Nikolette Tessla Vs. Taylor Parker: #1 Contender Match

Match Type: Standard
Winning Condition: Pinfall, Submission or Knockout
Special Condition: The winner of the match will be declared the Friction World Title #1 Contender

Nikolette inhaled deeply as she waited backstage. This was about to be the biggest moment of her career and as nervous as she was, she was even more excited. When she first joined the AFW, she wasn't even a wrestler and now she had no idea how badly she needed to wrestle until she stepped up to the backstage area. Everything was perfect. Except for maybe the fact that she was about to face off against one of her best friends. Then again, the fact that she HAD friends was even something that made her think even more that she belonged in the moment and she definitely wasn't going to let it down.

When her music began to play, She leaped out from the backstage area and hit the ground with a mighty stomp. She was a different person now and she wanted to reflect that. Her music was new and her dress was new too. She wore a sleek, tight fitting brown sports bra, with black trim and a silver stylized gear over her heart. It showed off her defined abs and she looked like she was in great shape. She still wore fingerless gloves, but instead of bulky, baggy pants, she had rather tight fitting shorts that were black with silver trim. Her powerful thighs were on display and on her feet were a pair of calf high sliver wrestling boots, laced in black.

She looked very different from when she first started wrestling. Now everyone could get a good look at what she had been hiding underneath all of her baggy clothes. On her head still wrested a pair of aviator goggles, and her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She felt as good as she looked and she ran down the ramp and felt the rush of the cheering fans. She hopped up to the ring and leaped over the ropes. She hit the ground in a crouch and sprang back up with her arms in the air. She got one more cheer from the crowd as she began stretching in the corner.

"Fufufu~" Junko whispered from her spot next to Taylor. "She certainly is taking this seriously. Good." She said. "I think I'll stay back here and let you girls have your fun. I'd hate to play favorites for the Dojo. You're both winners in my book, fufuu. Do your best, my daughter. I know you will and so will she, fufu~"

"Yeah."

From the moment Taylor put on her ring gear, her gray Dojo tank top and tight denim shorts, red fingerless gloves and black knee and kick pads, she was focused on only one thing: demolishing Nikolette Tessla.

Once Nikolette was in the ring, the arena lights slowly dimmed until the whole place was in almost total darkness. The crowd waited in charged silence, expecting the kinetic Taylor Parker to burst into view and charge down the ramp like usual. But instead... Only silence.

Until the faintest sound crept into the arena, like distant crackling fire and listless wind. It took the fans a moment to realize it was there, and another moment to notice the small spot of light up high overhead. The light grew along with a hissing sound until it burst with a jarring pop, and sent a shower of sparks raining down over one end of the crowd, though they died out before they reached the floor.

Two more points of light appeared on the ceiling toward the middle, and they hissed and grew until they popped and rained more sparks down over the crowd. Several more like them appeared, leaving a trail of sparks all the way to the entrance ramp, until...

The music set the crowd into a frenzy, and when the band kicked in a massive ball of flame exploded up from the entrance ramp, blinding the crowd, and from behind it came the pigtailed punk wrestler, striding into the arena with confidence and a rockstar grin.

She didn't pause before walking down the ramp to the ring, her royal blue eyes smoldering on Nikolette all the while with a trace of a smirk on her lips. She leapt up to the apron and vaulted over the top rope, raising a fist in the air with a glance at the crowd while she strode across the ring to Nikolette.

She didn't hold back. She was the smaller of the two, but she aggressively got right in the brunette's face, her shoulders back as she pressed against her friend and training partner, as if daring her to take a swing, or back up a step.

"I hope you're up for this," she growled, loud enough and close enough to her ear that Nikolette could hear her over the music. When the music stopped, the arena was filled only with the ruckus of an excited crowd, giddy to see the fireworks between the two girls and waiting to see which would explode first.

Nikolette breathed heavily in the darkness and spectacle of Taylor's entrance. She had been the champ, she was the bigger draw, it only made more sense for her to have the better entrance and for her to have all the support of the deafening crowd. However, she wasn't going to shrink and felt emboldened as Taylor marched up to her. She locked eyes with punk and didn't blink until she was right up in her face.

