Astra Nova vs Spectre - The Interstellar Antidote?

[Jaystar]

Astra Nova may had been a bit too ecstatic and triumphant to register Spectre's continued whimpering and suffering beneath her boot, but it was surely something that the cameras were keenly capturing. After all, the more premium subscriptions needed to offer enhanced value for the viewership, and the ability to switch between multiple different camera angles was going to reveal some pretty gruesome details of Spectre's despair. Perhaps even Astra was going to get to review them later... But for now, the main thing she was registering was that the supervillain was laid out beneath her feet!

Besides, this was an excellent photo opportunity. And even when equipped with such a heroic, innocent and good-natured character as the Interstellar Heroine was, she could inevitably recognize the unique opportunity to increase her brand and market value as a wrestler. Spectre was a notorious, hated supervillain after all... The Malevolent Virus... And anyone defeating her would surely be taking the fast lane to glory and fame!

The blonde did eventually look once again at her feet though... And she could see the leaking paint around her mask. Was she crying?

Even when faced with such an evil villain as Spectre, even when keeping in mind how appallingly they had treated the referee, Astra's heart wasn't made of stone. She could feel at least a tiny stab in it. Was this too much after all? Had she managed to somehow go overboard?

The answer must had clearly been no... But that was Astra's senses telling her that. Not her feelings... And her feelings were now telling her that enough was enough.

Or enough for now, at least. There was still round three to be fought.

Hissing out a quick and annoyed "Just... Stop whining!" at her feet, the heroine quickly then retreated her leg further away, and embarked on a one more parading victory lap around the ring before settling back into the middle of it. It was time to get back into battling again, and the sooner, the better. "Come on, ref! Tell her to get back up here again!" the heroine demanded in a stern yet polite tone while pointing royally at the laid out supervillain, wanting to get the chance to officially get her hands on her reeling foe once again.

[Monsy]

Spectre indeed shed some purple tears on the mat. Her midriff was aflame from front to back like it seeped through, a corrosive phosphorus on her nerve endings that kept chewing on her bruises to no great relief. The air must've oxidized her wounds, made them sizzle and burn greater--because she felt it on her skin. She felt a sweltering encasement that made her limbs heavy to lift and she'd lose track of her jaw as it hung open dumbfoundedly at the world, her eyes just as perplexed and lost.

"Hnnggh... Hnngh... Hnngh...Hnngh..." And no, being told to stop whining did not stop her voice from wheezing out in high-pitch, hush tones of a pathetic puppy. The referee nudged her, got down on their knees, then put hands near her own chest, face-out, nervously checking the Virus over like she was radioactive material of some variety. Touching them means awful things, surely. Best not to be the one to wake her from a slumber and be remembered as the one who countered her out, and best not to--"Youuuu..." Spectre's voice creaked out, then a hand grabbed at their colour. "Youuu..." She said again. The referee went white and merely supported themselves from falling over. She dared look down, meeting a glare dried up her throat instantly. "You were ssssuppoosed... Tch." She coughed, wheezed, then took a deep breath. "To ff-ffollow my order. Cheat. Itttt ddd-dodesn't c-count..."

She got onto her stomach, then rose and crawled on all fours away from Astra Nova to her corner, dragging shaky limb by shaky limb like they each had a twenty-five pound weight on each. Her sweaty digits grabbed at the rope, slipped, then hooked on it the second time to pull. She slipped, collapsed to her side, the bottom rope dug into her pit. Finally, those hellish snake eyes looked at Astra Nova. Her visage virtually melted, her mouth drooling with clenched teeth, she spoke with the tensest glower she still mustered. "Nnngh... Don't look at me like that, punch-meat." She coughed again, then continued, "I know..."

She took a deep breath, then tugged on the ropes again with more anger. Her grounded shoulder came off the ground, then her knees dragged underneath until she had support. She reached the top rope and began pulling. "This is very new for you, ain't it? Myyyy Astra? My plaything? Nn-no, my future slave. Your strength has to be fleeting. You can't finish me." Her voice strained near the end as did her arms. Pulling up took about all her arm's remaining stamina, rendering them numb, sweaty and depleted. She audibly panted standing in the corner, her thighs visibly quivering and slanted in like she perched on stilts. "And that's what those saps think too...Gh-..." A hand nursed her bruising and she hunched over, then let both arms drape straight down, dangling in her crooked posture. "Hear me??! I'm going to ruin you till I'm bored!"

