Daisuke Takeuchi vs. Hagiwara, Sakura - Part III (The Final Confrontation)

Match Type:Sauna match.
Rules: Wrestlers must gain a victory whilst in the sauna room. Leaving the sauna room will result in DQ.
Victory Conditions: Submission or Knock out.

This was it. After being down two to nothing against Sakura Hagiwara this was the only redemption that was left for Daisuke Takeuchi. This all started four weeks ago when the prince had challenged Sakura to a three part match series because he did not believe that she belonged in AFW or in the wrestling world at all. He challenged her resolve, her ability and her determination but after the outcome of the first two matches it appeared that the only ability that was called into question was his own. That is why Daisuke would wait two weeks before resuming this challenge and in that time the prince had a lot to think about and train twice as hard for this very moment.

The first match was oil wrestling which was uncharted territory for Hagiwara yet she came out on top. The second was pro wrestling which again Hagiwara won rather comfortably. Now, the prince being the loser of the second match had the luxury to decide the third match and he went for a sauna wrestling match in hopes that a more gimmick match coupled with the steam and sweat would be the weakness in Hagiwara's defenses.

He was definitely more serious about it than before, having now understood and respected her ability. This time Daisuke was going to treat her as a proper wrestler. The water was running down on his body as he was in his locker room, taking a cold shower as he stepped out and dried himself off. The prince would put on his CK wrestling briefs and a pair of flip flops before heading out of his locker room towards the designated sauna room.

Daisuke:

The prince would not wait to meet Sakura on the outside, instead he would enter the sauna room just to get a good feeling and get used to the heat. He would start to do some light stretches and warm-ups to get ready for the ultimate throw down against his newest rival. "This time...there is no room for error. I will win" he said to himself while waiting for his opponent, with a look of determination never seen before.

Sauna Wrestling Room:

It had been two weeks since she had last heard from Daisuke. She had been spending most of that over in Friction, training, preparing for whatever challenge came her way. Some of the girls in the locker room would come up to her and curiously ask her things about her brief time completing in Tension, wondering if they should do it as well. She encouraged them to broaden their horizons and accept new challenges, knowing it's what her own mentor would have likely told them. It didn't really matter where they wrestled, every match was a new chance to learn and grow. The three match series had been among one of the more interesting endeavors she had mindlessly agreed to… though with how long the radio silence lasted she wasn't sure if Daisuke even wanted to have their final match if he couldn't win the majority of them to claim true victory.

When she had gotten the request from Tension management to come back to face him for the last time, she was a bit surprised and excited to put a definitive end cap to their matches. It had been her hope that in their time apart he had done some real thinking about what she said and improved his abilities for their next clash… then she had finally arrived and was ushered to a special part of the arena. Another gimmick match. Of course. She had quietly changed into her lighter gear after the Sauna match was explained to her, unwilling to strip herself down to just her underwear which was the only other thing she had on hand.

Sakura Hagiwara:

She approached the sauna, lingering at the door for a moment to let out a soft huff. This hadn't been how she envisioned their final match would end, but she was determined to work through this new compilation and best him once more, making good on her earlier claims of sweeping all three matches. It didn't matter what tricks he had up his sleeve, she was ready. Opening the door she slipped inside, letting it close loudly behind her. Padding across the floor on bare feet, she gave Daisuke a small nod of acknowledgment. "Felt confident enough to finally challenge me again but not enough to do it in a real ring I see. What are you playing at this time?"

It was clear that Hagiwara had managed to put a dent in Daisuke's pride. However, the wrestling prince was quite prideful and a dent in it wouldn't completely shatter his confidence but it was enough for him to think hard on what the consequences were of losing two matches to Sakura Hagiwara. He had doubted her wrestling ability and she had proved him wrong twice, it was clear that Sakura was no longer a rookie nor did her former status as a 'Idol' meant that she could not achieve her dream to be the best wrestler.

The mere fact that Daisuke had to accept that Sakura was not a jobber as he had imagined was a victory for Sakura because otherwise the prince would not show respect to any of his opponents yet somehow Sakura had gotten through him somehow. In the sauna room he was focused, stretching his body and breathing slowly to get used to the heat and sweat.

