Post by Yuriko Toyama on Apr 26, 2022 18:35:01 GMT -5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| Fallout XXIV |---
---| Paid in Blood |---
Lightning Blue
Yuriko Toyama
壁
"The Wall"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| Shining Sun on a Crimson River |---
The unsuccessful challenger carries her battered and exhausted body to the backstage area after what feels like a marathon. Having to slink back to the deceiving comfort of the locker room. After escaping the eyes of the audience, she leans forward in the hallway to spit a red string of bloodied saliva to the ground. The bruises on her face were more than enough to tell anyone of the brutality that the Gatekeeper Champion had put her through.
Something that she expressly asked for.
And it's exactly what she got.
The warbling sounds of the pumping entrance music fuzzes out into a muffled mess. As if she were deaf, it all falls away. The on-site paramedic is quick to replace the ice-pack that she's holding down in her hand, inspecting the cut across her lip. Another person with a clipboard directs her towards a door that reads "Media Scrum". There is a slight argument between them and the medical staff. Probably thinking she shouldn't be talking to the journalists when she's been through the meat grinder that is Henry Lee Hyde.
But they both stop. She doesn't know for certain if she even said anything, but the first aider backs off slightly to give her some space. She feels herself walking towards the door, and a rising energy in her body as the cameras flash in her swollen eyes.
The expressions of the press scrum seem to be grimacing at the blood across her face, which she is yet to fully wipe away. But, she takes a seat in front of the microphones all the same. Some of the major outlets that would usually swarm at the opportunity for scoops from a main eventer, or a legend, werern't there today. Not for her. Not for a cute nobody girl from Japan.
Not yet away.
YURIKO: "Who's first?"
REPORTER: "How has your record in Project: Honor affected you, especially with not being able to win the Gatekeeper Championship?"
YURIKO: "I...it's just a record. I know that doesn't sound like the best of answers, and it doesn't feel to great for me to say that either. But that is what it is. I can't change that now it's happened, as much as I would want to. Look, I lost tonight. Just like I have on almost every other night here. It's a little bit easier to take when I've already been at the bottom once before"
"But I'm here again. I wanted to enjoy what I do here in the States, but this has been harder to accept for myself than I thought it would be. Maybe I care more about winning than I think. At the end of the day, this is a road to discovering myself as much as it is about matches, and winning, and championships".
"Hyde was the better wrestler than me tonight. I can't say any less of his performance because that was the best match I've ever had in my life. He is the best opponent I've ever had in my life. That might not seem like much since I haven't been around for so long like some others, but I truly believe that. He is the strongest person here because I have felt that in the ring. The only way that can change is for someone to give me the time of day, and let me take my best to them like he did today. And I let him give his best too".
"I want that match to happen again for me. If it's a rematch against Hyde when I'm worthy of catching back up to him, or feeling the same battle of spirits in the ring with someone else, I want to chase that. I want to find the opponent who is stronger than Henry Lee Hyde"
"I will fight for a championship again someday. I know that I will reach that point again. But, more than holding gold, the best of the best are what I want".
REPORTER: "With the rocky start to your time in Project: Honor, isn't chasing after more and more challenging opposition going to be detrimental to your success as a wrestler?"
YURIKO: "I don't think I'll be able to look at that success the same way if I didn't face the best. I could have been the Gatekeeper Champion right now if that were the case. But then what would that make me? I won't be deserving of that title. Hyde won because he IS the best. But the point is, I was close. I was really close to overcoming his strength with my own. That is what will keep me going, and striving to improve myself. It might be with the smallest steps, and having to endure that long term gain isn't fun when you want to do well now. But I want to do well all the same. The long road is the one I choose".
REPORTER: "Have you set your eyes on the other championships on Fallout? The ? Championship would be able to guarantee you a deathmatch stipulation if you wanted it. Or perhaps find an ally to challenge for the Tag Team Championships with".
