4686/Training Montage!

Training Montage!
Date of Scene:	11 January 2021
Location:	Fogwell's Gym
Synopsis:	Katsumi teaches Jennifer the basics of officiating a wrestling match, and tries very much to not be intimidated by her.
Cast of Characters:	Jennifer Walters, Katsumi Oshiro

---

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer got a call the other day from Katsumi, offering to schedule a training session for her on officiating a wrestling match. They settled on today, and as for where, "I know a place."

Fogwell's gym may not be high end or fancy, but it was one she knew she could have all to themselves after hours. One of her colleagues, the blind lawyer Matt Murdock, happened to mention this gym and his history with it, and after pulling in a few favors managed to schedule something with the owner so the two of them can train after hours. Sure the ring is a boxing ring and not a wrestling ring, but it's close enough for government work for what they're trying to do. The only caveat was a suspicious "please don't destroy anything" to which Jennifer assured him that everything will be perfectly safe, and that she'd pay for any damages.

Jen arrived early so she could change into her workout clothes. Simple black shorts and a cutoff black tee to show off her midriff, with a pair of plain white skate shoes to finish off the ensemble.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro isn't far behind. But in truth, she's been trying to wrap her head around this situation. Her, a complete normy by comparison, will be teaching a superhero something. It's a little exciting! And also /incredibly/ intimidating. These are people who know everything already, right? And get involved in even more dangerous situations than her! And she's gonna be bossing one of them around?

She arrives at the gym - and it happens to be one she used not too long ago, after being told strictly to keep away from the rest of Team Japan. Hard to do this kind of training by herself, but... well. Those are the breaks. Tonight won't be solo, though!

Pushing open the door, she makes her way inside. Still bundled in a fluffy blue, fur-lined parka, she quickly spots Mean Green ahead. "Hey! You're early! That's good! Holy s***, you're buff." The comment rolls right off the tongue as if it were as normal as the rest of the greeting. She clears her throat politely. "I'm gonna get changed, 'kay?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer's laugh is light and airy, "Yeah, that's one of the benefits for being a Hulk. Insta-buff." She tries to resist the urge to flex a little bit at the wrestler, but fails, showing off her guns. "I like it. I could have never gotten this buff no matter how much I trained as plain old Jennifer Walters."

She nods when Katsumi announces she's going to get changed, and goes to hop into the ring for when they get started. In preparation she starts doing a variety of stretches to get herself all limbered up.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro had never taught someone to referee before. She isn't even sure where to begin. It's typically easier if there are three people - two tussling, and the one training for officiating. But they'll have to make do here! She tries to not think about it while she changes out to some profoundly pink and deceptively girly gear. Someone with a personality like hers might seem ill-suited to it, but when she walks out, it's with a confident, comfortable stride. Hot pink racerback sportsbra? Matching hiphugging gym shorts? Check and check. White and pink cross-trainers? Double check. Hair bound back in a sporty, relaxed ponytail with pink hairband? But of course.

Katsumi Oshiro, the Punk Princess, may seem a little more princess than punk tonight.

"Alright! Let's do this!," she calls energetically as she trots to the ring. Without further ado, she hops and slides into the ring beneath the bottom rope before popping to her feet. "So you wrestled, right? Like, at least once? You have the /general/ idea of it, don'cha?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods. "Yup. Ben spent some time teaching me the basics and a few moves that I could throw his way. He also taught me how to fall without breaking anything, so I think I've got a good handle on that side of things," she answers.

She tilts her head. "Did you ever get a chance to watch the match? It was pretty epic."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro toes her shoe against the mat and links her hands behind her back, looking guilty. "Huh-uh. I had training. And I was dealing with... stuff." Her oddly-colored gaze flits aside briefly before she determinedly refocuses on Jennifer. She's not going to let herself go down that rabbit hole again tonight. She has a job to do. And despite how bizarre it is, it makes her feel a little better just to be useful.

