Hajime
Apr 13, 2016 23:25:10 GMT -5
Post by Fujiko Mine on Apr 13, 2016 23:25:10 GMT -5
A swell of heat rose up her face, causing her to exhale and fan herself. It went across her cheek and up her forehead in a pin-pricked wave, lingering and forcing her to sweat a little. She grimaced. She was already out of sorts, considering what had just happened to her.
Nausea made itself right at home just below her ribcage, and it refused to subside. She thought she might expel the contents of her stomach right then and there, but she swallowed hard, trying to shake the feeling.
Spencer Blake stepped up to her, a somber look on his face. He was there for a lot of these moments with Fujiko, and she was ashamed to add another to the list. Her left eye twitched a little bit as she straightened up her posture, looking down and to the floor as his gaze lay on the camera in front of them.
"Fujiko, tough result out there for you tonight. You were meant to be a one of the standouts of this year’s Gold Rush Rumble, instead, you were quickly tossed out of the match, and your dreams crushed. How does it feel?"
The sting of oncoming tears hit her eyes, and she did her best to blink them away. Just like the match, she wasn’t strong enough. A few slipped through, and Fujiko had to try and compose herself.
"It...it doesn’t feel good, Spencer. I’ll be honest with you. I believed in myself; I told everyone that I could come out here and show I belonged...and I failed."
Her voice wavered as she finished the sentence. She did her best not to break down in front of Spencer and the camera. Her resistance broke down, and she sobbed shortly. She covered her face with her hands, unable to cope for the moment.
"I’m sorry, I just...I can’t right now, Spencer. I’m sorry."
Fujiko waved him away, her voice unstable and full of sorrow. Spencer made a move to say something, but Fujiko was already fleeing the scene, tears seeping through the spaces between her fingers as she broke into a jog. She did her best to keep herself up, but as she made her way to the women’s dressing room and basically collapsed at the door.
Dread and hurt overwhelmed her, and she sobbed silently against the door. She tried to regain control of herself, but she couldn’t. Her eyes betrayed her; her mouth moved to try and draw breath, yet denied her of air at the same time, and her legs refused to co-operate enough to draw her to a standing base. She was a mess on the floor, trying to return to some form of dignity, and yet was unable to.
After a few agonizing moments, she was able to draw her hand up and grasp at the door next to her. She tried pulling herself up, but her legs still refused to co-operate. She felt just as she did last year, both having lost her first FGA MAL championship and the Gold Rush Rumble. Through the haze of sorrow, she could see Sean Sands tossing her over the top rope and ending her dreams a year ago. She pulled, and the door gave way before her legs caught on. The door swung open, and Fujiko fell forward over the threshold. The lights in the room were out, which caught her attention immediately. She did her best to halt her crying fit enough to see what was going on.
The room was devoid of people. In the center of the room was a reel-to-reel movie projector and a screen. It appeared as if it was waiting for her. She looked around, puzzled.
"Hello?"
She wiped tears from her face and finally found the strength to get off the floor and back up to a vertical base. She gazed around her, finding no-one. She eyed the projector suspiciously, but found that curiosity compelled her to touch it. She didn’t remember it being there when she left to head out towards her match, but there it was. She took a few steps towards it, and as she did, the projector whirred to life.
She stepped back reflexively, looking for a possible escape, but the screen showed her tossing Izzy Anders over the top rope. It then showed her as she watched Cyncity, Dom Harter, Johnny Karma, and Tony Carmine all exit before her. She blinked, unsure why she was being shown this...until the film stopped and moved over to something else.
She was watching herself again. She was once again in the ring, exhaustion evident on her face. The Fujiko on the screen was pulling herself to her feet. She blinked and tried to focus in on what was going on, but a faint feeling of vertigo overtook her, and she stumbled. As she did, she felt something collide into her. She thought she might knock over the projector, but she found it was not there. She looked around in confusion and realized she was in the ring again. Confusion overtook her for a moment, and that combined with the roar of the crowd in her ear made her want to sit down.
She had no time. Someone came rushing at her, and she reacted on instinct by jumping up and throwing out the Lucky Shot. In connected, and she landed on one knee. Someone in the crowd yelled for her to throw them out, and she looked in their direction, confused. An urge to listen to them nagged at her, so she rushed over, picked them up, and tossed them over the top rope. Both of their feet hit the floor after they went over, and the bell rung.
