A well needed talk | No quit in this Hero.
Jan 7, 2023 19:22:53 GMT -5
Marcus Welsh and Thunder Knuckles like this
Post by Moonlight Rose on Jan 7, 2023 19:22:53 GMT -5
Its new years eve and I’m watching wrestling, the tv set up on my wall flashes a cascade of colors across my face. this match. Syren and Egan is just as Important then my match that proceeds it. If Harmon wins its my turn to try for his title. The unbeatable monster, arguably the best wrestler this company has ever seen… why would I give him his flowers when he wont give mine back. Who am I to him, some cocky kid? I bugged him for a month to give me a shot, he probably wants to tear my head off.
Scott tumbles off the ropes and nails his head off something. Harmon covers.
1
.
.
2
.
.
My heart drops into the soles of my feet and my body shivers, the sounds from the Tv just become meaningless noise. An honest to God title match. Not for some replica on a trampoline, this is real.
My phone buzzes, Easton sent me a text
Easton.
Hip Toss tomorrow, don’t be late.
I respond.
I never am.
~~
Sunday January 1st.
6:30 Am.
A walk-through downtown Toronto is always a trip. Especially this time a year during a nasty snowstorm. but when Easton says jump.
I round the corner to the once abandoned factory building, now a breeding group for the next generation of professional wrestlers. My home away from home with my Sensei standing out front doom scrolling wrestling twitter… probably.
“Ohayo.” He peaks up from his phone and I wave, he waves back.
“Morning kid.”
“Let me go change and we can start.”
“No need. I’m not teaching you about wrestling today, I’m going to try and help you with something else.”
He starts to walk, not really giving me time to protest. “YO… Wait up.” I jog up to keep pace.
“I don’t exactly need to teach you new techniques since you have more raw ability then I do…”
“You keep saying that I’m not sure it’s true.”
“In what sense?”
“Everything I know is because you suggested it.”
“OTK was your idea.”
“Right but that’s one thing. I know these moves because you taught me how to do them. The weight and the momentum… all that stuff.”
“The only reason you can do all these moves is because your so strong. I mean you’ve been moving people double your size. That Solomon Cain guy couldn’t resist forever. You couldn’t tough Ally when she came to help with classes and now, you’re keeping up with her.”
“Okay… that doesn’t mean I’m better than you.” Easton stops in his tracks. And looks towards the small coffee shop to his right.
“Let’s go inside.”
The café is cozy. An old woman and her daughter behind the counter. With the daughter handling the beverages and the mother or grandmother taking orders. Easton gets one with cream and sugar. I grab an espresso.
“What were you saying?”
“I think… I said that just because I’m keeping up with people on my skill level it doesn’t mean I’m better than you.”
“And that… is why I wanted to talk to you. So, lets get it out of the way… You are not the number one contender, not even close. Harmon wants you to leave him the fuck alone. That is the only reason he agreed to this match.”
“Right… Synn won last night. She’s number one.”
“Right, you are getting a huge chance here. Not that you don’t deserve it, 5 matches in a row is nothing to cast off. He might be a little nervous. But he will never say it… and he wont ever show it.”
“You fought Harmon…”
“This isn’t about me.”
“But if there is anything that he does wrong I would like to know…”
“There isn’t anything he does wrong, he’s a perfect competitor and he has more depth.”
“Shit…” I sip the espresso. Easton runs his finger along the sleeve of his jacket, grabbing at the Canada goose patch.
“The worst thing we can do is give him his flowers.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have every tool so early in your career but where you make mistakes is you are too easy to give praise, it gives your opponent undue confidence and I get you in the wrong headspace. And while overconfidence ends in tragedy so does under confidence. You watched that entire match… what does he do wrong.”
“Nothing… nothing at all.”
“That’s right… what did Scott do wrong?”
The match replays in my head, every misstep and every slow turn brings itself to the front.
“Almost everything.”
“Weird that a hall of famer would make so many mistakes.”
“Did he throw the match on purpose?”
“No...Ring rust is more dangerous than any move Harmon has. More than that leg lock. Ten to twenty years ago Syren would have eaten Harmon for breakfast lunch and dinner. But he hasn’t worked as often. When you get to the arena on Monday. Get into the ring. Find somebody to roll around with. Set your feet, get warm. Make sure that no matter what you don’t make a single mistake. Because he will not allow you back into the fight if you do.”
