The Weekend Before...

Caroline huffed when she felt Alaina's weight come down across her chest. There was no mistaking what the Amazon was up to once Caroline felt those hardened arm muscles closing around her leg, pulling it up and into the air.

The rookie wanted to kick out before Alaina could even start counting, but the first attempt to buck her off didn't move her a body a single inch. She may as well have been struggling against a brick wall for how heavy Alaina felt in that moment. The rookie wouldn't have imagined that Alaina was expecting Caroline to kick out, because to her, it felt like the Amazon was trying to put her away for good.

“Don't you dare!” Caroline pouted when she heard the start of the count. Sucking in a deep breath, Caroline undulated her body with all her might as the 2-count started, pushing with every muscle in her legs and her core in an effort to free herself!

Alaina felt Caroline kick out right after one, and she went rolling off before her aching body rose back up. Alaina rubbed her back and knew Caroline would not waste time in getting up. The amazon readied herself as she crouched low. As soon as Caroline got up Alaina should step up once and spin around, sending a roundhouse kick right at Caroline's face to try to send her right back down to the mat as soon as she got back up!

Alaina was in a hole, and she was trying to climb out. She was either going to establish herself once more, or Caroline was going to go on a surge of offense yet again and possibly humble Alaina in their training! Alaina was not about to let Caroline walk away with a win so easily..

While Alaina seemed to be keeping a healthy respect for what Caroline was capable of at her best, the rookie herself was starting to lose her nerve. Keeping calm under pressure was a soft skill as important as any slam or hold in a wrestler's arsenal, and it required practice in the same way. Mixing it up with someone as tough as the Amazon was definitely a good approach to putting Caroline's resolve to the test.

Struggling against the dull ache in her chest, Caroline pulled herself into a sitting position and started getting to her feet only to see Alaina winding up for another devastating hit! The rookie only had the time to turn her head, protecting herself from what could have drawn blood if her lips or nose had taken the strike. Too bad her neck and skull couldn't appreciate the difference.

“Gah!” Caroline cried as Alaina's boot struck her head like a sledgehammer, sending her careening back until she came to rest in a heap at the edge of the ring. Fight through the pain, Caroline thought to herself as she grabbed the ropes with both hands, using them to try to pull herself up to face her attacker.

"Come on Caroline, you were doing great. Don't let up!" Alaian said as she moved in for a grapple, grabbing hold of the younger wrestler. She would move Caroline to the center of the ring and transition to a side headlock, trying to squeeze down on Caroline's head! Her arm was pressing up against the spot that just took the kick, so she knew that the headlock would hurt Caroline a bit more than usual!

Alaina hoped that Caroline would heed her words. She didn't like losing but she wanted Caroline to learn. That was the most important part of the day today, Caroline's progression.

Caroline's spirits were lifted by Alaina's encouragement, despite the throbbing pain in her skull. She was all smiles as Alaina locked up with her and dragged her away from the ropes to pull Caroline up against her side in a tight headlock.

“Hnn...ugh!” the rookie groaned as Alaina's arm tightened around her skull, ratcheting up the pressure enough to make her feel delirious aside from the obvious stress of the hold. She was determined to live up to Alaina's hopes for her – and Kelly's – but escaping the Amazon's grip presented quite a challenge. As a veteran with a good amount of muscle and all the leverage on her side, Alaina was able to stand steady and keep the hold cinched in no matter how much her opponent struggled! She instinctively wrapped her own arms around Alaina's waist, holding on for dear life to make it harder for Alaina to transition into another move, but she needed a way to take some initiative back!

Looking down and around, Caroline settled on a strategy to take Alaina off balance. One of her hands slipped up to Alaina's stomach, where she dug her nails into the Amazon's leotard to agitate her nerves with an abdominal claw. Behind them, the rookie managed just enough space to bring one of her boots up and thrust it into the back of Alaina's calf, hoping to unbalance her while she was distracted.

Alaina squeezed as hard as she could until she felt her abdomen torn in to by Caroline and Alaina cried out as her grip loosened! The kick to the back of her knee made her stumble, the amazon letting go as she hobbled forward, doing her best to collect herself. Alaina tried to turn around and stand tall, attempting to ready herself for whatever follow up Caroline had planned after obtaining her newfound freedom! Alaina was trying her best to hang with the energetic woman, and just when she seemed to be getting the edge Caroline again managed to steal away the momentum.

Caroline had earned a small window of opportunity to get back into the fight, and she wouldn't let it go to waste! It would still be an uphill battle for the rookie to make Alaina tap before she was too gassed out to resist the Amazon's attacks, but it wouldn't be for a lack of trying.

Alaina wouldn't get the chance to ready herself. Reaching down, Caroline wrapped both her arms around the leg she had just destabilized by kicking. Twisting to line herself face-to-face with the Amazon, Caroline pulled up on the leg while using her upper body to crudely shove Alaina's, looking to knock her off balance and make her fall to the mat with a single leg takedown, without releasing the captured leg from her grasp.

It wasn't a foolproof plan. Alaina still had one strong, stable leg to stand on, but would it be enough to resist the takedown attempt? Caroline hoped not, but she would never underestimate a woman who had been through so much in her career.

Alaina felt herself stumbling off balance, falling over onto her back! Alaina groaned as she looked up at Caroline, coiling back her free leg and aiming a mule kick up at Caroline's chest to try to free herself! If that didn't work she would try to sit up and reach her arms out to grab hold of Caroline's wrist that held her leg, trying to pry it off to once again free herself!

Alaina was wincing in pain the whole time as well, she clearly had a lot done to her and it was taking its toll on her body. She wasn't sure how much more she could keep up, she only knew she had to try to get control and end this fast otherwise she was on her way to being humbled by Caroline!

As soon as Alaina went down, her free leg coiled up with the promise to strike Caroline the same way she had the last time her opponent got ideas about getting on top of her. This time, the rookie was sharp enough to dodge the mule kick by hopping back out of range, but the retreat left a lot of space between them, enough to give Alaina the leverage she needed to pull her leg free.

Furrowing her brow, Caroline stalked around the Amazon as she pondered her approach. She still had the energy and the will to continue, but the numerous hits to her head and chest were starting to stack up, making her movements painful and slow. If she could just lock her in one more submission hold, Caroline felt like she had a real chance of getting Alaina to submit, but her chances of getting the Amazon to comply long enough to set one up were looking more and more slim.

While Alaina tried to pick herself back up, Caroline launched another attack, running straight at the Amazon as she was sitting up and swinging her leg out to strike Alaina's chest with a soccer kick. Her posture a moment earlier had made it apparent what Caroline was planning to do, so her odds were riding on the Amazon being too winded to avoid what was coming!

Alaina sat up as the kick came flying in and there was no way she could move in time! Alaina tried to get her arms up and that at least saved her chest from taking the hit, but the force still knocked her over! Alaina groaned as her arms now throbbed and she landed on her back, immediately rolling to her side. Alaina was going to scurry up to her feet as quickly as she could, knowing that being laid out on the mat was not going to do her any favors against Caroline!