Astrid Arvidsson (C) vs Emaline — No Disqualification Match for the LAW Openweight Title

[Monsy]

NO HOLDS BARRED

Neither wrestler can be disqualified
The fall can only be obtained INSIDE the ring
Victory via Pinfall, Submission or KO
Winner will either retain or become the new Openweight Champion!

BEGIN!

[Kreydos]

Emaline stood before her locker mirror, appraising the beauty that was her own reflection. As befitting a momentous occasion such as her upcoming match, she wore a new outfit befitting a newly crowned queen's inauguration; a form-fitting one piece tailored to mimic the Renaissance gowns of old, with modest roses adorning her waist, fine golden threads tastefully accenting the entire outfit, and most eye-catching of all, a large imperial crown resting atop her head. When the LAW official arrived and told her it was finally time, she lethargically ran her fingers through her hair and confirmed its silkiness to be to her liking before she set off.

Emaline Appearance Reference

Entrance Outfit

In-Ring Outfit

Entrance Theme

Naturally, her entrance was also a grand affair. Dark green mist seeped onto the stage as her theme's tunes heralded her arrival. With a slow, measured strut, and an air of haughty authority about her, the Emerald Viper entered into the arena. Her lips curled into a soft grin as she made her way down the ramp, not even bothering to spare any audience member or even the camera with a cursory glance. As she had planned, the green mist clung onto her cloak and cascaded behind her; a small extra touch to accentuate her supernatural visage.

She sauntered up the steel steps, grabbed onto the top ropes, and slowly yet elegantly backflipped into the ring. Upon doing so, she lightly pressed the clips on her outfit and the unnecessary adornments hanging on her back slipped right off her body. She left it to the extras and stage helps to clean up the mess her entrance had made while she walked over to her corner. Clambering atop the top turnbuckle, she nonchalantly lazed across the ropes as she awaited the champion's arrival.

Pose Reference

[skip-stop]

“We are lucky that the federation managed to get such a large arena,” Victoria said, walking next to Astrid. “Otherwise, our idea would have been doomed to failure.”

“Our idea, huh? The blonde grinned. “If it wasn't for you, I would never have thought about something like this, you know that I don't like excessive theatricality.”

“Said the woman who came down from the ceiling in a Thor costume a little less than a year ago!" The manager's lips curled into a grin, too. “But I'm glad that I managed to instill this in you, the audience needs a show and therefore our task is not to disappoint them, you know how they say, the audience needs a champion, and the champion needs the audience, so don't forget about it.”

Astrid and Victoria stopped in front of the entrance to the waiting room. The manager turned to her ward and adjusted her glasses. When the champion looked at the Englishwoman, she even understood without words that Victoria was worried about her. Every title match is a big event with the highest possible bet. But today it was even more serious, today not only the title was at stake, today reputation was at stake. Nevertheless, the descendant of the great Vikings smiled.

“Don't look at me like that, it gives the impression that you don't trust me, huh!” The blonde's look has changed, she has become much more serious. “I'll do what I have to do!”

“I know...” said Victoria, hugging her ward.

It was extremely pleasant for Astrid, but she couldn't afford too many emotions before the match. Therefore, in order not to melt ahead of time, she took a step back from her manager. Putting her index and middle fingers to her temple, she saluted Victoria in a hasta la vista style, then turned around and entered the waiting room.

Once inside, Astrid barely managed to keep from whistling. Not so much because this room was much larger than in an ordinary arena, but because the thing for her special entrance had already been brought here. Astrid ran her hand over the wooden planks, marveling at how well the work was done. It seems her funds were well spent.

The music of the contender could be heard from behind the curtains, which made the blonde look at the screen. Apparently, she is not the only one who has prepared something special for the audience. Emaline smoothly and steadily approached the ring, showing the audience her new attire. Astrid paid the most attention to the crown on the contender's head. It seems the pink-haired woman was more than confident of triumph.

“Two minutes and we can start, miss Arvidsson!” Someone from the staff told her.

“Great...” she replied without even turning her head.

Lowering her head, the Norwegian woman looked at the golden belt around her waist. To get this, Emaline decided on a low, but certainly audacious act. Not everyone would have the courage to organize an attack on the champion in order to get a title match. Looking at her belt, Astrid wondered what else awaits her along the way. Although... no. In fact, she was thinking about something else. If Emaline was so desperate to get it, wouldn't this be Astrid's last day as a champion…

[Vc0m]

Clara was hurt and tired. She fully expected to be this way after her match with Nerissa. Hell, she expected to be fully knocked out, win or lose. Luckily for her, her nap only took the amount of time the ring crew needed to reset the ring after the Fight Pit. She still had 2 matches she wanted to watch after her own. The Main Event was obvious. No chance in hell would she miss her sister potentially winning the Lightweight title.