“Got it.”
“You have no pressure coming into this. Harmon wants to move onto the world title.”
“Which is bullshit.”
“Maybe… but if he does, he has the best chance since I tried taking the belt from PIC. He has an insane record. But one match is all it takes to crush his ego. Win or lose he’s going to focus on PIC.”
“I gotta make sure he remembers me. I got to be the one in his record.”
“Because every time they talk about him, they are going to have to add that Moonlight Fucking Rose beat him for the Craze championship.”
“If he beats me its because everybody thought he was supposed to… but I beat him and my name goes down in history as the girl who saved the Craze championship from an evil bastard. I will not give him his flowers because he wont give me mine.”
“You have more heart…”
“I have more spirit.”
“Emiko your auntie held a million titles in Japan. It would be FUCKING EMBARASSING if you lost this chance.”
“So, I won’t lose. I’m going to use everything I got to take that fucker down. they can line all the bastards in a row, and I’ll throw my lariat till the sky parts and the wrestling god himself has to stop my arm. He’s going to have to snap my legs off to stop me from running him down.”
“Everybody who ever doubted you. They are in the crowd wanting you to fail. Fuck em.”
“Fuck em.”
“Don’t be scared to use everything. You learned those moves so you could end motherfuckers with them. Not so they look good on your wrestler Bio. The OTK should be more than enough… but if it isn’t… you have options.”
“Thank you… can you pay for the coffee? I didn’t bring any money.”
“Yeah… get out of here and rest up. You have a bastard to burn.”
~~
A wide shot of chair in the middle of a frozen Lake Ontario catches the attention of the focus lens. Moonlight rose walks into frame and sits into the chair as the camera slow zooms to focus on her.
Harmon. My name is Emiko Kikuchi, my mom’s name is Jun Kikuchi. My father is RyoKi Kikuchi. I was born in Japan and raised a wrestling fan. I’m telling you this because I feel like you haven’t done your fucking due diligence. Here is the part you seem to know. I was trained in Toronto Ontario, Canada. By former OCW wrestler and former world title contender Easton Alexander. I trained at Hip toss Wrestling academy where I went from a College Kid fighting people in parking lots for petty cash and became a Pro Wrestler who learned exactly how to beat your ass. You have had a tight grip on that belt for months now, beating every single person who has even sniffed that metal and leather. This Hall of famer that you claim to have bested had as much ring IQ as your manager. But you beat him and it’s not like every match I’ve won has been clean as a whistle. I’ve gotten lucky more than once. But I’ve felt the pain of losing.
To be incapacitated for long enough to where you can not answer a three count is a humbling moment. With every eye on your arrival to become a disappointment is an experience I wish to never go through again, And I haven’t. five in a row is my current status and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t damn proud.
Jamie Blankenship was the first… does that name mean anything too you Harmon? Because I remember specifically you two were… nah… I must be imagining things.
At the time he was the all-consuming fire. But his fire was snuffed for my second win.
Axis Felt the pain of the OTK for the third.
And my sweet little Robert had to be reminded who wore the pants. That’s the fourth.
Dolly waters was the trademark win. They all fell in one turn. She was number five.
Harmon Egan you will be number six. And I will be your number one. You are so focused on your future that the present is going to smash you into mediocrity, and while you may raise the world title above your head with PIC laying at your feet you will always remember in the back of your mind that if you were facing moonlight rose you would stand no chance.
You tore apart the legs of my sensei but every piece of information he gained he passed to me. Everything you do wrong is planted so deep into my mind that my kids will be able to counter your moves. And my kids, kids will have nightmares about your leg lock.
I thought that maybe I would be the one you would take seriously. I desperately wanted your attention. I wanted management to see that I was worth a damn. That I could beat you if I wanted to. But Harmon you avoided me in favor of a washed up musclehead and people who I’ve already beaten. The truth is you ran, and your only excuse for ducking me was “Oh you were too late to answer.”
