Hiromi Rondo vs. Astrid Ostberg - Power Blitz!

[PrinceArjuna332]

Hiromi was crying out in pain as her spine was stretched and wrenched hard while she was in the torture rack that Astrid had subjected her to. It was rare for someone to actually lift her like that, but from the look of it, the Norwegian couldn't maintain the hold for long due to the strike to the head that she took earlier. So, after a while, Astrid dropped onto her knees and was forced to let go of Hiromi. The Japanese rookie flopped onto the mat, hitting the canvas back first.

"Ouuuuhh..." Groaning in pain, Hiromi would roll herself over to her side, bringing an hand to her abused spine. Wincing, she would then try to roll away from the Norwegian, hoping to give enough space between herself and her opponent so that she could recover from the pain that she took earlier. And Hiromi herself seemed exhausted, and she needed to finish this match as soon as possible if she ever wished to emerge victorious.

[CaptainL]

Astrid let go of Hiromi, letting her drop as she herself landed on her knees with enough force to shake the canvas from the twin heavy impacts, one after the other. The Norwegian bent forward, bracing herself against the ground as her chest rose and fell with each labored breath she took. Hiromi was definitely a worthy opponent, and the match was taking its toll on Astrid, who had to give every inch of effort in order to stay in the game. She could feel the soreness that would only come from a well-pitched battle.

It was just the way she liked it.

Even if she had freed herself, it seemed that Hiromi hadn't gotten herself out of the hold unscathed. She had to roll her way away from Astrid, but even when she settled she wasn't getting back up. It was clear that this was it, the moment that would determine the future of this match. It was something that Astrid had to take charge of for herself. She started to get to her feet, her legs shaky under her, but all the while she kept an eye on Hiromi, waiting to see what the girl would do in response.

[PrinceArjuna332]

Hiromi managed to roll away from Astrid, which allowed her to recover some of her strength as she ended up at the ropes. Panting, she would then get herself on her knees as she would grab onto the ropes, pulling herself back up on her feet. It was a very intense battle between herself and her Norwegian opponent, and she needed to finish this if she ever wished to emerge victorious.

"Rrghhh..." Groaning, Hiromi would focus on Astrid, and then she let out a yell, which roused up the crowd before she launched herself towards her opponent, arm extended out as she would try to hit her opponent with a running lariat. Hopefully, she would be able to hit her with the lariat, but at this point, it was more of a desperate move in her attempt to finish this match quickly.

[CaptainL]

Astrid's eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed ahead of her as she watched Hiromi make her advance. The brunette broke into a run, transitioning her forward stride into a lariat aimed right for the Norwegian. Astrid's legs were still sore underneath her, but the adrenaline was building in her, giving her a new reserve of strength - one that was only bolstered by the sight of the impending impact. Astrid, unsteady as she was, wasn't sure that she could bear the impact of such a clash. But seeing what Hiromi was doing gave her an idea.

Two could play at that game, she thought. She put down her head and charged, pulling off a lariat of her own! With the two women charging for one another at full force, this decisive moment would be down to whoever could make impact first.

[PrinceArjuna332]

Hiromi charged towards her opponent, preparing herself to land a lariat. Then, she saw the Norwegian also making her move, bringing up her arm to launch a lariat of her own. For this, the one who could land the hit first would score the win, and Hiromi aimed to be the one to land her hit first as she would get closer and closer to her opponent.

Still, Hiromi didn't seem to be thinking of avoiding the incoming lariat as she would try to land her own, and as a result, she ended up taking the lariat right at the upper part of her chest. "Uuughhh!!!" The impact from the blow was enough to throw the Japanese rookie down into the mat, back first, and the sheer power of the lariat was enough to send the lower part of her body up.

Hiromi didn't know whether her lariat managed to hit her target or not, but she certainly took the lariat from Astrid, putting her in a very precarious position at the moment.

[CaptainL]

The two women charged, and a crash rang out through the arena, as both crashed into one another at full force. It seemed to be over within seconds of it starting. Astrid felt Hiromi's arm slam straight into her chest, and she fell back onto her knees, groaning through clenched teeth as her body tensed from the strike. She moved to clutch her arm, feeling the soreness rippling through her body. The strain of the match was starting to build, and she could feel an ache all over her.

But even despite all that, she hadn't been the one to take the brunt of the impact, having managed to get the hit in on Hiromi first and blunt the momentum of her charge. When Astrid looked up, she saw that the rookie had collapsed on her back, stunned. Her pants coming faster and harder, Astrid narrowed her gaze on Hiromi. This was it, she thought. Seeing her chance, the blonde used the last of her energy to throw herself forward, landing atop Hiromi to cover her before she went to hook her leg for the pin!

