Tiger Mom: Tsubaki Ito vs Bengal

[Misfit_Alien]

Tsubaki Ito vs Bengal, 'The Blaze Tiger'
Match Type: "Standard."
Win by scoring a pinfall of three seconds on the opponent, forcing a wrestler to submit, or knocking the wrestler out. Additionally, if a wrestler remains outside the ring for too long, they will be disqualified after a ten-count. Furthermore, if a wrestler performs an illegal move and is caught in the act by the in-ring official, they will be disqualified.
Standard rules - DQs, Count-outs, and the submission or pinfall MUST happen within the confines of the ring.

Spoiler

"Making her way to the ring, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan, standing at 5'10 and weighing 170 lbs...TSUBAKI ITO!!!"


Tsubaki stepped out from backstage, greeted by the cheers of the crowd who took in the woman's gorgeous figure. The raven-haired woman was looking bright and eager as always, waving to the audience and even blowing a few kisses here and there, elated that so many would be so friendly toward her. All this attention made her feel so beloved and admired, which, for a woman of her age, was something she desperately needed. She wasn't getting any younger or prettier, but the LAW crowd made her feel like the queen bee of a hive. She was peppered with compliments and adoration from all sides as she walked toward the ring, a noticeable tinge of red appearing on her face as she softly chuckled under her breath, feeling a little bashful in the moment. Tsubaki could barely contain all that vibrant energy she was feeling behind her warm smile. Still, the lovely and motherly housewife-turned-wrestler moved with a renewed sense of passion and vigor, never letting anything keep her down for long. With all this motivation coming her way, she felt like she could take on the world.

So, as she crawled up the apron and entered the ring, she strode confidently toward her corner, hopping on her feet and eager to demonstrate that she was more than capable of claiming a win for herself. While her first couple of matches led to a bit of a rocky start, Tsubaki was nonetheless determined to find her stride and leave the arena with a decisive victory. Now the question remained: Who would serve as the mountain she'd need to overcome tonight?

Spoiler

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

At first, when Bengal was informed that her next opponent would be an older woman, she assumed she’d be facing a returning veteran. That made the Tiger wary - she’d previously suffered a crushing defeat in similar circumstances, fighting against the hardcore legend Raiken Kibao. When she heard instead that Tsubaki Ito was a 46-year-old just starting her in-ring career, all she could do was blink in disbelief.

“What the hell? Who starts wrestling at that age?” she finally managed, arching one of her thin eyebrows in confusion. “Can you even call that a midlife crisis? Seems to me like she’s past that point already…”

Her agent didn’t have an answer for her crude remarks, however. If Bengal wanted to find out what made Tsubaki tick, she’d have to get in the ring and take her apart herself. On the night of the match, that same curiosity drove her to take a sneak peek at her opponent’s entrance, peering through the curtains from gorilla position.

The curvy, dark-haired woman strutting down the ramp looked to be in fantastic shape for her age, but that wasn’t what Bengal was interested in. Instead, she watched the way Mrs. Ito reacted to the crowd, blushing and waving ecstatically. She seemed to be overcome by the attention of so many fans, even though the size of this particular venue was modest compared to LAW’s larger arenas.

Up until this point, the Tiger had been suspicious that this was all some elaborate hoax by company management. But there was no denying it - despite her age, Tsubaki truly seemed like a rookie. A hungry smile crept across her face as her entrance music faded in, and she charged confidently out from behind the curtain, anticipating an easy win. The announcer's booming voice cut over the explosions of the pyrotechnics: "And her opponent...from Kolkata, India...standing five feet seven inches, and weighing 140 pounds...THE BLAZE TIGER! BENGAL!"

Spoiler

The attitude of the crowd changed on a dime. All the compliments and kind words from the fans ceased. Jeers and catcalls rained down from the stands like poisoned arrows. Bengal smirked; this reaction was what she’d been counting on. Even though the hatred wasn’t directed at Tsubaki, the inexperienced fighter might find herself overwhelmed by the sudden rancor and noise. The more rattled she felt before the match, the easier it would be for Bengal to destroy her.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she sprang onto the apron, blowing a raspberry to the crowd in a parody of the way Tsubaki had blown kisses. The boos grew even louder. Satisfied, Bengal ducked under the ropes into the ring and approached her opponent, fixing her dark orange eyes onto the other woman’s sparkling blue ones. She leered and darted her tongue over her lips, trying to unnerve the rookie before she spoke.

“You care a lot about what they think, don’t you?” Bengal asked, gesturing around at the packed stands. She didn’t wait for Tsubaki to reply. “That’s why you’re going to lose,” she continued, baring her teeth in a snarl. “I fight for myself. You fight for a bunch of parasocial losers. Wannabes who don’t belong in the ring, any more than you do.”

She lowered her voice to a hiss, not wanting the referee to overhear the next part. “I don’t know what kind of stunt the suits are pulling here, recruiting a senior citizen. Maybe they want to appeal to the nursing home demographic. I’m going to show them why that’s a bad idea. You like attention, grandma? You’re about to get all the attention you can handle. Nobody can look away from a car crash, right?”

Laughing at her own dark joke, she began backing up toward the corner, as the referee glanced over suspiciously. The Tiger leaned against the ropes, stretching her arms around the elastic, waiting impatiently for the opening bell.

