Ambre Brault vs Astrid Ostberg

[Bearhug Goddess]

Thanks to their short break, the two wrestlers were able to recover their strength but especially Ambre who had now recovered enough energy to be in a state of fatigue almost similar to that of Astrid. This didn't happen often but the Frenchwoman had often used this "second wind" during her previous matches without really knowing it, especially after best of or ironwoman matches where she was able to make an explosive comeback after losing a round. She had never noticed it too much because she used it unconsciously out of anger.

This match taught the Black Pearl a lot of things and improved minute after minute. The level of this match was high and Ambre's skills were pushed to the maximum but she was neither anxious nor in total control, she was in a state of flow which allowed her to be better than usual and to reassess herself what she was capable. The match was difficult but not enough for Ambre to learn, win and get to know herself better. All this was mainly thanks to Astrid who was the most powerful opponent that Ambre had faced to date and the Frenchwoman was determined to overcome this obstacle this evening.

Even though Ambre had won the strength test at the beginning, it was still just as difficult, even if she didn't have the size disadvantage! The Black Pearl felt like she was pushing a wall firmly planted on the ground, a wall that was impossible to push back. But Ambre didn't release the pressure and it ended up paying for a few seconds. Ambre and Astrid fought body and soul to dominate the other, each pushing each other with the strength of their arms alone until finally starting to put their weight and the rest of their bodies into play. Ambre leaned forward, pressing her forehead, slightly damp from sweat, against her opponent's as well as her chest to push Astrid. This would not be enough because Astrid was obviously going to do the same thing but Ambre still had a card, that of raising her arms and those of her opponent while continuing to push her, seeking to tire their arms a little more quickly so that their endurance burns quickly.

[CaptainL]

Ambre was no weaker on her knees than she was on her feet - that was something Astrid was quickly becoming aware of! Perhaps it was because both women were growing fatigued from the effort they'd put themselves through, but this test of strength was just as hard as the last. When Astrid leaned forward to grasp at her opponent's wrists and shove her back, the Black Pearl refused to budge - and she pushed back with equal force! Astrid's muscles stretched and strained against the load she was being forced to bear; her teeth clenched in a snarl against the pressure, and her fingers coiled even tighter around Ambre's own to try and keep herself steady. She could feel her muscles strain and her tendons stretch the more she pushed back against the oncoming force. No one could deny that Ambre was making the Norsewoman work to keep control of this struggle - but Astrid wasn't one to back down without giving just as much of a fight!

After a bit of pushing and straining back and forth, with the two heavyweights leaning into one another with their chests and shoulders to leverage their full weight into every push, Astrid decided she was going to escalate the action, shoving herself back up to her feet! This was a test - if Ambre was a worthy contender, she would have to rise up with her, or else keep her held at bay. If she wasn't, then she would topple against the pressure! Sure enough, though, Ambre proved more than up to the task - she rose before Astrid, the two women never once breaking eye contact as they ascended to a wavering stance! Astrid panted and groaned, and the muscles in her arms spasmed as she tried to hold firm against the force her opponent could wield - but she wouldn't dare back down, or give this match anything less than her best efforts!

Her own forehead leaned in to lay against Ambre's, and her breaths were hot and hoarse as she snorted a gout of air against the Frenchwoman's face. Head to head and shoulder to shoulder, they tried to push and pull at one another. But Ambre had put more strain on Astrid's arms as she hoisted them over her head, and the longer it went on, the more Astrid could feel her muscles aching and growing more fatigued. She grit her teeth, trying to focus herself - she knew she couldn't hold on like this forever. But she wasn't going to let go - that would be tantamount to a surrender to Ambre! Instead, Astrid would look to hold onto the dominant position - letting go of one of Ambre's arms while keeping her grip on the other, she'd go to spin around Ambre's back, twisting her arm behind her and bending it at the wrist to lock in a hammerlock!

