A hare-raising experience! Gambit vs Astrid!

[SubtleRoar]

*Feeling all giddy and anxious for her impending bout, Gambit could hardly contain herself! She hadn't had a decent fight in what felt like ages, and now she was scheduled to go up against none other than Astrid Ostberg, a powerhouse of a bombshell that should provide her with an excellent source of entertainment.* "Hah! She'll never know what hit her. I'm going to steal the spotlight and walk away as the unconditional winner!" *She balled her right fist tightly before pumping it high into the air, invigorating herself while continuing to zip up her trademark bunny outfit. Gambit always enjoyed keeping her fans mesmerized and entertained while she humiliated anyone and everyone she fought between the ropes, but tonight was going to be somewhat special- While the casual jobber was amusing, Astrid appeared to be the real deal: An intimidating presence, an imposing figure with curves that almost outdid her own, all wrapped up inside of a towering frame. If she managed to snag a win over her, this would almost guarantee her a shot at the bigger names in the circuit!*

"Mrs..ahem..Gambit, you're up next!" *A faint voiced beckoned for her to make her way towards the curtain, which she did so by bounding down the hallway and past numerous nameless individuals. They'll be seeing her perform under the bright lights of a packed stadium, which would normally cause someone to quiver in fear, but all it did for the riverboat rabbit was stroke her already inflated ego that much more.* "I'm ready!" *She excitedly pointed towards the crowd, and even though they couldn't see her just yet, she knew they could already feel her unmistakable presence emanating from behind the blinds. Before she knew it, her theme was blasting from the speakers, she burst through the screen and into an inexorable whirlwind of applause and cheering.*

"That's right! The one and only Bayou Bunny is here!" *She began blowing kisses to her adoring audience, sending chills all throughout their bodies while augmenting their support ten fold. Continuing to skip down the metal ramp, Gambit continued to ponder how she was going to overcome such an enormous foe. While getting lost in her sea of thoughts, she slowly climbed the steel steps before hopping over the top rope, pivoting on her boots before casually glancing towards the titantron.*

Spoiler

"Come on out Astrid! Let's see if you've got the courage to take on the louisiana cottontail!" *She shouted, capturing the attention of the audience while her music began to die out. It was the blonde's turn to make her entrance, and Gambit couldn't wait to see her opponent in the flesh.*

[CaptainL]

At the same time, Astrid was preparing in her locker room. Already dressed in her gear for the match ahead of her, the Norwegian powerhouse wasn't skipping a beat in getting herself worked up for the bout, doing a few squats and stretches to warm up. She was hardly worried much about tiring herself out before she would need the energy most - after all, her stamina was one of her best assets, and one that had won her a proud reputation in the ring. Even if she was working up a sweat before she would even have a chance to meet her opponent woman to woman, Astrid couldn't be more hyped. Going into the ring once again, she'd be living the dream and doing what she did best. She could only hope that whatever opponent she'd be facing proved worthy of her attention. At last, looking up and wiping some sweat from her brow, Astrid faced the exit, prepared to arrive on the scene. It was showtime.

Not long after Gambit was finished with her theatrics, the music changed to Astrid's theme, now blaring in full force as she emerged from the curtains with her arms held up to flex her muscles, displaying her strength to the crowd with a proud smile on her face. As she came down towards the ring, she exchanged a few high-fives with the crowd and pumped a fist in the air to rally their cheers behind her. Approaching the ring apron, the blonde planted a foot on the edge of the platform to hoist herself up and strode over the ropes, walking around the ring a few paces as she shook herself out in preparation for the match. Astrid tossed her hair back over her shoulders as she turned to look Gambit in the eye, looking smug and well-assured she'd emerge on top.

"Oh, I'm not scared, that's for sure," the Norwegian boasted, puffing out her chest in Gambit's direction. "In fact, I'd have to ask if you think you have what it takes against me! You might talk big, but I'd like to see you just try to match my strength in a fair fight!"

