Today was finally time for the big match. The wrestlers were pumped and ready for action. And the audience was ready for the event to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our first ever mixed-match event!" the announcer exclaimed. "Tonight is set to be a fun and action-packed event sure to excite! We have several battles of the sexes planned out for you tonight! And with me tonight is the world champion herself, Jackal Tojo!" she shouted excitedly, making the audience cheer loudly. Jackal giggled.
"Thanks for having me on with you." Jackal said. "We have quite a lineup tonight. First up, Luciana Santiago and Takahashi Tatsu will go head to head, then the League of Evil's top members, Digger and Hornet, will go against the Brothers of Chaos, Oni and Tengu. But then, we seem to have a match between two teams! Both from the Animal Squadron and Berserk. First will be Ichiro Azai against Rio Kazama. And to wrap the event up, Yoshi Hirano will go face to face with his own girlfriend, Sakura Hagiwara!"
"Hoo-wee! I'm excited just HEARING about these fights! Let's not keep the people waiting and give them what they want! TIME TO RUMBLE!" the announcer yelled, unable to contain her excitement. And from the roar of the audience, they could not either.
* Backstage *
Yoshi was getting dressed, wearing his usual wrestling clothes. However, he wore a new pair of gloves; they were red, stopped a bit below his elbows, and were fingerless. He was doing his best to keep his head cool and his stomach calm. Even though he committed to the match, he was beginning to have second doubts. He knew Sakura was a tough girl, but he still did not want to hurt her. He buried his face into his hands, sighing heavily. "I don't think I can do this..." he thought. "My stomach feels even worse than before..."
During his moment of doubt and worry, he did not hear the footsteps approaching him from behind. But when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he yelped and jumped up. The person laughed at his reaction. When he recognized the voice, he turned around and saw Rio, already wearing her wrestling attire. He glared at her. "Don't do that! I'm already a wreck as it is." he told her before sitting back down. Rio chuckled and sat down next to him.
"Sorry, bud." she said. "I didn't mean to scare you like that." Yoshi sighed.
"It's fine… I'm just really nervous right now… I think I made a bad choice." he said.
"I understand. You really care about Sakura, and you don't want to hurt her. That's good; that shows how you are as a person." Rio said, smiling softly. Yoshi was surprised to see her smile, especially since she typically does not smile genuinely that much. "Nevertheless, you have to commit and fight her in this situation."
"I know… I will… I'm just trying to calm myself." Yoshi said.
"You'll be fine." Rio assured him, patting his shoulder.
It seemed Rio managed to calm his nerves a little bit. But it seemed that her nerves would be agitated when Ichiro came into the room, also in his gear, to check up on Yoshi. "Feeling alright, man?"
"So far, so good." Yoshi replied.
"Not having second doubts, are you?" Ichiro asked.
"I did… but I committed to this, and I'm going to keep my promise." Yoshi said. "...Even if my stomach feels queasy beyond belief." he added, chuckling lightly. Ichiro smirked and side-hugged his friend.
"Don't worry, my dude. You'll be fine." he said. Yoshi looked at him and grinned.
"Thanks man." he said.
So as the three sat in the room, Yoshi could not help but notice that Rio would sneak a few glances at Ichiro. He chuckled. He could tell she actually wanted him so badly. And he could also see that her own self-denial is eating her up.
In about five minutes, Luciana was announced the winner. "Your match is soon, right?" Yoshi asked.
"Uh huh." Rio said. "After this next match, me and Ichiro go head to head."
"And I look forward to it." Ichiro said.
"You're looking forward to me beating you?" Rio asked.
"No. Just being in the ring with you." Ichiro replied. "Besides, I don't know if I'll win the fight, given who my opponent is - the lovely snowhead herself, Rio Kazama." he added. Rio blushed and looked away.
"You're so full of it, you know that?" she asked. Ichiro chuckled while Yoshi snickered.
"I'm just speaking the truth." Ichiro said, making her blush harder
* Time-skip *
About six minutes later, Luciana's match was over, resulting in her victory. Rio and Ichiro continued to stay with Yoshi to try and help him relax himself. But then, an employee came in the room with them. "Excuse me, Rio and Ichiro?" he asked.
"Hmm?" they asked in unison.
"It seems there's been a change in plans. Oni and Tengu are running late." he told them. "So you two are going on now. Sorry for this." Rio and Ichiro bolted up and ran to the door to get ready. But Rio, wanting to play the "ladies first" role, pushed Ichiro out of the way and ran out. Ichiro growled as he stood up.
"Oh, that girl..." he said to himself. But he couldn't help but grin. "And so, the hunt continues." he added before going after her. Yoshi sighed in amusement.
"He doesn't give up... still, you gotta admire his passion." he said to himself.
* Time-skip *
Yoshi was sketching in his book, waiting for his match to begin. Since his match was at the end, he figured he had time. "I wonder who won between Rio and Ichiro..." he wondered aloud. And he got his answer in a rather amusing and hilarious way. He heard rapid footsteps approaching his door. He put his book down and went to see what was going on. He then saw Ichiro running full-speed, cackling victoriously. And not too far behind him, Rio was hot on his tail. "Come here!" she yelled in anger. He could not help but laugh at their chase, watching them as they ran.
"Those two..." he said to himself.
"They're really something, aren't they?" a female voice asked from behind him. Yoshi turned his head to the other side and saw Chinatsu and Kurea walking up.
"Chinatsu? Kurea? What are you two doing here?" Yoshi asked.
"We just came to see you, and wish you luck on your match." Chinatsu said.
"And also, to give you a suggestion." Kurea added.
"Well, thank you." Yoshi said with a smile. "And, what's the suggestion?"
"Go shirtless." the girls said in unison.
Yoshi immediately locked up and flared up like a fire. The girls just told him to go shirtless! Why?! That was a question he was going to get an answer to right then and there.
"May I ask... why?" Yoshi asked, feeling weirded out.
"Look, you want to get better about touching Sakura, correct?" Kurea asked.
"Right..." Yoshi replied.
"And you agreed to take part in the match to do so, correct?" Chinatsu chimed in.
"Again, yeah..." Yoshi replied.
"So, we figured this could help you." Kurea told him. "After all, with more skin exposed, you'll feel Sakura much more."
"I know the idea seems odd to you... but trust us, it'll help." Chinatsu said.
"Well... I don't know..." Yoshi said with uncertainty.
"Ah, come on. Do it for Sakura." Chinatsu encouraged. After a brief pause, Yoshi sighed deeply and took his shirt off, revealing his toned body. Chinatsu and Kurea found themselves blushing. "I can see why Sakura has such an attraction to him..." she thought.
"Ooh, Sakura, you lucky girl..." Kurea thought. Meanwhile, Yoshi was blushing like mad.
"Well... you happy now?" Yoshi asked in embarrassment. The girls giggled and nodded their heads yes. He blushed harder.
"I know you feel weird... but you'll thank us later." Chinatsu said.
"Yeah." Kurea said. "Well... we better get back with the team... see ya around. Good luck!" she said before she and Chinatsu left the room, leaving Yoshi alone again.
Yoshi, who had begun to calm his nerves, was now even more nervous than before. He was just getting calm now, and now he has to start all over again. But also, the other reason he was so embarrassed by this was because he has never fought shirtless before. But he had to wonder; was there some sort of plan that they had in mind? He was not sure, but he was about to find out after the semi-final match.
* I originally wanted this to be a two-shot, but it'll need a new chapter, it seems. The next chapter will be the match itself. So stay tuned. God bless, and take care!