[Tables Hardcore Match] Charlotte Ravel' vs Amy Evans - The parable of the Lion and the Lizard (Apex Qualifier Match)

[skip-stop]

It definitely wasn't an easy task. Charlotte trains alone most of the time. But when it comes to sparring, Astrid has recently become her regular partner. The Norwegian woman was larger than Charlotte, so every workout with her was very tense. And thanks to her friend, the pink-haired woman had some experience in confronting an opponent of the superior size.

Therefore, the Sand Lizard knew that she needed to get out of the hold as soon as possible, even if it required spending extra strength. The continued blows aimed at her head became an excellent motivation to act as quickly as possible. Charlotte noticed that even though her opponent used only one arm to hold her head, this grip was still strong, which once indicated that she should be careful with her opponent's pure physical strength.

Combining flexibility, willpower and experience, the Sand Lizard used her legs to change position. And although Amy tried to stop her, the pink-haired woman with one sharp jerk slipped out of the hold of the American woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that it was trying to grab her again, but this time Charlotte's speed was enough to quickly roll away.

Taking a distance of about two meters, the Sand Lizard pushed off from the mat in order to get up on one knee as quickly as possible. She didn't want to be defenseless in case Amy started chasing her. But, apparently, the blonde decided not to accelerate the course of events and instead of chasing Charlotte, Amy slowly got to her feet, preparing for what can be called the next round.

Charlotte tilted her head to the side, trying to ward off the residual pain from the Lion's grip, and then also got to her feet. She knew from the very beginning that she should be on her guard, but she did not think that the blonde would have such a good reaction speed. If her every second attack ends this way, then she has almost no chance of winning. Charlotte was sure of that. This led to the conclusion that she needed to increase the number of successful attacks. But how to do it without spending all the reserves of strength at the very beginning of the match?

"Too early, but..." Charlotte thought. "Let's try this..."

Taking a deep breath, the Frenchwoman took a fighting stance. At first it was the same stance she used right after the bell rang. But then she raised her left arm higher and stretched it forward, only slightly bending it at the elbow. The right hand also moved forward and stopped only at the moment when the palm was in line with the left elbow. Charlotte unclenched her fists and now both palms were almost completely straight.

The noise in the hall began to gradually increase, the audience was aware of this stance, Charlotte had already used it several times in her matches, and they knew that the martial arts master uses it only in those cases when she considers the situation more than serious. But most of all they were attracted by something else. It was no secret to many that Wing Chun is far from the best martial art when it comes to a real fight. And even Charlotte was not going to refute this statement. However, some aspects of this martial art were more than useful, especially when you have mastered them.

"En avant..." Charlotte muttered.

She rushed to her rival. This time she did not shift from side to side, moving straight to the Lion. But, nevertheless, her palms kept changing position. The Sand Lizard's left and right palms were constantly changing the height level, as if preparing to attack all parts of the blonde's body. Charlotte was focused and it was clear that she intended to throw a few punches at her opponent. After the previous action it was clear even to the audience that the closest possible contact was the most beneficial for Amy, so Charlotte should keep a distance of at least the arm's length.

But at the moment when she reached the right distance and got the opportunity to send the first punch, she did not do it. Instead, she took another short step forward, bursting into her opponent's space. Risky? Definitely. But in this way she could shock her rival in some sense. Besides, it wasn't the only thing Charlotte was going to do.

She intended to point her left hand forward, straight at her opponent's head. However, already halfway through, the Frenchwoman was going to move her left palm to the left side. It was quite rare and far from the most common technique. That way she wanted to fix Amy's gaze on this particular left palm, which was not really intended for an attack.

And if she really managed to concentrate her opponent's attention on her left palm, then her right palm would clench into a fist and move forward. Right into Amy's solar plexus. Charlotte's fist was in an upright position. A straight punch named yat chi kuen. The fastest possible overcoming of a short distance and the maximum impact force. So Charlotte wanted to paralyze the blonde's body. At least for a split second. After all, this split of a second would be enough for the martial arts master to clench her left fist too. Lin van kuen. A lightning-fast series of straight punches that the Sand Lizard was about to send right into the Lion's face in case of success!

[Fairy Dragon]

The smaller fighter managed to slip out of her grip and split off, putting them both away from each other and soon both were back on their feet. The blonde was annoyed that she couldn't do more but putting Charlotte down was a good start to the match and showed her the kind of trouble she was in for if she thought Amy was going to be some slow target for her to beat on. She was ready to go again, and wondered what Charlotte was thinking when she noticed she seemed to be contemplating something, before eventually changing styles and putting her palms out which got a reaction out of the crowd. Something they had seen before that Amy was not knowledgeable about. She couldn't sit back, not even if it played into her hands it was time to fight, they started to get close to one another, neither making a move to strike even as they got close until eventually Charlotte decided to take the first swing at her. Amy prepared herself for the first hit but in watching Charlotte's attacks she ended up falling for the feint that she ended up surprising her with her real hit.

