Return to the Ring: Carmen Rodriguez vs. Gato Blanco!

Holly could feel her heart seizing up in her chest as she watched Blanco get pressed down and turned over. She watched him get inched further and further toward the mat, bent backward … and then flipping his opponent end over end!

Holly let out a sigh of relief as she saw Blanco pull off the monkey flip, sending Carmen flipping over him. The British Bombshell had been white-knuckling the ring apron through that entire test of strength, but now realized she was a bit too worried. It was a clever trick, she thought, but would Blanco's clever tricks be enough to get him the win after so much time away?

For his part, Blanco wasn't sitting still. Rolling up to one knee after sending Carmen flying, Blanco took a moment to assess his opponent. Carmen was a true pro, the luchador knew that much, and while a monkey flip like that would have taken a lot out of a lesser fighter, Carmen was back on her feet in a flash.

Blanco knew that look, though. Lucha libre was a high-flying, fast-paced style that pleased the crowds and made fan favorites out of the best competitors. The real benefit to the style, however, was how quickly it could leave a more orthodox fighter dizzy and disoriented. And from the look on her face, Carmen seemed a bit disoriented!

Keeping low, Blanco moved seamlessly into his next maneuver: rolling forward, the luchador went onto his shoulders and swung both legs into the air! He wrapped his calves around Carmen's neck, tucking them right between her raised guard to come at her from an angle that- hopefully- she couldn't predict! With his legs locked in, Blanco would then spin on his shoulders and try to fling the fighter across the ring with a headscissor takedown!

As the fight began to heat up, Army occasionally stole a few glances away and towards Gato’s girl, spying her from across the ring. He’d seen her a few times, watched her matches, even if there wasn’t a whole lot to really see - she just wasn’t all that good, and he doubted her time with a bun in the oven had made her any better.

But she seemed nice enough. He dug the accent. He could respect her supporting her man, too, and he could see Gato was lucky to have her. Reminded him of the missing woman in his own life...not the happiest thought.

So, as his sister and Gato went to town, Army strolled over to Holly, waving as he peeked around the corner. ”Yo.”

The meeting in the ring was notably less cordial, though, as the luchadore continued to pick up steam against his striking opponent. She knew the man was fast and skilled, she’d watched the matches, but there was a major difference between seeing him action and being the one who had to deal with it. He moved like a jungle cat, seamlessly flowing into the next move, capturing Carmen’s head between her legs before she even realized he was in position for it.

In one deft move, Carmen was sent flying toward the center of the ring, where she landed with a hard crash, right on the small of her back. This time she didn’t immediately rise, instead needing a moment to regain her bearings before she began the arduous task of sitting upright.

Pivoting off his shoulders, Gato Blanco threw Carmen down with as much strength as his body could muster. The headscissor takedown was a classic lucha maneuver, despite being more mat-based than people usually associated with the style, and Blanco had honed it over the years. Fortunately, he was able to snap it off without error, his balance and timing seemingly perfect, and he sent Carmen tumbling to the mat!

Still, it was a transitional move. Like the monkey flip, it was more about getting distance and throwing poor Carmen off-balance than actually hurting her. No, that was what was coming next …

Meanwhile, at ringside, Holly was watching carefully. Blanco wasn't missing a beat, but his return after a long absence had the Brit watching with baited breath. She didn't even notice Army come strolling over until he was peeking around the corner.

“Y-yes ...” Holly said, hesitantly, eyebrow raised. “Can I help you?” Holly looked cautious, every negative interaction she'd had with the men of Tension suddenly replaying through her mind.

Meanwhile, Blanco rolled out of the headscissor just in time to see Carmen land hard on the mat. Blanco could see Carmen was off-kilter, struggling to sit up, and that was all the opening he needed. Throwing himself up to his feet, the luchador rushed her, reaching out as she sat up, then threw himself back into the air! Lean body flipping end over end, Blanco reached out for Carmen's head and grabbed her. He would then flip over the fighter with a running over castle, a move that would snap Carmen's head forward, straining her neck and spine as Carmen bent over and slammed into the mat with the completion of Blanco's flip!

And Holly was looking at Army like he was approaching her in a dark alley. This was not off to a good start, though, given what she’d been through with every Tension guy except for Kyo and her husband...yeah, in hindsight, it was kind of expected. ”Hey, relax.” He raised up his ha
nds - not that doing so really proved anything since he wouldn’t need weapons if he wanted to hurt her, but it was the thought that counted. ”I come in peace.”

