Re: A Gamer's Debut: Mariko vs. Mikoto!

by dlamp Mon Jul 06, 2015 2:22 pm

It looked like Marina wouldn't get as much time to breathe as she thought after all. Her airway was quickly cut off after the shrine maiden's sigh. She really was going to choke Mari out after all. 'A-Ah!" She couldn't even get a word out anymore as she slowly started to feel herself blacking out. Dammit! She thought bitterly, doing her best to stay conscious. She just had to open her big mouth and be stubborn. She just had to get nailed with that damn judo throw. This was the worst.

Marina could feel her body becoming numb again and bitterly fought against her body's urge to conk out. She let out a harsh snarl that quickly faded to a whimper as her the last of her strength went. Biting the girl's arm came to mind, but she decided against it. She wasn't that desperate, and that was way too much of a cheap move in her book to do. Sh-Shit... She truly tried to hold out a best as she could, but it didn't take much longer for her to finally black out. She could just barely hear the ref's first count as her consciousness fade.

by **killcarrion** Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:17 am

The pace of the match had now grinded to a lethargic standstill due to how long this sleeper was being applied, certainly not the most dramatic of finishes to a match they had ever seen. Mikoto could at least admire her opponents tenacity and spirit towards fighting back when on the ropes. If only she could have channeled that energy into more thoughtful maneuvers to work your way out of a hold...

Mikoto eventually felt no movement whatsoever on Mariko's part, the gamer girl gradually succumbing to the sleeper hold with an increasingly lifeless frame. After dropping Mari's limp hand for the third time, the ref called for the bell to sound off in the distance and declare Miko the victor by knockout. Afterwards Mikoto gently relinquished the hold, placed Mari on the canvas slowly and backed away from her to give her more space and room to breathe.

*Phew* The priestess exhaled greatly with a hand on her hip while the referee would rush to Mari's side and try to coax her back to life with regulation smelling salts brought under her nose. Despite it being her first victory in who knows how long, Mikoto knew better than to celebrate before her opponent's well-being was confirmed. Once Mariko was showing signs of life, Mikoto would attempt one final time to end things amicably between them by offering her a helping hand back up to her feet. But she was not looking forward to what Mariko had to say about losing her debut match in what was quite the one-sided affair...not one bit.

by dlamp Tue Jul 07, 2015 5:20 am

Through the unconscious daze Marina was in she could hear the bell. Though with the current state she was in, she barely responded to it and continued to sleep through the match. It wasn't until she got a whiff of the smelling salts did she pop back to life. "Ah!" She gave a loud gasp and immediately sat up, coughing soon after. She looked around, dazed, quickly putting two and two together. The crowd was cheering, and she just now woke up after being in a sleeper hold. No doubt about it. "I lost..."

Surprisingly enough, she wasn't angry about it. Not outwardly anyway. "Ugh!" Scratch that, she slammed a fist against the canvas in anger and lied back onto the mat. Ugh... honestly, I expected that given the difference in our levels... but so damn quick. Again. "Ugh, this sucks!" She said to herself as she sat up. "Seriously, this sucks! It's like a level 40 against a level 10 and it freaking sucks!" She gave another scoff and looked around for a moment, spotting Mikoto not too far. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then puffed her cheeks childishly seeing the girl's hand out to help Marina. Stubborn as she had been throughout their match, she rejected the hand and stood on her own, though a little unsteady at first. "Thanks, but no thanks." She said bluntly, remaining silent for a moment afterwards. The gamer's eyes were locked onto Mikoto's, not so much glaring, but the anger could be felt.

"Well, you beat me Mikoto-chan, no doubt about it." She might as well be the one to admit it, more so acknowledge the fact herself if anything. "So..." Her eyes darted away for amount. "H-How..." It took all of her effort to just get the sentence out. To lower herself to this was just... crushing, but she had to ask, it was the only way to get better at this wrestling thing. "H-H-How..." Her face was turning bright red, as if she was confessing to the shrine maiden right here. Come on! Just say it Marina! If you don't she'll probably hold it over you forever. "H-H-H-How did.. did I... do?" She quickly turned her head, and crossed her arms. There, she asked, not hopefully Mikoto would just given an answer and not rub it in. "I-I'm not saying I care," She quickly added. "It's just that your an experienced wrestler and I need some professional feedback! This is totally for strategic reason!"

by **killcarrion** Wed Jul 08, 2015 8:52 pm

It was hardly a surprise to Mikoto that someone as seemingly conceded as Mariko would have a little temper tantrum upon waking from her slumber, making it well known what she thought of the situation, that it thoroughly...."sucked". But what did take her completely off her guard was the outright humble nature of her formerly arrogant foe once she got it out of her system, blinking wide-eyed at Mariko as she willingly conceded her victory politely. Mikoto was more prepared to fight off an irate sore loser screaming about unfair the loss was, not fending off out right politeness from someone who threatened to make her beg for mercy. Maybe it was all just an act to cover-up how nervous or insecure she was...

