Magical Girl Fight Club (Patreon)
Content
Miyuki Orikame jogged down the road of Sappora (Hokkaido Japan's bustling capital), for her health rather than her being late. She was always meticulously punctual, careful to do everything properly and promptly. Her schoolgirl skirt and blouse were carefully cleaned and ironed, and her straight, identical blue pigtails bounced along behind her. Miyuki was a well-behaved girl, especially since the Magic Miyuki days were behind her.
She reached the corner of the block, where the human traffic was always ridiculous. She planned this into her schedule, of course, already in her senior year of high school and freshly past her 18th birthday a few months ago. Today, something had her impatient. She didn't feel like wading through the bodies, trying to ignore the smell of other people and hoping someone wouldn't grope her. She was a slim girl, but with a chest that made the other girls jealous in the locker room, and what she like to think of as a pretty face apart from the noticeable birthmark on her cheek. More than a few boys left love letters in her locker, after all, even if she'd politely passed on them all.
In no mood for the crowd today, Miyuki reached down her blouse and pulled the chain, popping the golden turtle-shaped amulet from her cleavage. "Alright. Just this once," she told herself for the twentieth time. "Miracle Shell, Unlock!"
Hardly anyone looked up as for just a second or two, Miyuki radiated rainbow-colored lights and her clothes appeared to explode off her body, revealing a featureless, glimmering orb instead of her body. The clothes came back in a mix of pink and gold, forming a lace skirt, high boots, a golden belt, a low-cut pink top, and two bracelets and hairclips in the shape of her amulet, which was now embedded harmlessly in the flesh right at the peak of her cleavage. She was instantly Magic Miyuki, the guardian of the turtle goddess!
...and no one cared. She leapt over the entire crowd, landing across the street in a gentle drifting landing and a soft clack of her pink and red boots.
"Oh, hey, Miyuki." Umi popped out of the crowd of people behind her, waving casually. "Had to change again, huh? Totally jealous."
Umi was a sweet girl who'd been friends with Miyuki for most of her childhood. She was a pretty blonde, but tall enough to stand over some of the boys in her class thanks to her American father. At this rate, no one batted an eye to see an American girl in the crowd anymore. Not when there were magical girls and demons around.
Japan was a lot different than it was a generation ago. There was a small percentage of adults that knew that magical girls were real, and even then it was because most of them either were one or were somehow related to one. Every time a demon king rose from the underworld or ghosts from the other dimension ran rampant or aliens invaded, or even if Japan had a proven deficiency of love in the area, some outside force (be it talking animal or forgotten goddess) would find a young girl, give her magical powers, and send her to blow up, punch out, or befriend whatever the threat was that week.
And it worked! The aliens invasion was halted before it ever took root. The demon king was slain and many of his underlings even became helpful, contributing members of society. The depression ghosts were cured of their contagious depression, and the wicked yokai were reunited with the true meaning of friendship. Everyone had their happy endings! But then there were STILL an abundance of magical girls. Japan was a big place, and for some reason, it had a lot of supernatural problems. Statistics now claimed that one in every 25 Japanese females had magical powers. There were others overseas, but it was inexplicably a phenomenon focused in Japan. Miyuki was one of the hundreds who were empowered people with no real place to go to use them.
It wasn't a burden, really. Miyuki would use it to help with chores, or traffic like she had a moment ago. It was just... strange. Defending friends and strangers with her super strength, golden beams, and acrobatic skills was incredibly dangerous, but she almost missed it. The streets felt so quiet and... dull now without an oni trying to eat a car or an animated pachinko machine shooting coins that made everyone greedy.
"It just shaves five minutes off my commute," Miyuki insisted. "It's not that great now that all the monsters are gone."
Umi still smiled and nodded. "Oh yea! That reminds me. Did you catch the fight last night?"
Miyuki gave her a puzzled look. "Why? Did someone get detention for causing trouble?"
"Huh? Oh, not at school! At the fight club."
