|
She
lost.
Covering
her mouth, she shakes her head before turning to look at Junko.
Junko's eyes narrow as they fall upon Hixx... her tiny frame
trembles with anger, humiliation... pain, she feels all of it.
Latoya Hixx shakes her head and mouths
"I'm
so sorry,"
but Junko isn't having it. The cameras stopped rolling the second
Beckett and Waverly disappeared behind the curtain... no reason to
focus on the losers, and so the fans at home don't witness Junko
Souma rolling out of the ring and leaving her partner behind. BETTER. Now. A quiet place. There's a rustling sound as the camera is turned on. We're greeted with a shot of Junko Souma messing with the camera, using both hands to make sure it's properly aimed and focused. The room is a mess... clothes strewn about, a curtain barely hanging on and miserably failing at it's job to obscure light from entering the sad little hotel room. With a huff, Junko drags one of the hotel chairs into the frame with an obnoxious screeching sound and centers it. Clad in an oversized hoodie and baggy black sweatpants, she brushes the silver-blue hair out of her face, tucking it securely behind her ear before sitting down. She's silent for a moment... longer than that, even. Finally, she begins to speak in Japanese with her words helpfully translated across the bottom of the screen in bold yellow text. Her voice is quiet and carries a tinge of innocence... or maybe it's just nerves. Speaking has never been her strong suit. "Jasmine Raye... do you know who I am?" She tilts her head back slightly, looking down her nose into the camera. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I do not ask this question out of ego or because I hope to intimidate you... I am asking you sincerely. Is my name familiar to you? Are you aware of what I have done, not in my life, but solely in my professional wrestling career?" She waits for a moment and then slightly lowers her head, leveling her gaze at the camera. "It is okay if you haven't." She nods to herself, accepting her potential lack of name value to a competitor of Jasmine Raye's rich history. "I would not expect someone with your history, your pedigree, to be aware of someone like me. You are a fifth generation wrestler... puroresu runs through your veins. You have been preparing for moments like this for your entire life... and... and I know you look at me and see what is only on the outside. I am young and inexperienced. I accept that you probably look at me and see an easy victory." Junko averts her eyes, looking down at her hands resting in her lap. "My return to puroresu has not been easy for me... I have risen to challenge many competitors over the past two months... and they have shown me no mercy, even though I am returning from a serious knee injury." She reaches down and pulls up one leg of her sweatpants with both hands. Pulling it over her knee, she reveals extensive scarring where the surgery was performed. "They have hurt me... a lot." As she covers her knee back up, we're suddenly greeted with an abrupt clip show of Junko being destroyed during the CU:LT Killdozer Tournament. She's beaten, battered, hemorrhaging blood... and the whole thing culminates with her being given a sunset powerbomb through a tower of light tubes by Max Daemon... and then the three count. The fans chant "HOLY SHIT" over and over... they cheer, but not for her. The video cuts as abruptly as it began and we're back in the hotel room with her. "They have tested my limits... and I have found that I am not easily defeated. I refuse to give up. To defeat me, you must punish me beyond my threshold. Some might call me stupid for enduring what I have... but this is my dream." She sighs, averting her eyes again. "It is my dream to become a number one professional wrestler." With her head still down, she directs her eyes at the camera. She sounds a bit more confident now... pride swelling in her voice as she remembers the man who brought her here and made the dream possible. "When Chiba Hideo brought me to Intense International Wrestling in 2021, he said that this would be the place where I would achieve my dream... he said that this would be the place where I would call myself a champion. Then, Moira Arches was the champion and she refused to defend her championship... and by the time she was prepared to do so, I had already been injured by Casie Debonair and her Coven. I missed my opportunity... an opportunity that would not come again until this year when members of Shuko MURDER-gun prevented me from defeating Beckett Marisol in my first-ever title shot of any kind." Junko bites her bottom lip and shakes her head as she remembers how her dream was ripped away from her when she was only