A hare-raising experience! Gambit vs Astrid!

[SubtleRoar]

*Whatever remained in Gambit's tank had been utterly depleted, and given that she had consumed the last drop while showboating for her legions of fans, it had become abundantly evident that Astrid's time to shine was on the horizon. While continuing to struggle with her current predicament of regaining her footing, The Beaten Bunny took a casual glance out into the audience- They were cheering something, but she couldn't quite make out what precisely it was, until she listened for a moment. Wait...were they...chanting obscenities at her?! Preposterous! She was the undisputed queen of the ring, and this blonde bimbo was going to be an object lesson to accentuate that fact!* "W..what the...?!" *However, before she had the opportunity to make that dream a reality, Astrid decided to assert her dominance over the prostrated rabbit!*

"Grrhh..g..get..off..." *Her voice uncharacteristically timid and quiet, an incredibly stark contrast to what it was just seconds ago, Gambit was struck by a terrifying epiphany- She had been so effortlessly hoisted skyward by this imposing amazon, almost as if she were weightless, and was now on the verge of being introduced to the canvas floor. This level of menacing strength wasn't an ordinary encounter, and someone as tenacious as Astrid certainly couldn't be considered an average jobber. Was it possible that Gambit herself had been in this compromising position from the very beginning, and Astrid was just toying with her? No, absolutely not. This was just an unfortunately circumstance. All she needed was a window of opportunity to escape, and before she knew it, she would be out of th~*

Spoiler

"GGUUUHH!" *Her pensive thinking was abruptly cut off by a thunderous slam, almost as if she had been blasted by a shotgun shell that penetrated her outer epidermis and shattered her spine!* "Uuuuh..." *She plaintively moaned as her body ubiquitously shivered, the aftershock keeping her immobilized as the bright lights that dangled from above seemed to be the only thing keeping her awake.*

[CaptainL]

The landing had been hard on Gambit, taking the breath out of her lungs and the strength out of her body. Astrid was well aware that she was weakened up to this point - and yet, she wasn't satisfied by just one slam. She had bigger things in store for Gambit, things that she wouldn't hesitate to put into practice. And as she turned her head to the stands, hearing a roar of cheers and applause go up from the crowd in her support, Astrid met them with a grin on her face. Her supporters were eager to see her win one over on Gambit, and she was going to give them what they wanted!

"All right," Astrid called out to the crowd, "Count with me! Give me a 'two!'" As she picked Gambit up again to slam her back into the mat, the crowd indeed called out "TWO!" to signify the second bodyslam Astrid had taken in short succession, their voices mixing with the sound of a thud as the Cajun's back crashed into the canvas. The next time, however, Astrid was about to do something different. She hooked her arms around Gambit's from above, hauling her back up as she turned to the ropes and began to climb up to the top, with Gambit in tow.

"And now! Everyone, get behind me for the big finish!" Astrid called out, as she hopped off the top rope to slam Gambit's head down with an airborne German suplex!

[SubtleRoar]

*With her mind flooded with various forms of semi-conscious thought, Gambit could feel her fleeting energy seeping out of every pore. As she continued to languish against the canvas, the once raging cajun had been completely reduced to a quivering weakling, fully susceptible to whatever diabolical machinations Astrid was concocting. Her reckoning would soon be upon her it seemed, as her limp frame was almost effortlessly hoisted skyward for yet another brutal slam, the impact alone causing Gambit to nearly cough up a lung!* "GUUUUH!" *She sheepishly muttered through clinched teeth, unable to resist the urge to plaintively moan from the unfathomable anguish she was experiencing.*

*However, that momentary discomfort would be totally eclipsed by what Astrid had planned next- In an instant, Gambit was hoisted upwards yet again, prolonging her misery even further while the crowd had the perfect opportunity to mock and ridicule her.* "Uhh..w..what now?" *She garbled out through her diminished breathing, barely capable of clinging to a coherent thought. She did manage to decipher a handful of words however, which managed to send a thunderbolt of terror through her heart- Big finish? What could that possibly be referring to? Then suddenly, it hit her...hard.*

"THUNK!" *Was the reverberating echo that left the crowd utterly speechless. Gambit's once loquacious, effervescent demeanor had been completely extinguished, leaving a mere husk of a woman in her place while she languished against the ground in a spread eagle fashion. Only jumbled, fragmented words dribbled out of her maw, leaving Astrid an easy finish to an intense brawl.*

[CaptainL]

With Astrid climbing to the top rope, hoisting Gambit proudly atop her shoulders, the whole arena was cheering her on. After it all, after all the pain and struggle Gambit had put her through, she had triumphed. All that was now remaining was to take Gambit out of this match once and for all - and for that, Astrid had a plan.