Umi pulled out her cellphone (the one that clattered when it moved because of all the obnoxious charms) and tapped away at it before handing it off to Miyuki. She watched a brief youtube clip of two girls in what looked sort of like an open warehouse, only with tall bleachers on all sides. One wore a long flowing coat, her breasts wrapped up in bandages, long black hair and with a surgical-looking mask over her mouth and wielding a metallic bat. The other was a slightly older girl, and with a much more elaborate outfit. She had a frilly purple skirt and blouse with ribbons and glitter flowing after her every move. Miyuki knew about a few magical girls in the school, and plenty that had made the news. She hadn't seen either of these girls before, but she knew they had to be them.
Then the frilly one kicked the other right in the face with her shiny red boot. It was a hard and brutal move, not the dainty and flowing jump kicks that Miyuki would use on giant blob monsters. The masked girl's head snapped from the force of the blow, and she spit out some blood from under her mask onto the dirty floor. Mask gave an upward swing of her bat at Frills, the purple girl floating back a bit to avoid it. The masked girl just slammed a foot into her stomach instead, sending Frills grinding across the floor. She vaguely heard an echoing voice over the roar of the crowd around them.
"Yamamask makes a sudden comeback! Sparkly Princess Akane has to hurry if she's going to turn this one back around!"
Akane flew backward, going a few yards off the ground as the ribbons on her costume suddenly lashed out like whips. Yamamask swung her bat speedily through the air, bashing and deflecting them away, but glowing orbs appeared around Akane that fired down at her. They exploded and kicked up smoke as Yamamask screamed from somewhere within, and Miyuki noticed the smoke seeming to reach the edge of their arena. Where it would have floated into the crowd, she saw a red light flash and sparks kick off from the space, and the smoke moved along as if there was some mystical glass wall between the fans and the fight.
Akane raised a hand, charging up a bigger energy ball and hurling it into the smoke for good measure. Rather than explode again, there was a resounding boom like thunder. The smoke flew away like a gust of wind had hit, revealing the punkish girl in mid-swing with her bat. The laser orb was bent and being pushed back as her bat struggled with it, the crowd going wild. Akane looked in surprise, but Yamamask gave a furious shout as the bat seemed to expand and open several compartments, hi-tech rocket boosters pushing out of the back and adding even more force to the swing. The deadly ball flew right back into Akane, creating a huge explosion before the sparkly girl floated to the ground like a deflated balloon. An air horn blasted as the battered Yamamask held up her bat in triumph and the clip stopped.
“What was that?” Miyuki asked, looking over to Umi with a blank expression her face. Her head was going through a lot as she saw that clip.
"MGFC," Umi summarized. "They started the Magical Girl Fight Club up a few months ago. It's really more of a wrestling league, except that they really do fight. Everyone's surprised that nobody's died yet, but they've got all this magic that keeps healing the fighters right back. Sparkly Akane was up and fine by the time they interviewed her afterward. Are you like that? I never really saw you that hurt or anything once you changed back..."
"Say, Yumi?" Miyuki was flicking through their website on Yumi's phone.
"Huh?"
"Do you know where to sign up for this?" The plain, pretty and respectable Miyuki had stepped out for a moment. The Miyuki that had fought giant monsters as Magic Miyuki went through the photos and quotes and vids on the site, and her heart was racing. It felt like just what she was missing. The dormant powers were like having ten-thousand yen in her pocket that she wasn't allowed to spend. It was the sports car that she left in her garage because she didn't want to get it dirty. So useful but just... idling there in her brooch. It practically itched sometimes. And now she had an excuse to let it out.
Even if she was being adventurous and feeding her lust for battle, Miyuki was still Miyuki. She did her research into the league, checking several forums and exposing articles. It was owned and run by Lily Cortez, the new identity of Madame Lilith from the invading alien race called the Daimons. They looked like variously colored humans, and she was the (ultimately treacherous) right hand of the evil emperor Xalez. Like many of her kind, Lily was not only spared by her magical girl opponents, but was allowed to enter human society after a lot of thorough questioning by the Japanese government.