[Bearhug Goddess]

While the public encouraged the two wrestlers in this second test of strength, the outcome of this duel gradually began to become apparent to the first but more quickly. The Black Pearl was still going strong after all the beatings she took. There was even something different about Ambre, her way of fighting had changed slightly since she won their showdown, she had become a little more entrepreneurial. Usually, Ambre let her opponent act and responded accordingly but this time, she started to take the initiative and got up first to apply more pressure on Astrid's arms.

Obviously, it wasn't enough to defeat Astrid but it was enough for the Norsewoman to decide to leave this test of strength for something more advantageous. Ambre gets caught by surprise, she was so focused on pushing Astrid with her arms and body that she didn't expect such a brutal end to their duel. The French woman's arm twisted and found itself pressed against her back, exerting an unpleasant pain and a phenomenal pressure on the arms and the shoulder of the French woman who sighed in pain.

“Argh !”

Ambre was in a bad position but she quickly regained her calm after a few seconds of sighing in pain. She had an idea of how to escape this Hammerlock but for that she had to have confidence in her body and her abilities. Ambre smaller compared to Astrid and that could perhaps serve as her advantage, as in this kind of case. She uses her free hand to wrap it behind Astrid's head, forcing her opponent to have their head pressed against her shoulder before dropping to the ground on her behind so that Astrid's chin bumps against her shoulder when of her fall.

If it was enough to make the hold less hard or even loosen, Ambre would take the opportunity to roll onto her shoulders to the side before getting behind her opponent, grabbing Astrid's arm in return to squeeze her and pin her arm against the back of the Norsewoman, performing a Hammerlock in turn!

[CaptainL]

Astrid knew that with Ambre bringing her full weight behind her to bear down on her, she couldn't keep this up forever. Ambre already held the advantage when it came to weight, and Astrid was still recovering from the pitched battle to try and get Ambre to so much as move back an inch - her muscles felt like they had gone numb, and with how persistent Ambre was being and how dead-set on victory she was, it could almost be guaranteed that she wouldn't stop here. Astrid couldn't be a fool - she needed to conserve her strength if she wanted to win this. If she burned through her stamina, she'd be a sitting duck when Ambre inevitably pushed the offensive. But she had a plan. Ambre was certainly strong, but her strength wouldn't be of much use to her if Astrid crippled her limbs. All of that was running through the Norsewoman's thoughts as she circled behind her, twisting her arm into a brutal submission hold!

Astrid could feel Ambre straining and buckling against the force she brought on her. Her fingers squeezed tighter around her wrist as though hanging on for dear life; her biceps bulged as she pressed downward to put even more pressure against the point where her wrist was pinned between her shoulder blades. It was working, she thought - that could only encourage her to keep on fighting; to keep up with her efforts! But just as Astrid had thought outside the box in order to get the upper hand here, Ambre was going to do the same, as she brought her arm up and around behind Astrid's head!

The Norsewoman felt the pressure on the back of her skull, guiding her head forward, until her chin was resting on Ambre's shoulder. At the thought of what her opponent was doing, she let out a gasp - but she had no way of stopping her as Ambre kicked off the ground, dropping down to the mat, and causing Astrid's chin to slam into her shoulder! As they both touched down with a canvas-shaking thud, a rattle rocked through Astrid's body. Her teeth chattered together, her lower jaw bouncing against her upper, and she was forced to let go of Ambre's arm so that both hands could grab and cup at her chin. For a moment, she was stunned - and that moment was all Ambre needed to get behind her, twisting her arm into a hammerlock of her own!

Astrid had been left dazed by the impact, but she was quickly reminded of what she was up against when she felt the shock of pain shoot through her system, her shoulder straining against the position it was being forcibly bent into! When her muscles were already sore from exertion, the aches and pains could only be amplified even greater! She roared and gnashed her teeth, twisting back and forth. But Astrid wasn't about to let this take her down, either!

Reaching ahead of her with her free arm, Astrid grabbed at the mat, burying her fingers into the canvas to brace herself. From there, she would duck down and roll her weight forward. She would attempt to bowl Ambre over her back as she fell face-first to the mat, hoping that would force her to release the hold!