Yuriko's blood-soaked optimism falls slightly, looking more like someone who lost the biggest match of their career. Something about the last comment that made her not so joyous about the future she sees for herself.
YURIKO: "....When I get to that point, yes. But right now, I need to better myself before I can challenge for a championship again. The Gatekeeper title has alluded me twice, because I wasn't strong enough to win it. That should be the sign that I have a long way to go...
"That comes first before I've earned a deathmatch or a title...especially before I drag someone down whose willing to tag with me..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| You Pull Me Under |---
The rolling lights pass by in the dead of night. Not a single other car in sight. As was the way of the professional wrestler, the night never sleeps, and the new town calls. This time, it was home that called. Or at least, the house that was standing in for her home here. Now cleaned up from the drag out brawl at Public Execution, The Deathmatch Idol keeps herself awake with a sip of coffee, returning her gloved hand to the wheel of the car. Something about the ride from venue to venue was soothing, but it would also chip away at the strongest of men. A level of strain that only those that give themselves to the entertainment business fully know and understand
She turns up the radio as the skulking synth bass kicks in of "Downfall" by Essenger. With her thumb lightly tapping on the leather of the wheel.
I didn't see the signs
Thought I'd found a way out (Thought I'd found a way out)
You caught me with those eyes
I'm thinkin' I should leave now (I'm thinkin' I should leave now)
A couple words won't hurt
“So what're you doin' downtown?” ("So what're you doin' downtown?")
You tell me how you've been
And now my head won't slow down (And now my head won't slow down)
I shouldn't stay
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You could be my downfall
You could be my downfall
The drive continues for what feels like an endless, empty road. The small red cat's eyes along the lines peering back at her in a snaking legion. The tired expression on her face falls from the relaxation after her grueling bout, into one that is struggling. Something playing deeply on her mind, the grip of her fingers tightening on the wheel slightly.
I didn't mean to stare
Couldn't help but notice (Couldn't help but notice)
A part of me still cares
But it's over and you know this (but it's over and you know this)
I shouldn't feel this way
You're fuckin' with my head now (You're fuckin' with my head now)
A couple drinks too late
You got me thinking out loud (You got me thinking out loud)
She takes a moment to look at the empty seat next to her in the rental car, and nothing but her travel bag in the back seat. A drawn out exhale leaves her nose as she sees the signboard next to the road. Another thirty miles. She's been here for a while now, but still finds herself travelling the United States alone. Part of her own withdrawn self when the camera isn't rolling, the fists aren't flying, or the blood isn't flowing. Wiping her eyes for a moment, she continues on.
It's a lonely road on the way to the top.
It's a lonely road on the way to the bottom.
And sometimes, you can never really tell where you're going.
I shouldn't stay (I shouldn't stay)
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You can be my downfall
You could be my downfall
ROLAND RAITH [V.O.] : "There's no nice way of saying it. Shes's not good enough".
KENJI [V.O.]: "Give her time, Roland".
ROLAND RAITH [V.O.]: "The jury's still out until I see what you see in her. The name clout isn't going to carry forever, you know".
The scene cuts to a cinematic view of Yuriko's silhouette backlit in a small elevator. The darkened frame of the deathmatch idol facing away, surrounded by a bathe of neon blue light. The rolling scan of the rising floors tick over with the vice over of Roland Raith and her brother, Kenji Toyama.
She turns up the volume of her car stereo, and with the rumbling bass hits of the song from her car stereo, the scene of the blue elevator sharply flashes to a different form. A tall man with thin shoulders, metal spikes on the shoulders of a leather jacket, this time reflecting a powder pink light. A third silhouette emerges into the dream-like music. Broad shoulders and short hair, standing formally with a golden-yellow glow to the elevator doors.
Don't try to tell me this is nothing
Say it with your hands on my face
Don't try to tell me this is nothing
I can count the reasons with my eyes closed
Calling out your name
I'll find a reason with my eyes closed
(But I know that you'll come back to haunt me)
And you can be my downfall
(You can be my downfall)
KENJI [V.O.]: "All I'm asking, Roland, is to not jump the gun too early".