And the other one was a personal stake for her.

Clara sat at Gorilla position, looking at Emaline's very confdent...and very arrogant, entrance. Clara seen Emaline's recent demolition of Phoebe Justice, cruelly toying with her and hurting her as she completely destroyed the lightweight's ribs. From that match alone, her opinion of the Emerald Viper has been quite low...and that cruelty, especially in a No-Disqualification match, might've been just enough to get the title from the champion.

Clara actually sat down in the gorilla position. The crew offered a much more comfy chair for Clara, but she shook her head. A regular steel one was fine for her. She still had a cold pack at her sore neck. She didn't have time to get changed, so she sat down, in her ring gear, watching the monitors.

But as she heard steps approaching, she turned around...

...and was face to face with the LAW Openweight title.

It was...a difficult feeling to describe the belt being in front of her once again. Clara desperately wanted it, the title and importance it brought, the legacy...but no. It wasn't her's...not yet, she told herself.

Her head craned up, Clara letting out a soft groan of pain.

"Hi...", Clara would tell the woman she threw at pumpkins less than a year ago, all in an attempt to get the gold that rightfully belonged to her.

"One second...", Clara stood up, groaning. Her body demanded immediate rest, but for tonight's main events, she needed to grit her teeth and bear it...especially now. She had important words to tell Astrid:

"I am going to be the one to beat you for the gold...", Clara would make a bold claim: "And I will do that with no tricks and no backstage attacks...so don't you dare lose to Emaline, got it?!"

Clara's voice got very serious for the final part. Astrid was the biggest wall she wanted to overcome in LAW right now. And the possibility of someone else doing it first, especially while cheating, did not appeal to her in the slightest.

Right as Clara told Astrid that, her legs got very shaking from even carrying her own weight. She bit her lip, toughing out through her pains and aches to make her point perfectly clear...

[skip-stop]

“Huh?”

Hearing a familiar voice, Astrid pulled herself out of the stream of her thoughts. Turning around, the blonde came face to face with Clara Gaster. It seems that because of the far from the best mood, the champion did not pay attention to the British woman when she went inside. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she ran her eyes over the brunette from head to toe. Bruises and wounds were all over the Shadow Lord's body, not to mention that she smelled strongly of sweat. Astrid watched Clara and Nerissa's match from start to finish, and considering everything that happened, she was somewhat surprised by the fact that Clara could stand on her feet at all.

“Hey,” the champion greeted neutrally. “Didn't expect to meet you here, don't get me wrong, but you definitely need a rest and definitely not here.”

Astrid wasn't going to pretend that they were best friends, but she was well aware that sometimes a fighter can underestimate the consequences of a fight. Considering everything that happened, she would be with Nerissa now if she had the opportunity. But since she had obligations and the duty of a champion came first for her, Charlotte was with Nerissa now. Because of this, Astrid lost someone who was supposed to cover her back if necessary, because after the events leading up to this match, she had no reason to trust Emaline. Nevertheless, even despite Victoria's protests, the champion decided that Nerissa needed Charlotte much more now than she did.

But soon the reason why Clara was here was revealed to the Norwegian woman. Astrid raised her left eyebrow slightly as she looked at Clara. The audacity of her words was not to the liking of the descendant of the great Vikings. But at the same time, these words reminded Astrid of the promises she had made. She made one promise to Clara during their last meeting, namely that they would meet in the ring again if Clara remembered why she wanted to become a champion. She made another promise to herself, namely that she would lose the title only on the day when she would not regret her loss. Today was not the day.

“Don't worry,” Astrid said, and then a smile appeared on her face. “I'm not going to lose, neither to her nor to you!”

The champion took off her belt from her waist and slung it over her shoulder. But before she left Clara, she ran her eyes over her again. A lot of water has flowed since their first match. She was well aware of all the successes of this woman. Defeat did not break her, but on the contrary gave her strength. The brunette rushed forward like a locomotive in an attempt to get to Astrid and her title again. And although she still had to give Astrid the answer to the question she had asked her in the bar that day, it was already impossible to question this woman's aspiration. In the end, she even went through women whom Astrid loved as friends and respected as fighters. Speaking of which…

“Funny...” she said, tilting her head slightly to the side. “She used your sister to get to you, and then she regretted it a lot.” Despite the fact that the blonde still had a smile on her face, lightning flashed in her lavender eyes. “And you used her to get to me and there's not a drop of regret in your eyes." Astrid glanced briefly at the title on her shoulder. “See you later, Clara Gaster, I'm still waiting for your answer to my question!”

