Astrid Ostberg wasn't scheduled to compete in Malta, but there was no doubt that she was still an iconic member of the LAW roster. As Heavyweight Champion, she had made an unforgettable impact on her division, and she had always been eager to promote the company in her efforts around the world. Her bookings were still in high demand. And when she had been given the opportunity to visit Malta as part of the Fight the LAW 4 tour, she hadn't passed up the opportunity.
She was happy enough to have a vacation and enjoy the scenery, not to mention getting front-row seats to the big show. But she had also been approached by the team at LAW Magazine to take part in a beachside photoshoot to help promote the event. Astrid wasn't really sure what to think of it - after her title run, she would have thought that her accomplishments would have spoken for themselves in getting her name out there. She shouldn't have needed to fall back on her good looks. For a moment, as she prepared in the dressing room, she bit at her tongue - did this mean that all her accomplishments, the feats of strength she had built her career off of, weren't doing it for her any more? After losing matches to Rose Gold,Alaina Sanders, and Astrid Arvidsson, was she still the champion she once was?
Even so, a paycheck was a paycheck, and Astrid had been reassured that being featured would benefit her career. That was how she found herself poised before the camera crew on the beach, thrusting out her chest with her hand behind her head. "How's this?" Spoiler
The Harbingers, one of LAW's rising heel fractions were sadly not scheduled to compete in either Malta or Rome for this year's Fight The LAW. A disappointment that Bernadette the teams leader would make all too clear as the heel trio walked along the sandy beach each in their own swimsuit. "I don't get why we weren't allowed to compete for this year's fight the LAW it makes no sense! If anyone should be at the Roman coliseum it should be us." Bernadette said in annoyed tone of voice as she walked with her arms folded over the other. Annabelle meanwhile was the complete opposite as all that mattered to her was getting to spend time with her best friends in the whole world. "Aww don't worry Bernie, I'm sure next year will compete and show everyone what we're made of." Annabelle chimed in trying to calm her leader down while adding her own signature brand of childlike innocence. Bernadette was still annoyed, especially considering at the last LAW event she defeated the first ever Middleweight champion at LAW, surely that would be good enough to compete at Fight The LAW.
Candice on the other hand just walked on not knowing what to think of this situation, that was all until she looked up and saw her....."What...?" Candice muttered out in surprise as she stopped walking alongside her friends as they stopped and noticed soon after turning their attention towards Candice."Everything alright?" Bernadette asked in a confused tone of voice as usually Candice doesn't seem scared of anything, so she turned her attention in the direction of where she was looking and there she was.... Astrid Ostberg.... the new face of the Ostberg dynasty and former LAW Heavyweight Champion. To Candice however she was someone different.... Astrid was the woman who defeated her so badly in America that she left the United States to start fresh in Japan and while she knew they were working at the same company they never crossed paths until now.... and Candice was pissed! Her hand began to tighten up into a fist as she growled seeing that good for nothing bitch get all the fame and attention while she on the other had years taken off of her career for one stupid thing after another! Before the Thunderbolt could charge and beat the shit out of her Bernadette quickly grabbed hold of her wrist stopping her in her tracks much to Candice's annoyance. "Bernadette let go! That bitch needs to pay for what she did to me. She's the reason I left America!" Candice let out not wanting to be stopped by Annabelle Bernadette. The bomb however looked at her teammate and said. "I know you told us remember? And if wasn't for the fact she did select matches before disappearing, we would've had her. So just control yourself, don't worry Candice, by the time we're done with her she won't show her face, so follow my lead. Besides we can use this to our advantage." Bernadette spoke firmly to her team member before gently putting her arm down and walking up to Astrid with Candice begrudgingly following her orders despite how much she wanted to clobber Astrid's face in.