[Jaystar]

If Astra had assumed a much more royal pose and stance right now, Spectre was still behaving not even on a peasant's level - more appropriately for some kind of an imp or a gnome. And while witnessing the fact that her own performance and actions had resulted in this scene had to be a source of pleasure and content for Astra Nova, it was still becoming increasingly awkward too. Especially as Spectre still couldn't stop her whining... And even more crucially, as she was yet again shifting her ire seemingly towards the oh-so-innocent referee again. Even if it appeared pretty obvious that the supervillain wasn't going to be a threat to the official at this stage, it was still something that the Interstellar Heroine could not accept.

"Stop intimidating her! You... You... Piece of... A villain!" the blonde heroine began spitting out as she closed in on the ref girl checking on Spectre's condition. She wasn't about to take any risks with letting the supervillain torment the official anymore, even if the redhead herself seemed to still think that she owned the right to control the referee as she pleased. While her words were labored and weak, they were gradually getting back the spike in them too... And Astra wasn't liking this development at all.

Luckily though, the evil creature was still too exhausted to back up any of her threats with action, and retreated in a rather humiliating fashion towards the corner instead, once Astra had arrived to ensure that she wasn't going to lay her hands on the ref girl anymore. It was obvious to everyone how condescending the Interstellar Heroine's gaze towards her foe was - a fact that even Spectre seemed to pick up on based on her loathing words towards the virtuous battler once she had reached the corner. Of course, Astra was still in a pretty good position to respond... "Punch-meat? I'm sorry - did you confuse me for a mirror?" the heroine managed to come up with some sarcasm, while observing the villain's struggles with getting back up.

Finally, Spectre managed to drag herself upright, even if it was by the ample aid of the ropes. But it finally looked like the third round was close to starting now... But it didn't start soon enough for the supervillain to miss an opportunity to try messing with the heroine's head once more. And this time, she was in fact at least moderately successful...

The truth was, this was new for Astra. Getting to dominate a villain so thoroughly like this was a new feeling... And Spectre seemed to have a hunch of it. Was she going to be able to plant the seeds of self-doubt into the heroine's head? Was she going to be able to break her confidence?

No, not this easily. But she was getting off to a good start. If even in her current position, and in her condition, she dared to declare Astra as her slave or her plaything... There could have been some merit to those words, right? And despite her already subsequent losses in the first rounds, she was adamant on Astra's strength having to be fleeting... Adamant on Astra being inherently unable to finish her at all.

Could she have been right?

Spectre was making a good case, but Astra knew that buying into her words was never going to be the winning strategy. And luckily, the sounds of the referee getting the third round going were enough to pull the heroine out of any of her potentially developing doubts. And while she was still seeing the supervillain teetering in the corner, the best idea surely was to simply go at her.

"Well, I'd hate to bore you then." the Interstellar Heroine dryly stated, before beginning to charge towards the corner that Spectre was occupying, and hoping to punish the villain with a rather vicious Clothesline!

[Monsy]

. . . . .

That wasn't in the script. Spectre's eyes biggened the moment Astra took the nerve to charge directly at her. Her colour flushed and she started willing her knees to do something, but her legs were spongey and exhausted, sweat-drenched and aching. Her arms didn't have much more gas. Her gut didn't like to turn or twist without seizing and giving a precursor to some violent muscle spasm. The toes curled inside her boots. She realized she couldn't dodge, couldn't run, and could hardly counter the incoming weight of her larger heroine.

"W-wait-..." Her hands came up in partial surrender, hands in-front of her chest with palms facing. A second later, her chest and collar and neck were crushed into the corner. "AAGHk!" Spectre screamed briefly before her breath was erased, a new spittle knocked from her maw. Her head whiplashed off the turnbuckle pad, then started to go loose, swivelling and swaying in a tight orbit. Stars floated around her eyes and dark spots. Her smile and eyes turned derpy, with her gaze unfocused and swirling, a smile developing crooked, twitchy and with a flick of leftover spit. Her shoulders sagged forward and her arms dangled limply. She started to stammer while stumbling out of the corner...