Funnily enough, peace was the one thing that Carmen couldn’t get any of that moment. Once more, Gato had met up with her and gotten the better of her. Once more, he’d sent her flying. Once more she’d found herself on the floor, getting back up without knowing exactly where he was.

It was starting to get a little repetitive.

This was no different, sadly. As she was rising up, her pounced with all the speed of his namesake, hitting her with a...well, she didn’t know what it was, really. Not a move she recognized, and being on the receiving end wasn’t the least bit fun, as it ended up with her getting slammed into the mat with resounding force, the kind that she would’ve thought only a heavyweight was capable of making.

Reeling under his combined assault, Carmen’s body took over and she wound up rolling off to the side, moving under the ropes to make her way outside. She dropped to her feet and stumbled about, taking the time to catch her breath while she kept one eye on the ring. ”Santa Cristo…”

Blanco rolled out of the over castle with ease, rolling from his upper back, across the spine and down to the hips before kipping back up to his boots. The move wasn't terribly complex, but from the sound that Carmen made hitting the mat it had done the job. Standing back up to his full height, Blanco took a moment for the crowd.

In Mexico, this might have been where people started in with the airhorns. AFW fans usually weren't terribly reserved, but here it wasn't the same thing. Instead, he raised a hand in appreciation for the rising cheers, with a quick upward wave to convey to them that he was only getting started. In fact, as Carmen rolled away to the ropes, Blanco was already on the move again.

Outside the ring, however, Holly was having her own troubles. Watching the beefy Army come striding up to her was cause for concern- why wasn't he in his own corner? He didn't seem to be approaching in anger, or with any real malice, but Holly knew first hand how quickly things could escalate out of hand.

Still, she couldn't help maybe stirring the pot. “That's nice,” Holly said, trying to sound confident, “but maybe you should be paying attention to the match? Your sister is kind of getting her bum kicked by my man, over there!”

As if he heard her, Blanco snapped into motion. Carmen had rolled to the outside, but the luchador had the tools to deal with that. Sprinting forward, Blanco rushed the ropes and threw himself into the air one more time! It was an all or nothing move, an aptly-named tope suicida, as Blanco threw himself over the top rope with his upper body aimed like a missile toward Carmen! Blanco knew he'd need a breather soon, but Carmen looked vulnerable enough, stumbling at ringside, and the roar of the crowd told him this would be worth the gambit!

Army didn’t know Blanco in any real personal way, but he could kind of see why he’d gone for Holly, just at a glance. Aside from her being an odd mix of cute and sexy, she had this whole super sweet, Mary Poppins thing going on. She was, frankly, the kind of woman he didn’t see much back home, outside of the Spring Break crowd.

”Hm?” He perked up as she directed his attention back to the ring, just as Carmen was sent to the outside of the ring, looking for a reprieve. With a normal wrestler that would’ve worked, but against someone like this…

”Eh. Not too worried.” He shrugged it off. ”Not a sprint, senora. It’s a marathon.”

On the other side of the ring, Carmen was getting her bearings back in a hurry, and she’d taken particularly note of the way the crowd was suddenly getting riled up. While Gato was the first real high-flyer she’d had to deal with, even she was familiar enough with the style to realize what that meant: a cat was about to take flight.

Carmen had an idea. Maybe not the best idea, but an idea.

As Gato came running back towards her, she bent her legs and tensed up, preparing her body serious exertion. The moment his feet left the floor, she jumped straight up, threw her fist up high and fast, and attempted hit him with a punch as he came sailing over the ropes - if the timing was right, it would send him crashing back into the ring and hopefully turn the tides in her favor.

As the match went on and one move would flow into the next, Gato Blanco was feeling the blood flow through his body. He'd managed to dominate Carmen thus far, which was quite the accomplimshment. The young Puerto Rican fighter was a powerhouse in her own right, and it was a testament to Blanco's speed and agility that he'd been able to keep her reeling thus far.

So, as Blanco dashed toward the ropes, he didn't think much of the momentum he was building. That was all for the fans, all to build up their anticipation toward the tope suicide, trying to kick the match up to that next level.

Meanwhile, outside the ring, Holly was doing her best to keep any momentum from building. Army was still hanging out much too close for comfort, but there wasn't much the British Bombshell could do about it.

“Yeah, well,” she said, smugly, “I'm sure that- w-wait,” Holly looked up to the ring at exactly the wrong moment. She was expecting to get to put in a pithy quote, a snide remark, as Blanco came rushing for the ropes.