[Misfit_Alien]

When Bengal arrived, Tsubaki was excited to see such a spirited-looking young woman enter the fray. Confident, bold, and vibrant...a tigress in every sense of the word. And coming all the way from India? How very exciting! Tsubaki thought about asking the young woman all about her home country after this was all over, perhaps over some tea if she had the time. However, her friendly yet naive thoughts quickly soured as Bengal seemed to share a rather antagonistic relationship with the audience, reciprocating the jeers and boos with a rude and immature response...how childish. The sudden turn from happiness to vitriol was a startling sensation, as Tsubaki hadn't expected to face another...disliked...competitor, to say the least. While not rattled by the commotion, she was shocked that someone could have so many detractors.

However, upon their first interaction, it wouldn't take Tsubaki long to understand why-...

"Well, I had hoped to start things off on the right foot...but it seems many of you youngsters are keen to be disrespectful toward your elders. I haven't even said anything to you, and yet here you are mouthing off to me. I was going to talk about how lovely you look this evening, young lady. I wanted to compliment you on your amazing choice of gear. It looks wonderful on you. The whole tiger theme is fantastic-...You truly have the look of a star, but overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. It seems this 'kitten' needs a lesson in humility. Very well, allow 'mother' to demonstrate to you and all these people what happens when you misbehave-..." Tsubaki said, clicking her tongue in a 'tsk- tsk-' fashion as she admonished Bengal for such a ridiculously abhorrent attitude not only toward the Japanese woman but to the audience as well.

Without much worry, and with no reason to try and hold back against such a rude young woman, Tsubaki walked back to her corner and readied herself for the likely challenging but necessary battle ahead of her.


DING DING DING


When the bell rang, she moved forward to grapple with Bengal. However, Tsubaki understood that a woman like her opponent might not be as receptive to the idea, especially after Tsubaki berated her like a mother scolding a problem child. With that in mind, Tsubaki tried to make an educated guess by baiting Bengal into a Test of Strength, playing coy and leaving herself open for the Tiger to take advantage of...effectively playing possum in a sense. However, if Bengal attempted anything underhanded, Tsubaki would use her fundamental knowledge to counteract the Indian woman's moves by slipping around for a quick Waistlock. If successful, Tsubaki would slip behind the Blaze Tiger, clinging to her backside as her arms coiled around her hips and waist, applying lots of pressure onto her core as she pressed up against her.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal’s grin grew even wider as she watched her opponent raise both her hands, challenging the Tiger to a test of strength. She really is a rookie, after all, the Indian fighter gloated. Anyone with real wrestling experience would know better than to give her an opening like that. She moved forward in the same position, pretending to accept the invitation - then launched a lighting-fast knee strike at the taller woman’s midsection!

Yet as it turned out, the Tiger was the one being baited. Tsubaki spun around behind her, moving with surprising spryness for a woman of her years. She seized onto Bengal’s hips from behind, applying an expert waistlock! The younger fighter felt as if she’d fallen into a snakepit, as her ribs were constricted from all angles. Being caught in a hold like this made her opponent’s weight advantage even more apparent.

Still, that didn’t mean Bengal was out of options. She bucked her own hips back and twisted her opponent’s gloved wrist, trying to break the waistlock. If she succeeded in prying the other woman’s arms apart, she’d pull one across her shoulder and bend her body forward, using Tsubaki’s own weight against her for a judo throw!

Judo Throw

[Misfit_Alien]

After narrowly avoiding Bengal's knee strike attempt, Tsubaki managed to get the so-called 'Tiger' exactly where she wanted her, slipping behind her and locking her in a tight Waistlock...or so the older woman thought. However, to Bengal's credit, those muscles weren't just for show. The Indian woman managed to keep herself firmly planted on the ground, bucking her hips back into Tsubaki, slightly startling the older woman as she gasped from the surprising force Bengal had. Furthermore, Tsubaki was caught off guard again when Bengal managed to break her hold so easily, latching onto her arm with such pressure that Tsubaki couldn't help but wince and whine before being tossed over Bengal's shoulder with a classic Judo Throw.

Tsubaki hit the canvas back-first, landing with a stiff -THUD- as she had nothing to break her fall, leading her to gasp and groan as she nursed her hips and backside. Tsubaki quickly rolled to her feet, remembering the lessons she had learned thus far. No matter how much it hurts, she HAD to keep moving. So, she tried to pick herself up and get her hands up, readying herself for Bengal's next move after losing that opening gambit of hers.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal sighed with relief as air flooded back into her lungs. Her abdomen was still aching from the pressure of the waistlock, yet she knew that she couldn’t afford to waste time licking her wounds. Tsubaki had rolled with the landing, and was already rising to her feet. The Tiger considered going for a low blow, kicking her opponent between the legs before the older woman could turn to face her. But the referee was watching them carefully, and she didn’t want to risk a loss via disqualification. This is why I prefer Falls Count Anywhere matches, she thought to herself. More ways to break line-of-sight…

Still, it didn’t take her long to think of an alternative. As Tsubaki spun around, hands raised in a guard, Bengal sprang up onto the middle rope behind her. The elastic launched her into the air like a slingshot, as she twisted her torso so that it was perpendicular to her opponent’s chest. If the Tiger had timed things right, she’d crash down onto the Japanese fighter with a Diving Crossbody, knocking her flat on her back once again. From there, she planned to keep up the pressure, straddling the rookie and blasting her elegant face with mounted strikes. She’s bigger than me, but I bet she’s never taken a real punch before, Bengal mused. One good blow to the head, and she’ll be wishing she was back at home folding laundry!