"Y-Y-Yooou c-call thaaaaad a hheet? C-Can't EEven... tt-tt-touch me c-cause...I'm... u-u-unbeatable, rrrremember thaaat. Hhhear me Asssssssssss..traaaa. nOOva. " She spoke in an exhausted, butchered and slurring tone, wondering but eventually turned to face her direction, then bumbling towards her like a newborn lamb. A fist was raised over-shoulder, pulled back and telegraphed. "Taaaaake this!..."

[Jaystar]

Astra knew that deciding to charge at Spectre like this was certainly a risk, even if the villain was occupying a corner. But the fact was that there was nothing in Spectre's stance, actions, or demeanor to suggest that she was going to be any more dangerous opponent now than a minute ago... And most likely, the best bet for the heroine was to just keep on pushing, cherishing her determination of defeating the supervillain as quickly as possible. Sure, Spectre's words had become more defiant again... But that was only making the prospect of shutting them promptly down an even more enticing one.

Which was exactly how it turned out to be... The villain's words may had remained brash and defiant, but there was nothing she could have done to stop the Interstellar Heroine's Clothesline from punishing her chest, collar and neck. The smack was audible enough for everyone to hear that it must had connected perfectly, and as the blonde was whirling away from her foe, she could already be certain of its success.

Once Astra settled some distance away and turned to face the villain again, the sight was already quite a familiar one by the standards of this match. Spectre was barely remaining upright, still possessed a nasty look on her face, and her crumbling words were still as defiant as ever. Gosh, it would have been almost a comical sight, if it hadn't already been replayed so many times during this match already...

For once though, Spectre seemed capable of and willing to at least try causing a shift in the balance, and began stumbling forwards towards the heroine in an apparent attack mode. Unfortunately for her though, not only had such villainous acts been already replayed by various movies, series, and forums before, but also her words made her intentions a little too obvious. Thus, as the villain's fist flew towards the blonde heroine, she was ready to catch it, and despite the medium-level impact that it managed to cause against the heroine's shoulder, it was easy for Astra to get her face out of the harms way, and get arm of the villainess caught.

But naturally, the Interstellar Heroine held no interest for keeping the masked villainess so close to her. Instead, she wanted to reintroduce Spectre to the canvas with a quick Snapmare! "No, you take this!"

[Monsy]

There was some merit to being on repeat.

All these assaults were happening so fast to her senses. One pain rolled into another, even bigger agony. She hadn't the time to stew or strongly recover before the pinfall already took place. Then when she tried, there was cobwebs; ugly, incessant, almost teasing in the way they delayed a formulated original thought. Anything to her name at this point was simple: fight. Do not stop going at them. Even if it means throwing a tooth a rival knocks out, the vow was to keep striking, keep trying, and eventually something will change.

With Astra catching her fist...
It just hasn't happened yet.

Her body whipped and her vision flipped till her tailbone smacked down hard. Her cheeks clenched and she rested a hand on her lower-back, arching with her arm and head in Astra's control. "Gh-!" Hissing, she sunk towards the ground like a wet mat, the exhaustion coaxing her further towards a limp state. Her voice croaked, eyes to the ground, trying to find a smile. Instead, she spat saliva... "Your energy... Itssss... waning... Isn't it?"

[Jaystar]

Everything was, still, going marvelously for Astra Nova. Her foe was already weakened, her attacks got delivered, she blocked her foe's offense, and she managed to throw the villainess once again to the mat. Nothing, absolutely nothing, suggested that there was anything standing between her, and an imminent victory. Surely, she was going to vanquish the Malevolent Virus plaguing LAW's ranks.

So why was she still having this creeping doubt in her mind?

Truth be told, Spectre's villainous mind games were nothing to be scoffed at. And even if most of the words she managed to utter out were in her current state comical at best, there were some that carried a surprising weight of truth behind them.

"Your strength has to be fleeting" was a sentence that had, for some strange reason, stuck onto the blonde heroine's mind. And it was still haunting her there. Only now, it got complemented with "Your energy... Itssss... waning... Isn't it?". And even if nothing seemingly suggested that there was any truth behind those words... For Astra, for a reason she couldn't explain, they turned into the truth she was experiencing right now.