Lunging forward, Blanco came over the top rope just in time to catch Carmen's onrushing uppercut! Rocked, the luchador's body shot up, spasmed, then fell down over the top rope. He dangled there loosely, trying to catch his bearings.

“Ooof!” Blanco grunted, as some spittle came flying up from beneath his mask. Carmen's forearm caught him hard, stopping him right in place and making his momentum work against him. After the impact, Blanco hung up in the ropes, his body waiting for whatever Carmen might want to follow up with!

“N-no! No!” Holly cried out, hands going to her mouth. “Get up, mister! Get up!” Holly shouldered her way past Army, trying to get back to the ring.

The crowd collectively jolted back at Carmen’s moved, and Army moved along with them. It wasn’t just the speed and power of her attack, but the timing - too soon and she would’ve got hit anyway, too late and he would’ve killed the move in the crib. She hit him at just the right time, and now she could reap the rewards.

Crazy move, too. Definitely not something their father taught her. ”Heh.” Army rubbed his nose with an impish grin. ”Shoryuken.”

Holly, on the other hand, looked absolutely mortified. In a cute way, really, and she had damn good reason to be. Gato was stuck on the ropes, hung out to dry, and Carmen had absolutely no notion of letting such an opening go. ”Gotcha.”

After a quick second to catch her breath and stabilize, she slid back into the ring under the bottom rope and promptly popped up behind Gato, moving in from behind as he dangled. She reached around his and pulled him against, clutching him tight.

This wasn’t her thing, really, being far more of striker than anything. But today was the day to bring out the fine china, and she showed hers by lifting up, arching her back, and sending Gato flying overhead with a launching German Suplex towards the center of the ring.

Blanco dangled lifelessly from the ropes, while Holly was beside herself. One second things had been going their way, the next he was dangling like a fish on the hook! Holly’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Army, clearly not appreciating his comments. Livid beyond the ability to speak, however, Holly merely clutched her hand to her chest, and looked in horror at what might happen next.

Dazed, Blanco tried to pull himself up off the rope. He could feel the taut cable digging into his belly, could feel his boots barely staying on the mat while his head hung heavy over the apron. He could tell where he was in the ring, and that was the first step. Unfortunately, Blanco had completely lost track of his opponent, and that was the one thing worse than lose track of himself …

His eyes were too blurry to catch Carmen sliding back into the ring, or sidling up behind him. Holly’s eyes, however, were taking it all in.

“Look out, mister! Come on, fight back!” She cried out, taking a step closer to the ring. Desperate, Holly reached out toward Blanco’s boots, hoping she could get a hold of her man before Carmen got a grip and rained more pain down on his head! If only she could move quickly enough!

The feeling of the ropes against Blanco’s abs was quickly replaced by the feeling of Carmen’s toned arms. The luchador felt himself get pulled upward, moaning lightly as Carmen caught him in her grip. “Uhhh,” he groaned, as she took control of his body. Blanco felt himself getting hoisted up, off the ropes, before Carmen flung him backward and suplexed the helpless man into the mat!

“Aaaagghh!” Blanco cried out, as his head and shoulders slammed into the mat! His legs spread eagle, the luchador flopped to the mat. His body twiched and spasmed in pain after his landing, groaning as he wrapped his hands across the back of his neck and kicked the mat in agony!

Carmen wasn’t exactly a power wrestler, but she was stronger than most women - in fact, there was a good chance she was one of the strongest women in Tension, only exceeded by bruising behemoths like Rebecca Tomko and Hana Fujioka. She was certainly strong enough to lift Blanco into the suplex, and she put that power on full display as she hurled him upwards and over with success, bringing him down hard on the mat.

Shame she didn’t have the flexibility to pull off a proper bridging pin with the move, but she was still content with what she wound up with. Blanco was on the mat, hurting. She was on the mat, not hurting. That was the important thing.

Carmen sighed, taking a moment to catch her breath, before she sat up and quickly spun to her feet. No rest for the weary. Not with an opponent like this.

”Hey, relax.” Army stepped over to Holly’s side, watching her get worked up as Carmen moved in for the kill. Teasing her, just a little bit. ”You always so highstrung when your man fights?”

Carmen spared Holly a fleeting glance, before turning all her attention right back where it belonged. She dipped down and hauled Blanco to his feet, forcing him to stand, and this would’ve typically been the point where one wrestler sent the other off running with an Irish Whip - typically, but not today.  Instead, Carmen went to her roots, throwing out a quick, stunning jab to Blanco’s face, before stepping in with a hard right cross, looking to launch him roughly into the nearest corner.