Chapter 90 - 89: Ace part 1

Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Ace part 1

In the arena, the energy from the crowd was intense while their cheers deafened the atmosphere.

During that time, AJ Zero and Sol Quinn stood across each other in the ring.

While this happened, they began to chant while clapping in a rhythmic manner.

"AJ ZE-RO! AJ ZE-RO! AJ ZE-RO!"

AJ glanced at the crowd in confusion while Sol gazed at him with an arched brow.

"Man, the people here are really crazy for him!" The Wednesday commentator Josh said.

"It was confirmed that his victory over Magoi made him one of the most over competitors of the Wednesday roster!" Menae replied, "With so much momentum going for him right now, if he keeps this up, he’d be among the top ten most over wrestlers in the company!"

"I did hear there is some sort of bounty on him!" Josh said as a dark skinned male referee stood in the middle of the ring, "Something like he is now being hounded or something like that!"

"Are you sure about that?" Menae asked as the referee glanced at both AJ and Sol.

"Yeah, I’m sure! I’m terribly sure!" Josh asked as the referee waved his hand, signalling for the bell to ring.

"And here we go! The bell has been rung and the match has officially started!" Menae said as the bell rang while AJ and Sol locked eyes with one another.

AJ nervously stepped forward and extended his right arm forward to grapple.

While AJ walked cautiously towards Sol, Sol sighed and extended her own arm forward.

The two slowly walked towards one another and locked hands; shortly after that, they both engaged in a test of strength.

As both competitors were trying to push the other back, Sol quickly moved behind AJ and wrapped her arms round his belly.

AJ struggled to break her grip but Sol easily hoisted him off the mat, twirled her body and slammed him face-first on the canvas.

"Sol drops him to the mat." Menae said as AJ covered his face with one hand while placing the other in an effort to break Sol’s grip round his belly.

"Yeah, she is already showing her control in the beginning of the match." Josh replied.

Sol released her hold on AJ, stood on her feet and took a few steps back.

Sol stared down at AJ and watched him slowly rise up to his feet.

Despite AJ’s nervous demeanor, Sol noted a hint of fire in his eyes.

Sol then extended her arm forward as a sign for AJ to repeat what happened earlier.

"She wants to do it again?" Josh asked.

"It seems she does, but the question is, will AJ accept?" Menae replied.

"Oh. Looks like he is." AJ extended his arm forward and slowly walked towards Sol.

As their hands made contact, the duo then locked onto each other, trying to push back again against the other to gain the advantage. However, AJ noted himself take a step back, leading him to move his sight temporarily to his foot.

With ease, Sol began to push AJ back until they reached the turnbuckle.

"Look how easily Sol overpowered him." Josh said, "Barely any efforts at all."

"Sol is no joke though. She’s an eight times E-division champion, three times tag and a former intercontinental champion." Menae replied as Sol pressed AJ against the corner, "She may not be among the top in physical strength, but she’s got a lot of power in her.

Yet, where her true strength lies is in her speed and technicality, and unlike Magoi, Sol doesn’t play at all."

"The aces of spades for a reason." Josh said.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Sol, break it up! Break it right now!" The referee said as he came close to Sol, "One! Two! Thr-"

Sol immediately released her hold on AJ and stepped backwards.

"She’s trying not to get disqualified early." Josh said, "You know, there is something that just occurred to me... Like even though Magoi was barely trying against AJ which led to her defeat, that’s kid’s victory kinda puts a lot of expectations on his head."

"Right now with how much momentum he has, if he fails to beat Sol, it will die off quickly." Josh continued as AJ adjusted his arm bands.

"Yeah, it’s quite obvious and that’s why he is a wanted man backstage. Many of the talents want to get a shot at him; it goes back to the bounty I talked about earlier." Menae replied Josh.

"I still doubt the reality of that bounty." Josh replied.

While the commentators were talking, AJ narrowed his eyes and for a moment, it seemed Sol transitioned into Magoi which led AJ to stiffen a lot.

AJ shook his head and put his gaze back at Sol whose arms were crossed nonchalantly.

AJ then tried to move towards Sol only for her to land a slap across his face.

"Oh! That was a quick hand right there." Josh said.

AJ’s subconsciously covered his face for a moment, bringing him to recall the vicious smack he recieved from Magoi in the unsanctioned match.

AJ’s eyes drifted back to Sol and he tried to retaliate with a punch but Sol easily weaved the attack and smacked him across the face again.

"That’s another smack." Menae said as AJ clutched his cheek.

AJ stared at Sol for a moment before he growled and tried to retaliate again by swinging at her but Sol dodged his punch, and as AJ tried to land the second, Sol ducked, making AJ to stumble at her back and swiftly leaped to perform a pele kick on AJ’s face.

"And that’s a nice pele kick to the face of AJ!" Josh said as soon as the kick connected while the fans cheered.

AJ laid on the mat, clutching his face but as soon as his vision cleared, he caught sight of Sol in mid air as she seemingly backflipped.

AJ rolled out of the way, leaving Sol’s backflip knee drop to land on the canvas instead.

"AJ rolls out of harms way...!" Menae said.

AJ scrambled to his feet only for Sol to show up in his front.

Out of instinct, AJ hurled his fist at her but Sol weaved the attack, wrapped her arms round his neck, hoisted him a few feet from the canvas and swung her own leg backwards towards AJ’s ankle to boost the momentum of her slamming him hard against the mat.