She looked around even more confused, even as “Jaguar” by Bestrack began to play around her.
"Here is your winner of the 2016 Gold Rush Rumble...FUJIKO MINE!"
Fujiko felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She couldn’t believe her ears. She looked around, and then a referee raised her hand. She stared in disbelief at him, and then broke out into tears. This felt somewhat familiar, but the overwhelming rush of joy made it so much sweeter than the bitter, crushing despair she felt...or she imagined she felt earlier. Fujiko leaned over the top rope, tears of joy rappelling down her face and dripping off her chin without a care. Fujiko wanted to just drown in the joy she suddenly felt, the words that J.A. Aldridge just said getting her addicted to the feeling.
"Oh My God, I can’t believe it!"
She managed to exclaim, before she is suddenly in a chair. This time, she goes on as if she’s supposed to be there. There was no confusion. She was right where she needed to be. Across from her, in another chair, was a man who felt familiar. She felt as if she knew him, but the name escaped her. She kept her wide smile as he looked at her and smiled as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here with the 2016 Gold Rush Rumble winner, Fujiko Mine. Fujiko, congratulations once again!"
Joy washed over her again, causing her to grin widely.
"Thank you so much. Really. You don’t know how much it means for me to be here."
"Fujiko, tell us how you feel winning this match?"
She couldn’t hold back. Her words poured forth, joy keeping her from thinking about them too much.
"It means the absolute world to me. To know that I, along with all my supporters, got me to this point, something I know a lot of people didn’t believe could happen. So to be here? I have no words. It’s amazing."
"So Fujiko, now your next step is to challenge for the FGA championship at All Star-Showdown. How do you feel knowing that?"
Fujiko blushed, and placed her hands to her cheeks to quell them.
"I...I don’t know. Like, in the best way, though. I don’t know how else to say it. This is a dream come true. There were so many who didn’t believe I could even get this far, and now I’m here. I just...I can’t…"
Fujiko felt choked up, and she drew in a breath to try and stop herself from crying. She did once more…
...and her eyes fluttered open. She saw three bright red numbers in the darkness.
She groaned out loud, annoyed with what just happened. The fringes of her dream began to fade away from her, the details already becoming foggy. A part of her wanted to grasp at the dream and force it back in.
Fujiko sat up in bed, trying her best to understand all of what her brain just put her through. Normally, she’d roll back over and do her best to get some sleep, but this was different. A giddy excitement kept her awake and staved off the tiredness she expected. She was awake, and alert. She wanted so badly to close her eyes and finish that interview. She knew that no matter what, that dream was gone. She wasn’t going to be able to return there.
She knew what she’d have to do then. Fujiko was going to finish that interview, but she wasn’t going to be doing so in a dream.
She was going to have to do it for real. All of it. Win the rumble for real. She imagined that the joy she felt in the dream was nothing compared to the joy that awaited her when she did it for real.
She was going to do it for real.
Not just for herself...but for everyone that believed in her. For them, there was going to be no more disappointment. There was going to only be celebrations. Only elation.
She kept thinking about how she couldn’t wait to share it with them as she pushed herself out of bed.
She had work to do.
"Man, Fujiko...this is very familiar."
The man known as Tj Jones stated as he leaned against the ropes. The two of them were in one of the four rings that occupied the area. Not long after most of her bizarre dream had faded away, she called up the man who mentored her and asked to meet. She was fortunate that he picked up and was willing to have her come over. He arrived about ten minutes after she did and let her inside the Renati Center in downtown Milwaukee. The building had gone under some slight changes since the rise of his Renati Brand Apparel company, and one of those changes was a relocation. The new building allowed for much more in the way of space, and Tj had taken full advantage of it. So now Fujiko stood there, with the man who began her journey.
"Oh?"
Tj could only nod and smile as Fujiko carefully tested out the ropes.
"Yup. I remember going down to the basement and jumping in the ring around 4, 5 in the morning, just doing anything I could to prepare myself. Watching tape, trying out new strategies, all that stuff."
Teige put his leg up on the middle rope, stretching it out a bit. He grimaced as his muscles reached their limit, and he laughed a bit.
"It’s been forever since I’ve had a match. Damn."