"She will improve. I can guarantee you that".
ROLAND RAITH [V.O]: "Nobody can guarantee me anything in this business, Kenji. I just want some reassurance, ironclad assurance, that my faith in your nepotism hasn't been misplaced. Tetran Kai isn't where I want it to be as it is".
"We know who her failures would reflect on".
I shouldn't stay (I shouldn't stay)
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You can be my downfall
You could be my downfall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| Mountains to Climb |---
YURIKO: "It's time to make the ring mine again. I was so close to winning the Gatekeeper championship in the four way, but the champion showed me what it takes to be called that champion. I know some people thought I wasn't worthy of the match at Public Execution, given that I haven't gone on a big streak or wins, or some dominant presence. They might have been right in terms of me walking out with the belt, but they are wrong when it comes to me being ready to rise to that stage".
"Henry Lee Hyde is the strongest person I have ever fought in the ring. Dwarfing anyone else. The best I've been able to do before Project: Honor was rookie matches opening up the show back in Japan. But I feel with that loss, I can do more. It gave me the vision of being stronger than the Yuriko I was yesterday, and the me of tomorrow being stronger than today".
"I won't be able to reach that point without the hard work to get there. All the while, Fallout is a living beast. People can rise up the mountain while I'm still making my first steps. It almost feels surreal for there to be anything beyond that strength. But from what everyone says...there is. Not just one world beyond it, but two, then three, then all the stronger worlds you could possibly imagine".
"Many of them right here on Fallout. I exit the best match of my life into the clutches of people seen to be stronger than even Hyde. Somehow. One man that even defeated me before. Bishop eliminated me from The Crowning Battle Royal...I remember that well. I want to put losses behind me, and just work on myself. But there is a chance to show the progress I've made. Against someone stronger, this is time to be more on their level".
"But, the Dreadknight is stronger as well. He's a Tag Team Champion now too. I just want him to bring the best that he has ever done, even against me. It doesn't matter who you fight, if he can afford me that honor of going all out, then I'll do the same. I might be the litmus test for him too. We're two forces clashing for a second time. I need to equalise that stage with him. All it takes is one pinfall to show that potential has been nurtured, whether he sees it or not".
"But, if I do. Would that make me a contender for the Tag Team Championships? No, I'm getting way ahead of myself. I can't even think about that! Not now! Beating you, Michael. That's what I want to do. Never mind about titles or where we are on our journeys. You're ahead of me, by a long way. Me being in this match, I wouldn't be surprised if it's said I'm the sacrificial lamb. But so be it, I'll still go down fighting in that world".
"But then you're not the only one here either.....Jason Long is someone that has their name linked to this place. From pretty much the very beginning. He's an even bigger fish than Bishop. And if I want to win this match, to move on from the singular win that I do have to my name....I'd have to beat not only a tag team champion...but a former Prime Champion....It all seems impossible when you really speak it out loud..."
"But then again, we're professional wrestlers. We deal in the impossible every day. Each time we walk to the ring, we go there looking to make a name for ourselves when everything is fighting against us. To make the impossible into our new realities".
"This triple threat is mounting all the impossible tasks into one bundle. For them to defeat me, it wouldn't be seen as a big deal. But that is where they're mistaken. Jason Long especially so. He's so used to facing the main event stars of the Fallout brand for so long, being at the pinnacle of success for so long....I don't expect him to give me the same level of respect and time that Henry Lee Hyde, or maybe what Michael Bishop would. I expect the underestimation. The small Japanese girl trying to fight with the big bullies of Fallout".
"That would be the biggest mistake he could make".
