The Princess and the Tiger: Katsumi Oshiro VS. Bengal

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal grunts with pain as Katsumi hammers her ribs. That area of her body is already bruised and sore from the Japanese woman's earlier attacks. She had been hoping to put her opponent to sleep and have some fun with her - but the Punk Princess clearly has some fight left. Bengal manages to hang on for a while, but Katsumi's furious fists eventually overwhelm her, forcing her to break the hold. The Blaze Tiger takes a step back to regroup, her chest heaving with exertion, one hand clutching her midsection.

[CyanDimitrik]

Each impact of Katsumi's knuckles against Bengal's ribs fuels that desperate drive to hold on and tough it out, to keep grasping at the edges of consciousness. Each thump of fist to torso is a little spark, like cracking flint to stone. And finally, when the pressure is released from her neck, Katsumi stumbles several steps away to take a quick gasp, her body hunched over, chest similarly heaving with each hard, haggard breath. Each hard inhale, each whooshing exhale, that's blowing on the ember. And it's easy to see when the fire ignites. It starts with the punkette's eyes taking a wild glint.

Then an even wilder smile.

"LET'S GO!"

Suddenly, Katsumi springs forward to close the gap between them. She torques at the hip, balance shifting smoothly to her left leg while the right chambers at mid-height, as if ready to slam into the already-battered waist of her opponent. But that's the tricky thing about question mark kicks; the angle of the attack abruptly diverts high, her boot swinging to collide with Bengal's template instead.

If all goes well, Katsumi rides the momentum of the kick into a full, one-legged spin before planting both feet on the mat and bringing her hands together in a sweet little -shape for the cameras.

Meanwhile, the commentators on the side are going wild for the sudden signature move out of nowhere, The Heartbreaker!

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal assumes, naturally, that Katsumi is attacking her ribs again. She drops her arms, trying to catch her opponent's leg mid-swing and throw her off balance. But she shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly. At the last second, Katsumi's leg twists, and a booted foot smashes into the side of Bengal's head! A spray of spittle blows out of her mouth as her head snaps to the side. She totters and falls to the mat, head ringing, eyes squeezed tight against the pounding pain in her temple. She doesn't hear the commentators celebrating, or see the heart-shaped hand gesture that Katsumi flashes at the cameras - and just as well. It would only make her feel even worse, for being such a sucker.

She tricked me, she thinks bitterly to herself, as she curls up on the canvas, clutching her skull. That realization hurts almost as badly as the kick itself.

[CyanDimitrik]

Cameras flash and glitter across the dark arena, immortalizing the moment: the Punk Princess, poised with saccharine cuteness over the collapsed and curled up figure of Bengal, fresh after delivering a powerful, legitimate mixed martial arts kick. Welcome to joshi wrestling.

The moment passes, and Katsumi reaches down to snag a fistful of Bengal's hair near the scalp. The referee-girl immediately leans in to fuss, but with a sharp, corrective glance from the punkette, she remembers the match stipulation. Hair-pulling is fine for tonight! And pull, she does, drawing the gaijin up to her feet to get a good look at her eye-to-eye.

"Startin' to notice you're outclassed here?," she snarks, her gaze half-lidded. But without waiting for an answer, her right knee thrusts upwards to drive into Bengal's stomach, before bringing her hands to her shoulder and elbow to yank and whirl, hoping to throw her forcefully back towards the turnbuckle in an irish whip!

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Deep down, Bengal is starting to wonder if she really is outclassed. After all, this is her first match in the L.A.W. arena, while Katsumi is a league veteran. But she'd never voice these thoughts aloud; her pride wouldn't allow it. Besides, she has more immediate problems at the moment. The turnbuckle crashes into her chest, stopping her momentum and painfully compressing her bust. At least she's able to stop herself from collapsing again by grabbing the ropes. Still, she knows that keeping her back turned to Katsumi is a recipe for disaster.

