Mordred stormed through the entrance aisle as the audience cheered her arrival to the cage. She marched with her team behind her, but her focus fixed on the middle of the cage. Lights shone in her eyes, but she did not blink. Her entrance music dispersed the second it hit her ears as she shut out any thoughts of doubt in her plan or chances against Frankenstein. The spotlights descended on her as she went to her corner the second she stepped onto the canvas, giving the audience little more than a raise of her hands.
The lights shifted to red as Frankenstein made her way down the aisle. Mordred looked up as Frankenstein's team made their way down. Moriarty and Victor flanked her at the head, the former carrying water, ice, and towels. Frankenstein entered with her head low. She raised her head as the cage door closed, flashing Mordred a glare of lightning as she took to her corner. Her fists clenched as Mordred sneered through the announcements. They nodded to the referee as he prepared to start the fight.
"Let's go," the referee said. Mordred came in with her hands raised as Frankenstein moved to the center. She kept her eyes up as Frankenstein loomed over her, staring down at Mordred with her jaw tight on her mouthguard.
Mordred opened the fight with a kick to Frankenstein's leg. The crack of her bone against Frankenstein's muscle sent a collective wince through the crowd. Frankenstein flinched but remained standing with her hands raised. Another kick came from Mordred, aimed in the same spot. Just as the kick connected, Frankenstein lunged forward. Her shoulder moved, and Mordred ducked to avoid, only to catch an uppercut from Frankenstein's right hand. Her corner shouted instructions as Frankenstein swarmed her.
"Her leg, Mordred!" Quetzalcoatl called. Mordred wanted to yell back, tell her she knew, but focused her energy on sprawling and catching Frankenstein's ankle. Frankenstein stood and punched at Mordred, unable to reach as Mordred wrapped her leg around Frankenstein's. Her grip came loose, however, letting Frankenstein escape. She stood up and moved away from the cage, standing center as Frankenstein came forward.
Her kicks came again, and again Frankenstein landed a right punch, this time hitting Mordred square in the forehead. She swarmed over Mordred, knocking her down. Mordred jumped to her feet, only to catch a right hook and fall forward. Frankenstein jumped on her before she hit the ground, pummeling Mordred from the side as Mordred got onto her knees. The referee called for her to fight back, a slap in the face as she defended against the incoming shots.
Mordred hooked one of Frankenstein's legs and spun, scrambling out from below. The crowd erupted as she got to her feet, wobbly and cut on her cheek, but still bouncing from one foot to the other as Frankenstein rushed forward with another storm of punches. She hunted for Mordred's head, catching her with several shots as Mordred backed away and tried dodging. A wild overhand shot let Mordred hook Frankenstein under both arms, locking them into a clinch.
"Cage, Mordred!" Boudica shouted. Mordred let out a sharp breath through her mouth as she exploded forward, driving Frankenstein against the cage. She held onto the clinch, throwing pot shots as Frankenstein looked for an escape. Frankenstein's corner shouted instructions, calling for her to hook Mordred's arms. Her arms pushed against Mordred, but Mordred ground her body against her, legs straight as she forced the taller girl against the fence. They remained there, Mordred catching her breath while Frankenstein wriggled and twisted in an effort to escape. Forty seconds passed until the referee called for them to break due to inaction. He brought them to the center of the cage and resumed the fight.
Mordred shot for a takedown the second the referee called for their fight. Frankenstein managed to scramble out and stay standing, pressing forward as the final ten seconds counted down. Her fists came flying as Mordred dodged and blocked. An elbow managed to slip Mordred's faltering guard, hitting her in the chin. It did little as she kicked at the same time Frankenstein punched, both on the call of the buzzer. Their shots connected after the round's end and the referee jumped between them to prevent another late strike. Neither offered the other the slightest glance as they returned to their corner, Mordred walking over with her hands on her hips while let in a deep breath before sitting.
"How are you feeling, Mordred?" Boudica asked.
"This sucks," Mordred replied.
"Don't worry; this fight isn't over yet. The start was rough, but you're still on track."
"Yeah," Mordred said as she gulped a shallow mouth of water. "I could hear her breathing against the cage."
Boudica nodded. "Don't work too hard for a finish. Trick her into making openings rather than trying to force one."