[Bearhug Goddess]

The test of strength was, broadly speaking, dominated by Ambre. Astrid had therefore done well to avoid continuing it any longer to avoid receiving something worse, only the Hammerlock only seemed effective for a few seconds. The Frenchwoman could feel her arm tearing while she was trapped in the Hammerlock but she quickly found a way to escape from her opponent's grasp. All of her sparring ultimately came in handy and even though it wasn't the kind of thing you expected from a powerhouse, Ambre used her size, flexibility and speed to free her arm and counter attack in return!

It worked, the drop was enough to stun the giant Astrid and Ambre was fast enough to execute a Hammerlock in turn, trapping Astrid in her own move. Even though she had just regained the advantage in this match, Ambre was mainly looking to recover some energy during this moment rather than inflict damage on her opponent. The French woman knew that if she had been able to escape from that hold, Astrid knew it too and it was only a matter of time before she was pushed back or... Thrown forward. Astrid was still strong and it only took her a few seconds to escape from Ambre's hold, throwing her forward, over her, so that Ambre fell face first against the mast.

“Guh!”

Ambre hit her face on the ground but quickly got back up, rolling forward to get closer to the ropes before finding herself standing on her feet and turning towards her opponent. The Black Pearl didn't really have time to think, she knew that Astrid was starting to tire and that it was the perfect time to attack her to continue dominating this match and maybe even finish it... So there was no time to lose! Ambre threw herself at Astrid, clenching her fist with all her strength to slam her forearm against Astrid's chest with a powerful chop!

[CaptainL]

Ambre was definitely showing the full breadth of her style in this match - and Astrid had to say, she was impressed! Though she prided herself as being every bit the powerhouse that the Norsewoman was, Ambre was demonstrating the manueverability she had on her side in how she was able to transition from being locked in a hammerlock into turning the position back against Astrid with a stunner! If she was this skilled at adapting her style and transitioning from one move to the next, Ambre had the flexibility she needed to succeed in any situation. She didn't just have brute strength; she had technical knowledge to fall back on. That was a trait that could only serve her well in the long run, and Astrid would've been happy to shower her with praise for it. But she couldn't right now - after all, Astrid was in the middle of a pitched battle, and she needed to focus her full attention on trying to win! At least, as much as she could, given that Ambre had knocked her into a daze as the two of them struck the mat like a meteor!

When Astrid's jaw slammed into Ambre's shoulder, it left her head spinning; the world was lost in a blurry, incoherent haze. But a moment later, she was stirred back to her senses by the sharp pain that went through her body as Ambre hauled back on her arms! Astrid hissed under the pressure, her face growing red as she began to double over forward with a groan. But she wasn't deterred. Ambre had shown her just how well she could pull off counters - Astrid was going to step up to the plate herself. If she wanted to test what Ambre was capable of, she needed to throw her into the fire! She'd have to demonstrate how well she could match Ambre's efforts!

Sure enough, as Astrid ducked down, Ambre lost her grip and went rolling forward. But when Astrid sat back up, panting for breath and rubbing the soreness out of her arms, she was shocked to see that her opponent had already gotten to her feet! Ambre was keeping her on her toes with how quickly she could bounce back from whatever Astrid threw at her. But that just meant Astrid would need to ramp up the pressure accordingly!

Sucking in a breath, the Norsewoman shoved herself back up to her feet - her determination to test Ambre's limits was more than enough to give her all the strength she needed to do so! After a moment to dust herself off, she looked up to see Ambre running back at her, her arm drawn back to deliver a chop. But Astrid could turn all that momentum against her! As Ambre's forearm came swinging outward, Astrid would reach out to try and grab it in midair - and then, hurl it downward as she kicked up her knee, trying to strike at Ambre's arm for an armbreaker!

