Rainbow Mika vs. Army 'Armando' Rodriguez - Cyclone Warning

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Victory by pinfall, submission, or knockout.

Okay, confession time - Army was something of a Rainbow Mika fanboy.

Back, way back, before he’d joined the AFW, she was one of the first wrestlers he looked up when he was trying to learn more about the sport and was considering the trip to Japan. Seeing her in action was always a treat, with this crazy, infectious energy she brought to every match, that strong can-do attitude. She’d shown him how fun wrestling could be, and if not for that, he might not have been where he was today. It all depended on how much he wanted to annoy Carmen, really.

...plus, if he was being honest, a good chunk of his fanboyism had to do with her costume and her throwing her butt all over the place, aspects that greatly appealed to him back then. But it was more her love for the sport that drew him. Really.

At any rate, he’d wanted a match with her when he first came over, but was disappointed to learn that she was a Friction exclusive. He let it go easy enough and had forgotten about the request since then...but it seemed like someone remembered it, because when the call came in that they were looking for someone to make her Tension debut against, guess who they called up.

So, years later, and Army found himself in the ring, bouncing from toe to toe while his theme music faded, making sure he stayed nice and hype. He’d had a decent run of things lately, coming off a series of matches with Hawkeye, and even though he didn’t win the whole thing, it had done a good job of upping his popularity, great exposure. It was a train he had every intention of rolling with, and a solid win over one of wrestling’s biggest names would be a great way to cement that.

He just hoped she didn’t have hard feelings after he pinned her shoulders to the mat. Not so hard that she wouldn’t sign the collector’s edition poster that he may or may not have swiped from the merch stand before the show...

The fans went into an excited chorus of cheers as Army made his entrance. And after all, why shouldn't they have? Army was becoming a recognizable face in the Tension roster at this point, and by now had had accumulated his own fanbase (and fangirls, who at this point were cheering extra loud). His matches were always enjoyable to watch, and his personality, inside the ring and out of it was likeable and easy to root for.

The cheers for Army, however, died, and then exploded again at an ever greater volume, as a familiar theme began to play on the audio.

The fans couldn't believe it. After being out of the spotlight for years since her losing battle to Katherine Hart, the Rainbow Warrior was finally returning. There was an explosion of pyrotechnics, and lo and behold, Rainbow Mika suddenly strode into the arena, much to the cheering of her fans. In response, Mika smiled brightly and giving her cheering fans a V-sign gesture.

Spoiler:

Mika hadn't come in alone, either: striding in at her side was the familiar face of her long-time tag partner, Yamato Nadeshiko. Although Nadeshiko was noticeably less hyper-enthusiastic than Mika, she was smiling no less brightly. This was going to be a memorable return for her friend back into the AFW, and she was happy to be there with her for it.

Spoiler:

Wordlessly, the two walked down the ramps, and as Mikawaved to her fans, the motion causing her sizeable breasts to bounce noticeably. Breaking into a run, Mika rolled under the ropes and hopped to her feet, while Nadeshiko ran up to the ringside in her wake. As usual, the former Street Fighter seemed eager and ready to take on whoever she had been paired up against today, no matter who they were.

And lo and behold, her opponent was already here. Mika got a quick look at her foe-- a tall, powerful-looking, guy, with a condient smile, handsome features and some very impressive muscles. Not bad, especially given the number of guys in Tension they could have pitted her against. Mika wasted no time in walking up to the new stranger, figuring it couldn't hurt to get to know the guy she'd be fighting against.

"Hiya!" she exclaimed, extending her hand. "The name's Mika, Rainbow Mika! Who are you?"

The crowd was getting hyped, and Army was right there with them, bursting at the seams for this opportunity. It wasn’t everyday that you got the chance to take on a big name wrestler for her return match, after all, and he was kind of psyched to have the honor. This was the sort of thing that led to career highlights, and he was all onboard for it.

He was surprised to see her coming out with company, too, recognizing her partner right away. He didn’t even know Nadeshiko was hanging around the AFW, couldn't remember seeing her in any matches, but maybe this was just a new thing? She definitely looked to be in fighting shape, even if she wasn’t out for competition today.

He was curious, but that could wait - she wasn’t wasting anytime, coming right up to him for the introduction. It took him by surprise, honestly, and his perked eyebrows showed it. Most women tended to be a little wary of him if they didn’t know what he was about or they’d heard some of the bad rumors, but if Mika had any doubts, she wasn’t showing them. Up close, personal, saying hello like it was just another day at the office.

All right, then.

”Army. Well, Armando Rodriguez, but that’s what everyone calls me.” He reached out and returned the shake, giving it back to her firm. ”No hard feelings when I take you down, okay? Got a poster, hoping you don’t mind putting a little ink down on it.”

Army seemed like a decent enough guy to Mika: he was friendly, outgoing, and didn't hesitate to return her handshake. She got a sense of a nice, firm grip as he shook her hand, and she could immediately tell that those muscles of his weren't just for show. He had the confident, easygoing look of a seasoned wrestler, and Mika thrilled at the prospect of taking on a decent opponent in her first night back in AFW.

Then, he just casually mentioned a poster, and her eyes widened slightly.

"Ehhh, you're a fan?!!" she exclaimed, almost jumping up and down in excitement. Grinning, she glanced back at her teammate in the corner post. "See, Nadeshiko-san, I told you he was probably a fan!" Nadeshiko, for her part, merely rolled her eyes, but said nothing to her teammate, contenting herself to remain silently in the corner.