"Okay, you won't have to do /any/ of that, I bet. All you have to do is call a fair... -ish... match. Most of it's gonna be instinctual. Both shoulders are supposed to be pressed back against the mat for a pin, right? Sometimes in the heat of things, a pin'll happen where that isn't.. /quite/ how it lands. But you'll get it if you're supposed to be counting anyway."

Her gaze uplids slightly.

"Does that make any sense?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer doesn't press what kind of ... stuff Katsumi was dealing with. Clearly it's something she doesn't want to talk about and Jen can respect that. She nods to the question, but has a question, "How strict should I be on this, or is this something I play by ear to get the crowd to react?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Uhh... so, the thing about that is, there's a rule of stupid." Katsumi offers the much taller woman a cheeky grin. "A sort'a hierarchy of how dumb ya gotta be so things can be good for an audience. At the top is the commissioner, the general manager, the bigwigs. They're the ones who always know what's going on. I mean, usually. Just beneath them, the wrestlers! We're wiley and crafty. Beneath them, the commentators. They're usually the last to know a plot or trick when it's happening, but recognize it when it's, like, right in front of'em. And at the bottom of the list is, ah..."

Her smile spreads innocently.

"..you. Referees. There's no way in Hell they don't see me choking someone, or pulling hair. But if they stop me too quick, that's not as fun, right? So I guess ya gotta pretend to be a little dumb."

As if realizing what bad optics that might be, Katsumi twists her lips in thought. "Uh, or better yet, just keep this in mind. It's a five-count to a DQ."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
A laugh escapes from Jennifer. "I can do dumb. When people see me they're usually reminded of my cousin who... isn't so smart when he's The Hulk." She waves a hand, "Don't get me wrong. He's still unnervingly canny, but don't expect him to doing any science experiments any time soon."

She folds her arms, and cocks a hip at the mentions of DQs. "So what counts as a DQ, then?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro breathes a soft sigh she didn't know she was holding back, relieved. She has no illusions about this situation - if Jennifer had half a mind, she could probably wad her up into a ballsumi and pop her. It's a horrifying thought, and one she's trying to not dwell on!

"Okay! Good question! There are lots'a things!," reports the energetic Japanese girl. "You might see someone do this..." She steps forward and reaches up to grab for Jennifer's shoulders. And unless brushed away, she'll 'push' (as if she could overpower her) into the turnbuckle of the ring. Her left forearm sets across Jennifer's collar while the right hand remains on the shoulder, Katsumi's lithe body arched as she leans into She-Hulk's frame. It's not a choke with the forearm, given it's too low. But it easily could be!

"Like if they did this. This is a corner choke. Basically any kind of choke in the corner. You tell'em to let go, and if they don't, start counting to five. If you get to five, they're DQ'd." Beat. "Don't get to five. It's so lame."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer's head tilts at Katsumi's release of breath. "Hey, kiddo, relax." she says laying a hand to gently rest on a shoulder. "I know I can be intimidating, but you're the expert here. I've been in one match and I somehow got myself roped into refereeing a second," she says with a laugh. "I promise you you'll be all right."

Katsumi will find no resistance to Jennifer being pushed into the corner. It's like dancing and Katsumi is the lead, Jen is just following along.

She nods at then instructions, "I'm pretty sure the wrestlers don't want it to get drawn out into a five count either, so I'll be trusting them to break before I get to five, I hope."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"They will," confirms Katsumi. "And if they don't, they're stupid. But just be aware, the audience might turn on /you/ if you end a match with that." She giggles and suddenly releases the hold, stepping back with her hands held aloft in standard surrender pose. "They'll break at about the four-count, probably. Next up! Submission holds!"

