[Standard Match] Charlotte Ravel' vs Ember Days - Lightning is always followed by thunder

[skip-stop]

Charlotte couldn't say that she was acting on her last legs. But at the same time, the Frenchwoman felt that she had spent much more energy in this match than she had originally planned. One of the principles she tried to adhere to was a gradual increase in pace. But Ember literally forced her to work at a much higher pace than the Sand Lizard was used to. The proof of this was her body, almost completely covered in sweat, as well as her heavy breathing.

Given the way the events of the match were going, the martial arts master was sure that any slowing down of the pace would play against her. There was only one conclusion to be drawn from this. In order to defeat the German-American woman, she needs to continue the offensive even if it requires spending all the reserves she had.

Therefore, clasping the neck and waist of her opponent, the Sand Lizard strained her arms and legs as much as if her goal was to crush a stone mountain. The Frenchwoman's arms were strong enough, but her legs were much stronger. Crossing her ankles, she squeezed Ember's waist so hard that some viewers wondered if the red-haired woman's waist could withstand such pressure?

Charlotte took a confident position and all she had to do now was wait a little. The German-American woman started waving her arms in all directions, which is why the Sand Lizard had to shake her head several times so as not to get an accidental blow. But then Ember began to weaken. The pink-haired woman felt it.
Ember's movements began to slow down, and her resistance weakened with every second. After a series of attacks by Charlotte, her opponent's body was weakened and it seems the end was near.

However, then something happened that caused Charlotte's heart to make a few too fast beats. The pressure that Ember's body was exerting on her suddenly increased. And this led to the fact that both shoulder blades of the martial arts master were pressed against the mat. The striped shirt seemed to be waiting for this all the time, so she fell down next to the women and quickly slapped the mat, and this time there was practically no delay between the claps.

"TWO!!"

Unlike her best friend, Charlotte did not consider herself a person without fear. Yes, in most cases she was able to control her emotions, keeping cool. But now, when she was just one second away from defeat, a chill ran down her spine. At the moment when the referee's hand began to go down for the third time, the Frenchwoman abruptly jerked her whole body to the right side, simultaneously relaxing her arms and legs. Ember left her no other choice. Charlotte was forced to break her own hold and throw the red-haired woman aside.

"Damn... that was close..." Charlotte muttered, standing on all fours.

A few drops of sweat rolled down her face and fell on the mat. The Frenchwoman turned her head to look at her rival. It had been a long time since she had had to deal with such a fighter. Ember had character traits that the pink-haired woman did not like much, but this did not detract from the strength of spirit and the level of abilities of the German-American woman.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte got to her feet. She felt that her body had become heavy, her reserves of strength began to run out, because she had put a lot of effort into the submission hold. But Ember's body was low on oxygen and she had to take advantage of it. Therefore, the Sand Lizard intended to approach her rival and grab her by the head in order to lift her slightly.

The martial arts master intended to place Ember's head between her sweaty thighs, and then bend over and wrap her arms around her opponent's waist. She hoped Ember didn't have the strength left to resist. And if this were really the case, then the Sand Lizard would strain her body in order to lift Ember over the mat. Charlotte was going to put the red-haired woman on her shoulders, and then send Ember's body down, intending to finish it all with a sitout powerbomb!

[Monsy]

Like water droplets from a tap, her willpower wouldn’t stop. Fighting on the wire made answers so simple. Instinct. And Ember Days, for all her fire-brand gung-ho way of wrestling, was an expert. The moment she was released, a spritz of sweat broke on her forehead. The redness climaxed and her raspy throat unloaded a series of dry coughs as Ember clambered on her side. Warmth nagged her head. A spin and pulse that ached and pleasured. She saw triple. And couldn’t define many objects from the other, just all blending together as she looked down towards the white to avoid feeling queasy. Her hand reached out and scratched the canvas, flopping onto her stomach. The inside arm pressed down between shoulder and mat, pushed up and joined by its comrade; together Ember lifted her upper-half, and the resolve knitted into a bow with both knees sliding underneath.

