One foot in the Grave (For Berial)

Maria's entire world was nothing but agony. Strength was always a weakness for her in the ring, and despite the few times she matched heavyweights with her sheer skill, it was quite clear that Remy had an answer for every tool in her arsenal. Each crank on the hold made her body scream in sheer pain, before her limbs had long since went limp in Remy's grasp.

The momentary blackout didn't last long, as her silver eyes fluttered open just in time to the the room plummet, and the impact of the fallaway slam reducing her to a twitching pile of limbs! The luchadora tried to summon enough strength to roll onto her stomach, masked cheek pressed into the canvas while her fingers reached for the rope, that distant lifeline that seemed impossibly far!

Remy popped up to her feet and checked on how her opponent was holding up after that slam. Surprise, surprise; she was still kicking. Well, mostly. Maria was still clinging to her spirit and managed to keep her eyes open. Even if she was down and out, the Aztec Champion didn’t look ready to throw in the towel. Her seconds were numbered and they both knew it. But she was still going for it all the same.

The Canadian’s gut flickered with a spark of fire that grew a wide grin upon her lips. She took a breath and reached out to grab Maria’s hand before it could snatch that bottom rung.

Figured it was about time to wrap things up.

“Need a hand?” Remy yanked back on Maria’s arm and forced her upright to her feet, leaving her to stumble straight into a short-arm clothesline to the chest. If it landed, the force would be enough to send Maria backward to the ropes and rebound straight back into Remy’s arms. The Canadian would catch her between her powerful arms, throwing the Latina up onto her shoulder and slamming her onto the canvas with her trademark powerbomb, the Sledgehammer.

Her fingers were just about to brush the taut cord of the ropes, when a strong gripped nearly crushed her hand. Her cry of pain was weak, thanks to the brutality and power of this woman. Though in her mind, Remy came across as some mythical titan more than a normal human woman, just based on her ability to withstand blows that would have leveled any ordinary foe.

A yank jerked Maria to her feet, with the veteran stumbling right into a stiff clothesline! The impact stung her chest and collarbone, bouncing her into the ropes! Her journey was mercifully short, as strong arms caught her and tossed her up into the air! The transition was one of the smoothest Maria had ever seen, and a small part of her gained a bit of respect for Remy's form....then the impact came.

WHAM!

The massive powerbomb send shockwaves through the ring. There was even an audible crack as the wooden planks under the mat finally gave out, breaking enough to form a small crater for the top half of Maria's body to nestle into! Her eyes were glazed over, trying to form some reply, but nothing came. Her head fell to the side, body limp in Remy's grasp, much to Elsa's dismay!

"Come on! Get up!!! Get up!!!" she yelled, slapping the canvas

Everyone around them knew that it was light’s out. Maria was halfway into the dream world and the Canadian showed no signs of stopping. Even to the inexperienced, seeing the sheer height that the Latina was expected to fall from would have anyone averting their gaze. But the beauty of it all was what kept their eyes on the ring, and so no one missed the moment that the world seemed to shift underneath the two destined competitors.

The sound of crunching metal was the only thing to accompany the Aztec Champion’s crash into the floor. As Maria settled into the newly formed indentation in the ring floor, Remy raised her fist into the air and let free a conqueror's cry that coursed through her surging muscles.

Remy didn’t waste any time. All she had to do was push her shoulders forward into the back of Maria’s legs, forcing them into the air as she planted her firmly with a cradle pin. Despite the cries from her subordinate, the countdown was already starting in everyone's mind.

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

Maria's legs dangled over her, her body neatly folded in half by Remy's muscular arms as Elsa slumped in dismay. Maria had been utterly squashed, despite the brief moments of offense she had managed to get in. This was arguably one of the biggest losses Maria had suffered in AFW so far, even as she lay in her small crater, her chest rising and falling deeply while her face remained peaceful in her dreaming state.

Done and done.

She had to admit, she got a lot more out of Maria than she expected. Smart, spry, and determined. Qualities she could see in herself once upon a time. Remy couldn’t help but flash a smirk over the sheen of sweat enveloping her face. She shoved Maria’s legs away and brought herself to one knee at her side, throwing the tanked-out Aztec Champ a slight nod.

"Woo! That was a good workout! Maybe you’re meant to be a trainer after all, eh?” She patted Maria on the cheek with a hand, giving it a slight pinch to make her next words stick. “I'll leave you my digits. Ring me when you’re ready to run it back, loser.”

The Canadian flashed a smile at her adversary as she stood up and rolled her way out of the ring. Remy's open palm punctuated the moment with a slap across Elsa's full rear as she passed. When she went to cover up, she’d find a sticky note with the contact information of a certain badass scrawled on it. The Canadian kept her eyes forward with a knowing smirk across her face as she strutted her way through the parting sea of onlookers to the double doors. Part of her was tempted to rub this victory in a little harder, maybe snag a selfie to boast on social media. Get some real mileage out of this before her debut.

For better or worse, she reneged on all that. There was no big rush after all. If her first impressions about Maria were on the money, the Latina wouldn't take this lying down for long. The thought painted an excited grin across the blonde's face as she stepped out of the gym and rounded the corner to the showers.