She glances around the vacant ring, then back to Jennifer. "This is a lot easier to explain if there's another person, but.. whatever, right?" She gives a sheepish smile before continuing. Despite her assurances that she's fine, it's still impossible to shake the fact that she's dealing with a superpowered being. And one who is /so much bigger/ than her. "If I've got someone tangled up on the mat, and they squirm their way over to the edge of the ring? If they grab onto the bottom rope, or stick a limb out of the ring or anything, that's a rope break. They gotta release the hold. Another five-second countout. Easy to remember, right?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"Right. That one I remember," Jennifer says, nodding. "We didn't do any of that in our match, though. It was pretty much a knock out brawl between Ben and me. We've sparred before so it wasn't that far from that.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro nods, unable to really conceptualize it in the context of wrestling. Two superpowered people, bonking together. It just sounds insane. Not that she'll vocalize it! Once again, she's rather terrified of insulting her!

Clearing her throat, Katsumi opts to continue. "If they slap the mat, pat their hand on the other person, whatever - that's a tapout. Same as like MMA. If you see someone do that, signal the bell. Otherwise, keep asking the person if they submit. Sometimes they can't flap a hand, y'know?"

She purses her lips in thought, considering. "You're reffing the main event, huh? Some advice - don't do the pin count fast. Take it slow. If it's time for someone to be pinned, they're gonna be pinned. If it isn't, you don't wanna be the one to end the match early! Everyone'll be on the edge of their seat if it's me in the ring! If it's someone else, I mean.. whatever, you should still probably be a little slow."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer grins at Katsumi's confidence. "Better to err on the side of slowness. But not too slow I'd imagine. Or at least keep it fair," she muses. "Don't want to show favoritism."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"It's a show," Katsumi posits. "The audience cares more about getting the most outt'a their ticket than you being really fair. Just don't be that one referee that causes the match to go a certain way, instead of just... like... counting the match."

She crinkles her button nose.

"Anyway, the ring out rule. I'm a little fuzzy on it, but it's probably the normal American stuff. If someone goes outta the ring, start counting. I thiiiink it's to twenty? It might be to ten. You'll wanna make sure you get that info from someone else. But here's the trick! If both people are out of the ring, and one person briefly pokes their head back in or something? You've gotta start the count all over. It's only if the person stays in the ring that ya keep counting the one left behind, out."

Her hands link neatly behind her back, her hips starting to sway. "Still with me?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods, "I'll check up on that to see what the count is." Her hands find their way to her hips, and she gives Katsumi a grin, "Still with you, coach."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
There's a stout nod, silky black hair abounce. Katsumi pauses, raising her index finger to tap against her lips in thought.

"Uh... oh. You gotta check people for weapons at the start of a match. It's like, the weakest pat-down ever. Not that /I/ ever carry anything into the ring. And for most of us, it's like, where the f*** are we gonna hide something? Have you /seen/ what we wrestle in?" She rolls her eyes. Such a formality! "If you catch someone with a weapon, ya gotta take it away from'em and chuck it outt'a the ring."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"God, I know," Jennifer says. "I mean look at this:" She gestures to her outfit, "How could I smuggle a weapon into the ring? The only guns I have are these," she says, flexing to show off said guns.

"Oh!" she says, as something suddenly occurs to her. "Do you think it'd be inappropriate to have a referee uniform cut like this? Or would too many people be looking at me and not the wrestlers."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Okay, calm down, Kinniku Woman," teases Katsumi, a delicate hand lifting to waft coquettishly at her gunshow.

The question, however, gets a pause. "Uh, it's not gonna matter even a tiny bit. You're... you. People are gonna stare anyway. Wear what you want! I mean, the officials will tell you if they have a bug up their ass about something, so if they don't say anything, don't sweat it. Permission and forgiveness, y'know?"