“What else?” Ember said in a laboured, heavy voice. A smile lifted on one corner, though she didn’t lift her gaze. Her neck would pinch.

The grab coaxed an eye to clam shut. Sparkles of pain pattered against her scalp as she clambered and stuffed between Charlotte’s legs. She rose to her feet, the awkward angle put strain in her thighs and a quake shook the knees. Arms enveloped the waist, and she sucked in as her body spun onto their shoulders. Her eyes steeled with pain-sharpened grit. And with the momentum presented, coiling over their head, she whipped herself back - seeking to pinch their head between her thighs, then torque as she unfurled back down, then out towards their side to complete the attempted counter - a hurricanrana!

[skip-stop]

After the debut, Charlotte's mood was far from the best. She got a victory that was practically meaningless to her. The Frenchwoman has never been a supporter of the principle that victory is victory. No doubt, victory is the goal of any fighter and Charlotte is no exception. However, she believed that victory only made sense when you gave your opponent everything you have in order to become a winner. Charlotte was deprived of this in her debut.

But today was a completely different case. The Sand Lizard felt that her rival adhered to the same principles as Charlotte herself. Ember had incredible willpower. Charlotte saw nothing in the woman's eyes except the desire to fight. Fight to the very end.

Ember could have given up. The situation in which she found herself right after she broke the pin, many fighters would have found hopeless. However, instead of accepting defeat, the red-haired woman found the strength to continue the match. This deserved the most sincere respect because Charlotte knew very well that not everyone is capable of something like this.

However, this was not a reason for doubt. Charlotte could only respond to Ember's determination with the same determination. And now she was going to finish this match. Forcing the German-American woman to get up, Charlotte placed Ember's head between her thighs, and then wrapped Ember's waist. This attack should be the last in this match. Therefore, Charlotte gathered her strength, strained her whole body, and then lifted the red-haired woman over the mat.

The audience began to build up the noise, because they were sure that everything was moving to the final. But something else happened, much more unexpected and exciting. While preparing to throw her opponent down, the Sand Lizard suddenly felt pressure on her neck. And even though she realized it was Ember's legs, it was too late to do anything.

Under the deafening roar of the crowd, the German-American woman leaned back and then to the side, creating an incredible torque. No gravity could have held Charlotte in place at that moment. The Sand Lizard's body rose into the air, turning the flip forward. With great speed, Charlotte collapsed on the mat.

"Aahh!!" she screamed.

The Frenchwoman's body bounced off the mat and then she fell again, this time on her left side. Due to fatigue, this fall seemed to her several times more painful than it might have been in another situation. Charlotte had to clench her teeth in order to restrain painful groans. Ember... how strong is this incredible woman? Charlotte's fists clenched. Despite the pain and dizziness, she began to get to her feet. There was no room for doubt in Charlotte's soul. But she wondered whose willpower would be stronger in the end? Because it was obvious that neither of them was going to give up.

[Monsy]

The woman was a battered machine, too stubborn to quit, too slow, just short of obsolete. Hurricanrana, thankfully, allowed her athleticism and momentum to do most of the fighting for her, one of the last things she possessed in droves. It was a flip straight out of gymnastics. Ember spanked on her back. The wind allowed passage out her lungs. She deflated, looking up to the lights - her limbs sprawled. The elbows elevated shoulder-height, forearms folded up, sweaty hands made moist fists. After a short breath, Ember choked on her wind, holding it, clenching eyes and curling in her lips - then - sat upright.

Her eyes burned, bulged into spheres. She exhaled by the truck-load, inflating her cheeks before deflating when she inhaled. Pain was illicit in each drop of sweat, mostly at the sides of her face and off her jawline. And a water-tap dripped on the cliff of her nose. Her bottom lip stuck out and she huffed sharply, blowing sticky red strands that glued to her forehead sky-high and back. A leg threw itself over, a hand placed, the other nursed her aching nape. She piled both hands on her raised knee, grit her teeth and pushed up. Both shoulders fell back, and she arched with her stance, then “RAAAAGGH. LETS FUCKING GO!” Then she stomped forward, slumping as she hissed.