From all the interviews she found, Cortez was more greedy than actually evil. It made her a hard worker, and her time spent as a secretary and commander of an army of imps gave her exceptional managerial skills and some impressive (if horrifying) references. She scaled up the corporate ladder like a spider and funded the MGFC, rapidly making her money right back. The ratings were insane (Miyuki didn't watch much tv, so she'd missed it completely), the tickets flew out of the marketplace, and some really big names had signed on. The Yokaigo (or The Yokai 5) were all a part of it, even after having an ugly breakup a couple years ago. Purest Bamboo Yuuko had passed on the league, saying it was disgraceful and shallow, but her old talking animal sidekick Pando was the main announcer for all the big matches. There were even a lot of glowing response from Sister Natalya, the head healer from the Followers of the Allmother Valkyrie and chief nurse of the league. The middle aged monk vouched how all of the girls came out alive and well thanks to their healing magic, and the fairies they had in their employ were perfect at creating the invisible barriers that protected the audience from harm.
Frankly, everyone had suspected foul play from the demoness gathering magical girls into one organization, but Cortez had left the doors open on her corporate workings. Miyuki didn't need magic or in-depth reporting to figure out what was going on. After falling from her powerful position at the hands of magical girls, Cortez was just out to make a buck while getting some petty payback. She was throwing her money around just to make them dance for her, or rather fight for her amusement. Maybe even arousal, given the look of the busty red woman and her tight business suits.
Miyuki made a few emails, and soon she was invited to the arena. The league had its own unique aesthetic, so normal wrestling or boxing rings wouldn't do (or last very long, given their level of power being thrown around). They used a large warehouse that the league had purchased and stocked with rows of seats, creating a very coliseum-like effect. She had changed before she entered the building, back in her pink and gold outfit. Various staff and other transformed girls and women went walking through the halls, and Miyuki used them to practice pretending that she didn't care about being stared at. Everyone tended to run away when you were fighting a monster in the streets, but now people would be staring at her the entire time. She hoped she wasn't prone to stage fright. It was a small bit of comfort that Umi would be in the audience, so at least one set of eyes would be friendly.
"You there! Turtles! You're Magic Miyuki, aren't you?" A gruff, stern voice came from behind her, getting the mystic schoolgirl to spin around. There was a sheathed sword floating in front of her, an eye painted on the grip just above a hilt that made itself look a bit like a moustache. A long tassel came from the handle like a ponytail, and it gave off a slightly radiant glow of golden light.
Miyuki finally caught herself staring. "Oh! Yes, I am," she clarified.
"Excellent," the blade huffed in its stuffy old voice. A clipboard and pen floated in front of it with the same glow, scrawling a bit down on it. "We'll be having you on stage in fifteen. You'll be facing The Dimensional Prophet Akashi, so good luck out there, rookie." It twirled around gracefully, but Miyuki spoke up to stop him.
"I'm sorry, but... are you Hexcalibur?" she pried. The blade turned back around with a hint of a smile in its single eye.
"Why, yes I am, miss. Kind of you to notice. I'd thought most had forgotten all about me and my adventures."
"Oh, not at all! Queen Arthuria was like a rolemodel to me growing up! How did you end up here? Is she a part of all this?"
"Nooo, no, she's retired now. Wife and kids and all that. Good for her, I say, but I couldn't be tied down. Arthuria tried to talk me into seeing this cute enchanted shield once, but I can't be chained down! I thirst for battle and the taste of blood! I'm a sword, I tells her..."
"So what do you do here?"
"Me? Oh, I track the schedule. Keep things running to Miss Cortez's likings. She's a dear, for such an alien demon sort..." He seemed to pick up on Miyuki's meaning as she stared at him some more. "But really, management and scheduling, it's a lot like the thrill of battle," he insisted.
"Okay... well, thank you," Miyuki said with a quick but formal bow.
"Anytime, my dear! Do enjoy yourself, and I hope to see you again soon!"
"ALRIGHT! Let's hear it for Missy Meteoric one more time!" Pando was loving his new life. He wasn't a sidekick anymore, but a celebrity. Bamboo Yuuko didn't approve of the league, but the pint-sized magical panda cub could hardly be happier. He wasn't being forced by forest spirits to charge into battle, or eating magic bamboo to become a giant but helpful panda monster. He sat in a booth, smoking cigars and putting his big mouth to good use on the mic. "Now we've heard your cries and read your emails, folks, so get ready because we've got a pretty new face for you tonight! The hard-hitting cutie who's protecting your beaches like a sexy lifeguard, it's Magic Miyuki!"