As the photoshoot went on multiple cameras were flashing in front of the former champion with the director saying."Love it. Can you give us some more hip attack maybe a pelvic thrust?" They suggested all before... "Excuse me, coming through." The Harbingers forcibly went through the camera people making them bump into other people until the trio were right in front of Astrid. Bernadette grinned seeing the once former heavyweight champion and face of the company being reduce to swimsuit photo ops just to stay relevant."Ahh... if it wasn't Astrid Ostberg." Bernadette said in a condescending welcoming tone of voice as she placed her hands on her hips."If I recall you were once the top girl in this company.... and now here you are regulated to doing bikini shoots to get peoples rocks... off, but hey... at least someone other than your husband might enjoy it...." Bernadette continued on making slight digs at her while shrugging her arms to the side seeing the once former champ be doing this for money before ending it with a mocking comment about Astrid's own beloved husband making sure to say with a bit of venomus intent while shooting a glare at the heavyweight blonde to see her lose her cool at them.
Astrid bit a little bit at the inside of her cheek when she heard the director's advice. This wasn't exactly the side of herself she preferred to show the world, especially after the highs she'd experienced in her championship run. She had to ask herself if she would've been doing work like this if she still had her title. Nevertheless, she had to look good for the cameras, and those sorts of negative thoughts wouldn't help her here. Taking in a breath, Astrid leaned in a little further and cocked her hip to the side. "What, like this?"
But Astrid would soon discover that she wasn't alone. She heard a voice call out to her - and at that, she stiffened, standing up straight as she turned to the source of the noise. Before she could say anything, though, three women forced their way through the photographers, shoving them out of the way. And those three women Astrid recognized as the Harbingers - a stable who had established themselves as a dominant force in LAW, hell-bent on turning everyone in the promotion to their will! Astrid had never dealt with them personally since her feud with Candice on the indies, but she had seen plenty of the things they did - and she certainly did not approve of the cruel treatment they had shown everyone in their way. Including, as the case was now, the camera crew. "Hey-! What do you think you're doing-!?" Astrid shouted. She planted her hands on her hips, staring Bernadette down - that was, until she spoke up.
"Ah..?" At that, the slack set into Astrid's stance, and she began to waver. She clenched her teeth; her eyelid twitched ever so slightly. She didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to concede to any weakness in herself, and she didn't want to give Bernadette the satisfaction of knowing she had affected her in this way. But Astrid couldn't deny it - she herself felt like she had fallen from grace, and that she was struggling to stay relevant. Now, when she was hearing all that directed at her, it made her stand up a little bit stiffer as the hairs rose on the back of her neck. It was just another reminder that she hadn't been good enough. That if she hadn't lost to Alaina...
Nevertheless, Astrid couldn't let any weakness show through now! Shaking her head, she stood as tall as she could, digging her heels into the sand to bolster her stance. The Harbingers would seize on any sign of weakness, so she couldn't give it to them! "I'm warning you!" she barked. "Just because I'm doing this shoot doesn't mean I can't fight!" She just hoped she meant that. "What do you want?"
If there was one thing above all else Bernadette was a pro at it was getting under the skin of wrestlers like Astrid. I mean she already had the perfect material to do so, so as she sauntered her way up to the former champ, she took her time walking methodically having her arms folded behind her back until she and her crew were face to face with the blonde. To make matters simple and to the point, Astrid fell for her taunts hook, line and sinker. Astrid tried to hide but being a former theater girl Bernadette could read people's emotions like an open book and could see it all clear as day in front of her.