Her second wind was here. It bobbed on her shoulders, the gilded stare that looked at Charlotte who rose. And she waited. Everything she wanted was right here, laid before her curtaining needles of velvet tresses. She adopted a wide bladed stance, right foot back, the fist clenched - so tight it shook. "Here I fucking come, Charlotte!" Once they were up, Ember shuffled forward, arm dialling back - then she chucked it towards their face, aiming to take a bite out of their mouth. The throw possessed so much force, no matter the outcome, she’d stumble, either from the tightness in her thighs or the looseness in her shoulders.

[skip-stop]

Now Charlotte was fighting Ember, but also herself. She was not one of those who possessed enormous reserves of stamina. This was the most important reason why during the match she tried to increase the pace gradually. However, the red-haired woman forced her to work almost to the limit of her abilities immediately after the bell rang. Because of this, Charlotte was tired.

After Ember's sudden counterattack, she once again fully felt how heavy her body was. Wet hair stuck to her skin, and drops of sweat dripped from her body every now and then. Did the Sand Lizard regret that her opponent refused to lose? She had no reason to. She always fought to the very end, and if the German-American woman had the same principles, then it was a reason for joy, not sadness.

Therefore, despite all the pain and fatigue, the pink-haired woman tried to get to her feet. It was difficult for her to concentrate because of the dizziness, but she knew that she should not slow down. Trying to breathe as deeply as possible, the Sand Lizard gathered her strength and got up to her feet.

It was at this moment that she heard the scream of her rival, who was already a few steps away from her. It couldn't be called anything other than a second or even a third wind. Ember looked like something had energized her one hundred percent. Had the bell rung just a moment ago? No, definitely not. But the fact remained. Ember's fist was already flying straight at the Sand Lizard's face at an amazing speed.

Charlotte threw both hands up in an attempt to protect herself. But the pain in the muscles made her arms too heavy. The Frenchwoman spent too much energy during the previous series of attacks. She didn't make it in time. Ember's fist, like a cannonball, smashed into the upper part of the Sand Lizard's chin. The pink-haired woman's head turned to the side so quickly that some might have thought that this head was going to turn all three hundred and sixty degrees.

"Pghh..."

This indistinct sound was caused by the fact that saliva mixed with blood flew out of Charlotte's mouth. The Frenchwoman's body began to move after her head. Being in the fog, the Sand Lizard could not do anything about the fact that she began to fall. Only ropes saved her from falling on the mats.

Charlotte hung on the top rope. Her head and arms were on the outside of the ring, and the rope itself was pressed to her the upper part of her chest. It was not difficult to notice that the Frenchwoman was in an upright position not due to the fact that she was standing confidently on her feet. Her mouth was slightly open and drops of blood were dripping from it to the edge of the ring. Even though she was conscious, the pink-haired woman could not bring herself to gather her strength, this hard punch left her almost completely disoriented.

[Monsy]

Their chin left its bruise on Ember’s knuckles. The momentum tossed her forward, tumbled onto one knee. Both forearms folded over, with her shoulders rolling like she was going to fall flat. Yet she stayed up. But her head dipped down, and through battling her own heart to keep up with her zeal, she could say she was winning. Her grin was attesting that, sweat-licked, with an O-shaped mouth to exhale a gallon. “This was never going to be easy.” She combed back her hair, and that grin showed her teeth. The war face of Ember Fuckin’ Days, “And it ain’t gonna be easy now!” A fist punched the head of her shadow. Teeth grit as Ember got on the balls of her feet and exploded into a second dash! A bull-charge stormed towards Charlotte’s position, and she leaped at them, knee drawn then thrust with the force of a shotgun to bury into their gut!

