Submission Match: Shido "The Fanboy" Vs. Hiroko Uta

"I'd say it's pretty good at making a point, wouldn't you?" Hiroko teased, feeling a little more confident since she'd managed to trap her elusive foe in her abdominal stretch. Determined to make the most of it, she used her free hand to press down on Shido's ribs to try and force him to bend and stretch in her hold. She felt pretty good about her situation but she couldn't help but notice that she was starting to pant a little, that her she was flushed with warmth and that her muscles were starting to ache and burn. She used her free hand to briefly wipe the sweat from her brow before returning it to assist in stretching Shido.

Hiroko had great stamina but the closeness of their bodies and the fact that she'd had to expend so much energy just trying to get a hold of Shido meant that her hold was not as firm as it could be. If she had been more experienced, she would've simply released the hold so that she could conserve her energy but instead she simply poured more effort into the hold to keep it in place, exerting even more force on Shido but also tiring her even more.

"What do you say Shido? Give up?" She knew it was far too early for a submission but she wanted to keep up he pressure on Shido, mentally as well as physically.

"Haha, a point that's hard to ignore!" He would humor her with a retort. Despite making light of the situation, Shido would continue struggling. He would inhale sharply in pain as Hiroko used her hand to maximize the pressure and stretch him silly! As she exerted herself and her body began to heat up, Shido couldn't help but blush. Normally, his thoughts would be racing with ideas on how to counter, but being enveloped and restricted in a hold by a woman of her physique, skill, and appearance certainly wasn't helping him avoid being distracted! And this would certainly cost him, as Hiroko would continue to work him over in the hold  and press into his side with her free hand for several moments!

Shido's eyes would even close after a while as fans began to wonder if the poor guy was beginning to fade. But it was then that he heard the words that willed him back into the match! Hiroko had asked him if he was ready to call a quits and this immediately made Shido open his eyes and begin doing something about his situation! "I think you'll find that those words...aren't really in my vocabulary!" He would say before using his hand closest to the leg she had wrapped around him to grab the back of her knee! He would begin summoning the strength he had in his reserves to try to move her leg and prevent it from blocking his exit from the punishment she was dishing out! If this was successful and he was able to get his lower body freed, he would try to quickly get behind her and wrap his arms around her waist for an attempt at a German Suplex!

If this worked out the way Shido had hoped, he would assume a seated position and rub his side, taking a moment to recuperate and hopefully rise to his feet before getting ready to take action! Regardless of how this plan worked out for him, he had definitely sustained significant damage to his side, particularly the side that Hiroko was pushing into with her hand during the abdominal stretch. Shido would try to use whatever experience and tactics he had to try to hide the fact that it was made into a weak point this early on in the match!

"Come on, I don't want to injure- Woah!" Hiroko felt her leg begin to give as Shido grabbed the back of her knee. She was rapidly losing control of her stretch and before she knew it Shido, fast as lightning, had whirled around behind her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Wincing, she tried to pull his arms away from her but it was too late! She was already being lifted up and over until her back slammed loudly against the mat.

The heavy impact left her dazed, arching her back in pain. Hiroko had quickly gone from being in almost total control to being left defenceless lying on the mat! She still had enough awareness to realize that Shido was already getting to his feet and she knew that she needed to get back up before he could take advantage of her position but the best she could do in her current state was to turn over onto her front and begin to shakily push herself up onto all fours, facing away from Shido.

Shido would take the opportunity to pull himself up to his feet using the ropes, rather than lunge at Hiroko while she was down. He would get up and call out to her.

"I very much appreciate your concern, but please, don't hold back, Miss Uta." He'd roll his shoulders and walk over to her, ready to extend a hand to her to help her up if she was still down. "Trust me when I say that it takes absurd amounts of punishment to injure me. You're a noble and sweet opponent for being concerned, but I promise it's alright. Give me a thousand and ten percent of what ya got!" He would say with an enthusiastic smile while waiting for her to ready herself to continue! "Are you good to go?"

Hiroko was a little bewildered when Shido offered his hand to help her up. She'd been helped up before by opponents but only after the match was finished. During the match, any moment your opponent was down was nothing more than an opportunity to exploit. At first, she thought that Shido was simply far nicer than many of her opponents she'd fought before.

"I've never met anyone quite like you before. I hope you're not just doing this because you think I'm weak..." Hiroko took his hand. He certainly seemed earnest, but her doubts and fears twisted her thoughts. Even so, she had no desire to repay his kindness with suspicion so she pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

"I'm fine, let's keep going." Hiroko backed off, getting herself back into the match. Despite dispelling her earlier suspicions, she still felt the need to prove to Shido she was strong enough to compete with him. She strode toward him, wrapping her arm around his neck and tried to knock him down to the mat with a headlock takedown!