Bullshit Harmon. You are scared that you can’t keep up and spoiler, you cant. I’m stronger than Syren and I’m faster than light. My lariats are hazardous for your health and if your so sure you can take it I fucking dare you to stand there and take one because one is all I need.
FUCK YOU HARMON. Fuck your bastard friends. That belt is coming home. I will win the OCW Craze Championship because I’m fucking destined too.
As the cold wind from the ice shelves blows her hair. The camera fades to black.
Scott tumbles off the ropes and nails his head off something. Harmon covers.
1
.
.
2
.
.
My heart drops into the soles of my feet and my body shivers, the sounds from the Tv just become meaningless noise. An honest to God title match. Not for some replica on a trampoline, this is real.
My phone buzzes, Easton sent me a text
Easton.
Hip Toss tomorrow, don’t be late.
I respond.
I never am.
~~
Sunday January 1st.
6:30 Am.
A walk-through downtown Toronto is always a trip. Especially this time a year during a nasty snowstorm. but when Easton says jump.
I round the corner to the once abandoned factory building, now a breeding group for the next generation of professional wrestlers. My home away from home with my Sensei standing out front doom scrolling wrestling twitter… probably.
“Ohayo.” He peaks up from his phone and I wave, he waves back.
“Morning kid.”
“Let me go change and we can start.”
“No need. I’m not teaching you about wrestling today, I’m going to try and help you with something else.”
He starts to walk, not really giving me time to protest. “YO… Wait up.” I jog up to keep pace.
“I don’t exactly need to teach you new techniques since you have more raw ability then I do…”
“You keep saying that I’m not sure it’s true.”
“In what sense?”
“Everything I know is because you suggested it.”
“OTK was your idea.”
“Right but that’s one thing. I know these moves because you taught me how to do them. The weight and the momentum… all that stuff.”
“The only reason you can do all these moves is because your so strong. I mean you’ve been moving people double your size. That Solomon Cain guy couldn’t resist forever. You couldn’t tough Ally when she came to help with classes and now, you’re keeping up with her.”
“Okay… that doesn’t mean I’m better than you.” Easton stops in his tracks. And looks towards the small coffee shop to his right.
“Let’s go inside.”
The café is cozy. An old woman and her daughter behind the counter. With the daughter handling the beverages and the mother or grandmother taking orders. Easton gets one with cream and sugar. I grab an espresso.
“What were you saying?”
“I think… I said that just because I’m keeping up with people on my skill level it doesn’t mean I’m better than you.”
“And that… is why I wanted to talk to you. So, lets get it out of the way… You are not the number one contender, not even close. Harmon wants you to leave him the fuck alone. That is the only reason he agreed to this match.”
“Right… Synn won last night. She’s number one.”
“Right, you are getting a huge chance here. Not that you don’t deserve it, 5 matches in a row is nothing to cast off. He might be a little nervous. But he will never say it… and he wont ever show it.”
“You fought Harmon…”
“This isn’t about me.”
“But if there is anything that he does wrong I would like to know…”
“There isn’t anything he does wrong, he’s a perfect competitor and he has more depth.”
“Shit…” I sip the espresso. Easton runs his finger along the sleeve of his jacket, grabbing at the Canada goose patch.
“The worst thing we can do is give him his flowers.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have every tool so early in your career but where you make mistakes is you are too easy to give praise, it gives your opponent undue confidence and I get you in the wrong headspace. And while overconfidence ends in tragedy so does under confidence. You watched that entire match… what does he do wrong.”
“Nothing… nothing at all.”
“That’s right… what did Scott do wrong?”
The match replays in my head, every misstep and every slow turn brings itself to the front.
“Almost everything.”
“Weird that a hall of famer would make so many mistakes.”
“Did he throw the match on purpose?”
“No...Ring rust is more dangerous than any move Harmon has. More than that leg lock. Ten to twenty years ago Syren would have eaten Harmon for breakfast lunch and dinner. But he hasn’t worked as often. When you get to the arena on Monday. Get into the ring. Find somebody to roll around with. Set your feet, get warm. Make sure that no matter what you don’t make a single mistake. Because he will not allow you back into the fight if you do.”
“Got it.”
“You have no pressure coming into this. Harmon wants to move onto the world title.”
“Which is bullshit.”