"Uggh!" Amy gasped, struck in the stomach by the Sand Lizard in a blow that stunned her on her feet. She stood still shocked as Charlotte's blow to her solar plexus had done it's job, allowing Charlotte to move in more punches. "Gnnggh! Gaaggh!" Amy screamed when the next strike hit her just around the lip making her step back on her shaky legs before her arms started to come up and try to block the next few hits, but Sand Lizard had speed at this range and it was hard to actually protect herself from the striking speed of Charlotte.

[skip-stop]

Risk is a dangerous thing. But in some situations, the risk is justified, especially in the ring. Not all fighters have the ability to rationally assess whether it is worth taking a risk. Emotions, as well as ego, are always obstacles to rational thinking. And although it took a huge amount of time, now Charlotte could say that she almost always kept her cool in the ring. This helped her to rationally assess the situation and decide whether the risk was worth taking.

In the case of her rival, Charlotte tried to discard all other thoughts, focusing solely on not giving the Lion time and space to maneuver. If she had to compete in pure physical strength, the Frenchwoman had practically no chance. She understood that. In order to win, she needed more successful attacks. Therefore, the pink-haired woman was willing to take a risk.

Her eyes flashed at the moment when the American woman's gaze followed Charlotte's left palm. She got the split second she needed. And the Sand Lizard did not hesitate. Her left fist clenched and headed forward, crashing straight into the blonde's solar plexus.

Charlotte would never be able to call herself a holy person. In truth, she didn't even consider herself a good person. There were a lot of things in her past that she is not proud of and still tries to forget about. Over time, she became much more calm and reasonable. Not only in the ring, but also in everyday life. But that didn't mean she didn't have pride and self-respect. And she wasn't going to tolerate such an attitude from her rival. If she has to show everything she has to win, then so be it.

It was this meaning that she put into a series of punches, from which many could begin to feel dizzy. As soon as the blonde let out a muffled groan and bent down, Charlotte clenched her left fist. Her fists began to move back and forth like the shutter of a machine gun. This technique was very unusual and gave a number of advantages. The main one was the combination of strength and speed.

The Sand Lizard's left fist smashed straight into Amy's lip. It was difficult to imagine a better target, because it was a blow to the chin area that in most cases caused the groggy state. Given the opportunity, Charlotte was going to use it. Although even though she first took the air from her rival, and then stunned her, the Lion still found the strength to raise her hands and cover her face. But Charlotte didn't stop there, sending at least five lightning punches into Amy's forearms. She knew that her opponent's bones would receive much more damage than her knuckles, besides, even if not all, but part of the impact would surely reach the blonde's head.

"Now!" flashed through Charlotte's mind.

Amy's head was good but not the only possible target. And by concentrating protection at the top, the Lion was vulnerable at the bottom. Charlotte was determined to turn to the right side as quickly as possible in order to gain additional momentum. She was going to swing her left leg in order to direct this momentum into her foot and pierce the side of Amy's right kneecap with a low kick!

With this simple but still effective move, the Sand Lizard was going to force her rival to get down on at least one knee. For what? Only in order to jump up at the same second, bending both legs at the knees and pulling them higher to the chest. In her last qualifying match, she was ready to do anything to finally overcome this milestone and get the opportunity to take part in the Apex match. Right now, Charlotte was determined to straighten both legs in order to hit Amy in the head with a standing dropkick and throw her back in the direction of a table draped against the turnbuckles!

[Fairy Dragon]

Charlotte's punches came quickly, and Amy's luck when it came to dealing with fighters who were quick seemed to be really bad right now. Her defense finally came up like it usually did as she cursed the fact that her Apex matches seemed to be a constant stream of every crazed fighter with fast strikes that hurt like hell. She was going to need to fix that. Amy's defenses were focused on her face after the Sand Lizard smacked her lips that the blonde left herself open for Charlotte to go low, striking at her leg with a kick. The sudden lack of balance threw Amy off and she slipped back and dropped to a knee, which set her up nicely for Charlotte's drop kick to her face

"Gooaagh!" Amy screamed as her face met Charlotte's feet and sent the blonde backwards into the table behind her. Thanks to her low position she ended up sliding on her ass and only her upper body hit the table with a loud crack going through the arena when her head hit. The table didn't break which made the collision worse for Amy as the tables lack of give put the pressure on Amy's skull, leaving the lion looking like fresh prey.

[skip-stop]

Pure physical strength has never been Charlotte's best side. She was strong enough to work with a significant weight that exceeded her own, however, the Frenchwoman was clearly aware that if it came to competition solely in pure physical strength, she would that way or another be behind many other fighters.