Once she had her supporters hyped up to a fever pitch, Astrid let out a battle cry that cut through the air, silencing all voices in preparation for what the Norwegian was about to do. She hurled herself from the top rope, throwing Gambit behind her so that her head would slam down into the canvas in a brutal variation of her finisher! As the mat shook under their impact, the reverberations still going through the ring, Astrid rolled up to her knees, looking out at the faces in the stands watching her with rapt anticipation of what would happen next. But Astrid hated to disappoint - and she would be quick to act, throwing herself down atop Gambit to cover her for the pin! The ref ran over to their side, counting, but with Gambit as shaken as she was, it would be a miracle if she could kick out of this one.

"One! Two! THREE!"

The crowd was rejuvenated once more with the official announcement of Astrid's victory, as the bell sounded while the official lifted the blonde's arm up in triumph!

"And the winner of this contest, by pinfall, ASTRIIIIIIID OSTBERG!"

[SubtleRoar]

*Just as quickly as her voluptuous form had been so easily laid to waste, Astrid seemed more than eager to capitalize, launching herself atop the prostrated rabbit while locking in an uncontested pin!* "Uhhh..." *Still drifting through the sea of fatigue without a lifesaver in sight, Gambit was confined to the canvas with a look of pure dread plastered across her demeanor. As the numbers were counted off, one by one, she winced in horror as she knew she was helpless to try and interrupt. As the final number was called, the audience congratulated the blonde bombshell with an outpour of support and encouragement, leaving Gambit to lick her wounds from the excruciating pain she felt.*

"Ggrrhh..w..whatever..." *She spat under her breath, waiting for the ebullient valkyrie to remove herself from atop her body to finally regain her footing, promptly dusting herself off before hobbling back to her feet.* "I was just having an off day, that's all." *The Riverboat Rabbit nonchalantly dismissed any vestige of skill Astrid possessed, merely addressing the fact that she wasn't in prime condition for this precise match.* "Don't worry though, this won't be the last time we cross paths, Astrid."

*And with that, Gambit carried what little remaining pride she could cling on to and took her leave, refusing to acknowledge Astrid's proficiency between the ropes whatsoever while striding up the ramp. This, of course, had an adverse effect on the audience, who all began chanting* "You got beat! You got beat!" *In tandem towards the agitated rabbit. Undeterred, she stormed through the blackened curtains and back to the locker room, quietly devising a plan on how to exact revenge for the humiliating defeat she had just been served.*

stormed through

[CaptainL]

As Astrid was still celebrating her latest victory, she turned to look over at Gambit, seeing the frustration on her face as she started to pick herself up off the mat. The referee let Astrid's arm down, and she briefly lowered herself down from the exhilaration of her triumph to narrow her eyes towards Gambit's, her arms crossed in a tentative stance. Even with the threat of a rematch, Astrid didn't seem moved. She could see through Gambit's attempts to salvage defeat, and she wasn't going to let it move her.

"You may make any excuses you want," Astrid said, "but if you can't back up your words with skill and talent, then you're only lying to yourself, and everyone can see it!" Even as Gambit left the ring, Astrid followed her over to the ropes, leaning over them and pointing a finger out in her direction in response to her challenge. For all her issues, Gambit still put up a good fight that had proved exhilarating and satisfying for Astrid to overcome, and she just hoped that the gambler would be bringing her best efforts next time. "A rematch it is, then! Bring it on, and do your worst! I'll be waiting for you, and I can only hope that you'll be preparing in the meantime, because let this match be a lesson to you about what I can do, and what you need to be ready for! I look forward to seeing how you'll improve, assuming, of course, you take responsibility for your own deeds!"

Astrid then turned back to the crowd once Gambit had exited, flexing for the fans for a few more seconds as she basked in their cheers and applause. Eventually, though, she too would clear the ring, making her way backstage.

Winner by Pinfall: Astrid Ostberg