Hiromi Rondo vs. Astrid Ostberg - Power Blitz!

[Arjuna]

Hiromi was so focused on trying to land the clothesline, not thinking that Astrid might have a defensive measure ready until it was too late. As she got closer to the Norwegian, her eyes widened as Astrid raised one leg, kicking at her before hitting her with a big boot!

"Aughh!!"

The impact caused her to be knocked down into the mat, falling backwards. Her attempt to land the clothesline was foiled, and now she was on the mat, writhing in pain and clutching on her aching face. She rolled from side to side, looking vulnerable for Astrid to take advantage of later.

[CaptainL]

Sure enough, Hiromi was knocked back as Astrid set up the big boot, letting her opponent do the work for her - she came charging straight into the Norwegian's outstretched leg, and it looked like the impact dazed her, or at least she was taken aback by how her opponent had intercepted her. With that hit, Hiromi went straight down, landing at her back at Astrid's feet. Indeed, this was an opening Astrid would be eager to take.

Stepping forward, the Norsewoman planted a foot on Hiromi's prone form as she struck a pose with her hands on her hips, beaming out to the crowd with a grin on her face. This would be a perfect opportunity to boast, and it was one she would take. "So, is this all you've got? You claim to have power, but you can't even take a good boot to the gut?" she said, glancing occasionally down at Hiromi to assess the context and make her statements clear. "I'm here to test my skills against other women as strong as I, to really put our skills to the test and determine the mightiest! I can only hope that you don't waste my time. Tell me, is that really all you're capable of? Or do you think you can impress me yet?" Though her words might seem harsh, Astrid didn't want to talk Hiromi down - she was if anything trying to encourage her, to really give Astrid a run for her money. A match where she wasn't firing on all cylinders wasn't one Astrid took any interest in. But she knew her opponent had potential, and she wanted to help that come out.

[Arjuna]

Hiromi writhed on the mat, still suffering from the impact from the big boot, courtesy to her Norwegian opponent. As she was on the mat, Astrid decided to plant a foot on her downed body before she started to boast. Hiromi could hear her words clearly, which spurred her competitive spirit as she gritted her teeth.

"Rrrgghhh..." Growling, Hiromi would force herself to pick herself up despite having Astrid planting her foot on her. If Astrid was aiming to spark the burning spirit inside the rookie, then she had succeeded as she then let out a loud battle cry while trying to pick herself up. Then, she would throw a dagger-like glare at Astrid, giving her a determined look as a response to her remark earlier.

"I haven't even started yet!!" Hiromi bellowed as she would try to hook one of Astrid's leg with her arm, hoping to pull said leg from under her, tripping her down onto the mat. Hopefully, this would give Hiromi an opportunity to turn things around in her favor and show it to her that she was certainly not someone to be messed with!

[CaptainL]

Even Astrid had to pause for a moment as Hiromi let out a roar of sheer willpower and determination, grasped with a sudden surge of energy that caused her to shake the blonde's foot off her back. Astrid doubled backwards, her eyes wide as she looked at her foe. A moment later, though, Astrid's countenance relaxed into a smile, seeing that Hiromi was now ready to meet her on her level, to go beyond what she had done before. Yes, this would be fun.

Sure enough, Hiromi proved to stand by her words, grabbing Astrid's leg to yank it out from under her. With a groan, she collapsed to one knee, wincing from the rough landing. Nevertheless, she looked back up at Hiromi with narrowed eyes, knowing that she was nobody to trifle with. "Then show me what you've got!"

[Arjuna]

Hiromi managed to bring Astrid down onto her knees, and seeing this opportunity, she wouldn't want it to slip by her fingers. So, she would get back up on her feet, making sure that Astrid was still on her knees as she would grab her by her head, looking to pull her back up. She would try to wrap her arm around the Norwegian's head as she intended to put her in a front facelock.

She would also bend forward, draping Astrid's nearest arm over the back of her neck as she planned to then lift her opponent into a vertical position, hoping to drop her backwards with a vertical suplex!