Nikolette shrugged and leaned into Taylor, pressing chests and shoulders together as she listened to her. "Never been more ready in my life." She whispered back and even when the music died, the crowd didn't.

She stood against Taylor, breathing through her nose while the crowd cheered them on until she brought up her hands to Taylor's waist and shoved her away. She didn't look angry, just focused and only nodded to the referee. Even if she was starting in her corner, she was ready. She just wanted the bell to ring and she was pretty sure that Taylor did too.

Taylor stumbled back a step, but she didn't let Nikolette off the hook. As the brunette looked to the referee, Taylor rushed back and got in her face again like a territorial dog. She pressed her forehead against Nikolette's and locked eyes with her, and though Nikolette couldn't see she stood on her toes to do it.

"Where do ya think you're goin', huh?" She growled. "You are not safe. I'm not Kelly. I'm not Angel. I'm much, much worse."

The crowd cheered and hooted at the spectacle between the two girls, and the referee stepped in to try to separate them and send them back to their corners. Taylor backed up, without taking her eyes off of Nikolette, and once they were both safely at opposite sides of the ring the referee signaled to the time keeper to ring the bell.

"You wanna start the match right here!?" Nikolette spat back, not budging in inch until the referee separated them. She could feel the adrenaline pumping in her body. She had goosebumps as Taylor backed up into her corner.

As she waited, she wondered if Taylor was going to come out like a bullet or take it slow. Well, she didn't have time to think. As the bell rang, Nikolette bent her knees and charged out of her corner. She had a grin on her face as she rushed at Taylor, planting her foot as she neared and launching a reckless knee at the blonde punk.

Taylor drew a deep breath and shook the tension out of her arms and legs. Her taut, superlatively athletic body looked loose and relaxed, much more than it usually did. She cracked a genuine smile after the bell rang, while Nikolette charged across the ring at her.

She bounced out of harm's way by turning a one-handed cartwheel that looked nearly playful, and she skipped lightly around to the other side of the ring, wagging a finger at her opponent.

When she settled down, she planted her feet and crouched low, a stance much more like Cassie Elliot than Taylor Parker. Certainly, she did not seem at all like herself as she inched her way cautiously toward Nikolette.

Nikolette bounced and pivoted, watching Taylor as she crouched and advanced. She didn't mind of Taylor wanted to lock up. She didn't mind if Taylor wanted to do anything, really.

Nikolette shrugged her shoulders and took a few steps as Taylor advanced and when she felt comfortable, bent her knees and launched herself at Taylor again, pulling up her foot and shooting it forward at Taylor's head. If she wanted to get hold of something, Nikolette didn't mind giving it to her.

Taylor's cautious movement was again punctuated by a brief flash of the twitchy speed that had first made her famous. She nimbly ducked under Nikolette's kick and dove at her other leg to knock her down. She got on top pressed herself tightly against Nikolette, not giving her any room to swing her heavy hands around, while she crept up her body until her chest was on Nik's stomach.

She was being extremely conservative with her energy, partly because she could show her versatility and grapple Nikolette, make her work until she started to fade, but also because her stamina had not been the same lately. She had done her best not to let on in training, but she found herself short of breath much more quickly now. It was just another challenge to overcome, and she could adjust for it.

"You're feisty today," she observed with her cheek pressed against Nikolette's midsection.

Nikolette grunted as she she was forced to the ground. She held up her arms as Taylor shimmied up her frame, but while her heart beat in her chest, her eyes remained focused. She tilted her head and tried to coil her legs around Taylor to see if she couldn't hold her in place while she lifted up her hands.

"I'm excited, what can I say?"

Nikolette said as she tried to bring a fist down against Taylor's skull. She definitely didn't have the position to cock her strong arm back into a normal punch, but she could definitely try and harass Taylor and she knew what she was doing certainly wasn't going to feel good.

Taylor tucked her chin and braced for Nikolette's jarring punch, and quickly she shoved the top of her head against Nikolette's jaw and pushed, forcing Nik's head to the side and pinning it uncomfortably under her weight. She lifted her butt and her knees so that only her toes rested on the mat, in order to be as stifling and heavy as possible on the Croatian slugger.

"Wouldn't Cassie be so proud?"