But this third wind, the last hurrah it may be, was not done. Ember’s chest would mash into the ropes and the elasticity was sure to fire her back. Her feet would find her posture saved, upright and Ember reached to claim one of Charlotte’s wrists and pull them off the ropes too. Then her palms played the viper and tried to strike for their throat, clutching with two hands. Her knees bent and her hips dipped, then popped up to stand straight, trying to take Charlotte into the air with fully flexed arms! If successful, then the many spectators would witness a feat of steel and sweat. Shiny arms and sticky clothes, bangs of hair in wet chunks, the shimmer in those bulging eyes and the pearly-white off her gritting teeth, growling through them with patterned hisses. Yet, smiling through the full-body strain.

The grip would remain. Long enough for Ember to walk back a few steps towards the ring’s heart, then she yelled out, “HAAAAAGGH!” And hopped, thrusting them down into the canvas for a double-handed chokeslam! Only when and if they’d fallen victim to one of Ember’s most potent manoeuvres, from being drunk on her own adrenaline and psyching herself to endure and overpower, she’d be left breathless once again. This time, however, she’d be collapsing across Charlotte, reaching for a leg and pulling it up to make what was hopefully the coup de grace!

[skip-stop]

Hardly anyone from the ordinary audience understood what Charlotte was feeling right now. Only another fighter could understand her condition. The Frenchwoman was conscious, but there was nothing but fog in front of her eyes. She tried to force herself to move, but her body literally refused to obey her, as if ignoring any orders from her mind. But at the same time, she felt pain in all its glory.

"You... must..."even her thoughts were not connected in a single stream.

Ember's hard punch only miraculously left all of Charlotte's teeth in place. The Sand Lizard tried to gather her strength, but the only thing it could do was turn around. Now it was not her front side that was pressed against the ropes, but her back. Her body was covered in sweat and blood that was still dripping from her mouth. The young woman's condition clearly left much to be desired.

The arena was filled with excited shouts, who were clearly glad that the match was going so intensely. A true pro wrestling fan will never be happy with a short or one-sided match. But such matches as this one, when the fighters continue to rise to their feet, despite the pain and fatigue... yes, such matches really deserve their emotions. It's a pity Charlotte didn't hear their screams because of the noise in her head.

But it is even more unfortunate that Charlotte did not hear her rival approaching her. However, even if she heard it, she would hardly be able to do anything about what was waiting for her. The knee of the red-haired woman crashed into the bare belly of the Sand Lizard. Another wave of pain passed through her body, which caused the fog in her eyes to turn black. Charlotte's body bent in half and her butt partially squeezed between the middle and top rope.

But she didn't stay in this position for long, because right after the knee strike, Ember grabbed the Frenchwoman's wrists, depriving her of the only support that kept her on her feet. It seemed that Charlotte's fall to the mat was inevitable, but still she did not fall. Not because she found the strength, but because Ember grabbed her throat with both hands.

"Gghh... ggllhh..." came out of Charlotte's mouth after she lost access to oxygen.

Instinctively, she threw her hands up, grabbing her opponent's wrists. But it could hardly be called a grip, since in fact she did not even try to loosen Ember's hold due to lack of strength. At that moment, the noise in the hall began to increase exponentially, because it was clear that it would be something big. Something that should end this match.

Ember lifted Charlotte's body above the mat, showing tremendous strength. The Frenchwoman involuntarily began to twitch her legs. However, this did not prevent the red-haired woman from taking a few steps to the center of the ring. The Sand Lizard was desperately trying to force herself to prevent this. But the last thing she felt was that her body was rapidly moving down.

She didn't make a single sound. Charlotte's body crashed into the mat, and the followed discharge of pain almost literally turned her off. There was no mist in front of her eyes anymore, now there was only darkness. The Sand Lizard's arms were spread wide apart, and her mouth was slightly open. She showed no signs of movement, only her chest rose and fell heavily and slowly, showing that she was still alive.

