[Steel Cage Match] Charlotte Ravel' vs Grace Kenning - Locked in here together (Apex Match)

[Fairy Dragon]

Grace could feel Charlotte's body finally reaching something close to a limit, she wasn't sure how long she'd have but for the moment she had the advantage. Her face was a beaten mess and she still felt blood on the back of her head, she was looking to end things now. Grace moved to knock her down with another punch, only for her body to struggle to move. Grace didn't realize how exhausted she was until now, struggling to move with her body not able to go at her best much longer, and she cursed at the fact she was letting a chance to knock Charlotte out go because she couldn't take advantage. She tried to will her arm to come up all the way to move when Charlotte made the first move for her, having recovered enough to take a new stance and instead of waiting for Grace to act would throw her weight behind a punch.

"Ugghh!" Grace groaned, her solar plexus barely able to handle another punch like that as her belly caved once more. Grace wanted to lean in to try and breathe again, unable to move much even now and while she gasped for air Charlotte pushed her back, knocking the big girl back before she hit the ropes and was sent back towards Charlotte.

[skip-stop]

The audience gasped at the moment when Charlotte's fist crashed into her opponent's solar plexus. This was the second time the Frenchwoman demonstrated this punch. But even though they had already seen it, it still caused a big wave of noise. The fighting style of the Sand Lizard was very different from the style of most other fighters, and therefore they did not cease to wonder what this woman, who traveled half the world studying a variety of martial arts, was capable of.

Grace could not withstand the force of this punch, which combined all the strength and speed of the pink-haired woman. A painful groan came out of her mouth and she involuntarily leaned forward. But the most amazing thing was that the force of the punch was enough for the American woman, despite their difference in weight, to back away at such a speed that at the end of her journey she literally bounced off the ropes.

For Charlotte, it was a chance she had no right to miss. The path she has taken since the beginning of Apex has made her stronger. And not only from the physical side. Thanks to the rivals she met, she was able to improve her fighting skills. Every mistake she made on the way to this match became a source of knowledge for her.

Overcoming the pain after all the attacks she received from her rival's attacks, Charlotte took a step towards Grace. Leaning down, she intended to throw both hands forward. She wanted to use one hand to grab the American woman's right thigh, and the other hand to grab Grace's head, thereby pressing her shoulders against the front side of her rival.

"GHHHH!!!!" Charlotte groaned at the moment when she strained almost every muscle of her body.

Gritting her teeth, she intended to straighten up to her full height in order to put Grace on her shoulders in a fireman's carry position. No one would have a problem seeing how much her legs were shaking at that moment. But although drops of sweat mixed with blood rolled down her skin, she did not fall under the weight of her rival.

Channeling perhaps the last of her strength into her arms, Charlotte intended to throw Grace's legs forward with her right hand, while simultaneously clasping Grace's head with her left hand as if it was a front facelock hold. No one has seen it yet. Charlotte added this move to her arsenal after her first defeat from a heavyweight. In a sense, she did it solely in order to get an additional tool that could cause a colossal amount of damage to an opponent who was bigger than her. And now it's time to check how effective it will be in practice.

Leaning back, Charlotte intended to fall on her back and drive Grace's head into the mat from a height of just under two meters! Someone knew it as a fireman's carry DDT, but the Frenchwoman gave it a different name. It was her new finisher that she mastered after the match with Amy Evans, and she called it the lizard's scale!

[Fairy Dragon]

Grace bounced back, stumbling on her feet and boosted by the ropes to keep her up on her feet and before she knew it, heading right towards Charlotte. Her body was acting by itself as every motion was forced by momentum from either Charlotte or the ropes until the moment she was back towards Charlotte who lifted her up on her shoulder. The Sand Lizard had her up quick, having planned this moment well to take advantage of Grace's position until she had her. Grace struggles only delayed Charlotte before the redhead lifted her again and this time dropped her down from Grace's shoulders down to her head with a big fireman's carry DDT.