[Bearhug Goddess]

The Black Pearl looked strong and energetic enough to pose a problem for Astrid who was starting to get caught off guard and dominated by the French girl's brute force and new attacks, forcing her to have to go harder against Ambre if she didn't want to be dominated any longer. Ambre wasted no time, quickly getting up after being thrown by Astrid during her Hammerlock and throwing herself directly at Astrid to execute a chop. It was simple and was likely to be effective, Astrid was still kneeling when Ambre started her race, if she managed to hit Astrid she could perhaps take her into a pinfall!...

But Astrid had much more experience than Ambre and that gave her very good reflexes. Before Ambre could even extend her arm, it was caught by the hand of her opponent who took advantage of the Frenchwoman's state of surprise to counterattack. Ambre's body found itself slightly lower and a great pain began to be felt on her arm, she had just been hit by Astrid's knee. Ambre grimaced in pain and clicked her tongue, her dominant arm had just been weakened and she began to take a few steps back.

“Tsk !..”

But after taking a step back, she remembered what happened when she was put on defense the last time. It must have become a habit now to back away after missing an attack or being attacked, but it was a very bad habit! Ambre could clearly see that Astrid had one leg raised and that she could easily be knocked off balance... It was the perfect moment to attack and if Ambre really wanted to win this match, she had to seize this opportunity!

The Black Pearl pulled herself together and threw herself forward again, ducking. She could only rely on her left arm but she was strong, it should be enough to do what she wanted. She threw herself on Astrid's stomach while her second arm passed between her opponent's legs to grab one of her legs. If all went well, Ambre would stand up carrying Astrid on her shoulders, grunting a little because of her opponent's weight, before dropping forward for a Rolling Fireman's Carry Slam.

[CaptainL]

Ambre was doing it - she was living out her dreams, and actually managing to stand up to the great Astrid Ostberg! But perhaps she had gotten caught up in her excitement - this match was far from over, and Astrid was soon going to remind her of that! She had come charging closer, her arm drawn back to land a chop against her opponent, but Astrid was already prepared for her - and as she came into range, the Norsewoman soon grabbed a hold of her wrist, only to drop her arm down onto her knee!

A loud crack rang out as Astrid's knee came crashing into Ambre's arm, causing a few fans in the crowd to wince. There was no doubt that a blow like that, thrown with the force Astrid was capable of mustering, was going to hurt. But even if it hurt...Ambre wasn't going to let that stop her. Even now, she could see how this could be turned to her advantage. She had taken note of how Astrid had needed to lift her leg in order to land the armbreaker - and it was for that reason she was going to strike!

Astrid didn't even have the chance to right herself on two feet. She hadn't counted on Ambre being able to bounce back so quickly - but she had underestimated just how much the Black Pearl had in her when she was out to prove herself! Before she could set her foot down, Ambre had already come charging closer - and hooked her by the leg, lifting her up into the air! Upon finding herself lifted above the mat, Astrid let out a gasp - Ambre had taken her completely by surprise! The fans were all watching with rapt attention as Ambre lifted her up onto her shoulders - and as she dropped down and hurled her to the mat, with a resounding thud that shook the ring!

At that moment, the entire arena burst out into cheers at such a thrilling counter - let alone from seeing that Ambre was even capable of such a feat! But Astrid was left with her head spinning. She flopped onto her back with a groan, her arms splayed out at her sides as she stared lazily up at the lights. It would take her some time to collect herself...

[Bearhug Goddess]

Ambre may have taken a powerful blow from Astrid in this match, but everything seemed lighter and less painful since she recovered after losing the bearhug contest. Astrid's punches looked powerful, but she had taken a lot of hits since her debut as a wrestler, whether it was belly punches, chops, spears or being slammed against tables. The last blow she had received on the arm hurt but that wasn't going to stop her from continuing to use it, even if she couldn't use as much force on that arm as at the beginning.

