sending warning triggers throughout her body, blazing pain up and down her spine.

But, as much as that hurt, Lisa knew she couldn't slow down. Not with Ashley Morgan looming above her. The last thing she wanted was this woman on top of her.

Fighting past the pain as best as she could, Lisa brought her leg up and shot it straight out, kicking at Ashley’s knee - specifically the knee she had targeted a moment ago, hoping her tiny investment was already paying off.