With that, Astrid turned around and climbed the wooden ladder. Feeling an incredible sense of admiration, she looked around and was once again amazed at the work done. Yes, maybe not all the details were perfect, but something told her that no one would pay attention to it. Even without taking into account the small details, this project was even more ambitious than her last year's show with a Thor costume and Tesla coils.

“Miss Arvidsson, we are ready!” The same person from the staff told her.

“To the last drop of sweat and blood!" The blonde said loudly and clearly, hitting her left palm with her right fist.

Entrance Music

The lights in the arena became dimmed and with that the music started. A few seconds of rapidly increasing tempo, and then the walls shook due to the deafening chords of the Golden Dragon's music. The floor of the ramp moved slightly to the sides and now they could see that the rail was hidden inside. And if at first it caused a wave of whispers, then the next second the arena literally gasped.

The World Openweight champion's epic entrance

The curtains parted to the sides and a majestic drakkar appeared to the eyes of the audience. The vessel, built in the best traditions of the ancient Vikings, began to glide smoothly down the rail, causing a real roar from the crowd. It wasn't a fake made of plastic, it was built from real wood. Well, at least as much as possible. The drakkar was decorated with battle shields, and a golden dragon was depicted on the white sail.

When the drakkar was halfway across the ramp, the audience finally got the opportunity to see Astrid. The first Openweight champion held the tiller with her right hand and held her title high above her head with her left hand. There was a cheeky smile on the Golden Dragon's face, signaling that she had come here for only one thing. Victory. Like her great ancestors, who risked their lives and went on long voyages. Without fear and without doubt.

The drakkar reached the end of the ramp and Astrid let go of the tiller. With a few quick steps, she accelerated and jumped off the bow of the ship. To the beat of the music, the descendant of the great Vikings landed in front of the ring, accompanied by applause. Wasting no time, she ran up the metal steps and pushed off from apron with force. She put her left foot on the top turnbuckle and her right foot on the middle rope. Lifting her golden belt above her head again, she pointed at herself with the thumb of her free hand, paying tribute to the audience with her signature gesture.

Astrid Arvidsson

Finally, she was inside the ring, a pleasant shiver ran down her back and she took a deep breath. It was at this point that her music came to an end. The referee came up to her and asked her to hand over the title, which Astrid did, after briefly glancing at Emaline and grinning at the pink-haired woman on the ropes. As soon as the referee picked up the golden belt, she invited the champion and the contender to come together in the center of the ring.

“I do not beat people for pleasure, even if I sometimes take pleasure in beating them,” Astrid said, standing in the center of the ring and not taking her eyes off her opponent. “But today...” she cracked her knuckles. “I'm gonna enjoy every second of beating you for ruining my date!”

[Kreydos]

Emaline couldn't help smirking in amusement as she watched Astrid make her own grand entrance, though unlike the challenger, the champion opted for grandiosity and scale over subtly and poise. When the referee called Emaline to the middle of the ring, she stood up atop the turnbuckle and held her hands behind her back before she proceeded to casually tightrope across the ropes until she was directly ahead of Astrid. From there, the Viper hopped down and strolled towards the Dragon, smirking all the while.

"How delightfully principled of you." Emaline politely responded, even dipping her head by the slightest of margins. "However, I am most aggrieved to admit that I foresee you will find our bout roughly as enjoyable as that date I supposedly ruined. Which is to say, not at all." She didn't settle into any wrestling stance, instead standing primly straight with her hands behind her back. Naturally, that was all a facade, should Astrid close the distance enough towards the cunning heel, she would jump, spin about, and thrust her heel outwards, executing a deadly rolling sobat with blinding speed.

[skip-stop]

Astrid tried not to show it, but in fact Emaline still remained a mystery to her. Without any remorse, the Golden Dragon considered this woman a coward, nothing more. But if Emaline is really a coward, then why did she jump off the ropes and start approaching the champion with a big smile on her face? As her opponent approached, the blonde felt nothing but the confidence coming from the Japanese-Italian woman.

Grinning after the words of the pink-haired woman, the champion nodded to the referee, unable to wait any longer. There was a flame burning inside her and she wanted to use it to turn the woman standing in front of her into ashes. The striped shirt did not resist the desire of the Golden Dragon, the rules of this match were well known to everyone present. She raised her right hand above her head, and then abruptly lowered it to the roar of the audience.

Ding-Ding-Ding.

Raising her fists, the descendant of the great Vikings took her classic fighting stance. However, she hesitated to take the first step. The reason for this was the fact that Emaline, instead of taking her fighting stance, simply folded her hands behind her back.

“Hm...”

