Tempering Steele with Hellfire - Nova Steele VS Ashley Morgan

[Afterhoursclub]

The Red Menace was left hanging, arms and chest draped over the top rope, this one bending under the Brit's weight. Red locks covered half her face, and her hands were limp in the air. Her mouth was open, in a gesture that betrayed both exhaustion, as she was breathing heavily, and pain, feeling the ongoing match weighing over her like a rock.

Few opponents had tested Ashley's resolve like this before, and even fewer had managed to make her crave victory with such intensity as Nova. For Ashley, this had ceased to be a mere match on the LAW card and had become almost a personal challenge; She could not allow herself to fail now.

Gathering what little strength she had left, the redhead turned, keeping one arm on the rope for support. She glanced at the fallen pink-haired girl, and just then, Ashley's gaze met Nova's: Two blue orbs, still brimming with fire behind them, were staring right back at her.

"Hmph..." A smirk found its way to Ashley's face. Past all of her frustration and anger, the tiniest spark of respect had flickered, short and brief- And yet, still more than what she had felt for any past adversary. The Brit struggled to find balance on her own, leaving the safety of the ropes as she attempted to walk closer to where Nova had landed after the kick that almost took her down with her opponent.

Her boots thumped hard against the white canvas of the ring. Her figure battling against gravity, fighting with her own desire to crash on the mat, until her shadow fell upon the heroine. The Red Menace took a moment to catch her breath, her shoulders rising and falling wearily. And suddenly, with a swift and abrupt motion, her hands swooped down, clenching tightly onto Nova's neck and shoulder like claws and pulling the heroine up. A hard gamble for the Brit...

"Get up!" she murmured, between tired gasps. Grabbing her opponent and bringing the heroine gal back to her feet.

"I'm done with this..." Ashley sentenced firmly, yet hoping deep inside that Nova found herself just as spent as her, if not more...

[Parker]

Nova’s body felt like it was made of concrete and lightning, every muscle heavy, every nerve sparking. Her cheek pressed against the canvas for a moment longer than she meant it to, breath spilling out in a trembling hiss. The taste of copper clung to her tongue. Sweat stung the corners of her eyes. The crowd’s roar was a distant, distorted ocean in her ears.

But Ashley’s words, her command, it hit her like a jolt. Her fingers clawed at the mat, trembling, pushing, dragging her upper body from the floor. She lifted her head, just enough, and through the haze she found Ashley again. Those fiery blue eyes staring back into her own. A stubborn, prideful little smile tugged weakly at Nova’s bruised lips.

Slowly, painfully, she rose to her knees, only to be seized by Ashley’s grip. A strained cough escaped her as fingers clamped tight around her neck and shoulder, forcing her the rest of the way up. Nova’s hand shot up on instinct, grasping blindly at the Brit’s wrist, not to break free, not to fight…

Just to stay standing. Her legs shook under her, spine bowed in protest, chest heaving, fighting for each ragged breath. But she refused to look away. The defiance in her tone was a flicker, small, flickering, but alive.

She leaned into Ashley slightly, too dazed to stand fully on her own, but refusing to collapse. Their foreheads nearly touched. Their breaths mingled in the narrow space between them, hot, heavy, exhausted.

So close now. Two warriors who had emptied everything they had into breaking the other. Nova’s knees nearly buckled, she caught herself on Ashley’s arm, fingers tightening with the last scraps of strength she had left. Her voice came out a strained whisper, raw but unwavering:

“If we’re ending this…” Her head lifted weakly, fire still burning behind exhaustion-clouded eyes. Her body trembled, fingers curling into a balled up fist, every muscle tensing, screaming that they had been pushed to their limit. She tried to lean herself away, to stand with her own power if just for a moment

[Afterhoursclub]

Every muscle in the redhead's body burned with exertion.

Each step, each movement, every breath... everything took its toll on Ashley. This match had gone far beyond a friendly competition, if it ever was such a thing, and had turned into one of the toughest challenges the Brit had faced.

Drawing short breaths, with a tired yet determined look on her face. Ashley pulled Nova up and in front of her. Their stares crossed for a brief moment, and there she saw it still... That unbreakable spirit that the pinkette had demonstrated throughout the entire match. Her body wanted to give, but her eyes told the opposite...

The will to continue fighting remained... and it infuriated Ashley...

The Red Menace bared her teeth, her grip on Nova tightened, and her eyes blazed with anger. She ignored Nova's murmurs, for the redhead had enough lecturing about righteousness and "never give up" speeches. With a wild growl, she abruptly clinched Nova's throat with her right hand. An audible -SLAP- was heard the moment her palm clashed with the heroine's slick skin. She was set on drawing the curtain on this exhausting and annoying exhibition; she could not allow it to go any further...