Another beat, and Katsumi leans forward a little. "Look. You're not a normal ref'. No one's expecting you to be the best representative of what people should expect from'em. Have /fun/, okay? How often are ya gonna get to do this?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer's hands splay out in front of her enthusiastically, "I know, right? Refereeing a wrestling match was *not* on my bingo card for 2021. I admit to being a little nervous about it." She makes a brushing motion with a hand, "Fighting Godzilla.... no problem. Arguing a life and death court case.... easy peasy. Performing in front of God knows how many people? Yeah. It's a little nerve wracking. It's not something that I can go all Hulk Smash to win."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Wait. Really?"

Katsumi's head tilts faintly to the side, a few wispy bangs of blueblack hair falling over an eye.

"This is freaking you out? Someone like /you/?" She already listed all the accolades. But Katsumi's having a hard time processing what she's hearing. Something that she, herself, loves tremendously and wraps herself up in like a warm, snuggly blanket - that freaks out a superhero? How is that even possible?

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"Well, yeah," admits Jennifer, rocking on her heels and grasping at an arm behind her back. "I can do high stakes stuff without thinking about it because it's something that I'm used to, you know?" She shakes her head, "When I was a kid I was always kinda shy. Never really liked to stand out, and was always kinda awkward around people. I may have grown up (in many ways)," she adds suggestively "but that inner kid sticks with you sometimes. Now, don't get me wrong. I live for attention, now, but all those people *right there* watching you do something that you've never done before... there's a certain amount of performance anxiety."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"I.. guess..," marvels Katsumi. She clearly isn't completely wrapping her head around it. "Yeah, you don't get a whole lott'a chance to not be big'n in everyone's face, do you? You're always gonna stand out like a jolly green giant sore thumb."

Suddenly, she steps forward. There's a light kicking of her foot against Jennifer's.

"Hey. Relax. It's still life-or-death out there. If I drop someone wrong, I could paralyze'em for life. So the stakes are still high." She then offers up a bright, toothy smile. "Does that help?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer grins as if her spirits are being lifted. "No. But thank you." She shakes her head. "I've never choked yet, even before my Hulkening, so I'll be fine."

She just sighs, "God, I hope nobody gets hurt. For everybody's sake. I've heard stories."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Happens all the time. Everyone's guaranteed to leave the ring in worse shape than they came in, at the very least!," chirps Katsumi. "It's not a sport for frail people!"

Evidently unphased by this, she hops back a step.

"Ya gotta know, if someone actually does get injured, you've gotta make sure. They'll let you know if they really-really are. But if they're telling you they can't go on, call it. I mean, duh, right?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"Of course," Jennifer agrees. "I've got some field medic training from the Avengers and SHIELD, so if anything bad *does* happen, I'll be in a good place to help." She cocks a grin at Katsumi "And pity the villain who comes around to try to rob the stadium."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"As long as you don't break the villain who tries to rob the match," Katsumi lilts. "Not that /I'd/ ever be caught cheating."

Nevermind she basically admitted to breaking rules just earlier in the evening. She's back to swaying her hips in that ever-so-innocent manner.

"Another thing. Hitting with a closed fist is technically against the rules, but no one gets DQ'd over that. Same with raking with the nails, gouging eyes, hooking a finger in someone's mouth... but not a mandible claw, for some reason. I dunno what's up with that. Gross, either way."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer gives Katsumi a stern look, her arms folding. "Of course. You'd never be *caught*." Leave it to a lawyer to dissect the words. "So what's a mandible claw?" All she can imagine is something like a rampaging giant preying mantis' mouthpieces and not a wrestling move.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro shoots Jennifer a wink, neither confirming nor denying the allegation vocally.

She steps forward again, hand lifting instinctively, only to pause again. "Nnno, still gross. Also, I'm pretty sure you could bite my fingers off. It's like when someone grabs you by the mouth and digs their thumb into the soft skin under your jaw. Hurts like F***. But that's not illegal."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer snaps her fingers and points at Katsumi, "Oh! I know! It's the thing that...." she snaps her fingers again, trying to think of the name. "Mankind? Mankind does! Looks like he's trying to do a tonsillectomy with his fingers."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Mankind?"