Appearance

[SubtleRoar]

"Pfft, yeah, match your strength?" *Gambit chirped out in a deliberately snarky tone.* "You couldn't hold a candle to me in this ring, let alone demand that I stoop to your level. I'm going to stomp you into the canvas so badly, you're going to make imprints all across the canvas!" *She rippled out a pompous laugh, pointing towards the bombshell with her index finger to augment the mortifying comment she had just lobbed in Astrid's direction.* "Now, I hope you're prepared for what I've got in store for you..actually, spoiler alert- You aren't!" *Once the excessive bantering was out of the way, Gambit turned towards the presiding moderator and shot him a thumbs up, gesturing for him to officially initiate the fight.*

"Ding ding ding!" *And in the blink of an eye, Gambit was already bounding forward like a bat out of hell, barreling forward to try and land the initial blow!* "Now, just hold still and let me kick you into oblivion!" *She shouted, having gained a substantial amount of ground on her opponent before hopping up and sailing through the sky, her feet directly shooting straight out to try and connect for a missile drop kick!* "You're going to regret ever stepping into the ring with me tonight!" *The Riverboat Rabbit overzealously declared, her body having been hurled at Astrid like a javelin, intent on piercing her stonewall defense!*

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

As she listened to Gambit's attempts at taunting her, Astrid simply folded her arms, looking down at the gambler with an unimpressed glare. Sure, Gambit could talk big - she could see that as much. But Astrid wasn't going to let it get under her skin, especially not when the match hadn't even begun. Until she had a chance to see how Gambit fared in action, she wasn't one to blindly believe her boasts. "Maybe once I get a look at what you're capable of," Astrid said, "then we can talk!"

Gambit certainly wasted no time in launching her attack, however. Just as Astrid was beginning to get into a stance, hearing the chime of the bell, Gambit was already flying through the air, where she landed a swift and hard kick into the blonde's chest! Astrid shuddered from the impact, starting to stumble back a few steps as she panted for breath. One of her legs threatened to give out as it started to slip out from under her, bending at the knee, but she remained on her feet, shaking herself out and shooting a glare back at her opponent.

[SubtleRoar]

*The instant her boots connected with the supple scandinavian's abdominals, Gambit couldn't resist the urge to snicker wildly due to an unquenchable sensation of superiority!* "Aahahaha! And here I thought you'd be capable of handling someone as dynamic as myself! Seems as if you bit off a little more than you could chew, eh blondie?" *Despite all the bluster, the energetic bunny caught herself on the palms of her hands to mitigate the fall she'd inevitably take from having left the ground. Landing squarely on her knees to prevent any extensive damage, she quickly returned to her feet while charging towards Astrid in tandem!*

"Let me do you a favor and finish this quickly for you, rookie!" *Her face resembling that of a dominant predator, Gambit shot her aerodynamic body towards her staggered foe to try and send a wicked clothesline squarely aimed at the base of her throat while simultaneously arcing her legs upwards to try and counterbalance her maneuver.* "Too bad- Here I thought you'd provide me with at least SOME entertainment, but I should have expected this from a novice such as yourself!" *Her derisive barrage continued, her forearm getting closer and closer with its intended target.*

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Astrid huffed, looking up towards Gambit from beneath a narrowed brow as she grit her teeth. The Bayou Bunny's taunts were hardly lost on her, and they achieved her goal in getting under her skin. Astrid may have been a fairly patient sort, all things considered, but right now, all she could think about was how her opponent seemed to have trouble keeping her mouth shut - and she wanted nothing more than to shut it for her.

Luckily for Astrid, she had come off of the strike in a far better position than she could've, managing to keep herself upright even if she had to let one foot skid backward. As Gambit collected herself, Astrid turned to face her with a look of defiance, refusing to let her take away the satisfaction of coming on top. "Rookie? Don't make me laugh," she said, tossing her head. "Do you not think a lesser woman would have been floored by such a blow? And yet, look at me now!" She planted her hands on her hips as she got back to a solid footing, beaming with pride in her own durability. For now, that was where she would stay. Astrid knew that she had no chance of outrunning her foe, so she would fall back on what she knew she could count on - her strength! Letting Gambit come to her instead, Astrid held out her hands to catch her outstretched forearm to try and hold Gambit off before she could make landing. If successful, Astrid would go to flip her to the mat with an arm drag!