"Aagggh!" Grace screamed as her head was planted into the mat. The impact was skull shattering, and flowed from her neck down to her spine and back again as Grace's body collapsed once more. She felt her body go limp while she laid there, feeling nothing but the pain and exhaustion of the battle taking it's toll on her body once again, leaving the crowd to wonder if Grace had any strength left to fight.

[skip-stop]

Lifting Grace onto her shoulders, Charlotte felt her spine ready to break. Yes, she wasn't weak. She could lift the weight that exceeded her own, because otherwise she wouldn't have a single chance against opponents like Grace. At the current stage of the match, most of Charlotte's forces remained somewhere far in the past. But even though she had almost nothing left, her desire to get to the top was stronger.

Grace was unable to put up a fight against the new fast Charlotte's finisher. The American woman's head crashed into the mat, causing the ring to shudder. Grace remained lying almost motionless, but the groans of pain indicated that she was still conscious. Charlotte was lying next to her rival. Her eyes were closed and her chest was heaving up and down.

"Pha... phaa... phaa..."

Because of her heavy breathing, she could hardly hear anything around her. It seemed to her that if she even slightly reduced the number of breaths, she would immediately lose consciousness. The Sand Lizard felt exactly the same as at the end of her match with Amy. She had practically nothing left. But this time the match is not over yet. Therefore, the Frenchwoman opened her eyes and looked at her rival.

They were both exhausted, their bodies covered in sweat and blood. It seemed that their chances were equal. But deep down, Charlotte knew for sure that if she lay on Grace and went for a pin attempt, her rival would find the strength to break it. And in that case, along with the pin, the determination of the Sand Lizard would surely have broken too. That's what she felt last time. Amy first broke her pin and then prevented her from using the finisher. At that moment, Charlotte's determination was broken.

"Gggphhhh..." the pink-haired woman groaned.

No, she wouldn't make that mistake again. Instead of reaching out to Grace and lying on her, the martial arts master rolled over on her stomach. Wiping tears, sweat and blood from her face, she put her palms on the mat and pushed off in order to get to her feet. Straightening up to her full height, the Frenchwoman staggered. She had to put her palms on her knees in order to find balance. She was so tired that her head was spinning. Yet, she took a step forward. And after that step, a chill ran through her body.

"Merde..." sounded in her head.

Before she could do anything, she fell to her all fours, gasping for air. She underestimated how exhausted she was. Grace had taken too much from her. This woman was so strong that Charlotte really drained all her reserves.

"I'm a fighter..." she said to herself. "I'm a fighter!"

During the marathon, the most difficult part of the way is the last hundred meters to the finish line. It was in this position that Charlotte found herself. She knew she had one last effort to make. And she had no intention of succumbing to fatigue. No, she didn't get to her feet again. Still gulping air, she began to crawl on her all fours. Slowly, but surely, she was moving forward until her fingers gripped the metal mesh behind the corner. Charlotte raised her head and looked at the top of the cage wall.

"And I will earn the right to become the first openweight champion!"

She pulled herself up and grabbed the mesh with her other hand. Without holding back the groans of agony, Charlotte began to climb up. It was hard to say how her pin attempt would have ended. However, the Frenchwoman could say for sure that she did not want everything to end the same way as it ended in the match with Amy. The Lion taught her a lot. Thanks to their match, Charlotte became stronger not only physically. She drew conclusions and now her experience has given her the answer that climbing the cage wall is a much more reliable option than a pin attempt!

[Fairy Dragon]

Grace was knocked off her feet by the DDT, forcing both of them down as they had to endure the feeling of their bodies starting to break down from the long fight, If Charlotte could capitalize she didn't by going for a pin. Instead the redhead was starting to get back up and move towards the cage. Despite Grace being closer she must've deemed escape or something else to be her priority if she wanted to win. Regardless Grace couldn't allow that, even when her limbs were on fire her head was heavy and dulled from the hits it had taken and every cut felt agonizing she could start moving towards Charlotte as she slowly went after the Sand Lizard. The sluggish race began despite Charlotte having a head start.