The crowd broke into cheers and whistles as Miyuki stepped out into the makeshift arena. She was suddenly very aware of how revealing her costume was, and resisted the urge to draw attention to it by tugging at her skirt or top. She fought off her blush and waved to the crowd politely before giving a quick bow. She didn't quite consider how high it made her skirt go, and quickly pushed it lower again as the crowd laughed.
"And for her first opponent, the woman who saved Tokyo Tower from the futurites! Wielding the power of destiny, it's Dimensional Prophet Akashi!"
Akashi stepped in from the other side of the arena, glaring across at Miyuki. She had silvery white hair, but not from age, only looking maybe 5 years Miyuki's senior. She wore a red kimono and a white cloth headband, with her long hair bound simply into a long and loose ponytail. She didn't bear any visible weapons, like Miyuki, but she dressed a lot more practically.
“Alright, that’s enough of the dilly dallying!” Pando barked over the speakers. “Ladies, if you’re all readaaayyyyy… then GO!”
Akashi didn't bring any powers to bear, and instead ducked under Miyuki's guard and punched her in the stomach. Miyuki let out a combination gasp and gag, grabbing her belly as she backed away awkwardly. The crowd burst into cheers around her for the first blow of the bout, and Akashi wasn't going to let up there. The kimono-clad girl nailed Miyuki with a punch to her face before she brought up her arms to protect her face. Miyuki backed up some more until her shoulder hit one of the invisible walls in front of the crowd. Her hips pushed back against it as a ripple of purple light shimmered out from wherever she made contact.
"And it looks like a big start for Akashi! The rookie doesn't know what hit her as she's being backed into a corner!"
The roar of the crowd and the ache in her muscles startled Miyuki. She wasn't used to that kind of pain or attention, and she'd certainly expected something a bit... more from Akashi than an outright beating. The girl leapt up to show her feet, fit into wooden sandals, that whipped into a nimble kick that smashed into Miyuki's forearm. She blocked the hit, but it sent her skidding along the wall as she felt the friction build up heat against her back.
Akashi darted after her, hopping up to plant her feet on the invisible wall and running along it rapidly. Defying gravity was another fairly standard magical girl power, and Miyuki could do it in the right circumstances, but she had her own means of transportation. The turtle shells on her hairbands opened up again, but shot out a quick burst of force at her feet. She rocketed up and away to avoid another punch from Akashi as the Dimensional Prophet crashed down from above and left a crater where Miyuki had been standing.
Miyuki landed as Akashi predictably charged for her again. She noted that the older girl seemed faster than her, and more capable in hand to hand, but so far had not used any powers or ranged abilities at all. That would be her edge, but she'd need a moment to steady herself before she could use it much. Instead, she flicked her wrist as one of the shells that made her bracelet popped open and glowed with a green light at its core.
"Shellshock Turtle Punch!" Miyuki threw a punch for Akashi, but she nimbly leapt over the blow and balanced her hand on Miyuki's extended arm. The turtle-themed magical girl had expected as much by now, grabbing Akashi's other arm while she was in mid-air and slammed her into the ground. Akashi landed with a series of cracks forming beneath her, staring up at the spotlights a moment before Miyuki drove her glowing fist into her chest.
Akashi screamed and shook as the hand emitted a surge of green lightning into her. Miyuki only held it there for a second or two before she pulled back from the smoking opponent. She caught her breath as she looked down at the stunned and silent martial artist. "There. You had eno-?"
Suddenly, Akashi used her first power. She raised a hand and aimed the palm at Miyuki and a long bronze staff shot out of it. It was long and swift enough that it rocketed out of her hand in a flash and rammed right into Miyuki's crotch. The retired heroine gave a shrill gasp, crossing her legs and falling to her knees as the sharp, intense pain went through her privates until her eyes watered. Akashi caught the end of her staff and whirled it in her hand before she gave it a swing like a baseball bat into Miyuki's face, sending her skidding across the arena.
"OHHHH! And Akashi takes a nasty trip down South on Miyuki! The rookie almost had her but she seems to forget the main rule here at Magical Girl Fight Club: once those walls go up, there are no rules! It goes until it's done!"