What made it even better was when Astrid tried to play the tough stoic girl that's she's known for but all it did was raise a grin from the bomb."Well if that's the case all I came here for was a simple proposal really." Bernadette opened her mouth talking in a sarcastically apologetical tone as she gave a light shrug of her shoulders."If you're still at the top of your game why not prove it by defeating all three of us?" There it was in an instant that fake apologetic tone was replaced with a calculated grin as she took a step to the side to give more room for Annabelle and Candice as if she is presenting them. "There are conditions however." Before she continued Bernadette raised her hand up like a stop sign leaning her body forward. "It won't be a handicap match no no no. Instead, you will face all three of us one after the other, obviously dates of our choosing but the point still stands." Bernadette added on taking a moment to clarify some of the conditions as she stopped to see that some people were starting to take interest in this idea while others especially in the photoshoot crew also took an interest, most likely to see Astrid beat them for ruining the shoot. "However there is one thing. Bernadette raised her finger in front of Astrid before she could say anything. "All Matches will be our choices and if you somehow loose to all three us, you must surrender your LAW contract! And there it was. Bernadette took her time wanting to build and build up the suspense of The Harbingers challenge taking time to turn and point to Annabelle and Candice before turning her attention back to the woman of the hour. Now everyone was watching, the great Astrid Ostberg the second woman in the company to hold the Heavyweight belt is being challenged to possibly loose her law contract if she accepted Bernadette's terms and Bernadette was loving every second of it! She could see the shocked look on the people's faces and Candice was also loving it since she had her own personal grudge against Astrid to get even with. As Bernadette looked at Astrid as she intimated the blonde putting her hands on her hips with a face that was gleeful with excitement as well as sinister as she took step forward to be face to face with her."So what will it be Astrid? Do you accept our challenge and risk it all to prove your glory days aren't over or not accept it and disappoint all of our fans will support you even after you lost the title." Bernadette let out giving one last cold remark to the former champ as she turned around gesturing to all of the people watching their argument. It was all in Astrid's corner now to decide what her future will be.
Last edited by SRG on Wed Jun 18, 2025 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
From the moment she arrived on the scene, Bernadette was already fully in control - that much was apparent. The way she spoke, the way she walked, the way she held herself - it all exuded confidence. She was the one in charge here, and she was the one who knew what she was doing. She had barged in on Astrid away from the ring - she wanted her to know that even if it was outside of her professional life, the Norsewoman would never be safe from her. And even if she was facing down a former champion, Bernadette didn't betray even the slightest sign of fear.
In fact, she knew just what buttons to push to get under Astrid's skin. Bernadette was well aware that Astrid's loss of the title, and her failure to live up to the standards she held herself to, was weighing on her shoulders. She was keen to remind her of that right off the bat, and already it made Astrid suck in a breath, her muscles beginning to stiffen as she bit at the inside of her cheek. Even if no blows had been thrown, the intention was clear. Bernadette had issued a challenge. And Astrid, for the sake of her own dignity and self-respect, was going to have to rise to it.
When she heard Bernadette voice her demands, Astrid's blood went cold. She stood straight; the world seemed to grind to a halt around her. She had already faced a high-stakes bout when it came to her title, and she still felt the guilt of letting herself lose it. But this went even further beyond that. This time, Bernadette was forcing her to put her LAW career on the line - and to defend it, she would have to go up against one of the promotion's most fearsome factions. Astrid glanced back and forth, looking over her shoulder. She didn't know how she felt about the arrangements - she couldn't stand the thought of leaving the same promotion she had made a name for herself in in shame. But she knew, too, that she couldn't back down. She couldn't admit defeat. Astrid knew that Candice was forcing her to choose between her safety and her pride. And when it came to Astrid stberg, her pride was going to win out.
At last, the Norwegian let out a huff. She slammed her fist against her palm, her eyes narrowing on Bernadette as she nodded her head. "Fine. If that's what you want...I'll agree to your terms!" A few of the crew members gasped at the notion that Astrid was actually going to do it. "You might think you're threatening me. But really...you're just giving me the determination to prove you wrong. If I need to put myself up to this task to prove I still have it in me, I'll do it! No matter what you need me to do!"
All the same, Astrid grit her teeth. For as bold as her words were, there was still a flickering shadow of doubt in the back of her head. She just hoped she really could rise to the challenge. She couldn't let herself disappoint again. But running away wasn't an option. Not here.