Finally the door slid open, allowing some cool and fresh air to slip in briefly, before Sakura made her way in the sauna room and closed the door behind them. "Nothing. There are no games to be played this time Hagiwara-chan" he said stepping up to her. Daisuke would extend his hand towards her for a handshake, looking her straight in the eye.

"I made sure to be ready for this match. I trained hard for this match because I knew I was going to wrestle a worthy opponent. I took you lightly but not again Hagiwara-chan. You're a good wrestler and deserve to be treated like one." he admitted. "The truth is I chose this match to get a tactical advantage. I figure I can get the advantage over you in this one." he explained while rolling his shoulders.

It was already getting warm and steamy but Daisuke was going to make sure that it would work against Sakura more than it did against him. "I'm going to treat you like I should any other wrestler...only this time, Hagiwara-chan, I am going to be victorious" he said proudly with his eyes gleaming in determination.

Sakura didn't wear anger well, her frustrations tended to be internalized to the point that they would boil over into her characteristic determination. It gave her incredible drive, something that had stayed with her ever since wrestling finally clicked and the losing streak that had come to define her early career was shattered like a pane of glass. She had been a competitor ever since, no longer an easy victim to those who looked at her status as an idol for an easy win, not unlike Daisuke. When he claimed there were no tricks this time, she couldn't help but narrow her gaze, looking about the sauna without masking her obvious disagreement with the claim.

Folding her arms firmly under her breasts she stood a bit straighter, huffing. She had been in her fair share of strange matches before, including prior to AFW, but this was a first. Sweat already sheened on her body, gathering on her forehead as she stubbornly ignored it trickling down her cheek. Her hardened expression softened slightly at the compliments as she eyed her opponent curiously. He seemed genuine to her at this moment, but it could have all very well be a lie. Their first meeting at the gym she had naively taken him at his word at wound up nearly losing in an embarrassing oil match. She was skeptical he had changed but willing to give him a chance despite everything that had happened between them.

"Well… at least you are honest about the match." She conceded softly. He hadn't minced words when it came to choosing this setting for their final bout, hoping it would give him a leg up on her. In truth, she wasn't sure what to make of it. She had spent plenty of time in day spas and onsen, but never while wrestling. This was shaping up to be a tricky test of endurance the likes of which she had yet to encounter. Much like the oil had favored the more seasoned Daisuke, she assumed this was the sort of match he had experience with. She'd have to be careful.

"Alright, Takeuchi-San. Just because I don't have anything to prove after defeating you twice already, don't think I am going to just go easy on you or get sloppy." Sakura unfolded her arms, shaking them out at her side. Swing of her head, she whipped her long hair over her shoulder, getting all but a few stubborn strands that remained stuck to her face to fall behind her as she took up a grappling position. "I told you early on I would take all three matches and I aim to… hope you are ready!"

It was a strange moment indeed. Daisuke was not known for complimenting his opponents but something was different with Hagiwara. No matter how much he attempted to rile her up, disrespect her and shrug her abilities, she would not taunt Daisuke back and instead focused on the task at hand which was to wrestle and beat him. Despite winning the first two matches, she had no reason to be here for the third especially when Daisuke had once again chosen a special match which was obvious to the disadvantage of the former sweet Diva Idol yet...she still showed up.

Her determination and desire was something to admire which was what finally made Daisuke acknowledge her. Hagiwara seemed to be suspicious at first but slowly seemed to trust him on his words especially when he even admitted he chose this match purely because he wanted an advantage over her. Relaxing her stance, Sakura would take up a grappling position while warning Daisuke that she was going to win this too.

Daisuke would nod and smirk but in a friendly way as he would do the same, bringing his arms up while bending at the knee. "And I have everything to wrestle for after losing the first two. So this time expect the toughest match out of the three and this time....I will win" he stated before lunging in to grapple her. Daisuke would attempt to engage her in a clinch, looking to press up against her in the grapple and try to push her back towards one of the sauna walls to subdue her.