Katsumi blinks, perplexed at first. Her eyes then widen.

"OH! Right! Undertaker's inbred cousin or whatever with the sockpuppet, I think. Yeah. That." That particular dude didn't resonate with her, it might seem.

"Uh, what else.." Katsumi's gaze lists off to the side, her right hand coming to rest against the curve of her waist. "..oh! Double countouts. If both wrestlers are down on the mat and just wallowing around or whatever, start a ten-second countout for both of'em. If you hit ten and one hasn't gotten up yet, they're both out." After a beat, she adds, "This will never happen."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer asks, "'This' being the double countout, or them not getting up in time?" Again, leave it to a lawyer to nitpick vague language.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"The double countout finishing," Katsumi explains. "It's like the lamest way to end a match. Really unsatisying. For the audience, for the wrestlers, for... everyone. So it can be like a dramatic moment or something, but good Gawd, it /can't/ be what ends it."

Katsumi strolls to the side and leans against the ropes, expecting a little elasticity. Instead, they sag considerably with her, as per typical boxing rings. She squeaks in surprise and winds up tumbling to a seated heap. Her chin uptilts and she purses her lips, attempting to give the impression that it was on purpose.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer rushes over to where Katsumi landed, "Are you okay?" she asks. She probably is, since you can't really be a wrestler without taking a few minor bumps, but Jen's instinct to help is strong. "Here," she says offering a hand to help Katsumi up.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro peers up at her; clearly her attempt to save face has failed. With a sigh, she grudgingly takes the hand. "I'm fiiiine," she drawls. "And you totally can't do that as a referee, either. Bad form. I know I'm the coolest Kat in the ring, but you can't have favorites!"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer easily lifts Katsumi up to her feet and laugh that light laugh of hers and quips, "Well, we're not in a match now, so you're my favorite wrestler here."

She takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips, "So, is there anything else I should know?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"I'm the /only/ wrestler here," chides Katsumi. "I- I mean, not that you didn't for that, uh, special charity whatever, uh.."

Katsumi sinks back a step towards the ropes. Survival instinct is sometimes stronger than one's typical nature - and Katsumi's normal inclination to barb and tease has taken a backseat to Jennifer's considerable strength and potential to smush her. That's even despite her insistence that it's fine.

"Um.." The Japanese starlet brushes a hand over the back of her neck. "..I can't think of anything else. I'm not a referee, so I maybe wasn't the best one to talk to about this. But I think you're covered!"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods thoughtfully and concludes. "I'm pretty sure I've got the basics down. I'll ad lib if something outside of that is thrown my way, and I'll keep in mind that this is a show, first and foremost." She grins and steps forward to offer a hand to shake. "Thank you so much for taking time to teach me these things. I owe you one."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Oh, you do? I am /so/ remembering that," Katsumi notes with a cautious grin.

The hand is given a curious glance. For as many times as she's been in the States, that one always gets a brief pause. But she takes the hand and gives a meager attempt to shake it. "Is this the part where I say 'make sure I make it to the final round'?," she teases. Then, as if to dismiss the idea offhand, she adds, "Nah. More fun to beat up all the gaijin. You just do your best."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"I don't know how long you're in the States for, but maybe I can take you out to lunch, or something," Jennifer muses thoughtfully. "Or, I dunno, I'll go punch Godzilla next time he shows up to rampage all over Japan." She tilts her head, "I really do mean it when I say I owe you one. You're savin' my bacon over here."

".... But I *wont* go easy on you in the ring."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro is just starting to relax again, even giving Jennifer a bit of a sneer at the mention of Godzilla. She can't bring herself to barb her on that for aforementioned reasons, but it's on the tip of her tongue! However, that relaxation comes to an end when Jennifer makes her ominous promise, resulting in Katsumi's eyes widening and the girl leaning back with a faint, disquieted little squeak.