seconds from achieving it. "While I have expanded my horizons beyond Intense International Wrestling since my recovery, I returned to compete on Friday Night Combat because I intend to honor my sensei by winning the championship he promised me. To do that, I must earn another match with Beckett Marisol... and to do that, I must defeat you, Jasmine Raye." Junko stares into the camera silently... stoic. "There was a time, only a few years ago, where I would regret what I would have to do to you. There was a time when I would hope that we could be friends after the match, that you could teach me to become a better professional wrestler... but that time has passed. I do not care if you are a good person or a bad person or what our relationship beyond this match could look like... the only way for me to become a better wrestler and get closer to my dream is to defeat you." She leans forward in the chair, staring hard into the camera... piercing your soul with her gaze. "I must defeat you, Jasmine Raye." Her voice is cold and direct. "I have endured so much punishment since my return... I have lost matches, spilled blood, and been forced to team up with the proud and boastful Latoya Hixx, whose skills do not live up to her reputation... I deserve better." Junko takes a deep breath and nods one single time. "That is what the man said... the first step on the way to obtaining everything you want is admitting that you deserve better." Junko points at herself with one finger, poking herself in the chest with it to accentuate her point. "I deserve better." She lowers her hand and stares into the camera. "Jasmine Raye--" There's a venomous tone as she speaks her name. "--I know that you already have a guaranteed title shot at Riot Act, and I am sorry that you will not be heading into that match with the momentum that you need to win. Unfortunately for you, you are the next obstacle on my journey to becoming the Friday Night Combat Women's World Champion... I know that you will fight hard, Jasmine Raye... I know that you will do your best! Your bloodline will allow nothing less..." Junko's eyes narrow as she leans forward. "However, that means I must be better, become stronger... fight harder--" Her voice is almost a whisper at this point. "--I have to hurt you, Jasmine Raye." She tilts her head slightly like a predator observing its prey. "I do not want to..." The look on her face tells you immediately that she's lying. "...but it is the only way to win." She leans back in the chair and the corner of her mouth twitches, teasing the formation of a sly smile-- but it never quite gets there. The innocent tone returns to her voice one last time. "Please understand."
Combat. Backstage. Junko Souma steps through the curtain and immediately steps aside to avoid getting hit by two production team members pushing a large black equipment box on wheels. In the briefest of moments taken away from her departure, Latoya Hixx catches up. Latoya is exasperated, favoring her neck after being on the receiving end of Beckett's Tooth & Nail finish. Junko knows the feeling all too well. Junko avoids Hixx and continues walking toward the dressing room but Hixx won't be denied, placing her hand on Junko's shoulder and stopping her in her tracks. LATOYA HIXX: Hey, what's your problem, girl? Junko swats Hixx's hand away and turns to face her. Hixx takes in the visual of her partner standing there, covered in still-healing cuts and bruises from her participation in the Killdozer Cup. Junko balls up both fists at her sides, ready to fight. Hixx puts her hands up. LATOYA HIXX: Hey, I'm not-- Hixx takes a deep breath. LATOYA HIXX: --I'm not going to fight you. Junko's eyes narrow. She glares at Hixx, frustrated by the outcome of their match... and by how her career has gone in general since returning from her injury-- since escaping from the Eternity's Gate cult as well. Mary Taylor Chang. Junko shuts her eyes and shakes her head, forcing the image of the woman who "saved" her from her mind. She's replaced instantly by Richard Rath... the silver-haired man from the plane who disappeared the moment they landed as if he'd never been there in the first place. She remembers his words and jams her own finger into her chest. She forces the words out in English so that Hixx can understand. JUNKO SOUMA: I... deserve... better. Hixx just shakes her head and turns to walk away, leaving Junko among the traffic made up of Friday Night Combat's production team. Junko's fists remain clenched at her sides. Her small frame trembles with anger. The shame of the loss washes over her and she allows it to do just that. She lets herself feel all of it. It's the only way to become stronger-- --the only way to win.
|