Maybe Astrid wasn't the smartest woman in the world, but it was obvious to her that Emaline might as well have hidden a knife behind her back. It was a trap. But it didn't matter, the Golden Dragon wasn't going to stand still. Rushing forward, she tried to close the distance, but then…

The contender spun sharply on the spot, at the same time literally shooting her heel in the direction of Astrid's upper abdomen. It was so fast that the Golden Dragon didn't have time to throw her hands down and make a block. Instead, all she had to do was tense her abs. Yes, Astrid was expecting an attack, but it was too fast, reminding her of the kicks' speed of her best friend, Charlotte, who was forced to leave the arena before this match.

“Ghh!!”

Her opponent's heel crashed into Astrid's steel abs, but this kick was so fast and powerful that she still staggered back a step, which made the audience gasp. Due to the realization that if it wasn't for her abs, she would probably have knocked her breath out, the Golden Dragon clicked her tongue irritably. Rushing forward again, she intended to throw her right arm in an arc towards Emaline's face, wanting to repay her with a hard right cross.

[Kreydos]

Emaline's smirk widened when she felt her boot connect with Astrid's abdomen, only for the joy to be immediately wiped off the pinkette's face when the blonde pressed on anyway and sent a right fist flying towards the face. Reacting quickly, Emaline backstepped, ducked her head, and brought up her forearms in a hasty haphazard attempt to block

"Geeek!.." The impact had her reeling, even staggering backwards a couple more steps. "W-w-wait!.." She stuttered out in a panic as she fell to one knee and held up her palms in a surrendering gesture. "Mayhaps I made a mistake!" Of course, it was only more trickery. Her thigh muscles coiled, ready to spring back into action. Should the blonde approach too closely, Emaline would launch herself from the mat right towards Astrid's lower body, aiming to savagely headbutt her right in the crotch.

Regardless of whether the Viper's sneak attack failed or succeeded, she tried to maintain the pressure nonetheless; she bounced back onto her feet, twisted her hips, and swung her leg with all her might to execute a shoot kick targeting the midsection. And she didn't stop there, she drew back her leg for another shoot kick, and another one, and another one, a continuous flow of brutally precise strikes to hammer the Dragon into submission.

[skip-stop]

The first point certainly went to the pink-haired woman. But if Astrid was one of those who retreats after the first kick, she would hardly ever become a champion. Maintaining her resolve, the Golden Dragon tried to act as quickly as possible, not giving Emaline the opportunity to feel freely in this ring. Her fists were well-known in the federation and one of them was now pointed at the contender's face.

However, despite the fact that Astrid was moving fast enough, especially considering her weight class, Emaline managed to react to the approaching punch. She not only took a step back, but she also raised her hands up to protect her head. When the blonde's knuckles collided with her opponent's forearms, she immediately realized that her punch was only half strong. The only good thing was that even this was enough to upset the balance of the Japanese-Italian woman, who got down on one knee.

Unwilling to slow down, the Golden Dragon did not even listen to Emaline's babble. Instead, she took a confident step forward, preparing to send another strike to the contender's head. This time, she intended to make sure that her opponent would not dodge and a knee strike was best suited for that. But even before the champion began to lift her leg, the pink-haired woman leaned forward sharply, and then…

“Ah...” Astrid's breath caught in pain, and a scream stuck in her throat.

She had never felt like this before today. When the contender's forehead crashed into her crotch, Astrid felt as if her legs had become wadded up, while waves of agony began to roll throughout her body. Her knees were shaking and it looked like she was going to fall. Only willpower forced her to keep her balance. And maybe in vain because the next second a kick crashed into the center of her stomach again.

“Grrh!”

She barely had time to take a step back before it all happened again. Another kick from Emaline slammed into her stomach, forcing the Golden Dragon to take another step back. And then another and another. She only stopped when her back pressed against the turnbuckles. She even had to grab the top ropes to stay on her feet. Breathing heavily, she tried to cope with the pain in both her crotch and her guts.

[Kreydos]

Emaline's self-assured grin returned to her face when she caught Astrid guard with a sneaky if treacherous low blow. Naturally, the challenger's grin grew even wider as she pummeled the champion via an onslaught of shoot kicks, eventually backing her into the corner. From there, Emaline retracted her leg backwards and with a malicious glint in her eyes, deviously winded up for what seemed to be a kick to the head.

Yet when she swung her leg, her boot flew above Astrid's skull. Without warning, the Viper reversed her kick's trajectory and sent her heel careening right into the Dragon's cranium to execute a viciously graceful axe kick. Should the blow connect, Emaline would take the opportunity to indulge in her sadistic desires; she crossed her arms, placed her foot on her opponent's battered abdomen, and put all of her weight on said foot, either pressing Astrid against the turnbuckle if she was somehow still standing or the floor if not.