L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

The Black Pearl found herself released by Astrid, falling to the ground without even letting out a small sigh of pain. The referee intervened, trying to see if Ambre still had a little energy to continue this match but nothing, the Frenchwoman did not respond as much verbally as physically. The match was to end and the end of match bell rang through the room.

DING DING DING

She trained night and day for this match. She had improved, both physically and technically. She had given everything she had, all her strength, all her endurance, all her techniques and all her energy...

And despite this, Ambre was no longer able to continue this match.

Her body couldn't take it anymore, she had reached her limit a good number of times and it was already a miracle to get this far!

A miracle?... Was it really a miracle? Even if Ambre had lost, she had the merit of having fought until the end! It wasn't luck that brought her this far, it was training, talent and an unwavering will! Even when her body gave up on her she continued to fight, certain that she still had a chance to defeat Astrid.

Although she lost this match, she showed an incredible performance for a good number of spectators who saw this new wrestler as a woman who was a little too pretentious and who tried to fight against the strongest too quickly. In the end, Ambre was just a wrestler with great ambitions that she took seriously and to heart while remaining respectful towards her opponents. Although she was still a rising star at LAW, she had proven that she surpassed many wrestlers in certain areas and that she had not yet finished learning and improving.

"Mnngh.."

After almost a minute, Ambre opened her eyes again and looked at the light from the spotlight dazzling her. You don't have to be the smartest woman in the world to understand that she had lost this match, her body couldn't handle the fatigue and pain and it made her lose consciousness.

It was sad, Ambre had just lost the match that was supposed to boost her career and prove to the whole world that she was worthy of becoming a champion. But she had to be strong, she rubbed her eyes lightly and stood up to sit on the bottom, stroking her back which was hurting her. She looked at Astrid as she raised her head, smiling slightly as she was happy to have given one of her idols a good match. She then tried to leave the ring discreetly because she didn't know what to say to the Norsewoman after this match. It was her victory and she didn't want to spoil it... But the public made a lot of noise when they saw the Frenchwoman get up, which prevented her from leaving discreetly.

As soon as the referee let go of Astrid's arm, the Norsewoman dropped back down, landing on her knees with a wince. Even when she tried to push herself back up, she wouldn't get far before the aches and pains that set into her muscles surged up again, leaving her clutching at her side and grimacing. Ambre had pushed her to the absolute limits of her strength, even before the two of them had gone head to head in a pitched duel of bear hugs - and Astrid was sure she would be feeling the aches in her sides for a long while after. She'd need a moment to catch her breath and get the air back in her lungs before she was even ready to get back up. Astrid might have won, but she knew full well that if Ambre had kept it up for just a moment longer...she might not have been so lucky.

As she huffed and gasped, Astrid brought her hand up to wipe some sweat-soaked hair from out of her eyes. And as she did, she could catch sight of Ambre, beginning to blink the exhaustion out of her eyes as she finally began to come around. A smile broke across Astrid's face - Ambre might have lost, but she had still brought forth her best efforts, and proven herself to be an opponent worthy of Astrid's own. If Ambre had been able to fight so fiercely, and push Astrid to such lengths to raise herself to her level, Astrid couldn't be more proud.

And yet, when Ambre began to rise, Astrid didn't miss the sadness in her eyes, and the way she cast her gaze downward, as though afraid to meet her opponent face to face. It seemed that even though Ambre had fought hard, and proven herself more than capable of being Astrid's match, in the end, it was still the fact that she had lost that weighed heavy on her shoulders. That dampened the pride Astrid took not only in her victory, but in the effort she had driven herself to. She had nothing but pride for Ambre, and she didn't want her selling herself short. Even if the match was over, Astrid wouldn't let things between the two of them be.

"...Hey," Astrid spoke up then. She lifted herself slowly to her feet, gritting her teeth as her rickety legs knocked together, but she stepped toward Ambre nonetheless, going to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You almost beat me, you know - you should be proud you got that close! I know I would be, in your position..."

Ambre generally had no trouble accepting her defeats, she had to learn from both victories and defeats if she wanted to become stronger. It was a mentality that began to bear fruit as Ambre repeatedly changed the way she fought, adapted and fought throughout the matches until today. Each match helped her better understand her body, some of her techniques, her weak points, her strong points and what she needed to change to avoid getting in trouble.

She had only been a wrestler for a year, a mere year... But this defeat hurt.

Both in her heart and in her ego, Ambre felt a little broken. She had given everything she had to defeat her opponent and prove to LAW that she could be a very serious challenger. She wanted to prove that she wasn't just an average wrestler with a lot of strength, she wanted to show everyone that she was capable of being one of the best wrestlers in her division.

She remained still when she heard Astrid speak to her, turning slightly towards her while keeping her eyes downcast. She didn't dare see Astrid in her eyes since she was knocked out following the bearhug.. Not even the crowd. Everyone must have been disappointed in her, they had all placed a little hope on the young French woman, hoping to see her win...

But no, no one seemed disappointed. Astrid was rather encouraging by reminding the Frenchwoman that she was very good in this match and the audience still congratulated her for her unexpected performance at the time.

This upset the heart of the Black Pearl who began to feel better. Yes, she lost that match, but it was a pretty close match! She had beaten and surpassed the Norsewoman in many different ways and was the first to have a pinfall in this match. Maybe just with a little stamina and experience...

"You are right...Thank you...Thank you again..."

It was an excellent match, probably the best match of her career... But her journey was not over. It had only been a year since Ambre joined LAW and it was her first PPV match, she could still improve, mature and maybe even surpass all her idols. She finally raised her head, looking Astrid in the eyes with a sincere smile and eyes still filled with determination. The same eyes with which she challenged Astrid for this match.

"Next time... I will win!"

Astrid had fought long and hard, and the match had proven to be as much of a drain on her as it was on Ambre. It had brought both of them to the utmost limits of what their bodies were capable of, and right up until the very end, it could have easily gone either way. But, at last, it would be Ambre who gave out before Astrid did. Even when she was basking in the cheers of all her eager fans, however, Astrid didn't feel the least bit superior. Ambre, she knew, was getting just as many cheers, and she deserved all of them. She knew she had been put to the test, and she knew that Ambre had to work just as hard in order to get to her level, fighting a battle just as harsh and just as uphill. If Ambre had been able to give her a run for her money, Astrid knew she had the makings of greatness in her.

So when Astrid saw the Frenchwoman sulking away after her defeat, it brought a frown to her face. Ambre shouldn't have been sad. The very fact that she had lasted this long, in such a close match, and brought Astrid so close to the brink of defeat, was proof that she had attained the greatness she sought so dearly. And if Astrid had been this challenged by her, she couldn't have been more proud. So when the Norsewoman saw the smile return to Ambre's face as she stopped to give her a few reassuring words, she too began to smile wider, nodding her head to Ambre. Now, Ambre could see how far she had come, too. She could see that the many months Astrid had given her to train had brought the true potential out of her. And she could only reach new heights from here. In fact, if Ambre had grown so much in so short a time...Astrid didn't for a moment doubt what she said. At the very least, she knew Ambre had it in her!

"That's for us to see," she said, holding Ambre a little closer to brace her as she began to walk her out of the ring and toward the exit. She had no hard feelings for the Frenchwoman - only the respect and admiration of a fellow competitor, who cared just as passionately about their craft. "But if you put forth half the effort you did tonight...you just might!"

Winner by Knockout: Astrid Ostberg