"Pha... pha... pha.."
"Pha... pha... pha..."
The two women were standing in the very center of the ring, with only a few steps between them. Each of them was covered with large drops of both sweat and blood. There were wounds on their faces, and bruises glistened on their skin. Two pairs of torn striking gloves could be seen on different sides of the ring, which explained why the women's hands were wrapped in bandages only, from which blood was slowly dripping. The breathing of each of them was very heavy, but in their eyes any could see an unwavering determination.
"Never give up, shorty?"
Astrid Arvidsson
"Just like you, cow!"
Nerissa Labong
Astrid and Nerissa exchanged cheeky smiles, and then simultaneously took a step towards each other. Aiming at Nerissa's already damaged ribs, Astrid shifted her weight to her right leg while simultaneously throwing her left knee in an arc up and to the right. Nerissa, who did not rush to attack, reacted in time. Bending her body slightly, she covered her ribs with her right arm. The blonde's knee crashed into a solid block, but even this made the Native American woman stagger slightly because of the wild power possessed by the descendant of the great Vikings.
"Ghhh!!!" a groan of pain and fatigue escaped Nerissa's lips.
Wasting no time, she threw her left fist up, wanting to bypass Astrid's defenses and end it all with a hard uppercut. Expecting this, the Norwegian woman brought her elbows together, thereby preventing Nerissa's fist from reaching the target. However, after an unsuccessful knee strike, her position was too unstable. Besides, she did not expect that the punch of the Native American woman would be so strong. Astrid's body involuntarily leaned back and she was forced to retreat. This is exactly what Nerissa was waiting for, because it gave her the opportunity to go on the offensive.
With fury in her eyes, Nerissa began to follow the blonde. A right cross to the head. A right hook to the ribs. A left hook to the liver. A right cross to the head. Continuing to step back, Astrid tried to do everything possible not to fall under such a harsh onslaught. After each punch, drops of blood and sweat flew off her body. And although there was a huge difference between them in both height and weight, now hardly anyone would have the courage to say that Nerissa was playing number two.
"Rrraaa!!!" the Native American woman roared, throwing up her left knee.
Realizing that she was unlikely to completely exhaust Astrid, she intended to ram the blonde's solar plexus and thereby to open the opportunity to end this fight. For the descendant of the great Vikings, Nerissa's intentions were no secret. Exhaling all the air from her lungs, she strained her abs as much as possible. Nerissa's knee slammed into a steel wall, but that still caused Astrid's face to contort in pain.
"Guummhhh!!!"
But while it was certainly a successful strike for the Native American woman, Astrid got the opportunity to counterattack. Throwing both arms forward, she clasped the head of the shorter woman. Straining her arms with wild force to prevent Nerissa from escaping, Astrid forced her to bend down, and then began to throw her right knee up furiously over and over again. Nerissa immediately covered her face with her forearms, but it was a very weak defense.
"Ghh!! GHH!! GGHHAAA!!"
Despite the block, it still hurt like hell. Astrid was hitting so hard that Nerissa's forearms were slamming into her face. Drops of blood kept falling on the mat, flowing from the wounds on her face. Moreover, the blonde did not focus her attacks only on the head. Her knee slammed into both the stomach and chest of the Native American woman time after time. At that moment, Astrid felt the taste of victory on her lips. She had trapped Nerissa and wasn't going to let her out. She felt Nerissa trying to slip out of her grip, but she was sure she couldn't do it. None of them were going to back down. No one wanted to lose. Each of them needed only a victory. And so only a knockout could be the end of it all.
Taking a deep breath, Astrid put all her might into another knee strike, which she intended to make the last one. By aiming her knee directly at Nerissa's forearms, she wanted to break the Native American woman's defenses. And although Nerissa's defeat seemed somehow inevitable, Astrid's knee did not find its target. Nerissa abruptly straightened to her full height, overcoming the pressure exerted on her by the Norwegian woman. Because of this, Astrid's knee only cut through the air, and their furious glances crossed.
"Graaaaa!!"
Taking advantage of the fact that Astrid's arms were too high, Nerissa sent so powerful knee strike into the defenseless torso of the blonde that the crunch of ribs could been heard. A wave of pain passed through Astrid's body, so unbearable that it took her breath away. For just a moment, her legs buckled and she staggered back. Her balance had been disrupted and Nerissa intended to take advantage of it. Abruptly shifting her weight to her right leg, she turned to the side, simultaneously throwing up her left leg, bent at the knee. Sparing no effort, she straightened that leg and rammed Astrid's solar plexus with a hard side kick.
"GGGUUUPPHHH!!!"
Despite her weight, the blonde's body literally lifted above the mat. And although this flight did not last long, as a result, she crashed back into a corner. Mechanically, she grabbed the top rope with her left hand, while simultaneously covering her solar plexus with her right hand. There was a fog in front of her eyes and she had to force herself to overcome the wild pain in her body in order to take a deep breath. It helped her clear her vision, but what she saw made her pupils dilate.
With lightning flashing in her eyes, Nerissa gathered together all the little she had left and sent a powerful left uppercut into Astrid's chin. Her fist whistled through the air, and then there was the eerie sound of bones colliding. Her knuckles slammed into Astrid's skull with such force that the Norwegian woman's head snapped back. A stream of saliva mixed with blood flew out of her mouth. Astrid's eyes rolled back, and then her body went limp.
As if in slow motion, she knelt down. Nerissa barely managed to take two steps back before Astrid fell face down on the mat without any signs of movement. The lightweight woman stood over her defeated opponent. Blood was dripping from her fists, while she was breathing so heavily that it looked like she would lose consciousness in a moment. However, this did not happen. And after a few seconds, she started counting.