But the Black Pearl was still combative and had enough strength to continue fighting so she complied, attacking her opponent despite the pain in her arm to execute a Rolling Fireman's Carry Slam which threw Astrid against the ring mat as nothing happened to her arm. The audience continued to applaud Ambre for her performance and her remarkable energy but she now needed a little rest, to catch her breath and let her arm recover its strength.

Fortunately her opponent was a little stunned and was lying on the ground, this allowed the Frenchwoman to regain her strength but for how long ? Astrid probably needed less time than her arm to recover and that posed a little dilemma for the Frenchwoman, should she seize this time to recover and hope that it would be enough before her opponent got up or should she continue, even if it meant no longer being able to use her arm at its best for the rest of the match... This reflection only lasted a single second but it seemed eternal in Ambre's head but she finally found a solution to her question.

Astrid was a former champion, a wrestling veteran, one of the best wrestlers in her weight class. Ambre was just a rising star, a wrestler who was learning quickly but hadn't yet reached her peak. Obviously she wasn't going to win against Astrid with a handicap and obviously she wasn't going to let Astrid recover her strength. So we had to make some choices and Ambre had the perfect technique for that. She grabbed both of her opponent's thighs, placing them under her armpits before tightening her arms and began to roll around herself, dragging and lifting Astrid in this way. The audience was impressed to see the French wrestler being able to lift the giant Norsewoman so easily with a Giant Swing.

"Gnhhhhh !"

"Woooooh ! Woooooh ! Wooooh !"

The crowd shouted with each lap that Ambre did but the goal was not to get tired, only to extend the time when Astrid would be stunned without losing too much energy and it was only after a few laps that Ambre finally let go of Astrid , dropping her towards the edge of the ring while she held herself against the ropes nearby, taking advantage of this moment to rest and recover as much strength as possible until her opponent gets up.

[CaptainL]

Even with her arm as sore as it was, and her muscles as tired as they were, Ambre's determination was stronger. Something had still pushed her past the point where by all means her body should have given out on her. And that something, no doubt, was her drive to win; her raw determination to prove herself against some of the greatest heavyweights LAW had to offer! The promise of emerging from this match with the world knowing she had taken on Astrid Ostberg and won was all Ambre needed to fuel herself through remarkable feats - feats like bringing the Norsewoman down with a ring-shaking slam! As Astrid's back fell against the mat, a loud thump rang out through the air, punctuated by the cheers of the crowd. Even as Astrid lay there panting, she could still look up at Ambre through weary eyes, and a smile crossed her face. "Well...done..." she groaned. If Ambre had been able to slam her even with her arm in the state that it was, Ambre had done well indeed!

But Ambre wasn't done impressing anyone yet - not Astrid, and not any of the spectators either! From the way she was cradling her arm and struggling to hold herself upright, many had come to question how much she had left in her. Certainly they wouldn't have expected her to take up all of Astrid's weight in pulling her into a giant swing - and yet, that was exactly what she did! Even Astrid herself let out a gasp, her jaw dropping open as she looked up to see Ambre hauling her higher. There was no way it could possibly work in her current state, she thought - yet that thought would swiftly be proven wrong, as she was swept to the side, with Ambre swinging her around and around in circles!

Even Astrid Ostberg let out a scream at that sensation! She might have had a proud and accomplished career behind her, taking on some of LAW's most fearsome contenders and carrying her championship through a proud reign, but when she found herself being spun around in Ambre's grasp, she was so taken by surprise that she couldn't help herself! Her arms flailed through the air helplessly, her hair trailing behind her head in an arc. There was no way Ambre could possibly have been able to do this - unless, of course, she was just that determined!

Finally, Ambre let go - and Astrid, still carried by the momentum, was shot straight into the ropes! She went hurtling backward before she slammed into the cables at full speed, and they stretched taut against her weight before dumping her over onto her face, her knees folded beneath her and her hips raised in the air as she went down. The whole world was spinning, and she could only take slow, haggard breaths to try and refill her lungs. But to see Ambre accomplish such a herculean task, the cheers of the fans were louder than ever!