"Sol with the Ikiazu slam!" Josh said as the crowd were roaring, "We know what’s next!"

The impact made AJ cough out but Sol not being done, darted towards the ropes and performed a springboard moonsault on AJ.

"Springboard moonsault!" Menae said at the moment Sol’s body collided against AJ.

"Cover!" Menae continued at the moment Sol hooked AJ’s leg and went for the pin while the referee went down on his knees for the count.

"One! Tw-!"

"And he kicks out!" Josh said as AJ kicked out, bringing the people to cheer.

"But Sol has no intention of giving him a breathing space!" Menae said Sol quickly wrapped her arms round AJ’s throat, "It seems she wants to wear him down quickly!"

AJ clawed at Sol’s arms for a time but as the crowd started clapping in rhythm, AJ extended his arm for a moment before he slowly rose to his feet.

In an attempt to get Sol off him, AJ tried to judo throw her on the canvas but instead on dropping back-first on the mat, Sol landed on her feet, arching her back in the act as she prevented it from taking a nasty bump in the ring.

"Oh!" Josh and Menae said in unison as Sol swung her leg upward towards AJ’s face.

"What a nasty kick to the face!" Menae said as AJ stepped away while holding onto his face in pain.

Sol sprinted towards AJ, grabbed his head from behind, hopped in the air as she pulled him backwards and raised both knees simultaneously, forcing his back to collide against them.

"Backstabber!!" Josh said at the moment AJ’s back collided against Sol’s knee while the crowd cheered.

AJ bounced off from the attack, laid on the canvas and arched his back in pain, but Sol wasn’t done as she immediately stood on her feet and performed a standing moonsault kneedrop to his gut.

"Oh! She finally connected it!" Menae said.

The move made AJ cough out spittle, sit up and forced him to grab his brutalized belly while quivering.

Sol darted up to her feet and landed a front drop kick to AJ’s face, bringing him back to the canvas.

"Dropkick!" Josh said.

"Cover!" Josh continued as Sol hooked the leg while the ref rushed in to count.

"One! Two! Th-"

"And a kick out!" Menae said.

Sol stared down at AJ for a while before she stood on her feet.

"Man, I gotta ask... What is up with Zero?" Menae asked, "I know this is one of those matches he is outclassed but he hasn’t been performing like himself."

"Yeah, you’re right. He hasn’t." Josh replied, "But Sol is a different tier from him.

She’s faster, stronger and even far more experienced than him."

"She is more than capable of dictating the pacing of the match against Zero." Josh continued as Sol moved her head to the right.

"Just like the other four including Magoi, they were all tiers above him, but AJ wasn’t performing like this." Menae said as Sol walked towards AJ, "Sure he lost in his first three but even then he put up one hell of an effort.

He needs to get his head into this match. A lot of people’s expectations are on him."

Sol grabbed AJ’s hair to slowly raise him up to his feet.

"Hey, Sol, let go of his hair!" The referee ordered.

Sol swiftly performed a chop on the chest of AJ that made him fall flat on the canvas and cover his chest.

"That was a powerful chop right there." Josh said while AJ was groaning in pain.

Sol watched AJ crawl to the turnbuckle and walked behind him.

AJ’s breathing was shallow, his body subtly quaked as he made struggles in using the turnbuckle to support himself in standing.

AJ turned and saw Sol standing in his front with her plain expression and without hesitation, AJ swung his fist at her but Sol casually stepped back to evade and delivered an elbow attack to his face.

"Elbow to the face..." Menae said at the AJ grabbed his face in pain.

"Oh!" Josh and Menae said as Sol landed a swift round house kick so heavy that not only did it lay the side of AJ’s head on the canvas but it also made him stand on his upper body while raising his lower body in the act.

"That kick was vicious!" Josh said as the crowd were cheering while AJ’s eyes turned pupilless, "Too vicious!"

"I think AJ might be out!" Menae said.

Sol went down on her knees, turned AJ over and hooked his leg for the pin.

"Sol, going for the cover again!" Josh said as the referee rushed in to count.

"One! Two! T-"

"And somehow he stays alive!" Menae said as AJ kicked out, bringing the audience to cheer again.

"Man... I thought that match was over." Josh said as Sol watched AJ roll out of the ring, "That kick should have ended match right there."

"Yeah, it’s a miracle he’s still conscious from it." Menae replied.

Sol stood on her feet and observed as AJ was standing on all fours, breathing heavily while covering the side his head with one hand.

"And what does Sol have in mind here?" Josh asked as Sol took several steps backwards.

Sol quickly ran towards AJ’s direction and dived between the ropes with both arms extended forward.

"Suicide div-!"

"Oh my god!!!" Josh and Menae said in unison as AJ swiftly countered Sol’s suicide dive with a cutter, dropping her face-first on the concrete ground.

"Cutter! Cutter! Cutter on the ground! What a crazy counter out of nowhere!" Josh said as the crowd were cheering massively.

"I didn’t see that coming! I didn’t see that coming at all!" Menae said at the time AJ used the barricade to support himself up to his feet.

"What a counter!" Menae continued as Sol silently groaned in pain while still laying still on the ground.

"One...! Two...!" The referee’s voice boomed as he counted, Three...! Four...!"

AJ grunted in pain and panted for air as he leaned himself against the barricade.

"Come on, AJ!" A male beastfolk fan among the audience said to him.

"You can do it!" A female human also said to AJ.

AJ turned around and gazed down at Sol while clutching his side.

"Darn it..." AJ whispered.