[SubtleRoar]

*Faster than a bolt of lightning, Gambit continued to lay on the strata of pressure with her uncanny agility by dashing forward to try and guillotine chop Astrid's head clean off of her body! However, this task would prove far more daunting than the bounding bunny had originally anticipated, and before she knew it, her offensive onslaught had been deftly countered by Astrid's impenetrable defense!* "H..hey! Who the hell said you had the right to...?" *Her momentum having been completely stopped, the steadfast blonde would subsequently follow up with a powerful maneuver that left the otherwise vivacious cottontail speechless!*

"GRRHH!" *She grated her teeth together while feeling the pain course throughout her isolated limb, her legs starting to shiver beneath her while Astrid continued to wrench against her vulnerable forearm. Her opposite arm, however, began to thrash about uncontrollably, since Gambit wasn't too experienced with submissions and the only thought in her head was to violently whip herself about to make the lock Astrid had against her that much more uncomfortable!* "Wow..grrhh..s..so amazing of you to reverse my attack with some slow, mundane grapple technique!" *The riled up rabbit spit out a verbal bullet in the bombshell's direction, hoping it would pierce her concentration for a moment to provide her the window of opportunity she needed to escape! For now however, she would continue to squander her abundant energy to try and wiggle her way out of Astrid's clutches!*

*Unfortunately for this exuberant bunny, her efforts were in vain, and she was soon brought to the ground with Astride riding high above her.* "Grrhh..l..let me go..y..you oversized lummox!" *She banshee shrieked, the public humiliation starting to twist her every nerve. It was one thing to be outdone, but by someone of Astrid's caliber was the most inconceivable thing that could have ever happened to her!*

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Astrid couldn't help but find herself somewhat amused as she brought Gambit's charge to an unexpected halt, and a smirk came to her lips. "Sounds like you underestimated me, yeah?" she said, cranking hard on her arm. Even as Gambit continued to taunt her, Astrid stood unfazed; in fact, she didn't really appear to pick up on the sarcasm. Not that she would give it much heed if she did, as she had always favored effective and powerful techniques over those that looked flashy. "Oh, thank you," the Norwegian added. "I'm proud to know that you approve. But flattery will get you nowhere now!" With that, she flipped her weight to the side, swinging Gambit to the ground.

Now with Gambit beneath her, Astrid wasn't going to let go of her arm; she had her in a valuable position, and it was one she could exploit. From where she was beside her, Astrid tucked Gambit's arm under her own to hold on tight and control its motion. Then she moved to get her other arm around Gambit's neck to lock in a sleeperhold before she leaned back, holding her foe's head and arm to wrench on both as she bent her over backwards.

[SubtleRoar]

*Her seething anger beginning to reach a boiling point, Gambit decided to rely on the sneakiest and most underhanded tactic that her mind could concoct- close quarters striking. Weaponizing her opposite elbow as if it were a makeshift javelin, the belligerent bunny brought it outwards and directly in front of her, before promptly slamming the business end of her jagged linchpin directly into the solar plexus of her aggressor, trying to create an opening between the two of them to try and make a desperate escape! The crowd was gobsmacked at just how committed Gambit was when it came to crafting an escape plan, but she knew she'd be toast if she couldn't wiggle free from Astrid's diabolical clutches!*

Spoiler

"Y..yeah? You think you can compete with the likes of me, girlie?" *She hissed through deep suspirations, devoting every ounce of expendable energy she had into shredding the aggressive blonde's midsection with a flurry of brutal elbow strikes. If nothing else, Gambit was hellbent on sending a message to this overconfident valkyrie- Regardless of size, it's the dog in the fight, not the fight in the dog, that mattered more than anything else.*

[CaptainL]

Astrid had Gambit good, and she knew it. As confident as the Cajun had been up to this point, Astrid could notice a change come over her from where she had her in her clutches. She could feel the tension in her foe's body, the agitation creeping up her spine. "How about that, yeah?" Astrid taunted, leaning back to apply more pressure to the hold as she yanked backwards on Gambit's head and arm to try and bend her spine.

Gambit did have one arm free, though - and that particular arm happened to be one Astrid was soon to make herself acquainted with. The first elbow the blonde took caused her to let out a hiss from behind clenched teeth, shuddering from the force of the assault. Astrid didn't let go, though; she knew she had Gambit where she wanted her, and it wasn't a position she was ready to relinquish any time soon. But Gambit's efforts were making that hard for her, with each strike coming faster and harder, and the tenacity with which Astrid held fast was being tested. Her grip began to slip back, the soreness building in her abdomen from the repeated blows. Eventually, it had grown too much for her to bear, and Astrid was forced to release Gambit as she went staggering back on hands and knees, coughing, her head bent towards the mat.