Tigers in the Moonlight: Bengal VS. Eleanor Moonlight (D)

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Eleanor seemed to be on her last legs, too exhausted to respond to Bengal's blows. As she moved onto the ramp, she tripped and fell, then threw out a desperate kick. But it was weak and slow, and the Tiger caught it easily. She twisted the rookie's ankle, straining the fabric of her black-and-white laced boots.

"Can't manage to stay on your feet?" Bengal asked mockingly. She continued to wrench on the ankle, flipping Eleanor over onto her toned stomach. "I can see why. A loser like you belongs...on her knees!" As she spoke, she would lift her opponent by her trapped leg, then spike the young woman's knee down viciously. From there, she would attempt to grab the other fighter's wrists, transitioning to a Kamigoye - the same technique Eleanor had dodged before. Could the rookie pull off that evasive maneuver a second time?

[TrixVii011]

Bengal had lifted her by the leg as if she was showing the trophy of a hunt to the public, Eleanor tried uselessly to hold on to the ramp at all costs although this would be impossible due to the smooth surface of the ramp, sooner than later her wrists ended up trapped in the claws of her opponent and suddenly her face hit her opponent's knee while a noticeable trickle of blood shot out of her nose.

Eleanor's kneeling body almost touched the ground at an angle that seemed to defy gravity, suddenly she began to incorporate herself and managed to extend out her leg making it look as if she could stand up.

-Hmpp...I...I'm not going to lose- she replied to Bengal with a smile that was starting to get covered by the nose blood.

That knee had left her even more disoriented, now not even the lights were distinguishable, she could only see shadows. Despite her iron will her body did not seem to respond and she fell heavily on her side.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal was shocked when Eleanor stood up after her Kamigoye - but a mere moment later, the white-haired woman collapsed again, as if her brain had finally processed the damage her body had taken. Her stubborn will to fight was admirable. Still, that didn't mean that the Tiger was going to show her any mercy. "You're right. You're not just going to lose," she intoned, staring down at her opponent as if in judgement. "You're gonna get destroyed!"

This time, Bengal didn't wait for her opponent to rise. Instead, she got down on her side next to Eleanor, nestling together with the smaller woman like two spoons stacked in a drawer. The Tiger trapped Eleanor's topmost arm, then interlocked her hands around the rookie's head, twisting the other woman's head inward toward her chest. The crowd thronged the aisle on both sides of the entrance ramp, jockeying for space to watch, shoving against the barricades. Many of them cringed when they saw the way the rookie's body was being contorted; others cheered for Eleanor to escape, although that was starting to look unlikely.

The fans were so preoccupied that they didn't even notice that Bengal had added a new submission to her repertoire, which irked the Tiger immensely. She'd spent a long time practicing this technique, a move known in MMA as the body twist, but which she'd decided to call "Terror's Clasp"! She had hoped it would make a bigger impression, but at least it was effective. Eleanor's body was bending like a pipe cleaner in her grasp, straining the young fighter's spine to its utmost limit.

"Do you feel it?" Bengal whispered into her opponent's ear, her breath hot, her voice husky with excitement. "That tension building, like a storm about to break..." She wrenched on Eleanor's head as she spoke, digging her nails into the rookie's temples. "Here it comes...get ready!"

Terror's Clasp (Body Twist Submission)

[TrixVii011]

Being aware of what was happening Eleanor could perceive how her body began to bend under the complex grip that Bengal was trying to apply, although she tried to pull in order to counteract, this had not proved to be effective and sooner rather than later she felt the pressure exerted under her head and arm. Bengal said something directly into Eleanor's ear although she did not understand it, everything sounded muffled and indistinguishable. Adding to the pressure on her joints, now it was added Bengal nails digging into her temples.

-I can't lose like this!- Eleanor thought in frustration.

-AAAH! - she let out a last angry cry as she struggled with her head trying to break the grip and, as collateral damage, allowing Bengal's nails to scratch her face leaving noticeable lines starting from her punished temples.

While this was happening the referee arrived next to the wrestlers, seeing this Eleanor became even more desperate and, with her leg, started kicking Bengal without much effectiveness, the desire was there but the strength was no longer enough to hurt the opponent.

The pressure of the move was increasing, if she didn't escape now she would never do it, with her free arm she tried to damage her opponent's ribs, blow after blow her strength and spirit were disappearing. Two minutes of this torture passed.

Eleanor gave the signal with her hand. She had surrendered.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Eleanor fought for an incredibly long time, raining down blows and kicks that gradually became weaker as Bengal's hold tightened. It was a valiant struggle, but in the end the white-haired girl was forced to tap, fluttering her wrist against the Tiger's forearm with a staccato rhythm.

Bengal sighed contentedly, giving her defeated opponent one last agonizing squeeze, before finally releasing her grip. She had done it - and hopefully, the audience would only remember the fact that she'd won, and not all the trouble she'd had with this younger, smaller rookie. The Tiger rose to her feet, impatiently beckoning the referee to come and lift her hand.

The official grudgingly did so, as boos rained down from both sides of the ramp. Bengal smiled at the childish outrage of the fans, basking in her victory as the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers: "Here's your winner, by submission...THE BLAZE TIGER! BENGAL!"

As the Indian woman turned to leave, she suddenly paused, seeing Eleanor's crumpled body still lying on the ramp. The referee watched suspiciously, wondering if the Tiger was planning some kind of post-match beatdown. But that wasn't what was happening. A mix of unfamiliar emotions had suddenly flooded Bengal: respect for her fallen foe, mixed with a strange kind of sympathy. After all, she herself had ended up in a similar position at the end of her own debut match. She had given the fight everything she had, and Katsumi had still defeated her. Were she and Eleanor so different, after all?

Bengal bent down abruptly, seizing Eleanor's wrist. The referee started forward, then stopped, mouth hanging open in shock. Instead of attacking her opponent, the Tiger had helped the rookie to her feet, and raised the young woman's arm in a gesture of respect. An awed hush fell over the crowd, before they burst into raucous applause. No one in the L.A.W. audience could remember Bengal ever doing something like this before. The Tiger was both a sore winner and a sore loser, never one for giving her opponents kudos after the bell. Yet tonight, something had changed.

What was it? Even Bengal didn't really know. All she knew was, she couldn't stay here. The cheers from the crowd were making her flush; it was a reaction she hadn't experienced in a long time. She turned to Eleanor, her amber eyes smoldering. "I did you a favor," she informed the young woman, trying her best to maintain her composure. "Don't get used to it. In this business, the only person you can count on is yourself." Then she whirled away and strode up the ramp, quickly disappearing backstage, like a wild beast vanishing into the jungle.

Winner by Submission: Bengal