"Haha, nah, if you're weak, what does that make me? You've been winning!" He would answer her with a smile as he helped her up and waited for her to ready herself. He was worried he was coming across as suspicious, but he was just being himself and planned to continue doing so.

"Yes, let's...After you" He would offer her while avoiding eye contact and blushing slightly. Even in the midst of the match, it was hard for Shido to ignore how attractive his opponent was. He would refocus himself to see her close in on him and grab hold of his neck, wrapping her arm around it! When she began the takedown, Shido would try to block it by grabbing her around the waist and keeping her upright! If this was successful, he'd try to bring his arms up and around her shoulders, attempting to clasp his hands behind her head for a full nelson!

Hiroko couldn't help but notice Shido's blushing and averted gaze. Despite herself, she was beginning to feel a little flattered and a bit flustered that she could make someone like him blush. The distraction ended up working against her when she made the dangerous assumption that she could simply overpower Shido and bring him down to the mat. She was caught off-guard by his sudden resistance, Shido's arms taking hold of her waist to prevent him from being thrown down.

Hiroko was too slow to react to Shido's arms snaking up for from her waist to her shoulders, pulling her arms up and painfully pressing her neck forward in a expertly applied full nelson! Hiroko couldn't suppress a gasp as her body was forced forward slightly due to her neck being pushed down. Her attempts to pull her arms down and break free of the hold proved to be fruitless as her skilled opponent had locked her in good and tight. Closing her eyes, she tried to steel herself and wait for a better opportunity to present itself. Shido refused to be ignored however and his maneuver was slowly but surely wearing down Hiroko's body and her resolve.

"Looks like you got me..." Hiroko lacked Shido's glib tongue at the best of times, let alone when she was trapped in a submission hold but she wanted to keep him talking. Partly to distract him, and partly because she sort of liked the sound of his voice. Most of her opponents only spoke when they were either making threats or taunting her and she rather enjoyed wrestling someone who was as charming as Shido.

"Hey, don't sound so defeated! You're doing much better than you think you are, trust me!" Shido would be supportive. He knew this isn't characteristic of how an opponent should or normally would act, but he cared more about their learning from and enjoyment of the match much more than he cared about who was asserting dominance or winning.

"The match is only over when you say it is, quite literally. So don't give up, at least not yet. Think of how can escape, or better yet, think of how you can counter. You're better than this, I know you are!" Shido would continue trying to help, this time hopefully in a way that didn't quite seem like a freebie or a handout. His grip on her upper body wouldn't loosen, but he would try to will her back into the match with his words.

Hiroko was touched by Shido's encouragement. He didn't have to be as kind as he was, in fact it would've been to his advantage to be cruel. Shido just seemed to be a genuinely good person. Her resolve began to recover and Hiroko was determined to give her opponent a match worthy of his skill. She took some deep breaths and tried to think of a solution to her predicament and overcome the pain that clouded her thoughts.

"You're a good person, Shido. I like you, a lot. But I can't lose to you!"

Hiroko would try a use one of her legs to push against Shido's in an attempt to force him off balance. She didn't expect to knock him over nor was it her intention to; Hrioko's true goal was try and distract and weaken his grip on her arms so she could try and break free of the full nelson. It would be difficult: Shido was no joke and his hold was a tight as it could be but with determination she would try and force her arms apart to try and unclasp Shido's hands. At the first sign of weakness, she would try and escape and whirl around behind him with the intention of getting Shido into a sleeper hold!

Shido was happy to hear Hiroko appreciated his encouragement. Too many people in AFW seemed to be interested in besting down opponents without much thought about wanting to put on a good match, and Shido saw much potential in Hiroko.

"I like you, too!" he'd say in a happy to be. "And you should be trying not to lose to anyone!". Though adding this correction to her statement was well within his character, it seemed to cost Shido. As much of a conversationalist as he was even he could talk too much and get distracted at times. Hiroko already had a height advantage and she began to wriggle and push in a way that would rob Shido of his balance momentarily. And unfortunately for Shido, that moment would be all Hiroko would need to capitalize on the situation and begin to turn the tables!

Hiroko circled Shido in a quick fluid motion and put him in a sleeper hold while he was regaining his footing! Shido grabbed the arm she was squeezing him with, but that barely relieved any pressure at all and Shido was well aware of this. Still, having been caught by surprise didn't allow him the chance at an immediate counter or reaction. He would be trapped, apparently helpless for now, as he sunk to one knee and reached for the ropes across the ring! They seemed miles away now, but where there was a will, there was a way, or at least that's what Shido believed. The crowd let our a roar of excitement as people looked on to see if Hiroko would be able to put the fanboy away, early on in this match!