"If I can't beat them face-to-face just yet, then I will have to play this smart. Even with a bazillion different Jason Longs that could be stepping into the ring, it wouldn't make him crazier than me stepping up to the plate to face each and every one of them! I can't go back to passing by against people that are on my level, I need to face everyone above me. And Jason, you represent the very top of what Fallout was. You're not that now, and that makes you dangerous. That's why I need you to bring everything to this fight too. You might have championships in your past, but you're closer to me in terms of trying to dig out of the slump. I know you want to be champion again".
"If you want it that badly, then you'll have to go through me on Fallout to get the win in this match. Neither you or Bishop can afford to ignore little old me in that ring. This is a true triangle dance. Nobody more important than the others, as we need to defeat both opponents. No shortcuts. Weirdly enough, that puts me on equal footing in this mismatch...."
"I'll take those odds".
"I need to use them against each other, but also show myself to be stronger than before. Ahhh that's so difficult! It's ok, I need to give myself the biggest challenges out of everyone if I want to win again. It feels like it's been so long since I won my debut match, and this feels like lightyears away from that".
"Is this the biggest match of my career so far? As strange as it sounds...I don't think it is. At least, not yet".
"I saw a different side of this world against Henry Lee Hyde. I wanted to show him, and show the world that I belong. That I can be just as good as anyone here. That I can stand toe-to-toe against them. When Jason and Michael show me that, then they can truly become a rival for me going forward in my career here on Fallout. And I want them to see me as someone that could be an adversary. You wouldn't be able to picture Fallout without Jason Long and Michael Bishop on the roster....but maybe, just maybe...with a victory in my hands...I can start a climb to that mountain too...."
"Now with that in mind, I have to do my absolute best to win this match! Even more than challenging Hyde! Double! Triple! Both Long and Bishop will feel just how much of an effort it takes to keep me down for a three count! They will need to muster even greater fights than Hyde to stop me. This is my mission...."
"...to belong here".
"I will belong here someday, with them. With all the mainstays here. I'll make sure of it".
"I know I will...."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| Fallout XXIV |---
---| Paid in Blood |---
Lightning Blue
Yuriko Toyama
壁
"The Wall"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| Shining Sun on a Crimson River |---
April 17th, 2022
Freedom Hall
Louisville, Kentucky
projecthonor.com exclusiveThe unsuccessful challenger carries her battered and exhausted body to the backstage area after what feels like a marathon. Having to slink back to the deceiving comfort of the locker room. After escaping the eyes of the audience, she leans forward in the hallway to spit a red string of bloodied saliva to the ground. The bruises on her face were more than enough to tell anyone of the brutality that the Gatekeeper Champion had put her through.
Something that she expressly asked for.
And it's exactly what she got.
The warbling sounds of the pumping entrance music fuzzes out into a muffled mess. As if she were deaf, it all falls away. The on-site paramedic is quick to replace the ice-pack that she's holding down in her hand, inspecting the cut across her lip. Another person with a clipboard directs her towards a door that reads "Media Scrum". There is a slight argument between them and the medical staff. Probably thinking she shouldn't be talking to the journalists when she's been through the meat grinder that is Henry Lee Hyde.
But they both stop. She doesn't know for certain if she even said anything, but the first aider backs off slightly to give her some space. She feels herself walking towards the door, and a rising energy in her body as the cameras flash in her swollen eyes.
The expressions of the press scrum seem to be grimacing at the blood across her face, which she is yet to fully wipe away. But, she takes a seat in front of the microphones all the same. Some of the major outlets that would usually swarm at the opportunity for scoops from a main eventer, or a legend, werern't there today. Not for her. Not for a cute nobody girl from Japan.
Not yet away.
YURIKO: "Who's first?"
REPORTER: "How has your record in Project: Honor affected you, especially with not being able to win the Gatekeeper Championship?"