Grace wondered to herself if she was really trying to escape? She pegged Charlotte for someone who wanted the match to reach an ending in the ring but after all of this it was hard to say. Regardless Grace still wanted to end things here and wouldn't let Charlotte have an easy escape. She forced herself to go on, ready to grab Charlotte's leg once she got close enough and could start pulling her down from the wall.

[skip-stop]

It was definitely a race against time. At least that's what it seemed to all those who, with bated breath, watched Charlotte, who, trying to cope with the pain in her body, reached the wall of the cage. It is unlikely that the audience fully understood this, but, nevertheless, everyone knew that this path would definitely not be easy for the Frenchwoman after she and Grace beat each other so hard.

And they were right. It seemed to the Sand Lizard that her limbs simply refused to obey her. Even the very thought of moving caused her face to spasm. Her body was covered in sweat so thick that her skin literally glistened in spotlights as if it were an oil match. But she didn't succumb to it. Trying to breathe evenly, Charlotte began to climb up.

Yes, her speed left much to be desired at that moment, but her determination was met with a wave of noise from the audience. Despite the fact that escaping from the cage is not the most frequent option to finish such a match, it still required incredible efforts from the fighter. They understood this and she supported her. Charlotte heard her name and for a brief moment it made her smile.

Suddenly, when the Frenchwoman rose a few inches above the level of the ropes, the screams of the audience changed. The noise level has increased significantly. Goosebumps ran down the pink-haired woman's back. She knew exactly what it meant. Puffing and snuffling, she turned her head. Grace got to her feet. Yes, the American woman was staggering from side to side, but even so, she was approaching Charlotte. Even after everything, even after the Sand Lizard's new finisher, she still had the strength to continue the match. Just like Charlotte thought.

"Pha... pha... you forget your own advice..." Astrid said, gasping for air. "You could have won..."

Charlotte was lying on the mat, clutching her head because of her friend's powerful finisher. She just lost their sparring match. Usually they tried not to heat things up so much, but this time Charlotte asked Astrid not to hold back. She believed that she needed this in order to learn how to resist heavyweights. But despite all her efforts, she lost.

"What kind of advice are you talking about?" Recovering a little, the Frenchwoman asked.

"Never forget to use the most important muscle," Astrid said, pointing at her head. "Because the muscles in your arms and legs are not always enough, I think your match with Amy and our sparring prove it."

This brief memory flashed before Charlotte's eyes at the moment when she looked at Grace approaching. In a rush of emotions after the defeat, the Sand Lizard really tried to improve her physical shape in order to stand on a par with those who significantly surpassed her in pure physical strength. But thanks to the two blondes, she realized that without weight gain, she would never be able to achieve this. That's why she chose a different path. And that's why she wasn't really going to get to the top of the cage.

"Focus..." she mentally told herself, closing her eyes for a moment.

Charlotte took a deep breath and tried to free her head from absolutely everything. Given her condition, it was a big risk. But if you are not ready to risk absolutely everything for the sake of victory, then you have no place in the ring. Charlotte believed in it. And she was ready to do it even if in the end it would bring her nothing but defeat.

The young woman intended to push off from the wall of the cage with her hands and feet, at the same time turning around. Her feet touched the pad of the top turnbuckle. Accompanied by excited screams from the audience, she landed there in a squatting position. Face to face with her rival.

Their eyes crossed. And although it didn't last more than a second, at that moment Grace could see in Charlotte's eyes a real unwavering determination. Apex made her stronger. And although she had to face doubts about her own abilities along the way, now there was nothing in her heart but the desire for victory. The desire to become the first openweight champion.

Holding her breath, the Sand Lizard intended to use her last drop of strength to leap forward, making a corkscrew rotation. The feeling when the gusts of air hit her in the face was amazing. It was just an illusion, but at that moment Charlotte did not feel anything, even all the pain was gone, only a pleasant coolness tickled her skin. Hoping to catch Grace off guard, the Sand Lizard intended to grab her head with both hands and then land in a sitting position to drive Grace's neck and head into her shoulder with the most powerful move in her arsenal, which she called the flying lizard!