"ONE! TWO!"
Nothing. Astrid didn't move. Because of this, Nerissa's eyes began to shine. Her whole body ached with pain because she had given Astrid everything without a trace. But now it was over. She's the last woman standing. And every wound received in this fight was worth it. Still breathing heavily, the Native American woman continued...
"THREE!! FOUR!!"
With her eyes slightly open, the Norwegian woman was barely able to put her thoughts together. There was only one thing she knew for sure. Nerissa exceeded all her expectations. It was far from their first fight, but they had never tried to give it their all before today. Their skills were always about the same level and each of them was equally muscular for their sizes. Nevertheless, Astrid's height and weight always gave her an advantage, because she could limit the movements of the Native American woman, which usually brought her victory in their sparring. However, when it became something much more than just sparring... yes, she could only admire her opponent's resilience.
"FIVE!!! SIX!!!"
Nerissa noticed that Astrid had opened her eyes. However, the fact that the blonde was still lying on the mat did not shake her confidence that this fight was over. They had a lot of sparrings. And although the difference in the score never got too big, it was usually in Astrid's favor. Today she intended to change that. Today they decided to stop holding back. Turning her back on the Norwegian woman, Nerissa staggered slightly towards the ropes.
"SEVEN!!!! EIGHT!!!!"
"Nerissa..."
The Native American woman froze for a moment and then slowly turned around. Blood was running down Astrid's chin, and her gym clothes were soaked through with sweat. The blonde's body trembled like an aspen leaf on a branch. But she was on one knee, looking Nerissa straight in the eyes. And in her lavender eyes, Nerissa saw nothing but determination and a thirst for victory. Only a real fighter who is ready to go to the end no matter what can have such a look. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, but she continued...
"NINE!!!!!"
"This fight isn't over yet!"
With that, Astrid lifted her knee off the mat and got to her feet. Standing up to her full height and clenching her fists, she made it clear that she wanted to and could continue. Yes, this is exactly what happens in those rare cases when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. For a brief moment, Nerissa frowned because she thought she had finally managed to defeat this heavyweight. However, she then nodded and clenched her fists.
Ding.
"Two minutes break!"
Charlotte Ravel'
Astrid and Nerissa turned their heads to the sides at the same time, looking at Charlotte. After such a heated round, it was not surprising that they forgot not only that they were not alone here, but also that they had agreed on short breaks between rounds. Nevertheless, the Frenchwoman was able to cool their ardor slightly. They took a step towards each other and exchanged haughty glances.
"Shorty..."
"Cow..."
With slight smiles on their faces, they bumped their bloody fists, and then headed towards Charlotte. They slipped between the ropes and then sat on the edge of the ring, where the pink-haired woman was already waiting for them. Despite the fact that Charlotte usually kept her cool in any situation, now you could easily read the concern on her face. She picked up wet towels and began to carefully wipe the blood from the faces of her friends.
"Auch!" Nerissa and Astrid exclaimed at the same time.
"Seriously?" Charlotte raised her left eyebrow. "A minute ago, you were ramming each other without any mercy, and now you're crying when I treat your wounds?"
Nerissa and Astrid rolled their eyes, not deeming it necessary to respond to this. When Charlotte finished wiping away the blood, she began to examine the wounds on her friends' bodies, and the longer she did this, the more worried her face became. Being in the ring, she never allowed herself to give in to feelings, because you have no right to feel sorry for your opponent. But now it wasn't about her, but about the people she cared about.
"If look at you now, no one would say that you are friends..." she muttered.
Indeed. It's no secret that quarrels sometimes break out between friends, which can even end in a fight. The situation between these three was even more complicated, because they were not just friends. They were professional fighters, occupying the top positions of the ratings of their weight categories. Realizing that they should not turn sparrings into real matches, they always agreed on rules that helped them maintain both health and authority in front of each other. And yet... there were only three rules today. Kickboxing only. The one who can't to get up after the 10 seconds countdown loses. If the fighter gets up, the fight continues after a two-minute break.
"She's my friend..." Astrid said, pressing an ice pack to her ribs. "But in the ring..."
"She's my enemy..." Nerissa finished. "And that's why..."
All the disputes and conflicts between them have always been nothing more than a trifle. What mattered was that they both aspired to be at the top. Their friendship was valuable to them. But this friendship could not suppress the desire that every respectful fighter has. The desire to find out who is stronger, you or your opponent. Nerissa and Astrid were both endlessly proud women who knew exactly what they wanted. None of them are used to backing down in the face of difficulties. The best proof of this was their bodies covered in blood, sweat and bruises. And although each of them knew that this fight would not be their last, none of them could afford to hold back today. They both entered the ring with one simple thought.
"I won't lose!" they said in unison.
Charlotte could only sigh heavily and then smile. From the first meeting, these three have become friends who push each other forward. As Victoria often says, they are similar to each other as much as they are different from each other. Looking at her friends, Charlotte did not doubt for a second that each of them would fight to the very end in order to get the victory. And although she wasn't going to admit it out loud, she was wondering who would be the winner in this earth-shaking confrontation.
"Then the break is over," the Frenchwoman said, taking the ice packs from her friends. "Please take your corners."
Without saying a word to each other, Nerissa and Astrid turned around and slipped between the ropes. When they reached their corners, they ran their eyes over each other from head to toe. Each of them was well aware of the most damaged places, both their own and the opponent's. Deep down, each of them knew that this would be the last round. Therefore, the two friends clenched their fists. Their looks changed and in one second they turned from friends into enemies.
Ding.
With seething rage and a desire to win, they rushed towards each other.
