A Comeback for the Ages: Raiken Kibao VS. Bengal (No DQ)

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Match Type: 1v1, No Disqualifications

Bengal, the Blaze Tiger

Spoiler

After being matched up against a string of younger talent, Bengal couldn't believe her ears when she heard the age of her next opponent. "She's forty-five? What's wrong with her?" she snarked to her agent, rolling her dark eyes in an unserious fashion. "Did she get lost on the way back to the old folks home, and wind up in LAW instead?"

The other woman shook her head, warning her client to take the challenge seriously. "She's been retired for years, but she was a superstar in Japan before you even arrived here, Bengal. Don't underestimate her." But even as the words left her mouth, she knew that the Tiger wouldn't listen to her. After a few more wisecracks about her opponent's age, the Indian woman left the office, still laughing to herself. "Forty-five! Let's hope she doesn't break her legs coming down the entrance ramp," she chuckled, as the heavy oak door slammed shut behind her.

A few weeks later, and the night of the match had arrived. Bengal waited backstage, poised to enter the arena as soon as she heard her entrance music. As the opening chords sounded, she emerged from the shadows, pawing aside clouds of smoke with her clawed hands, then kicking one of her striped boots high in the air. She continued down the ramp, setting off pyrotechnic flares on either side of the aisle with each stride. The bursts only stopped as she neared the ring and leaped onto the apron, throwing her head back to catch the overhead lights in her rippling, snow-white hair.

The crowd had started booing as soon as Bengal's theme had begun, perhaps remembering the way she'd cheated inher match against Eleanor Moonlight. They continued booing as the Tiger took to her corner, heedless of the announcer's introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a No Disqualifications match! Introducing first...standing five feet seven inches, and weighing 140 pounds...from Kolkata, India...THE BLAZE TIGER! BENGAL!"

As more jeers echoed through the stands, Bengal leaned nonchalantly against the ropes, waiting for her opponent to arrive. Maybe she had a "senior moment" and forgot, she thought to herself, smirking. I suppose a free win wouldn't be so bad...

[TrixVii011]

After signing with LAW, Raiken didn’t waste a second requesting her debut match. She was ready and immediately tasked the promotion with finding her an opponent. She didn’t care about the rules, the background of her opponent or any special request. She just wanted to fight. Not long after, a simple message arrived:

"This week. No DQ."

When she was called to get ready, Raiken was casually passing the time on her phone, sending a few texts and reminding her closest contacts to watch her match. She stood up confidently and walked with calm toward the curtain leading to the entrance ramp.

Her music began. A blast of white smoke erupted, covering the ramp. She waited, hidden, letting anticipation build. Once the main riff kicked in, she stepped through the smoke, greeted by a burst of fireworks. She stood still at the top of the ramp...bold, daring, with a sly smirk and a piercing gaze. For a few seconds, she didn’t move, letting those who knew her legend savor her arrival.

Spoiler

Spoiler

She descended the ramp with a catwalk worthy of a runway. Cold, serious, and composed. Every step was living proof of the experience she carried on her back and the total control she had over her style and the crowd.

-"And Introducing the challenger, standing five feet seven inches tall and weighing in at 148 pounds, from Morioka, Japan… making her LAW debut… RAIKEN KIBAO!!!"

Raiken made her way to the steel steps, climbed up, walked along the ring apron, and leapt smoothly over the top rope. She landed near her corner with a loud, deliberate stomp, boots slamming against the mat to announce her presence.

For the first time, her eyes met her opponent's. No emotion. Just a cold, calculated stare, almost mechanical as if she were trying to read her opponent’s soul from the distance.

Until the bell rang, there was no crowd, no referee, no arena. Just a face she wouldn’t take her eyes off… not even to blink.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal had to admit, her opponent wasn't what she'd expected. She certainly didn't seem like she was forty-five, or a mother of two. With her flawless skin and sculpted muscles, she still looked like a woman in her physical prime. Was this all some prank her agent had played on her?

As Raiken climbed the steps into the ring, however, Bengal did notice one aspect of her appearance that gave her true age away: her eyes. Deep and dark red, they gave off an impression of vast experience - and malevolent intent. As those scarlet orbs locked onto Bengal, the Tiger's breath caught in her throat, and she found herself unable to look away. It took her a moment to recollect herself, and regain her usual swagger. By that time, her opponent had already taken to her corner, still watching Bengal like a hawk.

"So," the Tiger began, thrusting her chin imperiously toward Raiken. "You're here to make your big comeback, huh?" She laughed derisively. "Good luck with that, has-been. The only place you'll be coming back to is the emergency room. But at least you've lived a long, full life!" She adjusted her gloves one last time, then crouched down into a fighting stance, awaiting the sound of the bell.

[TrixVii011]

Raiken listened closely to her opponent’s taunts, her face remaining unreadable. Throughout his career, she had faced countless loudmouths, and Bengal was just another one of them. Whatever she had to say, she had heard it all before. Still, such boldness wouldn’t come cheap, Raiken intended to make her pay for every word with hard-hitting retribution.

The bell rang, and Raiken exploded into motion. She sprinted across the ring with blinding speed, cutting the distance in no time while narrowly avoiding a crash with the referee in her charge. Using the momentum, she leapt into the air, curling into a ball before snapping her legs out with force, aiming to strike Bengal’s torso and send her crashing into the corner with full impact if succesful.