Right from the beginning Bernadette had been playing the former heavyweight champion just like a fiddle and it was working! Bernadette knew that with Astrid in a public space such as this there would be nowhere to run or hide from her insults and challenge. After all what could Astrid do? Deny a challenge in front of her adoring fans not wanting to put the safety of her LAW contract on the line? Afterall if she lost, she would only be allowed to wrestle on the indie circuit and some promoters may not want to book a woman who after losing her championship at the top promotion in the world had next to nothing but a downward spiral. Or her second option to just skip the response and just run away like a scared kitten. The bomb had her wrapped around her finger and now she eagerly awaited Astrid's response all the while having a smug grin beaming across her face as if she was trying to hold back her laughter.
Then Astrid opened that mouth of hers, everyone leaned in wondering what she was about to say and then she said what Bernadette had been hoping for. "Perfect...." Bernadette let out softly as she titled her head with her eyes narrowing at Astrid showing off a bit of those purely whites, she had in her. Candice on the other hand grinned like a predator ready to bounce on its prey as she too slammed her fist against her palm wanting a piece of her. Once Astrid stopped her speech about how she's more determined than ever or as Bernadette likes to call it "vanilla hero speech" It was time to set this deal in motion. The raven-haired middleweight stood face to face with the blonde examining her foe's body and smirked seeing that flicker of doubt in her. "Well if that's the case the first member you'll be facing is our own heavyweight Annabelle Valentine!!" Bernadette let out proudly as she turned her body and pulled her arms forward to present Annabelle as if she were pulling the rug underneath a brand new car with all eyes on sweet little Annabelle."So Annabelle you decide the rules against Astrid here what shall they be?" Bernadette continued on asking Annabelle in a smug tone of voice already having a feeling of what Annabelle will say. Annabelle meanwhile shot up with joy as she walked up to her fellow Heavyweight walking in a cute way as she had a happy go lucky smile plastered all over her. "Well.... she may not be my type, but I think I know what we could do...." Annabelle started off speaking in a cutesy tone of voice as she pressed her fingers against her chin dotting for a moment. "Oh I know! First to three hentai on the beach!" After a moment a lightbulb went off in her head as the hand she had pressed on her chin, she held up with a finger sticking out signaling her idea. The audience gasped at the prospect of Astrid competing in a hentai since she's always been about having a fight to determine who's stronger between her and her opponent. Candice was a bit frustrated as she wanted a piece of Astrid first as she growled a bit crossing her arms in annoyance that Annabelle gets to go first. Meanwhile Bernadette grin only grew at this. Sure, she would prefer Annabelle hitting people but for this she was accepting of Annabelle's love for hentai because Astrid would be a massive disadvantage so much so the victory for Annabelle was practically wrapped for the pinkette and possibly with a cute bow too. So just to dig the knife deeper in Bernadette leaned forward with her head to the side letting her hair fall down. "So Astrid you ready for your first step into the world of hentai?" She added on a fake sincere tone of voice knowing that Astrid's reign over LAW was over.
It didn't matter if they were away from the ring, and that the Harbingers weren't taking up arms - Astrid knew that the very presence of these three fearsome women was a threat. And she could feel the tension rising in her body as the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. With a hiss she sucked in a breath, her muscles coiling tighter. When Bernadette directed her gaze in her direction, Astrid looked away. She couldn't stand to look Bernadette directly in the eyes - she couldn't stand to look into the eyes of a woman who knew she had overcome her, and who had her in the palm of her hand. But at the same time, Astrid knew that to back away from Bernadette's challenge would be admitting defeat - and now more than ever, she needed to prove to the world she wasn't hopeless.
However, what really took a blow to Astrid's confidence was when Annabelle confirmed the rules of their first match. And when Astrid heard it, she looked up with a gasp. "What..!? Hentai-!?" Just saying the word made her cheeks flush a deeper red. Astrid had never competed in a hentai match before - she'd always dismissed it as a superfluous sideshow when the only thing that should have mattered was her athletic prowess. Annabelle, on the other hand, was far more skilled in sexual combat, and knew all the tricks and strategies Astrid couldn't even comprehend. The Harbingers had shown their hand now - they were stacking the deck against Astrid by putting her up to matches where they would have the edge!