Through the pain that filled both her body and mind, she didn't even feel Ember lying down on top of her, hooking her leg. However, this did not change anything, because now further events seemed obvious. The referee lay down next to Ember and Charlotte. It didn't even take her long to make sure that Charlotte's shoulder blades were firmly pressed against the mat. The striped shirt slapped the mat with her palm.

"ONE!" the first count rang out in the arena thanks to the deafening shout of almost every spectator.

[Monsy]

The struggle was a sharp boulder between the shoulder blades. Ever-growing and challenging. It’s such a goader, like it would laugh if you set limits. But everytime someone banged their fist on the wall, it was brick. It didn’t break, but you can feel it move. Just the illusion was enough to strike again. She can shake bedrock with her fists. That’s the power she felt, after what she endured thus far and now holding her struggle into the air. Strain was a mild component. Really, she was numb. Her breathiness was dry and her actions were purely forced from a loan of fumes. Slamming something never felt so satisfying in this state. She was giddy underneath, half-dead on the surface - across her opponent, a leg in her hand. Did she finally bust the wall?

The count of one thought so. Ember’s weight sunk. Her head dipped. She didn’t need to see anything, but listen. Her eyes felt sticky. Fingers turned to cooked spaghetti and her neck was but a brittle twig. Everything else just felt like a burlap sack, filled with sand. No bones. Hardly any nerves.

“TWO!” The mat was struck, echoed by the crowd. It was just a loud roar, like tossing waves when sitting on a dock.

What mattered would be decided in the next moment.

[skip-stop]

"Where am I?" Charlotte asked herself, looking around. "And... why does it hurt so much?"

She was standing in the middle of nothing. It was all endless darkness, no matter which way she looked. Looking at herself, Charlotte found the answer to the question why she was in so much pain. Her whole body felt like it had been passed through a wood chopper. Most of her slightly pale skin was covered with bruises. And each of them was a hotbed of pain.

The endless darkness pressed down on her, and the silence around her seemed to be trying to drive her crazy. But was it silence? The Frenchwoman tried to strain her ears, it seemed to her that she was hearing something. But the sound was so quiet that she couldn't tell if she really heard something or if it just seemed that way to her.

Charlotte couldn't make out anything intelligible in this barely audible sound. But when she looked over her shoulder, she saw something. It was very far away. And she couldn't figure out what it was. But in the midst of this darkness, it was the only thing she could see. Therefore, the pink-haired woman took a step forward. At the same moment, the pain made itself felt. Every muscle in the pink-haired woman's body seemed twitched. And every movement was like torture. Pausing for a second, Charlotte bit her lower lip, and then forced herself to walk forward despite the pain.

And with each new step, that quiet sound gradually became louder. She still couldn't figure out what exactly that sound was, but she started walking faster. She walked forward, trying not to pay attention to the pain and fatigue that this pain increased. At first, it seemed to her that no matter how much she aspired forward, she still remained in place. But suddenly Charlotte was finally in front of what she saw.

"A wall?" she asked herself.

Yes, it really looked like a wall. Only two things were unusual. This wall was endless up, down, right and left. And this wall was as if made of the purest transparent glass. Charlotte strained her ears again. Now she realized that the sound she had heard was coming from the other side of the wall. But what was that sound? And why, looking at this wall, Charlotte did feel a great desire to be on the other side?

The Frenchwoman touched the wall and at that moment her body began to turn inside out. Pain that could only be compared to being in Hell filled every cell of her body. The Frenchwoman screamed and, unable to resist, fell. As soon as she took her hand away from the wall, this unimaginable pain left her and only the pain that had been with her from the very beginning remained.

"What the?.."

Breathing heavily, Charlotte forced herself to her feet. Is such terrible pain really the price for an attempt to overcome the wall? Exactly for an attempt. After all, Charlotte did not even have time to understand how strong this wall is and whether she can overcome this wall. Despite the fact that she was strong in spirit, the pink-haired woman did not want such pain. It was like being torn apart from the inside. And was her desire to be on the other side worth the pain?