Fujiko returned a smile to him as she jumped up onto the top rope. She steadied herself, and thought about walking across them. Tj raised an eyebrow, and she noticed.
"Yeah, I know. But you still have people keeping your career alive."
Tj’s grin surprised Fujiko. She lost hers, exchanging it for a look of puzzlement.
"What?"
Fujiko looked at him strangely, prompting him to elaborate on more than just the facial expression.
"I know people like Tony and Zero like saying my name and dragging it through the mud, but it doesn’t bother me. They obviously still have something to prove, and if they think that bringing me up helps that, good for them. I’ve been confident with leaving wrestling behind for a while, so their little insults don’t mean shit to me. I do hear about them, sure, but I don’t really care. The facts are out there, and my legacy is intact. They can say what they want, but in the end? It’s how you respond that matters."
Tj places his hand out, as if there was an imaginary example there.
"They can say what they want about how I trained you, and about my involvement in your career; but the truth is what it is. I haven’t been involved in your training in almost a year. You’ve sought out your own training since. They have their own reasons for bringing me up, but what you do with your career will speak for itself. For instance, this opportunity at the Gold Rush Rumble will speak for itself. People forget how well you did last year. You outlasted a lot of people who stood in front of a camera and told them no one was going to deny them. They talked a big game….and among the ranks of people who said they would...hmmm…"
Tj taps his chin, the answer already there. Fujiko smiled sheepishly, as she realized where he was going.
"Zero and Tony. This year Zero will tell everyone that he’ll prove that he let Cindy win, or whatever. Tony will tell everyone this is his destiny, and no one else deserves to win. But we know better. YOU know better."
Fujiko let his words sink in. He stood there, taking his gaze away from her and scanning the room.
"I don’t have a tried and true method of telling you how to win, Fujiko. Who knows when you will enter, and who will enter before or after you. Regardless of whether people think you are the favorite, or the ultimate underdog doesn't matter. You will have the target on your back, because you stand in everyone’s way enroute to their victory. Everyone, except of course those already eliminated, will stand in your way. You can be smart about this though. All that matters is that you don’t go over the top and your feet don’t touch the floor, and that you’re the last one in the ring. I know it’s one of those ‘easier than it looks’ things, and you’re right. But don’t let the difficulty of something stop you. No matter how many times they try and stop you, keep getting back up. Never back down, and do what it is you do. Don’t worry about what they’re trying to do. Just worry about yourself. Believe in yourself, and you can stop anyone who tells you ‘you can’t.’"
Fujiko looked out in the direction where Tj was looking, and she saw the Renati logo on the far wall. Full posters of some of the Renati Brand athletes were there.
Gwen Massey. Cailey Carter. Ashley Sullivan. TGH. Chelle Harper. Arkia Fisk. Tj Jones.
Fujiko Mine. She was there, in the center.
"I don’t give a damn what anyone has to say, Fujiko. They haven’t had your struggle. They haven’t lived in your shoes. They can use the same excuses for your success if they want, but it won’t change the fact that I am proud of you, and that I believe you can win this and go all the way to the top. You can do it. I believe in you. They believe in you."
Tj pointed at the people on the banner.
"The people sitting at ringside? They believe in you. And most importantly?"
Tj places his palm on the side of her face.
"You believe. You got this."
Fujiko felt her face grow warm, and she smiled up at him. He patted her cheek lightly, and then backed up.
"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. You’re gonna make me cry."
Tj took a step back as well, rolling his shoulders and stretches his arms out. Fujiko made for a move to prepare herself, but a small thought made its voice known.
Ask about your father.
Her face turned pensive as the thought thumped harder in her head. Was this really worth asking him now? Did she really want to try and complicate things by entertaining that thought? She wasn’t sure. She was stuck in the back and forth of it, and after a moment, she made her choice. She inhaled, and opened her mouth to say something.
There is a lot of talk going on around this time of year. Everyone sees the chance to ‘call their shot’. They say that no one will stop them, and that no one believes in them, specifically. But that is all going to change this time around, they say. They are going to be the one who stands alone in the ring at the end of the night, their fate right and truly sealed.
I am going to be the one who makes it to the top. That’s what you will continually hear going into the Gold Rush Rumble in just a few short days.
Who am I to add to that list of people?
