AV 16 Hardcore Title cage match: Adrian Kytes (c) vs. Silver Ace

Somehow, Silver Ace had managed to kick out of perhaps the single most un-kick-out-able move in pro wrestling, her chest heaving, mostly exposed body shivering from the cold sweat on her body. But a warm shower was still a ways away to go. She had her second...or seventh...wind, and needed to get back up.

It took time. God it took time, but with great effort, she willed her body back up to a standing position, turning over and getting to all fours, crawling to the ropes and using them to pull herself up to her feet, on shaky legs, only to see Adrian climbing the cage, already halfway up!

Realizing this was her last chance to stop her, Ace stumbled over to her, using the ropes to keep her somewhat steady, and grabbed Adrian's booted foot, wrapping her arms around it, and holding on tight to keep her from getting higher!

The cage seemed higher every moment as Adrian shakily made her ascent, the steel mesh making a discomforting noise with every step and her limbs still aching. Victory seemed so far away and what wasn't helping was her opponent's recovery, Ace wrapping her arms around Adrian's ankle "Let go!" she yelled down, clinging on to the cage wall tightly as she could while she attempted to pull free.

Ace held on tight, knowing full well that if she let go, Adrian, the match, River Styx, and the title, would be completely out of her grasp.

But her grip was slipping, and Adrian was getting slightly higher and higher up the cage, she had do something, and do it now, or everything she had worked for was going to be crushed.

Crushed...

Getting a flash of inspiration, Ace stepped back, holding onto Adrian's leg, getting her leg as far from the cage as she could, before giving a hard yank, pulling Adrian off the cage entirely. As she fell, Ace put herself in position, allowing her to reach up and grab Adrian's head and drop down with her, dropping her with a second Ace Crusher!

"No no no no nononono!" Adrian yelped as Ace yanked and pulled, her sweaty fingers slipping further away from the steel before she was finally pulled loose, the champion's body swinging around on the one foot that still remained in the mesh before gravity took its course and Adrian started to fall off the cage wall, right into Ace's waiting grasp. She didn't even have the time to let out another yell before the silver haired challenger put the exclamation point onto the former cosplayer's descent, pulling her face first into a second Ace Crusher. This time leaving Adrian face down and motionless, not even a bounce as she hit the canvas.

Did...Did it work?


Holy shit it worked.

This was it. This had to be it. That was an Ace Crusher, her best move, from damn near double the height, had to be enough. It HAD to be, no way could Adrian kick out of that. Grabbing Adrian's leg, she dragged her from the ropes, not that a rope break counted anyway, and flipped her over, about to pin her...but stopped.

Bending over, panting, she looked down on Adrian. Nobody could kick out of an elevated Ace Crusher...but then, nobody had ever kicked out the Ace Crusher before, but Adrian did. Nobody had ever kicked out of the Canadian Destroyer, not even Angel...but Ace had, and had the incredible throbbing in her head to show for it.

No longer certain about her chances, Ace stood up...then looked up to the top of the cage. There was still one thing she could do...

Stumbling over to the turnbuckle, she began a slow, methodical, sweaty and bloody climb, hand over hand, soon standing up on the turnbuckle and scaling her way up the cage, her body aching, fingers going white from how tightly she had to clench the cage to scale her way up, until she reached the top, the crowd screaming as it seemed she was going to win via escaping the cage.

But no. Standing up, barely, legs shaking, she faced the crowd, taking a moment to appreciate the view, and think of Valley Doll, before going for a move she had spent months practicing, trying to get right, as she leaped back, flipping her heels over her head, trying to finish Adrian Kytes off with her first ever Moonsault off the top of the cage!

If the Ace Crusher for some miraculous reason hadn't finisged Adrian in the first place, a moonsault from the top of the cage certainly did. There was only an involuntary wheeze as the air was crushed out of the former cosplayer's lungs after the Canadian's graceful display, landing perfectly onto the champion's chest and into a pin without even needing to hook the leg. "ONE!"

It was goddamn lucky she somehow managed to not kill herself, flipping backwards off the top of the cage like that, like a fucking crazy person. Even luckier was that she not only HIT the move, but landed on Adrian in a way that allowed her to lay across her chest for an automatic pin attempt.

"TWO!"

The crowd counted along, with baited breath, some of them honestly expecting that Adrian might just kick out again...

"THREE!"

With the final pin fall count, the crowd utterly erupted, screaming and jumping for joy as the bell rang, and Rush played through the PA system again, Silver Ace rolling off of Adrian, and laying on the mat, completely and utterly exhausted and drained, having put her blood, sweat, tears, and the tip of her pinky into this match, feeling an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment as the referee girl helped her slowly get up to her feet, letting her lean on her for balance as her arm was lifted in victory, and the title handed to her.

She just stared at it for a while, dripping blood onto it, unable to believe it. All these last few years, searching for validation, trying to prove she belonged. And now...

She did this.


Slim little Silver Ace, did this.

She Won.