"...Uhm..." Mikoto tilted her head with a quizzical expression on her face as Mariko stuttered and struggled to finally utter the simple words that brought her so much difficulty to say. Chuckling lightly to herself at how adorably flustered Mariko had become, losing may have been for the best for Mari all things considered. She actually seemed open for advice and tutelage. The priestess stepped up, willing to dole out helpful tidbits now that Mari seemed receptive to it...

"W-Well, I wouldn't consider myself a professional, but if you're willing to hear me out~..." Mikoto folded her arms and stood tall in a distinctly authoritarian position with her smile briefly wiped from her face, her teaching side noticeably in full swing. "I wasn't exactly a fan of your pre-match attitude. Your fundamentals could use some definite work, and their were times when you let your frustration cloud your judgment and cause you to expend way too much energy when the pressure was on..." After her brief scolding, Mikoto would noticeably lighten up and place a hand on Mari's shoulder with a warm smile on her face. "...But despite all that you didn't resort to cheating when your back was against the ropes. Always a plus in my book. That shows tremendous character on your part, and if you could just focus and channel all that energy you have to more concentrated efforts to counter a hold, you could really be something great. Between that and those freakishly strong kicks..." Mikoto winced as she touched the side of her bruised cheek, still forcing a smile regardless. "...I liked what I saw."

by dlamp Fri Jul 10, 2015 4:28 am

Marina's eyes narrowed at Mikoto's laugh. Oh bite me. She thought bitterly. Okay, so she made a bit spectacle out of it, that didn't mean Mikoto could laugh at it. Still, she turned her head slightly, glancing at Mikoto, waiting for her response.

And boy, was it surprisingly blunt. Marina was expecting something like that, but... damn, she didn't think Mikoto could go from casual to cold in seconds like that. She was actually wincing a little from the harsh words at first. Well sorry for having a bad attitude. She thought snidely, rolling her eyes. It was best to keep comments like that in her head for the moment lest the shrine maiden actually smacked her for being rebellious. Still, after all that Mikoto did have a few kinder things to say, it was actually surprisingly that she thought Marina had some potential. It made the gamer blush a little. Back when she was sparring in the gym most said she should quit while she was ahead. It felt... nice getting a bit of encouragement.

"O-Oh..." She turned her head completely to face Mikoto, her face actually looking a little fluster. "W-Well of course I didn't cheat or anything like that. It'd give you an excuse if I won." She lightly pushed Mikoto's arm away. She originally wanted to just smack it away, but... it didn't seem right. "And don't think that we're friends just because you beat me. This isn't some sports manga or something like that. I'm so gonna' beat you next time! I-I just needed to know what I needed to work on before our rematch!" She once again crossed her arms and gave a huff. "You hear me Mikoto Kusanagi, I'm still gonna' kick that your hot ass of yours so hard you'll be praying to your god to protect you from me!" Despite the tough act, she was still looking rather flustered. Partly from Mikoto's kind treatment, but also from the shame of losing like she did.

by **killcarrion** Tue Jul 14, 2015 7:22 am

Unable to resist the temptation to dole out insightful tutelage and helpful tidbits of advice, especially when requested, Mikoto brimmed with unnatural confidence once she had taken on her mentor/mothering persona. She by no means felt herself an expert, but realized that being a former Wrestle Angel carried with it a certain level of prestige that made others newcomers gravitate towards them as semi-celebrities. So, being trained under her dear friend Suzumi Ishikawa and for a brief time under the Queen of Queens herself, Panther Risako, Mikoto felt she had an obligation to pass along whatever insight she could to those who seemed receptive. And Mikoto could appreciate Mari having the gumption to swallow her pride like that in order to seek guidance...

"Eh?..." Mikoto balked at Marikos' sudden return to her natural blustering and villainous declarations regarding the priestess demise at her hands. Though the priestess was actually just as taken aback at what she thought may have been a slip of the tongue on Mari's behalf, a flash of red on her own face at Mari's comment about her priestly backside?!

"Y-Yes well...ah...I-I'll be looking forward to that...T-To the rematch I mean!! N-Not towards you beating me up...heh...th-that may take some more practice..." Nervously backpedaling away from Mariko with a jittery smile and laugh until she felt the ropes against her back, Mikoto felt now was a good time to beat a hasty retreat once she heard that awkward comment and when it seemed like she was cultivating a newfound rival instead of a potential pupil.

"Well...uh, Sayonara Mariko-san, until we meet again. Come see me if you need any more advice, or if you're ready to become friends. Take care of yourself~..." Mikoto sidestepped through the ropes after a friendly wave goodbye to her and her fans, striding back up the ramp with renewed morale now that she had returned to the league victoriously. While it may not have worked out so well for Mari, the match did wonders for boosting Mikos shaky confidence since she was last in the ring. Hopefully when next they meet Mariko will have reigned in that ego of hers and taken her up on Mikos guidance. Besides, there's no shame in losing as long as you learn from it...

*....Shoot, that's good advice. I should have told her that. Maybe next time.*

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