Sakura stood her ground, unsure of when the match had officially started with no bell to clue them in. When Daisuke moved towards her she stepped up to lock horns with him, intent to initiate a simple collar and elbow lock. She pushed for position with him but was caught off guard when he slipped in closer, wrapping his arms around her in a clinch. She took a fumbled step back as he used leverage to drive her back. She fought for every inch, digging her feet onto the slightly slicked wooden floor. It was a poor substitution for her actual ring boots though with actual grip on the soles. She had put up a good attempt at holding him at bay until her heels hit one of the railed seating areas of the sauna unexpectedly and she fell backward onto it with Daisuke pressing down on top of her, pinning her down.

Sakura's back arched against the raised wooden seating as she kicked her feet, unable to mount a strong counter attack from this position. She jerked her shoulders from side to side and squirmed, trying to free one of her arms enough to show her hand in his face and shove him back. If she managed to get any space between them, she would kick a foot out to try and knock him back to give her time to get back up.

The two of them started the match off in a clinch, Daisuke pressing himself against Hagiwara to push her backwards. He knew that he had the weight advantage here but the way Sakura had been proving him wrong time after time, he could rule nothing out. Still, he managed to push Hagiwara backwards but the former Idol started to make a comeback by managing to push back into Daisuke. Both wrestlers jockeyed around for position until Sakura's heel clipped against the seating area of the sauna room which caused her to fall back onto the seat with Daisuke on top.

She started to frantically move around, her shoulders moving from side to side while her hands moved up to his face. The prince realized she was trying to push him back and quickly wrapped his arms around her head from the front, pulling backwards to drag her out of the seated area and back towards the center of the room while having her trapped in a front facelock.

Daisuke would make her bend forward while pressing some of his own body weight on top of her back. At the same time, Daisuke continued to wrench his grip tighter in the front facelock submission.

Sandwiched up against the sauna benches was no real place to launch an attack from. It was something Daisuke seemed keen to educate her own as she struggled from a position of weakness against a man she had been seen more than capable of holding her own against. Just as she managed to wedge a foot between them, she was suddenly ripped from the seated position and bend forward, taken stumbling from the wall. Her opponent's arm flexed in around her head, getting a firm hold of her while she was still unbalanced.

"Argh!" Sakura winced, reaching up to grab hold of the elbow of the arm wrapped around her, trying to twist herself free but finding no real room to do so. her hips swayed from side to side making her perky backside bounce with each attempted squirm. When it became apparent escape wouldn't be won so easily, it was time to shift gears. Rather than pulling away, she leaned her weight into Daisuke, planting her bare feet firmly. She shoved forward, digging her shoulder into his midsection as she tried to push forward, building enough momentum to possibly slam him back first into the far wall.

At this point, Sakura had already become the victor of this tripartite wrestling series between herself and Daisuke. Being 2-0 up already, the third was simply supposed to be a formality. However, that really did not appear to be the case because for Daisuke this was the most important match in the series having lost the first two he had a point to prove to Sakura and himself. For Sakura, it was equally important because she wanted to make good on her promise that she was going to beat him in all three matches.

The awkward grapple ended up on the wooden seat, where the two pushed and struggled until Daisuke had Sakura trapped in a front facing headlock whilst dragging her away from the bench. He squeezed hard, having her shake her hips in front of him to no avail. Opting for something else, the former Sweet Diva Idol pushed hard, digging her shoulder into his abdomen to push him back up against the wall. "Urgh!" he grunted forced to loosen up the hold and eventually release her head altogether but not before raising his arms up in the air and attempting to strike her back with a double axle handed strike.

The first few steps had been the hardest with her soles grinding against the hardwood floor, having trouble gaining any real ground. All she needed was a moment of imbalance, a hint of weakness… there it was. Daisuke surrendered a step. Then another. Soon both wrestlers were charging to the far wall where she threw all her weight into ramming her opponent up against the hard surface. It worked well enough as the arms locking in her head were pulled back and she attempted to slip away.

"Ugh!" Such a clean escape proved unobtainable though as Daisuke refused to let her vulnerable position go unchallenged. With a wet thud, his fists slammed across her collar while she moved away, sending her hard to the floor. From her vantage point, the blow had struck her by surprise leaving her winded when she took the fall on her chest poorly, laid out before him.