An Unlikely Challenge

[SRG]

Nashi was out of commission unable to fight back in anyway. Though the champ wasn’t done with her yet, she was soon scooped up and slammed down by the Stavanger Buster! If Nashi wasn’t knocked out she was now!

The ref didn’t even wait for Astrid to pin she just went down on the mat and said”1,2,3!”

The bell rings”Here is you’re Winner ASTIRD OSTBERG!” The ref raised her arm high in the air!

[CaptainL]

As the bell was called, Astrid raised a fist in the air to the sound of cheers, planting her foot down on Nashi's back to pose triumphantly. She had just won victory over another opponent, and she was greeted once again by an outpouring of cheers from all her fans and supporters. She stood tall, her shoulders held straight and her chest puffed out. But there was no smile on her face this time. This time, her expression was flat and placid. There was nothing in this victory Astrid felt worthy of boasting of, or taking pride in. The other victories that came to mind had been well-matched bouts against opponents evey bit as capable of Astrid herself; ones who had tested her and forced her to think on her toes at every twist and turn, and who showed Astrid enough adversity for her to feel that, when she finally did overcome them, the victories she celebrated were well-earned.

But Nashi wasn't anything like that. Desite being trained by Alaina Sanders herself, despite being the daughter of one of Lars Ostberg's most pitched rivals, she just wasn't anywhere close to Astrid. This could have been a revival of an age-old feud, pitting the next Ostberg and the next Dragneel against each other with all the fervor of any clash of their fathers. But no matter how much she wanted to change her image, Nashi had chosen the path of the idol over that of a wrestler - and it showed. There was no test of strength and skill here, and no challenge for Astrid to overcome. This was...normal. Routine. It was boring, even - and that was what left an even more sour taste in Astrid's mouth. To her, a good match might have been grueling, it might have tested her, but it was never boring. She always wanted to step away from every match with the feeling that she had done a good job, and that it would be a moment of her life she could never forget. And Nashi had completely failed to even do that for her. Were it not for the girl's last name, Astrid had no idea why they'd ever share a ring - she was barely worthy of the time. All she could do was look down, shaking her head with a sigh.

However, Astrid had still made a wager, and she intended to make good on her promise. When she looked down at Nashi, her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer. "Well," she said, "we made a promise, didn't we? I had hoped things wouldn't be this easy...but an idol like you has a lot to learn before you're ready to consider us on equal footing."

As the referee placed a pair of scissors in Astrid's hand, she bent down to grab Nashi by the hair, moving to hoist her up. Astrid might have found the match disappointing, but she was a woman of honor - and as such, she kept to her word.

[SRG]

Nashi was down and out, when the bell ringed she started to wake up only to feel Astrid’s boot on her spine”AHhH!” She cried out in pain before being hoisted up by her hair”This isn’t right!, if you’re going to cut my hair at least not like this!” She shouted out as the ref would bring a chair. Thankfully for her, the referee popped up a chair and gestured kindly for Astrid to put Nashi in it.


If she did Nashi would sit down and say”just make it over with…. But please not too much that’s all I ask…..” she said with some tears bringing to roll down the idols eyes. While yes the idol didn’t put much of a fight up, and while she doesn’t care about her name, the fact that such a famous idol was having the ultimate shame of going bald was terrifying for her.

[CaptainL]

Astrid wasn't mad at Nashi. She wasn't the type to think like that, or to hold grudges. But the point remained that she'd gone into this match hoping to face an opponent who could challenge her, and force her to push her limits, as she hoped to do with every opponent she took on, and Nashi had hardly even managed to stand up against the pressure. She had even arranged the hair vs. hair stipulation in order to convince Nashi to fight harder, if only to hold onto her dignity - but even that hadn't been enough to forge her into the kind of opponent Astrid would be proud of. Now, with a sigh, the blonde took the scissors in her hands, holding them open as she leaned closer to Nashi, ready to snip off the nearest strand.

But then, Astrid saw the tears in her eyes - and she took a pause, the blades of the scissors hanging in the air. Nashi, she realized, had only come into this match hoping to be strong, to be loved by the fans - to achieve the same levels of success her father had, and to follow his destiny, carrying on his legacy through to a new generation. Her own eyes widened, and the beating of her heart slowed. That, she realized, was where she had started - watching her father's matches, idolizing his strength and courage, and wanting to grow up to be just like him. Nashi had yet to be on her level - but there was a time, Astrid realized, where she was like her, too. Perhaps she wasn't seeing the end of Nashi's career. Perhaps this was just the beginning - and perhaps she had been too harsh.

She leaned in closer to whisper to Nashi, her voice just loud enough to be heard by the pink-haired girl alone. "Listen. You have potential in you. You had me in the camel clutch for longer than I'd ever expect - that means something. I believe that with your heart in the right place you could achieve something great...but you have much to go before you're on your father's level. I'm not going to go easy on you, and you need to put in your own work to get there...but for now, I'll settle for this," she said, holding the blades of the scissors around chin level on Nashi's hair.

Astrid may have been accepting, but she still didn't want Nashi to feel like she could get by without putting in the work. She needed something to motivate her to improve, after all. After saying her part, she leaned back a bit, her eyes narrowing as she continued in a sterner voice. "Next time, though, if you act like this again you're ending up bald."

With all being said, Astrid guided Nashi back into the chair, where she began to cut off the bottom part of her hair, cropping it short. She kept a firm look on her face the whole while - she didn't want to crush this girl's dreams, but it was a lesson she would have to learn from.

[SRG]

Nashi would hear Astrid’s words and looked up, despite all the sobbing she looked at her with respect and Friendliness.”thank you….” She whispered back” as Astrid began to stuff off her hair she thought about the match that just went down. After Astrid was done she stood up and grabbed the microphone”Astrid Ostberg…. Thank you for the match we just had but I swear on my life this ain’t over! Swear to me that you won’t leave law until we’ve settled this score! She shouted into the mic pointing at her opponent!

[CaptainL]

Soon enough, Nashi's hair had fallen loose around Astrid's feet in a heap of pink snips. She let out a sigh as she took a step back, thinking back on her victory and how she found it all too easy. She could only hope that Nashi's defeat was going to push her toward greater things in the future...but, luckily, it seemed as though her hopes would come true.

Astrid's smile grew wider across her face as she listened to Nashi's speech, hearing the conviction in her voice, and she nodded her head in confirmation. Even now, after dealing Nashi a humiliating defeat, Astrid could still look on her opponent with the utmost respect, knowing she was pushing herself to new levels. And even now, Nashi was willing to take this in stride, accepting her punishment with honor and swearing to improve. Some idols would have withdrawn from the public eye in shame after losing a hair vs. hair match - but Nashi was ready to bounce back, and come back stronger than ever. Just the thought of it made Astrid smile a little wider. She knew that feeling - it was what she had felt after every loss, and after every challenge and callout she'd received from her rivals. That, she thought, was the attitude of a natural-born wrestler. If Nashi had that, she could go far. And when she looked at Nashi, she was looking at someone who had greatness in store for her.

"Very well, then," she said, leaning into the microphone to respond to the challenge. "If that's the case, I can only hope you rise to that challenge you put on yourself. It will, no doubt, be a struggle, but if you have what it takes, you'll be able to overcome it. And should that happen, I look forward to facing you again..."

Winner by Pinfall: Astrid Ostberg