“Maybe… but if he does, he has the best chance since I tried taking the belt from PIC. He has an insane record. But one match is all it takes to crush his ego. Win or lose he’s going to focus on PIC.”
“I gotta make sure he remembers me. I got to be the one in his record.”
“Because every time they talk about him, they are going to have to add that Moonlight Fucking Rose beat him for the Craze championship.”
“If he beats me its because everybody thought he was supposed to… but I beat him and my name goes down in history as the girl who saved the Craze championship from an evil bastard. I will not give him his flowers because he wont give me mine.”
“You have more heart…”
“I have more spirit.”
“Emiko your auntie held a million titles in Japan. It would be FUCKING EMBARASSING if you lost this chance.”
“So, I won’t lose. I’m going to use everything I got to take that fucker down. they can line all the bastards in a row, and I’ll throw my lariat till the sky parts and the wrestling god himself has to stop my arm. He’s going to have to snap my legs off to stop me from running him down.”
“Everybody who ever doubted you. They are in the crowd wanting you to fail. Fuck em.”
“Fuck em.”
“Don’t be scared to use everything. You learned those moves so you could end motherfuckers with them. Not so they look good on your wrestler Bio. The OTK should be more than enough… but if it isn’t… you have options.”
“Thank you… can you pay for the coffee? I didn’t bring any money.”
“Yeah… get out of here and rest up. You have a bastard to burn.”
~~
A wide shot of chair in the middle of a frozen Lake Ontario catches the attention of the focus lens. Moonlight rose walks into frame and sits into the chair as the camera slow zooms to focus on her.
Harmon. My name is Emiko Kikuchi, my mom’s name is Jun Kikuchi. My father is RyoKi Kikuchi. I was born in Japan and raised a wrestling fan. I’m telling you this because I feel like you haven’t done your fucking due diligence. Here is the part you seem to know. I was trained in Toronto Ontario, Canada. By former OCW wrestler and former world title contender Easton Alexander. I trained at Hip toss Wrestling academy where I went from a College Kid fighting people in parking lots for petty cash and became a Pro Wrestler who learned exactly how to beat your ass. You have had a tight grip on that belt for months now, beating every single person who has even sniffed that metal and leather. This Hall of famer that you claim to have bested had as much ring IQ as your manager. But you beat him and it’s not like every match I’ve won has been clean as a whistle. I’ve gotten lucky more than once. But I’ve felt the pain of losing.
To be incapacitated for long enough to where you can not answer a three count is a humbling moment. With every eye on your arrival to become a disappointment is an experience I wish to never go through again, And I haven’t. five in a row is my current status and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t damn proud.
Jamie Blankenship was the first… does that name mean anything too you Harmon? Because I remember specifically you two were… nah… I must be imagining things.
At the time he was the all-consuming fire. But his fire was snuffed for my second win.
Axis Felt the pain of the OTK for the third.
And my sweet little Robert had to be reminded who wore the pants. That’s the fourth.
Dolly waters was the trademark win. They all fell in one turn. She was number five.
Harmon Egan you will be number six. And I will be your number one. You are so focused on your future that the present is going to smash you into mediocrity, and while you may raise the world title above your head with PIC laying at your feet you will always remember in the back of your mind that if you were facing moonlight rose you would stand no chance.
You tore apart the legs of my sensei but every piece of information he gained he passed to me. Everything you do wrong is planted so deep into my mind that my kids will be able to counter your moves. And my kids, kids will have nightmares about your leg lock.
I thought that maybe I would be the one you would take seriously. I desperately wanted your attention. I wanted management to see that I was worth a damn. That I could beat you if I wanted to. But Harmon you avoided me in favor of a washed up musclehead and people who I’ve already beaten. The truth is you ran, and your only excuse for ducking me was “Oh you were too late to answer.”
Bullshit Harmon. You are scared that you can’t keep up and spoiler, you cant. I’m stronger than Syren and I’m faster than light. My lariats are hazardous for your health and if your so sure you can take it I fucking dare you to stand there and take one because one is all I need.
FUCK YOU HARMON. Fuck your bastard friends. That belt is coming home. I will win the OCW Craze Championship because I’m fucking destined too.
As the cold wind from the ice shelves blows her hair. The camera fades to black.