Carmen Rodriguez vs. Black Dragon - Through the Fire

Black Dragon was smart, smart enough to not leave her alone for too long before he moved back in. Carmen was expecting him to just batter her into the floor while she was vulnerable, use his impressive striking ability to wear her away - or try to, at least. But it seemed he had something more careful and practiced in mind.

Carmen cried out for a moment, a short burst of a yell, as his foot dug into her back. She stopped herself from doing more than that, but not verbalising the pain didn't do much to make it go away. All she could do was try to work past the pain as he stretched her at the seams, and try to slowly work her way back to her feet.

Army slapped the mat as she struggled and rallied the crowd behind her, getting them to clap along. It helped. A little. "Come on! Get up!"

Dragon wrenched on Carmen's arms forcefully, but she had managed to rally herself to her feet with the support of her brother and the crowd. He was a little upset that she seemed to have more strength to her than he thought. She pulled herself up and he had less and less grip on her to actually do damage. Frustrated, he let go of one arm, spun her around and irish whipped her towards the ropes. He bent over to catapult her up into the air when she returned.

As time went on, Carmen felt like she was getting a better and better understanding of Black Dragon's style, but she still wondered about the man behind the mask. It seemed like he wanted to prove something, but to who? Why? What was the reason, the goals?

She could feel the determination in every move he made, as he confidently hurled her up and tossed her towards the ropes, making her come back towards him with ridiculous momentum. He was bent over, expecting her to fall into his move and send her skyward, but she had something much better planned.

As soon as Carmen was close enough, she brought her arm out, dropped down a little, and threw an uppercut right into Black Dragon's face, hoping it would land on his nose. With a little luck it would crack that mask of his and put a few chinks in his armor.

Dragon looked up just as Carmen brought her arm up in the uppercut. It connected right with his mask and nose. Thankfully, the mask broke some of the force but not much. He groaned and turned around without realizing it, his hands on nose. He muttered a curse, though it was muted enough to be unintelligible. He should have expected her to do that, but he didn't want to blame himself for the misstep. In a rage, he blindly spun around, his right hand in a fist in an attempt to backhand Carmen.

There it was, that was what Carmen was looking for. Rage. Anger. Hate. Fitting for a guy with a name like 'Black Dragon'. That little punch seemed to strike a nerve, and just the right one. If Carmn could get him mad, she could get him making mistakes, like trying to nail her with a spinning backhand out of the blue.

Carmen ducked just in time, narrowly avoided the blow as it whizzed over her head, and slid in for the killshot. She paid Dragon back with two quick left hooks in rapid succession, aimed at his ribs.

The furious man swung wildly over Carmen, losing his balance and stumbling. His opponent paid him in kind, punching him twice in the ribs. The man groaned from the blows, still reeling from the uppercut only a second before.

Still off balance, Dragon brought his arms ip in defense of his midsection trying to block further blows from the boxer. He strafed to the side, just trying to stay active and mobile even under attack. A still target was a dead one.

Each hook connected beautifully, like clockwork, and Carmen could feel all the old, familiar sensations kicking in. She was five years younger. Back in Puerto Rico, the Catalina fight, halfway through the sixth round. Things were tight, the match was brutal, until she managed to land a good shot through the guard. In an instant things were going all her way, and she knew just what to do.

"Go for it!"

Carmen moved after Black Dragon, swaying from side to side and staying on her toes as she closed the gap. She lashed out with a couple of quick jabs into his guard, then rose up and went high with the right cross, trying to catch him before he could adjust. She advanced with every blow, putting more power into them and pressuring him to step further and further back.

Dragon continued trying to backpedal, once again on the defensive. The boxer girl was lightning quick. She'd swing in for a few fake jabs then duck down and punch him suddenly from another angle. For a few moments, he even seemed overwhelmed and unsure what to do next.

The quickness and suddenness of it all caused him to drop to one knee. At least it seemed that way. Behind the mask and undeniable sensation of pain, Dragon was brooding, waiting. Carmen was good with her art, but it wasn't a boxing match. It was a wrestling match, and if an opportunity for him to reverse it wasn't going to present itself then he was going to make one.

Carmen had to resist the urge to yell out in triumph as her attacks drove Black Dragon down. The match was far from over and she still had plenty of work to do, but getting this guy down like this felt so righteous that she couldn't help being exhilirated. It was a good landmark. Her blood was racing, her hair was flying, and she felt alive.

In a boxing match she would have to back off when her opponent dropped like this, but here, she could keep on with the attack. She had the perfect move in mind for it, a new one for her toolkit that'd she'd been practicing. She came at him with her left leg raised, looking like she was going for a snap kick to his face - but, instead, she turned it into a classic enziguri, hopping up and swinging her right leg towards the side of his head.

Like a predator lying in wait, Dragon's arms suddenly shot out and grabbed Carmen's right leg just before it kicked him in the head. He straightened up quickly to ensure she was off balance and smiled under his mask. He shook his head sinisterly and said, "Not so fast." He then pulled her body into him while bracing his shoulder and head forward rather brutishly.