Mordred nodded as the referee began the second round. She opened with a few jabs at Frankenstein, none of which landed as Frankenstein moved her head out of the way. Frankenstein slipped her head to the side as Mordred's arm jerked. Her feet flew off the canvas, however, as Mordred pounced like a lion and took down Frankenstein, catching one leg and driving her to the mat. They fought for position as Mordred postured up and threw punches at Frankenstein. Several shots connected against her jaw, but Fran kept working to escape.
Frankenstein managed to hook her arm under Mordred and throw one leg over, taking Mordred's back with a haphazard explosion of strength. She slipped her arms under Mordred's neck, but Mordred dug her fingers in, keeping the choke from coming. Instructions clashed from both sides. Mordred managed to pull away Frankenstein's grip as she went to switch arms for the choke, leaving her caught in Frankenstein's guard. Her arms pushed against Frankenstein's locked legs. Seconds later, Frankenstein's guard came loose, letting Mordred wrestle into the top mount.
Mordred took in a deep breath as she pressed her head against Frankenstein's chin, keeping the bigger woman from bucking her off the mat. She grabbed at Frankenstein's flailing arms, trying to lock them in a submission hold. Each time resulted in Fran escaping the hold. Her body tensed and twisted as she tried to push Mordred off, only for Mordred to hang on like a chain. Frankenstein grit her teeth as Mordred postured up every so often to rain down a handful of shots. The leather of the gloves smacked with every one of Mordred's punches. Yet no matter how hard of a punch from the top she threw, Frankenstein kept fighting to escape. It wasn't until the referee called the end of the round that Mordred stood. As Mordred walked over to her corner, Frankenstein stumbled to her feet with a heaving chest and sweat-drenched hair.
"Excellent work, Mordred," Boudica said as she put ice on her back.
"Thanks," Mordred said. "Sucks that the crowd's gone quiet."
"Don't mind them; this is more important right now. She could barely stand once that round was over."
Mordred nodded. The referee called her back for the last round. "Five more minutes like that and it's yours," Lancer said as Mordred stood. She nodded again and glared across the cage, her hands raised as Frankenstein stood straight with her hands at her side, taking in heavy breaths as the referee signaled the beginning of the round. Frankenstein's hands came up as she moved in, but Mordred's went low for another takedown. A grunt broke out of Frankenstein as she failed to stop the takedown, ending up under Mordred once again.
Mordred brought her knees close to Frankenstein as she pushed down, locking herself into side control. She pushed her head and shoulder against Frankenstein. Her teeth grit against her mouthguard as she grabbed Frankenstein's wrist with one hand and her own forearm with the other, fighting to lock in a kimura hold. Frankenstein fought off the lock. Sweat dripped from Mordred's brow as her arms burned. A second attempt to lock in the hold failed, then a third. As Frankenstein tried to push Mordred off and twist to the side, Mordred rained down hammer fist punches and elbows.
The referee called for them to work, much to Mordred's annoyance. She threw one leg over Frankenstein, finding herself on top again, but Frankenstein held her head down to keep her from posturing. Mordred snaked her arms around Frankenstein's head until she found a guillotine choke. Frankenstein rolled them over. Her neck flexed as Mordred wrapped her legs around her waist and clamped down on the choke. Fatigue from her earlier submission attempts cracked her grip, and her arms came loose as Frankenstein pushed.
Frankenstein, still wrapped in Mordred's guard, threw punches with her back straight. Mordred caught one punch, spun to her side, and threw her legs up. A grunt escaped Frankenstein as Mordred locked in an armbar. She looked up to the winding clock as Mordred lifted her hips and straightened her leg, threatening to pull Frankenstein's shoulder out of its socket. Her legs felt like saddlebags as she forced herself to her feet. All she could throw were punches around Mordred's legs as the armbar remained latched on, mostly hitting Mordred's chest and shoulders. Several paltry shots hit the side of Mordred head before Frankenstein fell to one knee. Just as Mordred shifted herself closer to tighten the hold, the final buzzer sounded, and the referee pulled Mordred off of Frankenstein.
Mordred rolled backward over her shoulder, raising her arms as she stumbled back to her corner. Her teammates hopped into the ring, giving her water and ice as she leaned back against the fence. She grinned as she took in several mouthfuls of water and squeezed some over her head. The chill of the water shot her eyes wide, spiking her already rapid-beating heart. Lancer tossed her a towel to wipe her face.