Turning back to Army, Mika grinned widely. "Oh, I'd be happy to sign that poster!" she declared. "But if you think I'm going to lose this match, then you have another thing coming, mister!" And with that, the bubbly, masked blonde backed away to her corner, readying herself for the match as the referee moved to separate them.

Crap, was Army blushing? Man, he hoped he wasn’t blushing.

That was the effect Mika could have on people, though, as she radiated this infectious energy all over the ring. Try as he might, it was hard to not get swept up in it, to get taken for a ride as she bounced around and smiled and radiated sunshine. Didn’t seem to have an effect on Nadeshiko, but then, she was around it a lot more. Maybe she’d just built up some natural immunity.

He was able to shake off enough of his giddiness to get his mind right for the moment, stepping back at the referee’s insistence and making his way to the corner. Army tried to force some calm into his, head, thinking about the best way to approach things. She had the experience to give him more than a little trouble - his grapplings skills were far better than when he started off in the AFW, but nowhere near hers, he’d bet on that. There might be some worth in giving it a shot, though, seeing if the size and strength difference was enough to level things.

”Okay, okay…”

He moved out of the corner with his hands up as the bell rang, coming in nice and slow to start. Army chewed his lips as he approached, and when he was close enough, he moved in to engage with a collar and elbow tie up, wanting to see if she’d take him head on or get tricky.

Mika's grin increased a little when she noticed a slight tinge of red across Army's face. Was he blushing? Yes, he was definitely blushing, and she almost wanted to giggle at the fact. Even though she considered herself a fighter first and foremost, she still found it adorable when guys got bashful around her. Of course, she wasn't blind to the fact that that was partly because she was dressed in a form-fitting attire with literal hearts over her boobs, but...well...it didn't hurt to have an advantage and look cute at the same time.

The bell rang, and Army was first out of the corner, motioning for a lockup. She raised an eyebrow behind her mask. "Huh, feeling confident, eh?" she said with a grin. Without waiting for a reply, she would dart in and meet Army's challenge head on, locking up aggressively with him, wanting to see if those muscles of his were just for show or not...

And she took him head on. Huh.

He thought that might be a possibility, wasn’t about to discount, but he had to admit some surprise when Rainbow Mika didn’t shy away from taking him head. She wasn’t the first woman he’d come across that had been up for this sort of thing, but she was the smallest - more often than not, the women who he had a clear size advantage over just tried to counter him.

So, when the two of them collided, the shock was enough to make him take a couple of steps back, before he slammed his foot into the ground and stopped the retreat. She was strong, surprisingly so, had a lot more force than he would’ve anticipated. Enough to be a real threat. But to overpower him?

”Nice, nice. But…”

He had to put some real force into it, but Army started to push back and drive Rainbow Mika away, looking to erase her gains and get her closer to the ropes.

The look on Army's eyes was priceless. No doubt, he wasn't used to female opponents taking him on so daringly in a test of strength, much less female opponents who barely came close to his size. The fact that she was so brazenly taking him on, though, and challenging him in a feat of strength, must have come as quite a shock to him. Mika couldn't help but smile at the way he was gaping. It was adorable.

He didn't gape long, and soon obliged her. The two of them met in a classic collar and elbow tie up, arms locked, muscles straining...and within seconds, Mika was discovering that Army was every bit as strong as he looked. She clenched her teeth as she suddenly found herself being forced back. Dropping to one knee, she tried to anchor herself in place, her blonde head resting against Army's chest as she strained to keep him in place, her arms steadily being forced back.

"Hnnnh...you're....pretty...strong..." she huffed. She smiled, knowing he couldn't see it. "My...turn."

At that moment, she shoot up to her feet again and kick her legs back, hoping to flip her body forward and latch her powerful legs around Army's head. If she managed to pull this off, then she would suddenly flip back, trying to hurricanrana Army into the nearby ropes! [color:8f2c=99ccff]"WINGLESS AIRPLANE!"

One step. Two. Three.

It was a tough grind, requiring more energy than Army would’ve ever expected to use against an opponent of Rainbow Mika’s size, but he was forcing her back. Slowly. Surely. Bit by bit by. He had to take a couple of stuttering steps, too, lost his footing a little, came far closer to losing ground than he expected...but even so, he kept moving forward. He was doing this.

”Back at you.” He spoke the words fast, slid them in between one of his many grunts, as he continued the march. Soon enough, they’d be at the ropes, and then…

...honestly, he hadn’t thought to step two just yet. Playing this by ear.

It turned out not to matter, though, as Rainbow Mika had a little something to turn the tables on him. He’d been plowing forward hard, was she suddenly changed tactics and released the lockup. Army stumbled forward and found his head snatched up between a pair of muscular thighs, locked tight. He knew what was coming, sure, but ‘knowing’ and ‘doing something about it’ were two wildly different things.

Up and over he went, head over heels, tumbling towards the ropes. His feet came down just shy of it, and he started to rise soon after the impact - though he was dizzy, confused, trying to get a lock on his opponent while his world was still spinning off its axis.

The crowd collectively gaspernin amazement as Mika chise that moment to demonstrate her high-flying skills. After using her legs to effectively catapult Army into the ropes, Mika rolled elegantly back to her feet, arms raised like a ballerina, fingers flashing a V-sign to the crowd. Naturally, the crowd ate it up. Naturally, in their corner, Nadeshiko merely rolled her eyes at Mika's antics.

"Come on, Army-san, we've just gotten started!" Mika laughed to her male opponent as she waited for him to get back up. The moment he did, Mika would run over and grab his arm, aiming to whip him across the ring and, as he rebounded, come at him with a flying clothesline!