Therefore, the Sand Lizard paid attention to other aspects that allowed her to smooth out the corners of her lack of physical strength. Few people think about it, but physics is a very interesting thing that can be used even in martial arts. Speed plays a much more significant role when it comes to the force of impact. This was one of the main reasons why the pink-haired woman paid special attention to speed.

Although the most significant feature that the audience noticed already during her debut was the technicality of the Sand Lizard. When launching an offensive, she always connects each attack into a single chain to achieve maximum effectiveness. And this time was no exception. Having deprived her opponent of air and stunned her with a series of blows to the head, Charlotte forced Amy to get down on one knee.

Without wasting a single second of time, Charlotte jumped and used her best weapon. Both of her feet crashed into the Lion's head. With a loud cry, Amy was thrown back, crashing her back into the table. Charlotte heard Amy crash into a wooden table, but the table remained intact. Someone might have thought that it was a sad fact for the Sand Lizard. But the Frenchwoman was counting on this, because as a result, Amy found herself in exactly the position she had hoped for.

Placing her palms near her head, Charlotte pushed off from the mat in order to take an upright position. However, it was possible to notice that the pink-haired woman was in no hurry to straighten up to her full height. Instead, she pressed her palms to the mat again, while her legs were slightly moved back. A low start position.

"Comme le vent!" she thought.

Charlotte's eyes were fixed directly on her rival. She took a deep breath. At that moment, many could see how all her muscles tensed and became prominent. Pushing off from the mat, she rushed forward like a pink lightning. A series of attacks, which she brought down on the Lion, was a preparation for this moment and now the Frenchwoman was going to make the final touch.

Channeling the force into her legs, she jumped forward, trying to take maximum speed. Just like a few moments ago, she bent her knees, but this time she wasn't going to straighten her legs. Instead, she was going to put both knees forward, leaning back at the same time. The tables were set up in this match for a reason. The Sand Lizard was going to ram her opponent's head with a double knee strike and thus get the first broken table on her score!

[Fairy Dragon]

In a match like this Amy knew leaning or even being near the tables when you weren't able to think straight was how you ended up being put through the table. Amy hadn't fallen through it yet but once she knew what she was leaning on she had to wonder if that was Charlotte's intention, and when her eyes set on a Charlotte standing low like a predator about to strike she had her answer without asking. She was pushing herself up when Charlotte ran at her ready to send Amy's head crashing through the table and would try to take the time she needed to move out of the way once Charlotte charged at her.

If Charlotte smashed and broke the table or not Amy would take the time she bought herself to get back to her feet, and waiting to see how her opponent was doing. Despite Charlotte hitting hard, Amy knew how to take a few good hits and despite any pain she was in keeping on the attack after an opening like that was too important to miss. "Need any help?" Amy asked moving in to grab Charlotte and pull her up, ignoring the wreckage to focus on beating down Charlotte by pulling her close and toss her up with a German suplex.

[skip-stop]

"Merde..." that was exactly what sounded in Charlotte's head at the moment when she pushed off from the mat and made a leap forward.

Excessive self-confidence has never been a trait of the Frenchwoman, at least after she decided to devote her life to self-development and martial arts. Both in the ring and outside it, Charlotte has always acted with a cool head, preferring a rational approach to any situation.

She never liked to take unnecessary risks, but after she first deprived her opponent of air and then stunned her, the Sand Lizard was confident that she had received a good opportunity to complete her series of attacks. It was a basic, but more than useful principle, which in most cases guaranteed maximum results with a rational expenditure of effort. But, apparently, this was not the case.

Finding a new portion of oxygen, as well as getting rid of dizziness, the blonde moved to the side, leaving Charlotte's line of attack. This time physics played against the martial arts master, because of inertia she continued to move forward. And it was not difficult to guess how her attack would end, which a moment ago seemed not only effective, but also colorful. A fiasco.

"Aaahh!!" the Sand Lizard screamed.

Both knees of the pink-haired woman crashed into the table, breaking it in half. Wooden splinters scattered in all directions. Due to the high speed, Charlotte's body continued to move forward, which led to the martial arts master ending her journey the moment she crashed into the corner. Only after that, her body collapsed on the wooden fragments. It seemed to her that her knees had been hit hard with a hammer several times. Charlotte's face was distorted from the pain that suddenly filled her body. Although... after a few moments it became clear that a collision with the table was not the worst.

Maybe it wasn't the kind of thing that Charlotte frankly hated, but it was definitely the thing that annoyed her a lot. Why? Why does every second fighter think that throwing a sharp phrase after each successful attack or counterattack is cool? Hearing Amy's words, she immediately remembered Harmonia. She wonder why the Lion didn't throw such phrases a few moments ago, having received several blows right in the face?