YURIKO: "I...it's just a record. I know that doesn't sound like the best of answers, and it doesn't feel to great for me to say that either. But that is what it is. I can't change that now it's happened, as much as I would want to. Look, I lost tonight. Just like I have on almost every other night here. It's a little bit easier to take when I've already been at the bottom once before"
"But I'm here again. I wanted to enjoy what I do here in the States, but this has been harder to accept for myself than I thought it would be. Maybe I care more about winning than I think. At the end of the day, this is a road to discovering myself as much as it is about matches, and winning, and championships".
"Hyde was the better wrestler than me tonight. I can't say any less of his performance because that was the best match I've ever had in my life. He is the best opponent I've ever had in my life. That might not seem like much since I haven't been around for so long like some others, but I truly believe that. He is the strongest person here because I have felt that in the ring. The only way that can change is for someone to give me the time of day, and let me take my best to them like he did today. And I let him give his best too".
"I want that match to happen again for me. If it's a rematch against Hyde when I'm worthy of catching back up to him, or feeling the same battle of spirits in the ring with someone else, I want to chase that. I want to find the opponent who is stronger than Henry Lee Hyde"
"I will fight for a championship again someday. I know that I will reach that point again. But, more than holding gold, the best of the best are what I want".
REPORTER: "With the rocky start to your time in Project: Honor, isn't chasing after more and more challenging opposition going to be detrimental to your success as a wrestler?"
YURIKO: "I don't think I'll be able to look at that success the same way if I didn't face the best. I could have been the Gatekeeper Champion right now if that were the case. But then what would that make me? I won't be deserving of that title. Hyde won because he IS the best. But the point is, I was close. I was really close to overcoming his strength with my own. That is what will keep me going, and striving to improve myself. It might be with the smallest steps, and having to endure that long term gain isn't fun when you want to do well now. But I want to do well all the same. The long road is the one I choose".
REPORTER: "Have you set your eyes on the other championships on Fallout? The ? Championship would be able to guarantee you a deathmatch stipulation if you wanted it. Or perhaps find an ally to challenge for the Tag Team Championships with".
Yuriko's blood-soaked optimism falls slightly, looking more like someone who lost the biggest match of their career. Something about the last comment that made her not so joyous about the future she sees for herself.
YURIKO: "....When I get to that point, yes. But right now, I need to better myself before I can challenge for a championship again. The Gatekeeper title has alluded me twice, because I wasn't strong enough to win it. That should be the sign that I have a long way to go...
"That comes first before I've earned a deathmatch or a title...especially before I drag someone down whose willing to tag with me..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| You Pull Me Under |---
The rolling lights pass by in the dead of night. Not a single other car in sight. As was the way of the professional wrestler, the night never sleeps, and the new town calls. This time, it was home that called. Or at least, the house that was standing in for her home here. Now cleaned up from the drag out brawl at Public Execution, The Deathmatch Idol keeps herself awake with a sip of coffee, returning her gloved hand to the wheel of the car. Something about the ride from venue to venue was soothing, but it would also chip away at the strongest of men. A level of strain that only those that give themselves to the entertainment business fully know and understand
She turns up the radio as the skulking synth bass kicks in of "Downfall" by Essenger. With her thumb lightly tapping on the leather of the wheel.
I didn't see the signs
Thought I'd found a way out (Thought I'd found a way out)
You caught me with those eyes
I'm thinkin' I should leave now (I'm thinkin' I should leave now)
A couple words won't hurt
“So what're you doin' downtown?” ("So what're you doin' downtown?")
You tell me how you've been
And now my head won't slow down (And now my head won't slow down)
I shouldn't stay
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You could be my downfall
You could be my downfall
The drive continues for what feels like an endless, empty road. The small red cat's eyes along the lines peering back at her in a snaking legion. The tired expression on her face falls from the relaxation after her grueling bout, into one that is struggling. Something playing deeply on her mind, the grip of her fingers tightening on the wheel slightly.