[CaptainL]

Sure enough, Astrid wasn't disappointed - when she was goaded to push onwards and apply all of her skill, Hiromi really delivered. Before she could get to her knees, the blonde felt her opponent's arm encircling her temples, and soon, with a low groan, Astrid was hauled back up to her feet, still trying to come to her senses as her feet stumbled, looking for a secure footing on the ground.

But Astrid's feet didn't touch the canvas for very long. Hiromi leaned forward to carry Astrid's arm over her shoulder, and then she hauled her straight up, suspending the Norwegian above the ground in her clutches! Astrid began to tense as she felt the blood starting to rush from her head, but she didn't have much time to ponder her predicament, as it wasn't long before Hiromi dropped straight back, bringing Astrid down hard! The canvas shook from her impact, while Astrid herself was left reeling and breathless.

[Arjuna]

Throwing Astrid over with a vertical suplex, Hiromi would then release her grip on Astrid's head as she would get herself back up on her feet. Thinking that she had been given an opportunity to strike more, Hiromi would bend down, grabbing Astrid's head to pull her back up before setting her up for another suplex.

This time, instead of a vertical suplex, Hiromi would wrap her arms around the Norwegian's body, pressing her breasts against her back as she would then throw her over, looking to go for a bridging pinfall attempt after bringing her down into the mat with a German suplex!

[CaptainL]

There was little respite for Astrid, who took the suplex only for Hiromi to quickly transition into another throw to further stun her while she was down. The Norwegian had little time to regard the situation she found herself in before she felt herself being lifted, sucking in a breath as she felt her opponent's powerful arms yank back against her stomach. Soon, Astrid lost contact with the ground - and then she came crashing back down head-first, as Hiromi pulled off a German suplex!

No sooner had she landed that Hiromi got on top of Astrid, thinking she could end the match quickly by getting in a pin. The blonde groaned, still reeling from her rough landing, and in that first second Hiromi's attempts faced little resistance.

"One!"

But even as the ref girl started to count, the strength was coming back to Astrid, and she lay in wait, getting ready to spring her next move. Finally, she had summoned enough energy to pull it off - and she proceeded to shake her shoulders up from the ground with a quick but forceful push, going to jostle loose Hiromi's hands and in the process make it clear to her that she was still ready to fight. With this done, Astrid's next move would be to try and get in a headlock on Hiromi, while at the same time raising to circle her legs around the Japanese girl's, hoping to clamp down and hold her in place while she rolled over to reverse the positions!

[Arjuna]

The Norwegian managed to kick out after one, and as Hiromi tried to keep the offense going, Astrid managed to stop her by getting up and putting her in a headlock. Wincing as her head was trapped in the hold, the Japanese rookie tried to shake herself free, but with her opponent's legs wrapped around her body, an escape seemed to be a difficult endeavor.

But, if she couldn't get herself out in conventional way, then she would have to rely on good ol' brute force. Grunting, Hiromi would try to deliver an elbow strike right into Astrid's side, hoping that it would stun the Norwegian a little, allowing her to shake her head free from her clutch. She needed to make sure that she could escape this, though it all depended whether Astrid got herself stunned or not.

[CaptainL]

Rolling up on top of her opponent, Astrid managed to secure a more favorable position, and the odds were already starting to tip in her favor. Now that Hiromi didn't stand a chance of pinning her, Astrid kept on the assault, securing her two-pronged attack in tighter as she clenched down from both points she held her opponent with. She grit her teeth, her gaze narrowing. She couldn't back down now.

Indeed, it seemed that this was working out for her, as Hiromi's efforts to break herself free didn't get her very far. Astrid started to feel a rush of encouragement, seeing that she had her trapped. But Hiromi was still a powerful foe - and Astrid would feel that, as she slammed her elbow into Astrid's ribs. With a groan she began to shift over, and her grasp weakened somewhat - but Astrid was stronger than to go down from a mere elbow, and all it did was slow her down. Though she loosened up on Hiromi's head, she responded in kind with an even stronger squeeze down on her legs. Nevertheless Hiromi did manage to get herself more headroom, and it might be possible for her to take advantage of that fact.