She wiped away the water and sweat around her eyes, drying her eyebrows and wiping back her hair. As she looked up from the cloth, she spotted Frankenstein in her own corner, sitting with her head against her knees. Moriarty crouched next to her, though Mordred couldn't make out what he was saying. Victor Frankenstein stood closer to the cage door, his back to Frankenstein and arms crossed, scratching his forehead as if wondering what went wrong. Several other of Fran's teammates stood around, their faces betraying their concern for the judges' decisions. Mordred sighed as she wiped off her arms.
The referee called for Mordred and Frankenstein. Mordred nodded and stood at his left side while Frankenstein stood opposite. She let out a sharp breath and looked up to the lights, tapping her foot as she waited for the announcer. A tap over the speakers as the announcer tapped the microphone snapped her head forward. Her heartbeat refused to slow as she wondered if she did enough to win the last two rounds.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said. "The first judge scores the fight for Mordred Pendragon; the second judge has declared the fight a draw; the third judge has called the fight for the winner by majority decision: Mordred Pendragon!"
Mordred raised her hands and let out a short laugh as she dropped to her knees out of exhaustion. Frankenstein gnashed her teeth and clenched her fists, walking away from the referee. Ritsuka and Boudica got Mordred back to her feet as the announcer came to interview her. As the microphone came to her mouth, she glanced over to Frankenstein's corner. Victor remained near the cage door, arms crossed as he stared between Frankenstein and Mordred. Moriarty placed an arm on Frankenstein's shoulder as Fran leaned her head against the cage and punched the fence.
"Mordred," the announcer said. "You came back after that first round and scored a great victory over an opponent some people thought would be too big for you."
Before the announcer could continue, Mordred broke from her team and went up to Frankenstein. Victor followed her with his eyes. Moriarty stood aside as Mordred went up to Frankenstein and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Frankenstein barely moved. Her eyes were squeezed shut as a mix of sweat and tears poured down the purple and blue bruises on her face.
"Fran," Mordred sighed. Frankenstein opened her eyes, looking at Mordred with a searing pain in her gaze. She pushed herself away from her fence, bowing her head.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "My father… I thought…" Frankenstein failed to get the rest out. Mordred shook her head and tapped her shoulder. As Frankenstein looked up, Mordred pulled her in for a hug. The embrace caught Fran like a flash of lightning, but she wrapped her arms around Mordred regardless.
"Nah, it was just business," Mordred murmured. "Just give me some heads up next time."
Fran sniffled and nodded. Mordred stood on her toes and pressed her forehead against Fran's. She smiled as she and Fran locked eyes. Tears still flowed from Frankenstein, but she smiled and wiped them away.
"Call me later, okay?" Mordred asked. Frankenstein nodded and bowed to her again. She left the cage with Moriarty and her teammates at her back; Victor followed a second after. The announcer went up to Mordred as Frankenstein disappeared into the aisle. "So, what was the question?"
Mordred spent the night in a hospital. The heavy shots she took from Frankenstein left cuts and swelling, but doctors said she'd be able to fly home the next day. She spent her time in bed checking messages from her teammates who couldn't be there to corner her. Nothing came in from Artoria. As she sighed and set her phone on her stand, it buzzed again. Her eyes squinted as she checked to see who it was, then widened when she saw Frankenstein's name. A pale light glowed in the room from her screen as she opened the message.
Mordred, it read. Thank you for accepting the fight with me. I really wanted to ask you beforehand, but father said it would be better if you didn't know. He told me to stop calling you after I left Japan. I think he had this stupid "feud" in mind the whole time. It's my fault for going along, though. I'm really sorry for everything about this. I hope you can forgive me.
The screen reflected against Mordred's eyes as she held it above her face. She blinked several times as she let out a breath, staring at the screen as her thumb hovered over the keys to respond. Her heavy eyelids slid. Mordred sat up, squeezing out her remaining energy for the day, and put in a brief response: Don't worry about it. I won't hold it over you or anything.
Mordred slumped back into her bed and set her phone back on the nightstand. She shuffled beneath her covers, pulling the white sheets up to her collarbone. The beeping of a monitor broke the soft hum of machines droning around the hospital. As she closed her eyes, dreading the soreness she'd feel when she woke up, her phone buzzed again. Her arm shot out of the blanket as she held it over her face again. Through her narrowed, heavy eyes, she opened the message. It was a response from Frankenstein, one that cracked Mordred's eyes wide.
Thank you, Mordred. I hope we have a chance to speak tomorrow. I love you!
Thank you all for the recent reviews! If you want to see the fight I used for reference, check out Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson from Strikeforce.