The reality wasn't perhaps quite as drastic as how Spectre presented it to be. But it was a fact that Astra had consumed quite a bit of her strength and endurance already when throwing the villain around, and that part of the reason why she had selected to use the Snapmare just now was that it didn't require as much strength and effort than, let's say, a German Suplex.

Spectre was onto something. And that's why Astra needed to end this, quickly.

Luckily, the villainess was once again grounded. It had taken such effort and time for her to manage getting herself back up the last time, that the blonde heroine was fairly confident that any such attempt would not be any faster this time around at all. Perhaps, she could already go for the kill.

Or no, not the kill. She was a heroine after all. Finishing the villainess would be a far, far better term to use.

And as Astra left Spectre's limp state behind, so she had decided to do. Heading towards the ropes, it was time for the Interstellar Heroine to finally climb them up, and soar high across the skies.

Having reached the top rope, Astra took the time to act up for the crowds for a bit, hyping them up. Surely, surely, everyone was going to love seeing the notorious villain get defeated once and for all! After having prepped the crowds for the grand finale, the blonde heroine took one more glance behind her to where the masked villainess was, before launching herself gracefully high up in the air for her finisher.

It was time to deliver Interstellar Justice - a Shooting Star Press executed from the top rope.

[Monsy]

Her body leaned forward and threatened to smack the canvas face-first between her legs when Astra left her unsupported.

She had enough brain juice to curse Astra Nova in her thoughts. This damn Heroine, she thought. Scamming victory! Only the disorientation of her loose neck and cranium could match the utter disbelief swimming through her disorganized subconscious. When her head rolled towards the back, she flopped out like a star-fish, legs bouncing and spreading a little more than before, arms splayed out to shoulder. A bare gut, bruised to hell and continuing to swell, naked and open with only a third of the breath flowing through it than before.

Astra went high.
The crowds adored it! THIS is why she was one of the best! All this asskicking and now the coup de grace! Oohh, how the crowds relished it with watering maws eager for meat served by Spectre's dying scream.

A spotlight shined to her as commentators and spectator alike HAILED something magical! The spirit of justice and heroics flowed through their finger-tips, just dying for the climax all of them knew was coming! Spectre was dead meat. A folding mat for Astra Nova's raw talents. Sugar glass to the heroic steel that destroyed her. The Commentators took a field day lapping it up, standing on their feet like everyone else! Astra Nova would dive. Her sweat layer shined for the cameras that took a thousand photos!

Spectre's hand reached up, capturing a face twisted in purple paint and wide-eyed alert over her pending evisceration.

The shadow consumed her, turned her small. The crowd's pitch reached a climax in those seconds Astra Nova came down.

All to see--

Her land on a pair of knees.

[Jaystar]

This match was about to become the biggest success of Astra Nova's career.

The Interstellar Heroine could feel it in her veins. The villain had made a flashy entrance, but soon faced her wrath. Astra had been effective, decisive, and proficient. The baddie had even violated the referee, but she had defended and protected her. And Spectre had turned out to be, despite all of the mystery, danger and dread that characterized her reputation, still weak and vulnerable enough for the blonde to throw and pummel around. What more could she had asked for?

Well, the love of the crowds, of course! The hype from the commentators! The admiration of them both towards the commanding performance she had put on tonight! And the fabulous finisher she was about to pull off! To finally, finally deliver punishment to the evil Spectre with a sounding defeat!

And oh boy, was Astra feeling it all. Yes, there had been some unease in her guts still while climbing up the ropes... But it certainly got overwhelmed by the time she could take in the moment with all her senses. The sound, the feeling, the scene... And eventually, one final look behind her shoulder to check if Spectre was still laid out where she was supposed to be.

And she was.

It was time to jump up!

And to make a landing!

But oh no... A crash landing!!!

There wasn't even time for Astra's brain to fill her veins with horror once she spotted the pair of knees waiting for her. Thus, they promptly dug deep into the heroine's unprotected midsection, instantly driving the air out of them, and sending the pure heroine's body flopping onto the mat next to the redheaded villain.

Now this turn of events was something that everyone seemed to hate. Astra did, too. But despite all the pain, she wasn't lunging into despair... She had controlled everything so well so far. Now she just needed to fight through this pain, and recover...

Even if, unfortunately, after such a landing, it would probably take quite some time to achieve.