"1!"

[PrinceArjuna332]

Hiromi was in a much worse state than Astrid, with her unable to muster enough strength to actually try rolling over. This allowed the Norwegian to go for a pinfall attempt despite her also being hit by Hiromi's lariat. The Japanese rookie was able to feel the weight of her opponent on top of her, and she let out a weakened groan, trying to gather her strength in order to kick out.

"TWO!"

But, despite her effort, Hiromi was too weakened by the lariat and everything that she had taken so far. As far as one could tell, she was already finished, and at this point, all she could do was lay down on the mat. Wheezing out, the Japanese rookie then closed her eyes in resignation, knowing that this had been quite an exhilarating match between herself and the powerful Norwegian.

"THREE!"

And with that, the match had been decided. The referee called for the bell, ending the match. The crowd cheered as Astrid was announced as the winner of the match. Still, Hiromi didn't feel too bad at losing this. At the very least, she had quite a match with her opponent, and while she would love to win, having fought a powerful foe wasn't too bad either.

[CaptainL]

With that, it was over. At the same time the ref counted three, Astrid let out a sigh of contentment with the knowledge that she had at last reached a hard-fought conclusion, and it was in her favor. Even if she may have emerged victorious, Astrid's win was by no means an easy one. Her face was red and her whole body ached, the two having used every last ounce of their power against one another. In the end, it truly came down to who would fold first, and there was no denying that Astrid's success was in no small part due to luck. Had Hiromi gotten her lariat in a second earlier, it would have been a different story. Astrid wasn't going to be forgetting this match any time soon; that as much was for sure.

As the referee closed the match, Astrid held out her hand so that the girl could hoist her to her feet - or at least make it easier for Astrid to get up, given the difference in size between the two. The blonde was left dizzied by the intensity of the fight, and she wasn't going to get enough energy back in her legs to stand right away. Even using the ref girl for balance, she teetered a bit, finding her bearings.

Astrid knew that Hiromi would doubtlessly be in the same predicament, so she extended a hand to the rookie, meeting her with a warm smile. "Good one out there," she said. "You made me proud."

[PrinceArjuna332]

As Astrid was declared the winner of this match, Hiromi remained on the mat, trying to gather her thoughts for an introspection. As a rookie, she had done pretty well despite her loss. She still had a long way to go at this rate, but she was certain that with enough effort and determination, she would be able to triumph and make her name here in LAW.

Then, she noticed that the Norwegian was offering her a hand, and Hiromi gracefully and gratefully took the hand, allowing herself to be pulled back up. She felt dizzy and her body was aching, no thanks to everything that she had taken earlier. Still, there was satisfaction in her face as she smiled at her opponent who had defeated her earlier.

"Thank you. I'll remember this," Hiromi expressed her gratitude to Astrid as she stood in front of her. Like the Norwegian, she was also having trouble keeping herself upright, though she endured so that she could get her point across. "I'll do my best next time. Just you wait, Astrid-san. I will make you proud even more..." she promised to Astrid.

Now that the match was over, Hiromi then decided to make her way out of the ring, heading backstage. It was a hard thing to do, considering that her body was aching. So, she had to make do by limping her way towards the exit, though there was still a smile on her face, indicating how satisfied she was at the result of this match.

[CaptainL]

Astrid-san. The Norwegian's face broke into a beaming smile just hearing Hiromi say that. She might have only been in Japan for a short while after getting signed to LAW, but she still knew enough to recognize such a sign of respect when she saw one. It meant a lot to her to know that Hiromi considered her a role model and an inspiration, even when she had defeated her - and in such a close match, at that. Some wrestlers would have thought that this was a victory they had been robbed of, that they had deserved and only lost due to dumb luck. But Hiromi wasn't one of them.

She shook Hiromi's hand, nodding to her as she did. "Any time," she said. "And if you're ever looking for a rematch, let me know. If it's anywhere as good as this match was...then I'll be honored to be your opponent." Astrid truly meant it - the offer of a rematch was, to her, one of the greatest honors one could get. It meant that your opponent respected your skill enough to test it again, and that they would dedicate themselves to bring an even stronger effort than last time. Surely, the two of them facing off once both had grown in skill and talent would be a site to behold.

As Hiromi left the ring, so too did Astrid. She stopped to look back at Hiromi over her shoulder, wanting to see out the foe she had fought so hard against. When the rookie had disappeared from view, it was Astrid's turn to meander back to the lockers, using the barricades to support her as she slowly worked her aching legs backstage.

Winner by Pinfall: Astrid Ostberg