However, Charlotte had other concerns besides thinking about why her rival was acting like a jerk. Wasting no time, the blonde grabbed the Sand Lizard, forcing her to get to her feet. Charlotte wanted to clench her fists and prevent her opponent from launching an offensive. But another wave of pain passed from her knees to all the limbs of her body, dispersing her attention. And it turned out to be enough for the Lion to grab her waist, and then lift her over the mat. Realizing what was going to happen next, Charlotte did the only two things she could do in this situation. She tilted her head forward and completely exhaled the air from her lungs.

This helped her to some extent to maintain clarity of thought and even slightly reduce the amount of pain. But the fact remained. Leaning back, Amy threw Charlotte hard on the mat with the help of the German suplex. The upper part of the Frenchwoman's body crashed into the mat, which caused her to make a painful groan. Her body bounced off the mat and turned over, after which the pink-haired woman fell once more, this time face down. She clearly did not expect that her offensive would take such a turn. Charlotte tried to control her breathing, despite the attempts of pain to prevent her. Gritting her teeth, she put her palms near her head in order to start getting to her feet, she had no right to just continue lying down, remaining completely defenseless.

[Fairy Dragon]

When Amy felt herself hit the mat again after suplexing Charlotte to the floor she felt her eye's get irritated by something and she had enough of an idea to know what it was as she tried to wipe her face. "Damn do I hate the debris tables cause. Shit gets in your eyes and back and it stings like hell, gonna need to was my eyes when I get back." Amy complained, but never taking her good eye off Charlotte. Table messing with her or not she still had to fight and could at least thank her quick reflexes Charlotte didn't put her through it, which would make the shard in her eye feel tame.

Charlotte was already getting back to her feet and Amy would wait until she was up high enough before trying to run in and take ahold of her head before moving to throw a knee into Charlotte's face. Keeping her close Amy would try to hit her with another before falling back and knocking her down with a DDT. All of Amy's big moves targeted the back but right now beating down on Charlotte's head would make sure this calculated fighter was dazed and unable to properly counter Amy's harder hits.

[skip-stop]

Mind prevails over matter. Charlotte heard this interesting thought from the most unusual woman in their team. To some extent, she agreed with this, because she was well aware that sometimes willpower can help a fighter do something really impossible. But still, in most other cases, this statement can be questioned without any problems.

For example, right now. Сharlotte understood that she needed to get to her feet as quickly as possible, but at the same time the Frenchwoman could not act quickly. Her knees still exuded pain, disrupting the work of her legs. And the pain in her back after the suplex only aggravated her situation. It was difficult for her to concentrate, even though she continued to keep her breathing under control.

But this was clearly not enough, because even before Charlotte managed to straighten up to her full height, Amy grabbed her head. When the blonde forced her to bend down, and then began to raise her knee, the Sand Lizard guessed what the American woman was up to. And she was well aware that now she literally has no opportunity to push the Lion away. However... her hands were still fine. Charlotte threw them up, covering her face.

"Gh..." she groaned in a strangled voice.

Amy's knee slammed into Charlotte's forearms. It helped her protect herself. To some extent. It still hurt. In any case, it was better than getting a direct knee strike in the face. Although in fact it was a small consolation, because due to the weakened state, Charlotte was losing much more strength than it would have been in another situation.

The proof of this was that after another knee crashed into her forearms, the Sand Lizard's legs trembled. After her unsuccessful attack and her opponent's more than successful suplex, she did not have time to recover enough to withstand such strikes even with the help of a block. Her head continued to fill with pain, and her thoughts became more and more confused. This is what led to the fact that a second after the second knee strike, Amy leaned back without any problems, smashing Charlotte's forehead right into the mat.

"Aaaggh!" Charlotte screamed at the moment when it seemed to her that her head had split in two.

Stars were flying in front of the Frenchwoman's eyes, and her body was limp. Tightly closing her eyes, she bared her teeth because of the pain that filled her body. The pink-haired woman put her palm on her forehead, trying to ease the pain, but so far there were no obvious signs that the martial arts master was ready to return to the game.

[Fairy Dragon]

Amy had managed to turn things around, from nearly being put through a table to slamming her opponents head into the mat next to the shattered table Charlotte put herself through. All it took was a smart play to turn things in your favor in a match, and now Amy had time to think and plan. With Charlotte right on the ground still trying to check her head and limp on the floor Amy decided she could take a few more risks, it was always the bold actions that paid off while playing it safe cost her if she was too careful. Back on her feet Amy was eyeing up Charlotte's place and position between her and the ropes before she would run at them to jump off the second rope.

Bouncing off the ropes and rotating in the air to turn and come down on her front for a Lionsault. Amy was dropping down to land on Charlotte's limp body, trying to hit her with her most aerial offensive maneuver before trying to move in on top of Charlotte, placing herself on Charlotte's back, pulling her arms over her legs and finally pulling her head up as far back as it could to start pulling Charlotte into a camel clutch submission hold.