Miyuki was hurt and afraid, but they were both sensations she'd gone through in the past. She coughed and slowly tried to rise to her feet, but Akashi marched towards her. She had several visible burns across her kimono, including one where she'd taken the taser-like blow to her chest that exposed some of her big, bouncing chest to the crowd. The grim-faced magical girl didn't seem to mind her bared skin in the slightest as she raised her staff overhead. Miyuki managed to throw up her hand (the one that wasn't rubbing her aching crotch) and summoned a force field in a small green disc from her bracelet. It spat out sparks, but the magical staff was stopped short. Miyuki fended it off for a few seconds before she swung her shield to one side, knocking the staff from her hands.
Suddenly disarmed, Akashi looked surprised back at her staff right before Miyuki threw a straight kick into her stomach. Miyuki was a bit rusty, but she was falling back into the swing of her old ways by now. Fighting back against unlikely odds and a stronger opponent... that was just how magical girls lived when they were on the job. Her heart was racing with fear and excitement, and probably a bit more arousal than she wanted. It was just what she had been missing.
Then Akashi used her other power. Out of sight from Miyuki, the staff glowed and expanded, turning into an exact replica of Akashi herself. The turtle guardian didn't see it coming when it ran up and punched her right in the kidneys. Miyuki gagged and fell to her knees, clutching the sore spot at the girl and her clone tore into her. The one pulled up on Miyuki's pigtails, holding her up for the other to punch Miyuki across the face several times.
"And there it is! Dimensional Prophet Akashi's Staff of Illusions at work!" Pando burst somewhere overhead in Miyuki's ringing ears. "It only works once per fight and for five minutes, but it looks like she won't even need that long to finish off the newbie!"
Miyuki tasted blood as she was double teamed by her opponent. She started seeing spots by the fifth headshot, and more blood ran down her nose. She'd raised her forcefield from her one bracelet, but it was hardly bigger than a dinner plate. One of the Akashis just grabbed her arms and pulled them back, letting the both of the start with knees and kicks into her ribs and stomach. This wasn't like the battles with monsters; somehow Akashi's attacks seemed even more brutal, more heartless. A brainless blob monster was one thing, but the cold cruelty in Akashi's eyes were what kept catching Miyuki's blurring vision. It was clear that Akashi was going to do whatever it took to win, regardless of what that did to Miyuki.
A cold fear hit Miyuki as survival instincts kicked in. She clenched a fist and grit her teeth beneath the trail of blood coming from her nose. Her Shell Shocker would take a while to recharge, but Akashi had taken it beyond that with her simple beating. Miyuki rose back to her knees and forced an arm from Akashi's grip. The prophet's nails scratched up her skin but at least she had succeeded. She summoned her forcefield with an angry focus, just to smash it upward right between Akashi's legs (or at least the one in front of her). The disc of energy hit with a harsh, dull thud that had Akashi freeze in her tracks.
"THERE IT IS! We got a cuntbuster, folks! Who'da thought we'd see that kind of brutality from the rookie?! Akashi is in absolute shock... or is that her clone? Ah, who cares. The point is, cuntbuster!!" Pando boomed with callous excitement over the action.
Miyuki pivoted and threw up her shield again, stopping the second Akashi's fist just short of hitting her in the face again. She shoved it back and leapt back a few yards, but the dizziness and pain made her stumble when she landed. The relatively unharmed Akashi charged for her again, and Miyuki used her extra senses to confirm that her weapons were at full charge from the heat of the battle. Her hair clips popped open for another sweeping pair of beams, which Akashi ducked between once again. It left her predictably in place for when Miyuki clapped her hands together, and in a flash of golden light her greatest weapon formed.
Miyuki's bracelets glowed and fused into one huge shell the size of a person, which wrapped around her forearms. Her belt and assorted bands of lace latched onto it as a safety strap before wrapping back around her waist. The two shell-shaped clips floated down from her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders as the magical jewelry hovered between the amulet in her chest and the weapon itself. They all glowed in succession before the big golden shell popped out a set of flippers and a sea turtle's head, which opened its beak to charge up a large orb of light... all in about 2 seconds.