Ashley quickly slid her other hand behind Nova's back, keeping the pink-haired gal safe in place. And with an almost inhumane effort, drawing strength from where there was none... she lifted her opponent high in the air. An absolute display of sheer will and conviction fueled by pure rage. It was a familiar sight for most in the stands... A recognizable maneuver that often brought an end to The Red Menace's matches... The final tool in her arsenal, brought out once more to finish up yet another formidable foe: "The Crimson Fall".

As Ashley held Nova up in the air, time seemed to freeze for a split second. Her eyes remained on her adversary for an instant before going back to the canvas, focusing on the spot that would soon become the heroine's resting place, ignoring everything else...

[Parker]

Nova’s knees nearly buckled the moment Ashley wrenched her fully upright, not from fear, not from surrender, but from the sheer weight of exhaustion crushing every muscle in her battered frame. Her lungs burned. Her limbs felt like wet, trembling sandbags. Sweat rolled down her temples in trembling tracks, dripping from her chin as she met Ashley’s eyes.

Even now… even in this state… that stubborn spark still glowed behind the heroine’s gaze. A spark Ashley clearly loathed. Nova’s breath hitched as Ashley’s palm jammed against her throat, fingers locking tight in a vice that tore a rasping gasp from her lips.

“Ghhk…!”

Her hands shot up instinctively, palms weakly grasping at Ashley’s wrist, but her arms trembled violently, unable to muster even a fraction of the strength she needed. Every beat of her heart throbbed painfully against the redhead’s crushing grip.

Then came the second arm, sliding behind her back, supporting her frame but also sealing her fate. Nova tried, truly tried, to brace her legs. But when Ashley hauled her skyward, her boots barely left the mat before her body sagged, head lolling for a moment as her stomach lurched. And then she was high above the ring. Suspended. Dangling helplessly in Ashley’s grip.

Her legs kicked once, weak, sluggish, barely a shadow of the strength she’d shown earlier in the bout. Her chest rose and fell in frantic, tiny bursts. Her fingers clawed uselessly at Ashley’s wrist, slipping from sweat. Her vision blurred around the edges, the arena lights bleeding into soft halos.

The redhead didn’t hesitate.

The world dropped out from beneath Nova.

The Crimson Fall thundered through the ring, the impact echoing in the rafters as Nova’s body whiplashed off the canvas, bouncing once before collapsing flat, limp, and boneless. Her limbs sprawled out at odd angles, arms flopping off to her side as her legs splayed open beneath her. The air blasted from her lungs in a single, broken exhale, and no new breath followed for a long, terrible heartbeat.

Her chest eventually rose… then fell… shallow and slow. Her eyes were open, barely, just slivers of dull blue peeking through half-lowered lids. Gone was the blaze of resistance. Only a dim, glassy haze remained. Her lips parted, a ghost of breath escaping.

“…ungh…”

Her body didn’t budge. Didn’t twitch. Didn’t respond at all.

Nova lay utterly destroyed beneath Ashley’s chokeslam, her heroic spirit finally overwhelmed, her exhausted frame sprawled in a defeated star across the mat.

[Afterhoursclub]

This was it...

One last desperate push, motivated by sheer anger and the will to come out on top against all the fatigue, the pain, and the exhaustion from what had been one of The Red Menace's toughest challenges to date. It had taken everything Ashley had to reach this point... to topple the mighty heroine girl and get her into such a vulnerable state...

The crowd had witnessed both girls going toe-to-toe, throwing each other down with hard slams and devastating blows, attacks that would undoubtedly break any normal individual, yet neither backed down... both refusing to concede even a single inch.

All these elements together made the present moment even more rewarding for Ashley. Lifting Nova high up in the air felt like the natural order of things, the fruits of all the effort made through the encounter, the prize for withstanding brutal punishment and having the strength to turn things around, even when the match seemed to go the other way around entirely...

The Crimson Fall, every time it connected, felt like liberation for the Brit. Rarely did a foe ever stand back up again after receiving Ashley's finisher... And the redhead was sure as hell not going to let this be the first time such a thing happened. Keeping Nova up took every single ounce of energy that Ashley had left, burning all of her remaining stamina in the process... she was tired, bruised, and barely standing on her own... but set on driving her opponent hard onto the canvas. The impact was an explosion of power, a thunderous blow that shook the entire structure. The pink-haired girl's body hit the canvas once, sending a sound wave through the air before falling back into a heap. Motionless.

Ashley, on the other hand, was left on her knees, pressing both hands against the floor, drawing heavy breaths through her mouth, finally feeling the toll of pushing her body to the limit. Her vision turned blurry, as her eyelids suddenly felt much heavier. Still, she was able to make out Nova's figure lying right beside her.

Ashley collapsed, face down onto the mat next to her seemingly defeated opponent, the redhead managed to place one hand over the pinkette's heaving chest before crumbling completely, looking in no better condition than Nova herself...

To the referee's eyes, neither of them seemed capable of continuing, yet she saw a clear pin attempt, and promptly dropped to the mat as well. Rapidly initiating the count...

ONE...