She spins around, trying to keep her feet steady despite her growing dizziness. "All...I notice," she says defiantly, between gasping breaths, "Is an ugly...punk...bitch." It's not her most articulate remark, but she hopes that it will bait her opponent into doing something reckless - and stupid. But maybe she's the stupid one, for challenging Katsumi in the first place...

[CyanDimitrik]

"Hey!," Katsumi shouts across the ring at her, suddenly angling an index finger her way.

In a flash, the Japanese girl is sprinting towards her, trim body tilted forward with full focus and effort centered in forward momentum. She springs the final foot of distance, arms whipping back to pull her body taut with the intention of hammering herself chest-first into Bengal's cornered body in an avalanche splash. And though it knocks her a little breathless as well to flatten the other girl into the corner, she doesn't relent, remaining leaned heavily against her body. Each inhale either of them draws can be felt by the other, the focus of the weight remaining chest to chest, heart pounding against their heated rival.

Katsumi's hands set over Bengal's biceps, attempting to guide her arms up and over the top ropes to either side while remaining pressed into her. Her head tips forward to touch her brow to the other girl, looking her eye to eye.

"I am not ugly," she retorts pointedly.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

The avalanche splash flattens Bengal against the turnbuckle once more, though this time it's her back taking most of the punishment, instead of her chest. She tries to struggle forward, but her opponent's lithe body keeps her pinned in place. Katsumi's face is so close to hers that their lashes are almost touching. As she glares into the punkette's emerald eyes, she's forced to swallow her words. Katsumi isn't ugly - quite the opposite, in fact.

Momentarily entranced, Bengal doesn't even notice her opponent snaking her arms over the top rope. By the time she regains her senses, it's too late to stop her.

[CyanDimitrik]

Katsumi studies Bengal's eyes, smirking with an impish sort of confidence. She lingers in that position, relishing the moment of pinning and bullying the other girl into the corner, feeling her trapped back against the padding. And the stare between them is just a bit longer than strictly necessary, quietly wondering what the girl's natural eyes look like under those wild-ass contacts.

Those would have to be contacts, right? She's not some... rakshasa or something.

She presses her button nose suddenly into Bengal's before leaning back. Her left forearm presses into Bengal's collar just above her tight sportstop briefly, while her right arm draws back - and rockets forward, driving her fist hard into Bengal's stomach. Her fist lingers against her stomach for a second, letting the audience collectively wince before drawing back and firing another punch aimed for the center of her abdominal muscles, and then a third punch digging into the pit of her stomach.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal's eyes widen in shock as Katsumi unexpectedly brushes noses with her. Distracted by this surprisingly intimate moment, she's woefully unprepared for the barrage of punches that follow. She tries to tense her abs against the sudden onslaught, but Katsumi's precise blows quickly break through her defenses. By the third punch, she's already slumped over, wheezing. The only things keeping her upright are her arms, still draped over the top rope behind her. Her chin drops onto her chest, as beads of stinging sweat drip down into her eyes. Blinded, dazed, and breathless, she's in no position to counter whatever Katsumi's planning next.

[CyanDimitrik]

Each hit bores in just a little harder against Bengal's midsection as Katsumi tests the strength and durability of those abdominal muscles. And in fairness, Bengal doesn't disappoint - her stomach's tight, toned, and firm. The defined muscletone isn't strictly for looks!

Noting her slumped posture, she reaches forward to cup the girl's chin to lift her head to get a look at her face. "Lovin' your debut tonight? Cuz I know I am," she coos.

Reaching forward, she wraps her left arm around Bengal's waist while the right patiently detangles her arm from the rope, letting her lean more heavily against her. And once untied, she pulls Bengal away from the corner a few steps, just to ensure her legs aren't about to get caught up in what's soon to come. Her head is tucked beneath Katsumi's left arm, and the punkette tosses Bengal's left arm behind her neck. Fingers grip onto the waistband of her trunks, readying her in a front guillotine. But with a dip of her knees to gather her strength, Katsumi rears back and pulls, attempting to sling Bengal's body in a flash of an arc before an explosive impact against the mat behind her in a snap suplex!