"Golden Tortoise Artillery Shell!!" Miyuki cried, blasting a beam wider than she was out of her newly formed weapon. Akashi gave a startled scream as the beam consumed her, even the massive bolt of light coming to a stop as soon as it hit the unseen border of their battlefield. When it finally stopped, the shell jewelry returned back to their place. Her belt and straps vanished, which left a lot more tears in her costume and revealed skin than she preferred. One more reason why the Artillery Shell was for her finishing move; it had her in about half her clothes, and her underwear exposed.
The last of the light and smoke from her finishing move faded, and she saw the remains of her target: a slightly charred bronze staff. The real Akashi suddenly tackled into her, bringing the two of them to the ground as they both threw wild and weary punches.
"If you busted my staff, I will fucking kill you, bitch!" Akashi raved at her furiously, the cool and grim expression from the start of the fight long gone. It was all anger and desperation on both girls' faces as Miyuki rolled on top of her. She returned the favor from the double team earlier by punching wildly at Akashi's face, forcing her to throw up her arms to protect her head. Akashi's eyes darted to one side, and she saw the smoldering staff not far off from where they'd landed.
Akashi tried to reach for her weapon, but Miyuki grabbed for her arm to drag her back. It caught on her kimono instead, pulling it back so that her breasts spilled out of her top. Neither were truly aware enough to to be embarrassed by the fact that the two former heroines of Japan were now half-naked while scrabbling and struggling like desperate children. Akashi drove an elbow back into Miyuki's face, but she palmed the kimono-clad girl's head and shoved her face into the hard ground. She landed with a brutal crunch as Miyuki climbed over her, grabbing the staff. When Akashi lifted her head, Miyuki spun around and smashed it across her face. The staffed bent significantly when it hit, and knocked Akashi back to the floor rather limply. She groaned and struggled to push herself up, but the sweating and panting Miyuki raised and hammered the staff over her head and back. She lost count on how many times she did it, or when Akashi stopped moving, but eventually a buzzer blared overhead to make her stop.
"That's IT, folks! We have a winner! Give it up BIG TIME for the new meat, Magic Miyuki!!"
Miyuki looked up at the crowd cheering on the violence. Her hands were shaking, so she finally dropped her opponent's weapon with a clatter that was drowned out by the roars of approval. She looked down at Akashi and her charred and dented staff, the girl entirely motionless. She saw Yumi up in the stands, waving and cheering and just going crazy. Miyuki's adrenaline finally gave out and she fainted on the spot from overwhelming exhaustion.
The turtle guardian woke up in a fluffy bed, a big pink comforter over her body. The pain that rang in her head and squeezed at her stomach was gone. She was in a smallish room, the medical area based on all the red crosses on things and bandages (though the arcane runes and potions seemed a little odd). A middle aged white woman sat patiently in an armchair nearby, silver-haired and smiling warmly. She had a plump and chesty build, an overall soft and pleasant woman to look at. She wore a red robe with green trimming that was left open enough for a flash of cleavage now and then.
"Oh, good. You waking already," she said calmly, a thick unplaceable accent to her words. "The healing magic work quicker than usually." Miyuki rubbed at her face, surprised to find her nose wasn't sore and the blood was gone from her lips. She was a bit worn out, but nothing was truly sore anymore. "It was more of big clean-up job than was healing, but Valkyrie magic can no do everything, ya?"
That's right. Miyuki had read about the Monks of the Maternal Order while reading up on the league. They'd made a deal with the fight club to heal up any of its wounded and generally help keep order in the place. They were a religious group who had seen Silver Star Valhalla-Chan through her adventures until she'd successfully prevented Ragnarok.
"I was... I was fighting..." Miyuki muttered, trying to get her thoughts together. Her head felt like it had just gotten used to it spinning, and being able to think straight felt odd at the moment. Her eyes widened when she remembered the last thing she'd seen. "I attacked that girl! Oh goddesses, she stopped moving and I kept swinging and swinging... I'm awful! I'm going to be si-"
Akashi walked past the door to her room, casually eating a candy bar. Miyuki awkwardly paused from her rant about guilt and potential murder as their eyes met. Akashi's combat-ready stare was gone, and the girl lazily raised her eyebrows. "Oh, hey. Good game out there today. Didn't see it coming." She gave Miyuki a single-handed finger guns and walked off again to finish her candy bar.