If the move lands or not this was a statement: With Raiken there are no half measures, either you give it all from the start or she will eat you alive.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal usually favored a quick start to matches, but she still found herself unprepared for the blinding speed of Raiken's dropkick. All she could do was widen her eyes like a deer in headlights as her opponent came rocketing toward her. The Japanese woman's feet crashed into her chest, sending her flying backward into the corner. Even with the padding on the turnbuckle, it was a jarring impact.

The Tiger exhaled sharply as her head snapped back, but she managed to catch herself on the ropes, preventing herself from sliding all the way to the mat. Her breasts were throbbing and bruised from the blow she'd taken, and she realized she'd bitten her lip when she collided with the turnbuckle. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving behind a crimson smear on her dark skin.

Her opponent may have drawn first blood, but the match was far from over. Bengal feigned injury, remaining bent double in the corner as Raiken approached. Once the other woman was close enough, the Tiger thrust herself off the ropes and upward, aiming a jumping knee strike at the older fighter's jaw!

[TrixVii011]

Raiken sprang to her feet right after landing her dropkick cleanly. As she did, she noticed Bengal’s lip was bleeding, a minor wound, but enough to show her opponent hadn’t been ready for such an explosive opening. Instead of feeling satisfied, Raiken felt annoyed. It was yet another sign she was being underestimated, something she needed to correct.

She took a few steps forward, still caught in her thoughts, when she saw Bengal positioning herself to launch forward. Raiken stopped abruptly, bracing for whatever was coming but she wasn’t fast enough. A sharp knee struck her jaw, forcing her to stumble back with a loud, guttural HUMMPH!
The hit was solid. Raiken had to admit, Bengal’s speed was a pleasant surprise. She, too, had fallen into the trap of underestimating her opponent. Just because she was younger didn’t mean she was a rookie. This wasn’t the time to “teach her a lesson” this was a fight between real experienced warriors.

Still rubbing her jaw, a faint smile formed on Raiken’s face.

-This is how real fighters greet each other not with that handshake shit- she said calmly, shifting into a stance that invited a test of strength.

-Well... I’m waiting.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

For once, Bengal found herself actually agreeing with her opponent. She had no patience for handshakes either. However, glancing at Raiken's bulging biceps, she realized that she'd be foolish to try and match her strength head-on. This woman looked like she could crumple Bengal up like an origami doll, if she was given half the chance. Still though, the test of strength could be good cover for what she had planned...

"Real fighters actually fight," Bengal spat dismissively, reaching out both hands as if she was accepting the challenge, "Instead of just running their mouths!" Just before the two could lock up, the Tiger suddenly shifted her posture. Grabbing the Japanese woman's right wrist and elbow, she yanked back with all her might, trying to slingshot her opponent into the corner behind her. If the trick worked, she'd follow up with a blazing barrage of claw strikes to the older wrestler's exposed back!

[TrixVii011]

Raiken stood ready, waiting for Bengal to engage in a test of strength. It looked like she was going to accept, so Raiken focused completely on reacting the moment contact was made. But beneath Bengal’s "sugar-coated" words, there was deception and it worked. Before she knew it, Raiken found herself thrown hard into the corner. She didn’t like that one bit. Crashing into the turnbuckle, she spun around, ready to glare at her opponent and judge her for such a cowardly move.

Suddenly, a storm of clawing strikes rained down on her exposed back, drawing a sharp grunt of pain. As the attacks kept landing, Raiken’s patience wore thin.

-Fucking enough!-she snapped.

With a small hop for momentum and a sharp spin, she aimed a brutal elbow straight at Bengal’s nose. If the strike landed, Raiken would immediately grab one of Bengal’s arms, using all her strength to hurl her forward, setting her up for a devastating clothesline, hoping to flip her opponent clean over her extended arm.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal's freshly sharpened nails dug in deep, leaving a patchwork of scarlet scratches across the former superstar's rippling back. She continued to rain down strikes, attempting to keep Raiken pinned in the corner with her unrelenting offense. But for the second time that night, she had underestimated her opponent's speed. As she drew back her hand for another slash, the Japanese woman suddenly sprang off the bottom rope and twisted around, driving her elbow into Bengal's face!

The Tiger was able to get her guard up in time to prevent a broken nose, but the impact left her forearms bruised and aching. She staggered backward, massaging her wrist. Before she could recover, Raiken grabbed the injured joint and yanked the Indian woman into a vicious clothesline! The older woman's burly arm smashed across her throat, like a tree limb blown by gale force winds. Bengal pinwheeled through the air before landing awkwardly on her chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs and flattening her breasts against the canvas. Gasping for air, she raised herself up on her hands and knees. The clothesline had left her disoriented, and she wasn't sure of her opponent's exact position. She cast her gaze back and forth like a cornered beast, trying to get her bearings before Raiken struck again.

[TrixVii011]

Bengal’s reaction speed was impressive, Raiken hadn’t expected her to block the elbow strike, but somehow she did. Still, Raiken pressed on with her plan, seizing her opponent’s arm and delivering a brutal clothesline. Bengal bounced back quickly, but Raiken saw through the movement...her opponent was completely disoriented, likely seeing blurry by the way she fumbled around trying to locate her.

Raiken moved with calculated precision, using Bengal’s temporary “disorientation” to slip into her blind spot. Crouching low, she waited for her rival to recover. Then, at the perfect moment, she let out a sharp, commanding.

-HEY!

As soon as Bengal turned, Raiken will search to rise her slightly off the ground and slammed her full-force onto the mat with a devastating spinebuster. Whether the move landed clean or not wasn’t the point, this assault was psychological. Raiken wanted to get inside her opponent’s head, to make one thing clear: she was fast, unpredictable, and could strike from any angle at any moment.