[Fairy Dragon]

Grace was on her feet, to get to Charlotte faster despite feeling like she was walking on glass with each step. Her body was a broken mess that was using whatever hidden strength Grace had to even move right now, and focusing it all on the goal of stopping Charlotte from getting up there. She was prepared to risk it all to win and had nothing but her own willpower to move herself anymore. Stumbling towards the corner where Charlotte was and unaware of what the Sand Lizard was lost in thought with, until she dropped down herself. Grace watched her land as gracefully as she could on the top rope and stumbled back in surprise, as they locked eyes she saw a simmering heat under Charlotte's eyes. Despite how her body looked she was alive and still ready for a war under the skin, and it was intense enough to make even a strong willed fighter like Grace back off in shock and surprise. She wasn't sure if Charlotte's plan was to paralyze her with that stare, it worked to her favor if it did since Charlotte leaped in the air and came right for Grace's head when she twisted in the air and grabbed her. Grace tried to move, but any plans she had were locked by a mind that was still active and a body that simply wasn't able to respond to those demands as she was turned around and dragged downwards by Charlotte's finishing move.

"Guugh!" Grace spat. The moment she was brought down onto Charlotte's shoulder the rest of her shut down, no spring up with shock or even a dramatic roll to her back. Grace's head bounced off her shoulder and plummeted back to the mat face first. Her skull rocked and her mind shattered with pain, it was questionable if Grace was even conscious anymore.

[skip-stop]

The second when Charlotte and Grace looked at each other was more than enough for the American woman to fully realize that the Sand Lizard was not planning to run away from her. They were both in a bad condition and Charlotte couldn't afford another round. Therefore, instead of continuing to compete with Grace in strength and endurance, she intended to end everything here and now.

While in the air, Charlotte, even with all her concentration, heard the arena filled with a scream. It seems that Grace was not the only one who did not expect such a sharp turn of events. The audience was mesmerized by the Sand Lizard's leap, clearly catching memories of her previous match. In a sense, it was thanks to Angela that Charlotte was confident in the effectiveness of this move against such a strong woman as Grace.

Clutching her opponent's head, the pink-haired woman landed in a sitting position, causing the ring and cage to shake. Circumstances played against Grace. Due to her bad condition and the fact that Charlotte had changed tactics so quickly, she was unable to match anything against the Sand Lizard's destructive finisher. Her head slammed into Charlotte's shoulder with such force that the only thing she did before falling to the mat was to let out a final groan of pain.

Lying face down on the mat, Grace didn't move. Charlotte, feeling terribly exhausted, involuntarily leaned to the side. Instinctively, she put her right hand on the mat in order not to fall. Lowering her head, she covered her face with her left hand. The light in her eyes began to dim even though she was gasping for air. This match was going at the most intense pace from the first second. The bruises and blood on their bodies proved it. And now Charlotte felt that her reserves were completely empty.

"Don't stop..." she reminded herself.

Yes, right. Delay was an unforgivable luxury. She had given her rival everything she had, and now Charlotte simply had no right to succumb to fatigue. Still breathing heavily, she pushed off the mat with her hand and turned to the American woman. Grabbing her shoulder with both hands, the Sand Lizard intended to turn her opponent onto her back. Her arms were shaking and even such a seemingly simple move made her let out a painful groan due to unpleasant sensations in her joints and muscles.

But even fatigue did not prevent her from hearing the audience shout out her name and the name of her rival. Someone longed for Charlotte to take the victory, but no less people wanted Grace to rise up and find the strength to continue the match. The corners of the Frenchwoman's lips barely noticeable lifted.

