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

Blanco held his arm up in the air for a moment, pumping his fist to try and rally the crowd. Of course, the fact that this also gave him a moment to breathe didn't hurt, but lucha libre was a spectator sport. Finally, Blanco rolled up onto his shoulder, and looked back at Carmen.

The fighter was already pulling herself up, using the ropes to get back on her feet. She was a strong woman, an experienced fighter, and someone Blanco knew he couldn't sleep on. His jaw was still smarting from the last couple of shots she got in! No, now it was time to throw something else at Carmen- keep her fighting, but without expending too much energy himself. At ringside, Holly watched with wide-eyed fascination. “You don't sound so sure,” Holly teased Army, catching that note of doubt in his voice. “How much time do you think she has, in there?” Holly was fully engaged with the action in the ring, but not so much she couldn't indulge in a little banter ...

Blanco rushed up to Carmen's back, grabbing the fighter around the waist. Falling backward, Blanco tried to roll her toned body over his- however, instead of going for a suplex or other throw, Blanco simply rolled the both of them over in a backward somersault! He let her slide over him, trying to plant Carmen's shoulders against the mat! Blanco would then follow through, coming out on top of her if all worked out to plan, mounting the young woman with her legs spread wide, pinning her against the mat with a sudden rollup move! Blanco pressed downward into her, trying to affix Carmen to the canvas as best he could. He didn't expect a pinfall out of this- though he might accept it- but it would be interesting to see how Carmen responded, and how much effort it would take her to kick out of it!

Army, in a rare move for him, actually didn’t respond to Holly right away, instead preferring to keep quiet and try to focus on what Carmen was doing. It was slight, not something who didn’t know his sister as well as he did wouldn’t think to make much notice of, but he could tell: there was something off about her, here. Not a crisp as usual. Not as smooth.

The reason for it was simple: she was focusing. Even though they were wrestlers here and not boxers, some things remained the same, and that included the strategy of waiting out an opponent to get a better feel for his rhythm.

She would be fine. She just needed a minute. Maybe an actual, real minute.

In the meantime Gato would be running roughshod all over her, there was little question there. That was soundly demonstrated when he moved in before she had the time to pull away, snagging her from behind and getting her shoulders to the mat in a slick, quick move.

Carmen kicked out, of course, but only after the referee managed to hit the mat once and started to raise his hand again. One and half. Far too much, especially when the fight was only starting. Feeling some desperation now, Carmen tried to get to her feet and lashed out with a quick jab towards Gato’s face, just hoping to catch him with a quick blow before he could come her way again.

Blanco settled in on top of his opponent. Not so much so that he would exert himself on the pinfall, but enough that Carmen would have to work at forcing him off. Which, of course, she did. Blanco had no doubt a fighter like Carmen was going to take a great deal more than that, to keep down. Except for the brief moment in which he did …

Blanco heard the ref complete the “one” count, before Carmen bucked back against him. Blanco hopped backward, the Puerto Rican fighter forcing him off with powerful legs. Blanco gasped a bit as he felt Carmen's powerful backside push against him, forcing him away from her and into the air. Blanco's boots would skid against the mat as he tried to keep his body under control, despite the force of the kick-out.

At ringside, Holly was grinning as if it were her that had nearly rolled Carmen up for a pinfall. The British Bombshell leaned forward, planting her palms on the ring apron. With a flick of her head, Holly tossed her hair over her shoulder and tossed a quick smirk toward Army.

“You don't seem to have much to say, Army” Holly teased, lifting her shoulder playfully, eyes beaming a bit at her man's work, thus far. “Really, no smart comments? No cocky declarations?”

Getting back on-balance, Blanco adjusted his footing and began to plan out his next move. He just needed to see which way Carmen would move, as she rolled out of her pinning predicament. Blanco's eyes widened, however, seeing the street fighter roll up and immediately go on the offensive! In a flash, Carmen was lashing out with her fist, aimed hard at Blanco's face! Quickly, he tried to get his guard up, slow things down. Despite this, however, Carmen's fist smacked square into Blanco's jaw, forcing him back as Carmen got back up!

Carmen’s kickout was more than a simple escape - it was a message, too. She doubted Gato needed reminding, but in case he did, she wanted to stress the fact that she was far from done, and that she was always one successful punch away from putting him down. If that action wasn’t enough to enforce that fact, then what she had in mind next certainly would.

