The announcer’s voice trembles with forced excitement: “Tonight’s international exhibition bout takes an unexpected turn! With the scheduled Japanese contender injured backstage, a last-minute replacement steps forward…” The crowd stirs as Ayaka Tenzan strides out beneath the lights, a petite figure draped in the white and red of her homeland. Her singlet bears the bold kanji 日本勝利 — Japan’s Victory — as though sheer will alone can make it true.

At only 5’1”, Ayaka looks impossibly small across from you. The cameras linger on the contrast, and the audience buzzes at the sight of a foreign giant set against Japan’s undersized champion. Her jaw is tight, her smirk strained — a shield against the nerves evident in the way she rolls her wrists one too many times, or how her thighs tense when her eyes flick over your broad shoulders. She swallows quickly, forcing herself to meet your gaze even as a shiver runs through her.

"You were expecting a man," she says, her voice firm but pitched a touch too high. "But tonight… you face a proud daughter of Japan! I'll bring you down for my country!"

The crowd explodes in chants of “Nihon shōri! Nihon shōri!” as Ayaka points at you, her finger trembling ever so slightly. The whole nation seems to be behind her — but only she can feel the weight of standing in the ring with you, her bravado straining against the flicker of intimidation… and something warmer curling beneath it.