There was nothing personal between her and Grace. Someone might even dare to think that because of this, their match is not as special as for many other fighters who, in addition to wanting to become a champion, also wanted to carry out a vendetta or something like that. But was that a fair point of view? Yes, both of them were here not because of their personal affairs. They were here because they both wholeheartedly wanted to show the whole world that they were worthy of the gold on their waists. And isn't such a pure desire for the top the most sincere reason to be here and fight for what you believe in?

Placing her left arm on the collarbones of her rival, Charlotte wearily lay across the American woman, pressing her chest to Grace's. She was so tired that she practically had no strength to breathe. But the Frenchwoman knew that she had to do everything right. If this was her chance to win, then she shouldn't leave Grace the opportunity to break out. Therefore, despite pain and tiredness, Charlotte reached out to her opponent's far leg in order to hook it under the knee, and then pull it up. The referee quickly lay down next to the fighters and, making sure that Grace's shoulder blades were securely pressed to the mat, raised her hand above her head.

The path of a fighter never ends. When a fighter takes a step forward, there will always be another step waiting for them. Charlotte took a step forward when she was able to defeat Angela. Her hard work has made her stronger. Having defeated the heavyweight, I got the opportunity to take part in the Apex match. And now she was determined to take another step forward on the way to getting a chance to become the new middleweight champion and the first openweight champion.

"ONE!" Echoed through the arena after the referee slapped the mat for the first time.

[Fairy Dragon]

The pain and fatigue had broken Grace down to her most vulnerable. She was laying there hurt all over and too tired to do anything, not even tend to the places that hurt the most. Grace tried to slowly muster the strength to act, turn to her side or pull herself, but the only signs of movements was her quick and shallow breathing which told the ref how tired she was. The ref could be seen considering having to count out both contestants after a few moments of no movement, which was stopped by Charlotte starting to move. Slowly the Sand Lizard limped her battered figure until her arm was over Grace's chest, forcing her down on her back while the redhead pressed her head against her to try and hold Grace down, to start off a pin.

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

Grace groaned and pushed to force her hand up but, her efforts couldn't get her arm up high enough to stop the pin. The amazing power she had shown throughout the match was spent and she had nothing left to give. Seeing the hand raise for the third and final time to seal the fate of this match and her chances to represent LAW as Apex champion, Grace closed her eyes and decided to let the moment pass her by. She'd given LAW her best and she could do no more.

[skip-stop]

Every person's life is filled with important events. Graduation from school. The first kiss. A long-awaited promotion. The birth of a child. And so on. Important events in a person's life never end. Having reached one goal, you always start striving for the new one. But one thing remains the same, no matter how much you have already achieved. You will always feel suffocating anxiety when you get close to your goal.

Charlotte has been trying to get her emotions under control for years. She was sure that in the ring, any decision made under the pressure of emotions leads to a mistake. Therefore, she adhered to strict discipline both in the ring and outside it. But no matter what, she was still a human. Emotions were not alien to her. And so she couldn't help herself after the referee slapped the mat for the second time.

It was as if something was stuck in the Frenchwoman's throat. She desperately tried to take a breath, but her whole body seemed to freeze. She couldn't hear anything but her heartbeat. Even the deafening screams of the audience for her at that moment were nothing more than silence. Probably few people were able to understand the reason. But the truth was that Charlotte was as close as ever to winning the most significant match of her career.

Someone might have laughed about it. Yes, it was not the Main Event of the largest PPV of the year. Yes, it wasn't the title that was at stake today, but only the chance to get it. But everything is known in comparison. Charlotte's journey here, in LAW, began not very long ago. However, she managed to take part in truly dizzying matches. And maybe for many it didn't matter much, but for her this match was the biggest in her career.

That's why she was so worried. She went through qualifying, paying with sweat and blood to be here today. Grace was the last obstacle for her on the way to both the middleweight title and the openweight title. Grace responded to Charlotte's every blow with an even stronger blow. There were wounds on their bodies, and the mat around them was stained with blood. They both wanted to win and they both showed what they are capable of. Charlotte's heart was beating so hard because she knew that in a second she would get an answer to the question that was so important to her. Has she become strong enough to earn her place around the strongest?