Army knew that, too. That was why he was smiling back at Holly, even as the two fighters in the ring started to rise again. ”Wait for it.” He held up a finger and switched glances between her and the ring. ”3, 2…”

Just as he expected, Carmen took advantage of the brief pause to strike out with a swift, surefooted blow, one that caught Gato right on the chin. ”Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.”

Her blow left Gato reeling, and just like before, she realized this wasn’t a chance she could fail to capitalize on. Her stepped back, she stepped forward, and her leg came up as she neared, raised as high as she could manage to hit him in the face with a hopping Bicycle Kick - not her usual sort of move, but she was trying to expand her horizons, these days.

“Oh, no!” Holly gasped, watching her man literally take one on the chin. The British Bombshell cupped her hands over her mouth, trying hard to contain a gasp. Holly stepped closer to the ring, her shoulders tensing up as she watched the action play out. “Come on, mister ...”

Meanwhile, in the ring, Blanco was reeling in pain. Carmen's shots were spot-on, of course, the veteran striker working her primary game very well. Blanco shook his head out, trying to clear the cobwebs. He'd taken more than his share of hits to the face over the years, of course, but few with the accuracy and power that Carmen was shooting him down with!

When Blanco opened his eyes, he saw Carmen coming at him in a blur of violent motion. The kickboxer was unleashing on him with a hopping kick, the speed of her leg barely registering with him before it was planted right across his masked face!

“Gaaahhhh,” Blanco cried out, the force of the kick sending him sprawling backward! Blanco landed hard on his back, arms spread high over his head. His knees pointed straight in the air, rolling side to side listlessly. The luchador was left staring at the arena lights, Carmen managing to dominate him again with just a few fast and hard hits!

“Get up, mister!” Holly cried out, watching her man fall hard to Carmen. Meanwhile, Blanco would lie flat on the mat, chest heaving, as he tried to breathe through the pain!

Army was finally breathing regular now, losing the tension now that Carmen was taking back control of the match. He knew there was a fair chance it wouldn’t be lasting long, of course, given how good Blanco seemed at swaying things in his favor, but if Carmen kept on shutting him down before he could build real momentum, it wouldn’t be a problem. In theory.

He was curious about a few things, though, now that Holly had reverted back into worried-wife mode. ”So what’s with the ‘mister’ stuff? That like a British thing?” It certainly wasn’t a Spanish thing. Come to think of it, it made him wonder a puzzling question. ”How did you two meet, anyway?”

Carmen was thinking of a wholly different, more immediate question after she managed to floor Blanco. Namely: what to do next? So far, taking him on her feet hadn’t worked out for more than a minute. So, even though it was hardly her thing, maybe she’d have better luck if she kept him grounded?

Worth a shot. She started it off well, too, as she dropped down across his chest, grabbed his leg, and pulled him for a pin. The referee dropped down right away and started up the count. ”1…!”

Holly watched the match with baited breath, chewing on her lip as she watched her man get worked over by the muscular, powerful Carmen. The Brit struggled not to give in to panic, but it wasn't easy, knowing the pain Blanco was going through at the moment. Somehow, years of watching him take hits and get back up hadn't softened things up, for her. Fortunately, Army was peppering her with questions. It was something else to focus on, at least ...

"British? I don't know," she said, with a shrug. "He's my mister. What's strange about that? As for how we met ... Well, I was working as a valet at this weird little wrestling show in London. I'm pretty enough that it was good money, got to have a bit of fun. Then he showed up, doing his 'world tour,' and ..." Holly trailed off. Blanco was in trouble now, too much to ignore. The British Bombshell grabbed the lower rope, white-knuckling it as she watched Carmen go down on top of her man.

Meanwhile, Blanco was flat on his back staring up at the arena lights. His entire body was aching, his face stinging. He hoped there wasn't blood spilling out of his mask, after Carmen's bicycle kick. The luchador took deep, measured breaths, his broad shoulders heaving as he did so. The next thing he knew, Carmen's lean, muscular body was pressing down on him, pinning him against the mat.

A second later, Carmen's arm was grabbing his leg, trapping him in the pinfall. Blanco's arms dangled limply above his head. He could hear the ref counting, through the pain. Blanco could already feel the humiliation of getting pinned this quickly, off just a couple of sharp shots. Even if they were from a legit striker, Blanco couldn't let that happen!

