Nathan Weed vs. Kozue Kaburagi - First Strike: Standard Match

Nice, crisp, clean and quick - the arm drag was one of Kozue's favorites and that one worked like a charm. She'd paid a little price to land it, but it was more than worth the price of admission. She had him on the floor, she was getting up first, and she knew just where to go from here. ABCs - always be charging.

Kozue popped back to her feet and went back into motion. She dashed along the floor, her taped feet silently padding along with each step as she rapidly close the distance. She measured it, got the timing just right, and when she was at the perfect range, she bounced off her feet towards the rising Nathan, coming at him with a running knee lift aimed at his face.

As pathetic as it sounded, Nathan was starting to get used to being down on his back during fights. A lot of wrestling happened on the ground, so he stopped seeing it as a cause for panic, as a Very Bad Thing. Learning to deal with and to execute mat moves was high on his to-do list. For now though, he did his best work on his feet, so up on his feet he…

A tiny, sharp- hard- knee clobbered him just below the eye, right beside his nose, and Nathan flopped back to the mat with a pained shout, vision suddenly blurry and his hopes of turning vertical completely derailed. Never mind that they were still in the first minute of their fight; Nathan was utterly dazed, and needed a generous number of moments to recover.

Kozue had expected that hsot to hit. She didn't expect it to so damn well, though. "Damn."

As someone who had taken way, way more shots in the face than she would've liked - including one unpleasant time when she got it rammed into the grill of an SUV, that sucked - she was sympathetic to the same sort of pain, but that wouldn't stop her from dishing it or taking advantage of. Nathan was a big boy. If he could take the rough stuff, great. If not, well...she did need a win.

"Sorry, man." She flopped down over Nathan's chest, laying perpendicular across him, and went for a crossbody pin. A little early, but always worth a try.

The referee dropped down and started the count. "1...!"

Kozue dropped her body over his chest for a pin, and Nathan needed to get up. Her knee may not have been the hardest hit that he’d ever taken, but… actually, had he ever been hit harder? Her leg may not have had the mass, but it more than made up for it in acceleration- he knew she’d be fast, but he didn’t think she’d be that fast- and she’d timed it so that his face was at the optimal height for its swing. The knee strike was nothing short of expert, and he hoped that he’d get another shot at matching up with it.

The ref’s hand came down a second time, and Nathan realized that he hadn’t been counting. He lifted his shoulder with a sudden jerk and an alarmed, "No!" to break the pin. That was far too close for comfort, but at least know he knew a little more about what to expect from his opponent.

"2...!"

And Nathan shoved Kozue off before the referee could even dream about hitting the mat a third time. Kozue cursed under her breath, just a wee bit annoyed, but it wasn't a major setback. She had this guy on the ropes so far, and she'd keep him there the whole match if he let her. Which he seemed inclined to do.

"Okay, fine," She gave his chest a quick pat. "Have it your way." She popped and skipped over his prone body, dashing towards the ropes. Instead of smacking off them, she leaped up and planted her wrapped feet on the middle rope, giving it just the right amount of bounce for a proper springboard. She went flying through the air and came down on Nathan from above, looking to land on him with a Springboard Moonsault. One of her favorites. Maybe that would get a three-count.

On your feet. On your feet.

Nathan, given the choice, would have liked to taken another second or two on the ground to reorganize the shelves and boxes that Kozue had knocked around in his skull with her knee. But, once the count was broken, Kozue’s fingers didn’t immediately snarl through his hair to haul him back up to his feet. Instead, she tapped his chest and disappeared. Given the speed and force of her previous attack, this was much worse. Maybe even a little scary.

So once her presence was gone, Nathan quickly rolled to his hands and knees to laboriously start his way standing. But it wasn’t quick enough; before his feet were even under him, Kozue’s hard little superball body crashed down across his back and flattened him again; not as bad as the knee to the face, but certainly painful enough to pull out a groan from deep down within his belly.

Kozue had done at least one moonsault in every single she'd been in, ever. Every single one. Countless times in practice. It was one of her most reliable go-tos, so much a part of her skillset that she could probably have done it blindfolded. She hit the ropes, she flipped back, she landed right on the opponent. Clockwork.

She'd never missed a target with it, and this time was no exception. Sort of. She did land on Nathan, just not in the way she meant to.

Nathan had just started to stand up when she came down on him, so instead of landing on his stomach or chest like the move was supposed to, she came down on his back, which was a bit less forgiving as landing pad. It was weird, it was awkward, and it caused Kozue to take a solid hit in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She rolled away and clutched her stomach, letting out a string of curses as she went.

So, what have we learned?

Kozue’s fast. She’s none too big, but she had ways to hit from high enough that the size difference was pretty much moot. She clearly knew how to use those legs of hers, and, when Nathan was on his knees, her knee strike could hit like a long drive.

Okay. Was there an easy method to nullify these strengths? Actually there was, and on paper it sounded like the easiest thing in the world: stay upright. In practice, however, things were a little trickier. Kozue, as it turned out, was one of those, the sort of fighter that sunk in her teeth, then only changed the pressure to increase it. On his feet, Nathan felt that he could match an all-out attacker like her without too much trouble. The problem was getting back up there.

Luckily, Nathan caught a break: even as Kozue’s moonsault crushed Nathan back into the floor, he could hear the unmistakable grunt-groan of the wind getting knocked out of someone behind him (followed by a bunch of cussing, but that's neither here nor there). His struggles to keep his head afloat in this match, it seemed, was just enough to throw off Kozue’s calculated trajectory. Nathan didn’t think he’d get a chance like this again.

So, despite vigorous objections from his back and chest, Nathan rolled to the edge of the ring, where he used the ropes to haul himself back up.

"Fuck! Shit, cunt, fuck, crap, damn it, bastard, fuck! Son of a-"

Tension wasn't exactly a family friendly program, but if it was, the censors would've had to work overtime with Kozue. It wasn't just the landing that was pissing her off - she'd taken worse shots, though sure as shit not many - no, it was the embarrassment of having that messed up and winding up with her ass towards the ceiling. Not a good look. Not something to put on her highlight reel.

The only saving grace was that Nathan didn't seem to be doing too much better, so he couldn't immediately capitalize. Small comfort, and it just meant that she needed to get back on her feet. Sooner, the better.

Kozue rolled to the turnbuckle and grabbed the pads, pulling herself up from one rung to the next. She slipped once, but caught herself and continued to make the journey. She probably wouldn't get up before he did, but at least she was making the effort.

Nathan came up with his arms tight around his body, fully expecting the assault to continue. But when his eyes came up, Kozue still climbing the turnbuckles, only halfway to where he was. The thwarted splash had shaken Kozue up far more than he’d expected. He supposed that he had his trainer to thank for that; if his back wasn’t rock hard after all those hours of deadlifts, rows, and chinups, then he was ready to give up and make do without those muscles.

But Nathan was only too happy to be wrong. He strode quickly across the ring, grabbed Kozue by the shoulders, and threw her, none too gently, into the corner where she’d elected to trap herself, preparing himself to tenderize her exposed midriff.