I didn't mean to stare
Couldn't help but notice (Couldn't help but notice)
A part of me still cares
But it's over and you know this (but it's over and you know this)
I shouldn't feel this way
You're fuckin' with my head now (You're fuckin' with my head now)
A couple drinks too late
You got me thinking out loud (You got me thinking out loud)
She takes a moment to look at the empty seat next to her in the rental car, and nothing but her travel bag in the back seat. A drawn out exhale leaves her nose as she sees the signboard next to the road. Another thirty miles. She's been here for a while now, but still finds herself travelling the United States alone. Part of her own withdrawn self when the camera isn't rolling, the fists aren't flying, or the blood isn't flowing. Wiping her eyes for a moment, she continues on.
It's a lonely road on the way to the top.
It's a lonely road on the way to the bottom.
And sometimes, you can never really tell where you're going.
I shouldn't stay (I shouldn't stay)
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You can be my downfall
You could be my downfall
ROLAND RAITH [V.O.] : "There's no nice way of saying it. Shes's not good enough".
KENJI [V.O.]: "Give her time, Roland".
ROLAND RAITH [V.O.]: "The jury's still out until I see what you see in her. The name clout isn't going to carry forever, you know".
The scene cuts to a cinematic view of Yuriko's silhouette backlit in a small elevator. The darkened frame of the deathmatch idol facing away, surrounded by a bathe of neon blue light. The rolling scan of the rising floors tick over with the vice over of Roland Raith and her brother, Kenji Toyama.
She turns up the volume of her car stereo, and with the rumbling bass hits of the song from her car stereo, the scene of the blue elevator sharply flashes to a different form. A tall man with thin shoulders, metal spikes on the shoulders of a leather jacket, this time reflecting a powder pink light. A third silhouette emerges into the dream-like music. Broad shoulders and short hair, standing formally with a golden-yellow glow to the elevator doors.
Don't try to tell me this is nothing
Say it with your hands on my face
Don't try to tell me this is nothing
I can count the reasons with my eyes closed
Calling out your name
I'll find a reason with my eyes closed
(But I know that you'll come back to haunt me)
And you can be my downfall
(You can be my downfall)
KENJI [V.O.]: "All I'm asking, Roland, is to not jump the gun too early".
"She will improve. I can guarantee you that".
ROLAND RAITH [V.O]: "Nobody can guarantee me anything in this business, Kenji. I just want some reassurance, ironclad assurance, that my faith in your nepotism hasn't been misplaced. Tetran Kai isn't where I want it to be as it is".
"We know who her failures would reflect on".
I shouldn't stay (I shouldn't stay)
But can't help but wonder
I hate the way (I love the way)
That you pull me under
I know I've made mistakes
But this could be my downfall
You can be my downfall
You could be my downfall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---| YURIKO |---
---| Mountains to Climb |---
YURIKO: "It's time to make the ring mine again. I was so close to winning the Gatekeeper championship in the four way, but the champion showed me what it takes to be called that champion. I know some people thought I wasn't worthy of the match at Public Execution, given that I haven't gone on a big streak or wins, or some dominant presence. They might have been right in terms of me walking out with the belt, but they are wrong when it comes to me being ready to rise to that stage".
"Henry Lee Hyde is the strongest person I have ever fought in the ring. Dwarfing anyone else. The best I've been able to do before Project: Honor was rookie matches opening up the show back in Japan. But I feel with that loss, I can do more. It gave me the vision of being stronger than the Yuriko I was yesterday, and the me of tomorrow being stronger than today".
"I won't be able to reach that point without the hard work to get there. All the while, Fallout is a living beast. People can rise up the mountain while I'm still making my first steps. It almost feels surreal for there to be anything beyond that strength. But from what everyone says...there is. Not just one world beyond it, but two, then three, then all the stronger worlds you could possibly imagine".
"Many of them right here on Fallout. I exit the best match of my life into the clutches of people seen to be stronger than even Hyde. Somehow. One man that even defeated me before. Bishop eliminated me from The Crowning Battle Royal...I remember that well. I want to put losses behind me, and just work on myself. But there is a chance to show the progress I've made. Against someone stronger, this is time to be more on their level".