"TWO!"

Blanco bucked his hips upward, rolling into Carmen's grip on his leg. Blanco rolled himself up and over, trying to take Carmen with him and roll the two of them over. Spinning off his spine, Blanco looked to twist his trapped shoulders out of the pinfall, breaking it up and keeping the match alive.

It seemed things were calming down now - with Army and Holly, anyway. He found something about her oddly charming, couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Maybe he was getting too used to hanging out with all the maneaters that made up the female Tension roster. Just coming across a regular, nice, pleasant girl was such a big switch, it took him off guard.

It was cute to see her getting so worked up, though he kind of wanted to put her mind at ease, too. ”You don’t have to be so tense, you know.” He gave her a playful little punch on the shoulder. ”It’s not a bloodsport. He’s safe.”

That was an easy thing to say, but while the words came out of Army’s mouth, his sister was working the masked warrior over in the ring. She couldn’t keep him pinned down for too long, showing the fight and resilience that had made him such a name in the wrestling world, but that didn’t mean his troubles were over.

When he get his shoulders up, Carmen rolled with the movement and pulled him over, getting him flat on his back. She was quick to mount him from behind, using her sheer weight to keep him pinned. She reached forward and tried to wrap her arm around his throat, looking to get him into a tight sleeperhold, something to wear away on him. Maybe even get a knockout, if she was lucky.

Holly watched the ring intently. The Brit kept a hand over her heart, watching nervously as the father of her child was taking a hell of a pounding. Holly nodded nervously, trying to accept Army's words. He had a point. It was a professional competition, not attempted murder. Still, Holly couldn't help but remember her matches, how much pain and anguish that she went through in all of them. Blanco's a professional, she told herself. He can take it.

Still, when Army gave Holly a punch in the arm, she still couldn't help but give him a glare. Admittedly a pouty, less than intimidating glare due to her worry, but a glare nonetheless. "Don't go getting to chummy now, you!" she warned, her posh accent not quite carrying over malice.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Blanco was indeed suffering. Carmen was toned, skilled and powerful, and she had solid control over the veteran luchador. Blanco was still suffering, but his quick and fluid movements just managed to save him from the humiliation of getting pinned. Unfortunately, Carmen wasn't done with him, yet.

As Blanco rolled out of the pin, he felt Carmen's strong arms still over him, not letting up for a moment. "Rrrgh," he grunted, as she shifted position, muscular figure sliding over him to lock in a sleeperhold! "Nooo ..."

Blanco struggled not to panic, as the powerful Carmen kept up her domination. Blanco had to mount a response quickly, he knew that, or he wouldn't survive for long. He couldn't go down like this, he told himself. Not in front of the fans, and especially not in front of Holly.

With a thrust of his hips, Blanco pushed upward, attempting to bridge himself up. It would put extra strain on the hold, but it was his best chance of escape. The first attempt failed, as Blanco dropped to the mat. Holly gasped, afraid it was all over. Blanco then went into another, more forceful and desperate attempt, looking to shift their body positions enough to turn Carmen's chokehold into a pinning predicament for the Puerto Rican fighter!

Army jumped back when Holly spun about, though it wasn’t out of anything resembling fear - he was pretty sure he could take her right now if she got too aggressive. No, it was just the - admittedly cute - intensity in her eyes. She was so focused on her man that the size difference between them seemed to vanish.

He raised his hands, stepped back, and tried his hardest not to laugh. ”No chumminess here.” Snicker. ”Ma’am.”

Back in the ring, Carmen and Gato were getting along in a different, more energetic manner. Carmen, despite herself, couldn’t help but smile as she locked in the sleeperhold. It wasn’t a complex move, but it used her weight to an advantage and it allowed her to anchor him. Effective.

So effective, in fact, that she was able to ride down his first attempted a struggle with ease, planting him back on the mat. ”Sorry, but no, that’s not-”

Gato’s second attempt was a bit more successful. Before Carmen realized what was happening, she was on her back, her shoulders were pinned, and the referee had dropped for a count. ”1…!”

Carmen released Gato and pushed away before the referee’s hand could drop, giving him freedom to gain hers, too. She rolled and popped to her feet fast, eager to jump back into things.