"I am thinking you underestimate the healing magic we having here," the husky healer said, smiling as she caught Miyuki's stunned stare. "And how strong bodies you kind of girls have. Wards put up on this place. Are set to prevent actions that would actually end a life-ing."
"That's... nice of them," Miyuki noted, fiddling with her blanket a bit.
"They are, ah, protecting their assets. Cannot have rematches if everybody on roster is dying." The woman stood up and patted Miyuki on the shoulder. "Sister Natalya. Is good meeting."
"Yea... thanks," Miyuki smiled back awkwardly.
"You are free to go when you are readying, but you are are having guests." Natalya took her mug and stepped out of the little room as two faces came in, one very familiar and the other less so. Yumi ran in and hugged her around the waist, babbling a mile a minute about Miyuki's match. The other woman stepped in far more slowly and methodically. She had long legs, big breasts, a lovely face, and a pair of horns growing out from under her purple hair. Her body was entirely red, and black and yellow eyes watched from behind thin half-moon glasses. She had a small carrying case with her that was neatly filled with papers, and a forked tail whipping behind her skirted hips.
"Miyuki," the woman began in a low and chesty voice that sounded like it would drive most men wild just from hearing their name. It certainly came close to giving Miyuki a shiver. "Liked your work out there tonight. It was a close one, and the crowd loves those. Also the whole desperate good girl angle. Then again, that's kind of the theme of the league. Fallen heroines, desperate times, celebrities dethroned..."
"You're Miss Cortez," Miyuki noted slowly. "You're the owner of the Magical Girl Fight Club."
"It's so cool, right?" Umi whispered to her conspicuously.
"Mmm," Lily Cortez confirmed simply. She produced a check from her portfolio and handed it off to Miyuki. "Just because I'm at the top doesn't mean I can't get my hands dirty. This is for you. A little extra for you for your debut going so well. The social media trackers are showing you're really blowing up out there." Lily smirked a bit. "In the good way. Not the literal sense, because we have that sometimes around here."
Miyuki looked surprised at just how much was on the check, and she had her expectations pretty high. She had heard that pro wrestlers got paid so much because they were both actors and athletes, and this seemed to factor in that plus magical powers.
"Were you looking for a contract deal? We'd love to sign you on as a regular for the next six months, see how you fare and if we can bump you up to some of the more big-name matches."
Miyuki thought a moment, but shook her head. "I'd rather keep it... freelance, I guess." The idea was thrilling. Making this her life, fighting like it was for her life without any real consequences of knowing her opponents would survive and fight her all over again... it was what she'd wanted, really. The moment that guilt had washed away by learning Akashi was fine, she'd wanted to rest up and do it all over again. "I've still got school, and I'm doing really well so I'd rather not throw that away."
Lily shrugged, a motion that made her enormous, demonic breasts wobble like mad. "Whatever you say. Most of the ladies who try us out become regulars in some capacity. I look forward to having you back on stage sometime."
Lily turned to leave, but Miyuki spoke up. "Why are you doing this?" she asked gingerly.
"Money," Lily replied very promptly. When Miyuki kept staring at her, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "My dark master was beaten by a magical girl," she said rather noncholantly. "He was a bit of a tool, but he was the strongest Daimon alive. The idea of seeing those powerful enough to topple him being humiliated, hurt, beaten down..." She waved a hand vaguely, her expression remaining plain and thoughtful. "We don't have a word in daimonic for it, but it's a... pleasure. A secret..."
"Fetish?" Umi offered.
"Yes! Thank you!" Lily said with a proud grin. "Nothing as sexy as a powerful woman brought low, am I right?" Miyuki shrugged, but Lily tapped on her portfolio. "Well, Japan and 5 other countries agree with me. I've got another meeting to get to before I have my masturbation break and workout sesh, so you two take your time. Let Natalya or Hexcalibur or one of the golems know if you need anything." Cortez turned back with a flick of her tail and left Umi and Miyuki alone with each other.
"So you're doing it again, right?" Umi asked, squeezing Miyuki's slightly numb arm.
"Well..." Miyuki grinned slowly. She had missed it, and it felt like her amulet was tingling to be let out again. "Yea... yea, I definitely am."