That second, while the referee's hand was moving towards the mat, seemed to last forever. At least for the pink-haired woman. She had a lot of patience, at least she always thought so. But at that moment, she just couldn't wait any longer. It's good that any wait has one stable property. Sooner or later, any wait ends. Charlotte's wait came to an end at the moment when the referee slapped the mat for the third time.

"THREE!!!!!!"

Ding-Ding-Ding.

From the top of her head to her toes, a wave of relief swept through Charlotte's body. So powerful that the Frenchwoman literally went limp. Her body relaxed and she let go of her opponent's leg. However, that was the only thing she did. Charlotte was so exhausted by this match that she didn't even find the strength to slide off Grace.

The referee helped her with this. The striped shirt put her hands on Charlotte's shoulder and turned her so that she rolled off Grace's body. Lying head to head with her rival, Charlotte struggled with a wild desire to fall asleep. She still couldn't believe it was over. Trying to breathe evenly, she nevertheless left her eyes closed.

"Medical team!"

With great reluctance, but after these words, Charlotte opened her eyes. The bright light blinded her for a moment, and then she saw the referee's face. The referee looked at both women with concern. She could be understood. There were not only bruises on the bodies of both women, but also blood, both fresh and dried. But when the referee asked them both to stay still, Charlotte shook her head. No, it shouldn't end like this.

The young woman took several deep breaths in order to restore at least a small part of her strength. And then she took a sitting position. When she put her hand on the mat, her face contorted with pain. She felt the greatest discomfort in her back. It seems the consequences of her falling from such a great height were much more serious than she thought. She will definitely need a medical examination. But later. Right now she has a few things she has to do.

Gathering her strength, Charlotte pushed off the mat and got to her feet. It wasn't hard to see what she had to go through. Her nose was still dripping blood, and her lower lip was badly swollen. There were red spots here and there on her loose pink hair. But although she staggered, the Frenchwoman put her right leg to the side in order to find balance. And when she straightened up to her full height, the referee took her left hand by the wrist.

"Here is your winner and contender for both middleweight and openweight titles, Charlotte Ravel'!!!"

Along with the words of the ring announcer, the referee raised Charlotte's hand, officially recognizing her as the winner. The Frenchwoman's vision was blurred at that moment, but this did not prevent her from hearing the roar of the audience. It was only at this moment that the pink-haired woman fully realized that she won. And although, of course, the opportunity to become the new middleweight champion or the first openweight champion was important to her, just one another thing was no less or maybe even more important.

Apex made her aware of her weaknesses. She couldn't beat Amy, who was superior to her in strength and endurance. Charlotte accepted her own weaknesses. And today she won only thanks to her hard work, only thanks to her is desire to become the best version of herself. Today she defeated her weaknesses. And today she proved that she has the right to stand on a par with the best. But the most important thing is that she proved it not to anyone, but to herself. This realization made her smile broadly while tears involuntarily rolled down her cheek.

But all this would be impossible without one person. And as soon as the referee released Charlotte's hand, the Frenchwoman immediately turned to Grace. Sentiment has never been her best quality. She's a fighter. They both are. And a real fighter must be ready to face defeat. That's why Charlotte didn't like words after the bell ringing. And yet...

"It was an honor for me..." said the Sand Lizard.

Bending down, she was going to extend her hand to her opponent in order to help her to her feet. The medical team had already arrived and at that moment the staff was trying to open the cage to clear the way for them. But Charlotte thought Grace should leave the arena on her own feet. She deserved it. And the best proof was that the audience shouted not only the name of the winner, but also the name of the American woman.

Yes, there is always a winner in a match. But today they saw a match in which two women who have respect for each other came together. And this is something that is difficult to find these days. There's too much dirt around. There is too much hatred, narcissism, insults and personal vendetta. Too much. And when you are forced to constantly look at something like this, it's always nice to make sure that for some fighters honor and respect are still meaningful words.