"But, the Dreadknight is stronger as well. He's a Tag Team Champion now too. I just want him to bring the best that he has ever done, even against me. It doesn't matter who you fight, if he can afford me that honor of going all out, then I'll do the same. I might be the litmus test for him too. We're two forces clashing for a second time. I need to equalise that stage with him. All it takes is one pinfall to show that potential has been nurtured, whether he sees it or not".
"But, if I do. Would that make me a contender for the Tag Team Championships? No, I'm getting way ahead of myself. I can't even think about that! Not now! Beating you, Michael. That's what I want to do. Never mind about titles or where we are on our journeys. You're ahead of me, by a long way. Me being in this match, I wouldn't be surprised if it's said I'm the sacrificial lamb. But so be it, I'll still go down fighting in that world".
"But then you're not the only one here either.....Jason Long is someone that has their name linked to this place. From pretty much the very beginning. He's an even bigger fish than Bishop. And if I want to win this match, to move on from the singular win that I do have to my name....I'd have to beat not only a tag team champion...but a former Prime Champion....It all seems impossible when you really speak it out loud..."
"But then again, we're professional wrestlers. We deal in the impossible every day. Each time we walk to the ring, we go there looking to make a name for ourselves when everything is fighting against us. To make the impossible into our new realities".
"This triple threat is mounting all the impossible tasks into one bundle. For them to defeat me, it wouldn't be seen as a big deal. But that is where they're mistaken. Jason Long especially so. He's so used to facing the main event stars of the Fallout brand for so long, being at the pinnacle of success for so long....I don't expect him to give me the same level of respect and time that Henry Lee Hyde, or maybe what Michael Bishop would. I expect the underestimation. The small Japanese girl trying to fight with the big bullies of Fallout".
"That would be the biggest mistake he could make".
"If I can't beat them face-to-face just yet, then I will have to play this smart. Even with a bazillion different Jason Longs that could be stepping into the ring, it wouldn't make him crazier than me stepping up to the plate to face each and every one of them! I can't go back to passing by against people that are on my level, I need to face everyone above me. And Jason, you represent the very top of what Fallout was. You're not that now, and that makes you dangerous. That's why I need you to bring everything to this fight too. You might have championships in your past, but you're closer to me in terms of trying to dig out of the slump. I know you want to be champion again".
"If you want it that badly, then you'll have to go through me on Fallout to get the win in this match. Neither you or Bishop can afford to ignore little old me in that ring. This is a true triangle dance. Nobody more important than the others, as we need to defeat both opponents. No shortcuts. Weirdly enough, that puts me on equal footing in this mismatch...."
"I'll take those odds".
"I need to use them against each other, but also show myself to be stronger than before. Ahhh that's so difficult! It's ok, I need to give myself the biggest challenges out of everyone if I want to win again. It feels like it's been so long since I won my debut match, and this feels like lightyears away from that".
"Is this the biggest match of my career so far? As strange as it sounds...I don't think it is. At least, not yet".
"I saw a different side of this world against Henry Lee Hyde. I wanted to show him, and show the world that I belong. That I can be just as good as anyone here. That I can stand toe-to-toe against them. When Jason and Michael show me that, then they can truly become a rival for me going forward in my career here on Fallout. And I want them to see me as someone that could be an adversary. You wouldn't be able to picture Fallout without Jason Long and Michael Bishop on the roster....but maybe, just maybe...with a victory in my hands...I can start a climb to that mountain too...."
"Now with that in mind, I have to do my absolute best to win this match! Even more than challenging Hyde! Double! Triple! Both Long and Bishop will feel just how much of an effort it takes to keep me down for a three count! They will need to muster even greater fights than Hyde to stop me. This is my mission...."
"...to belong here".
"I will belong here someday, with them. With all the mainstays here. I'll make sure of it".
"I know I will...."
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