"TWO!!"

This time she heard it so clearly, as if someone shouted it right in her ear. Charlotte's heart began to beat very fast. She couldn't explain it, but she knew she had to be on the other side before she heard count three. The Frenchwoman clenched her fist and then hit the wall. A bolt of pain passed through her body, causing her to fall to one knee. When she opened her eyes, she realized that there was not a single scratch left on the wall.

"It's not over yet!" she said.

Rising to her feet, Charlotte hit the wall again. And again a wave of pain made her recoil. But at the same moment, she took a step forward and hit the wall again. The pain threw her back, which made the Frenchwoman growl. She knew what she had to do.

"It's not over yet!" she almost shouted.

Charlotte put her palms against the wall and began to push on it. It seemed to her that she was pierced by a hundred knives. She could barely breathe because of the pain, which became incessant due to the fact that her palms remained pressed against the wall. The Frenchwoman continued to push, desperately trying to overcome this obstacle in her way. But every moment was equivalent to a thousand years of agony for her. The pain was trying to crush her. The pain was trying to stop her. The pain was trying to make her stay on this side. The pain was trying to break her desire to fight. For a moment, it seemed unbearable to her.

"IT'S NOT OVER YET!!!" Charlotte screamed heart-rendingly.

Putting all her willpower, the Frenchwoman pushed the wall. Multiple cracks ran across the glass. And then the sound of breaking glass filled the empty space. The wall collapsed. The young woman was on the verge of losing consciousness. She could barely stand on her feet. But she took a step forward. She found herself on the other side.

"THR..." the referee's hand started going down for the last time.

It was at this moment that Charlotte jerked to the side, lifting her shoulder off the mat and straightening her leg in order to break her opponent's pin. Once on her right side, she no longer showed any signs of movement. Everything happened so fast that the striped shirt had to literally fall on the mat in an attempt to change the trajectory of the hand movement. Someone could have sworn that it was count three. Because of this, the arena was plunged into silence for a few moments. And then the referee rose to one knee and raised her right hand above her head.

"Only two!" said the girl, showing two fingers.

Not only the LAW arena, the whole of Tokyo, and perhaps the whole of Japan heard the wild roar of the audience, who could not believe what had just happened. Charlotte, whose ragged breathing barely helped her keep herself conscious, was still lying on her right side. Even she wasn't ready to believe that she had managed to overcome it yet. But there was one fact that no one could question. There was a faint smile on the Sand Lizard's exhausted face.

"It's not over yet..." she repeated, this time not in her head, but out loud.

[Monsy]

Pulling at strings to find a way to muster forward, dragging knees through mud and holding your hand to the scalding element. She solidified into dry pavement by bit. Could it help to keep the pinfall? Who the fuck would want to kick out anyway. It was a want, not a need. Get them tomorrow. Let yourself rest. The counter-thrust to her weight was followed by a quick jolt. Her elbow reached over and propped on the ground to catch her slipping posture, just as her other hand was broken from its hold on Charlotte’s leg and laid limp. She looked on and shook her head, dipping down to look at the unfocused canvas. Then she pushed back and seated the canvas beside them, arms in her lap, legs together, knees lifted off the ground and her posture slumped. “Not yet, huh?” She blew loose sticking stands from over her eyes, shooting sweat. Her eyes rolled, and then smiled, “Aight, then. Your call, chief.”

If they wanted to grind this match into a stub, then, Ember was willing to do it the way she always dreamed. What better than to turn onto your knees, step one foot down, pile the hands on the knee to stand, wobbling on your toes and feeling the burn chew on your calves. Still bent over, she reached for Charlotte’s hair, pulling them up, trying to make them stand. Then, when their postures were neutral, she took her fist and threw it at Charlotte’s cheek, letting go and hobbling. “Give me what you got left, then! Come-fucking-on!”