Worst of all, though, was how Bernadette had made this challenge in public, with plenty of people watching. Even now, Astrid could hear a few cheers and wolf-whistles ring out at the prospect of her competing in a hentai match - which just made her blush harder. She didn't have a choice. If she turned down Annabelle's offer, she'd be admitting that she didn't think she had it in her - that she was letting her once-unshakable confidence slip. How could she be the woman who had taken down Cyber Widow, yet still run from a hentai match?
Finally, Astrid sucked in a deep breath. She stood as straight as she could manage, clearing her throat and looking Annabelle right in the eye. "...So be it, then. If that's what you want...that's what you'll get. But no matter what kind of match you want to put me in, it's not going to change how I approach it. I'm still going to be fighting with the same spirit! And I'll do whatever I can to win!"
Even when she'd said that, Astrid still bit her lip. She wanted to believe that - but could she live up to such promises?
It didn't matter what Astrid said, ever since the heel trio made their presence known, they had been running the show here. "Hmph!" A chuckle came from the raven bombshell as Astrid looked away from her gaze, as Bernadette knew that Astrid knew the same thing, that she was the one in control, and for the rising heel, that brought her nothing but an immense joy. What made it even better was the look of shock on Astrid's face upon Annabelle deciding the rules would be a beach hentai bout! While Bernadette and Candice didn't care for hentai matches as they view it as a waste of their time, there was one thing that was certain, Annabelle was a hentai pro. Given her size and raw strength there was no denying she was strong. However, Annabelle's real strength was her lust. Astrid would have no idea what would be store for her against Annabelle, but all that mattered now was if she accepted.
What made this even better than it already was is this wasn't a challenge made in a locker room where there would be no camera's, this was a public challenge Bernadette had made. Astrid had been known for never backing down from a challenge, so for Bernadette to do this showed that this rising star had been treating Astrid as nothing more than a puppet on a string. Moreover, had Astrid backdown it should show the whole world that even she was afraid of them and to Bernadette it was something she needed to know, would Astrid face the Harbingers despite the odds? Or turn tail and hide and never show her face again?
So while the crowd and the Harbingers had their attention all on Astrid, the blonde finally spoke up. Astrid had accepted the challenge! Instantly people started gasping as photographers began snapping pictures already to make it a news story of Astrid competing in her first ever Hentai match! For Bernadette however, it was nothing more than music to her ears. Her plan was now put into motion and Astrid had sealed her own fate against them. "Well if that's the case, good luck. You'll need it." The raven smirked with a hint of excitement in her voice before turning her body around to face her teammates making it seem like they're about to leave before Bernadette stops herself in the sand."Oh right before I go..." Bernadette added on acting as if she had forgot something before turning her frontal view back to Astrid."Annabelle, Candice, show her a little taste of what's to come." Bernadette spoke calmy as she instructed her two friends to attack Astrid all while adding a snap of her fingers for dramatic effect. "I'd thought you'd never ask!!!" Candice pounded her fist into her palm as she licked her lips in excitement as she made a mad dash to Astrid aiming for a knee strike straight to Astrid's womahood! Had Candice been successful she would aim to wrap her arms around the blonde's neck for a ddt straight into the sand! "Now don't worry everyone this is just part of the show. Besides it will add some great photos for the magazine am I right?" Bernadette turned to the cameraman and audience trying to calm them down all the while lying through her teeth. After all, if Astrid was so powerful and a living legend why not give her a taste of her final opponents she'll face in this prestigious company? All the while Bernadette lowered her head chuckling to herself as now it was up to Annabelle and Candice to put Astrid in her place before the upcoming bouts.
Last edited by SRG on Wed Aug 20, 2025 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