Me, whose road here has been harder than anyone, bar none. No one can debate that. From this point last year, and seeing my promising reign as Mid-Atlantic Legacy Champion cut short due to Noelle Smith and a dash of Hubris, to the tailspin that was the months to follow. There are those who will claim that they have been weathered more for this, but they’re wrong.
I have hardened, molded, and prepared for this. This isn’t about me having something to prove anymore. I’ve proved that I belong here. Let the idiots who point to my chest and make comments about how I don’t belong in the ring take a long walk off a short pier. Let that fuel their egos, let it make them feel better. But it doesn’t matter what they believe. All that matters is what I do.
There is no way I’m not walking out of this with the victory that everyone is clamoring for.
I’ve bled more for this. I’ve lost sleep for this. I’ve dragged myself to this point so that I could outlast every single person en route to this.
They’re all good. Every single person in this match is good. There’s no doubt about that. Any one of them could take this match. They have the talent, the ability, and the drive to win it.
But they won’t.
I’ve been through moments in my career that would make some of the people in this field of competitors want to quit. They would give up. They would break down. I have been through all of it, and I’m still here.
The difference between the those who will tell you that they are going to win the Gold Rush Rumble this year, and me?
I am actually going to.
Let everyone else give a laundry list of why so-and-so won’t win, and they will. They are trying to convince themselves more than they are trying to convince the other competitors and the fans. Let them enjoy that facade. It will end up with them being disappointed as their bold claims come to nothing.
Me? My failures and successes led me here. The failures have hardened me, prepared me for this 2nd chance at redemption. They have shown me that I will get knocked down. I look back at the last month I've had, and it's a prime example. I got knocked down. But I got back up, and I will continue to do so until I am the last one standing. My successes have given me the sweet taste that I keep clamoring for.
So in a few short days, you will see a sad parade of those who thought they wanted this more than anyone, and were proven wrong...and one woman, named Fujiko Mine, standing in the ring.
Who was right. Right about being stronger, faster, and more prepared than anyone else in this match. They all are good, and they all stand a chance. But they still can't match up to me. Don't believe me? That's okay. I'm used to it. I'm still going to do it. While everyone else comes up empty...
...I'm leaving the Hershey Center looking golden.
Nausea made itself right at home just below her ribcage, and it refused to subside. She thought she might expel the contents of her stomach right then and there, but she swallowed hard, trying to shake the feeling.
Spencer Blake stepped up to her, a somber look on his face. He was there for a lot of these moments with Fujiko, and she was ashamed to add another to the list. Her left eye twitched a little bit as she straightened up her posture, looking down and to the floor as his gaze lay on the camera in front of them.
"Fujiko, tough result out there for you tonight. You were meant to be a one of the standouts of this year’s Gold Rush Rumble, instead, you were quickly tossed out of the match, and your dreams crushed. How does it feel?"
The sting of oncoming tears hit her eyes, and she did her best to blink them away. Just like the match, she wasn’t strong enough. A few slipped through, and Fujiko had to try and compose herself.
"It...it doesn’t feel good, Spencer. I’ll be honest with you. I believed in myself; I told everyone that I could come out here and show I belonged...and I failed."
Her voice wavered as she finished the sentence. She did her best not to break down in front of Spencer and the camera. Her resistance broke down, and she sobbed shortly. She covered her face with her hands, unable to cope for the moment.
"I’m sorry, I just...I can’t right now, Spencer. I’m sorry."
Fujiko waved him away, her voice unstable and full of sorrow. Spencer made a move to say something, but Fujiko was already fleeing the scene, tears seeping through the spaces between her fingers as she broke into a jog. She did her best to keep herself up, but as she made her way to the women’s dressing room and basically collapsed at the door.
Dread and hurt overwhelmed her, and she sobbed silently against the door. She tried to regain control of herself, but she couldn’t. Her eyes betrayed her; her mouth moved to try and draw breath, yet denied her of air at the same time, and her legs refused to co-operate enough to draw her to a standing base. She was a mess on the floor, trying to return to some form of dignity, and yet was unable to.
After a few agonizing moments, she was able to draw her hand up and grasp at the door next to her. She tried pulling herself up, but her legs still refused to co-operate. She felt just as she did last year, both having lost her first FGA MAL championship and the Gold Rush Rumble. Through the haze of sorrow, she could see Sean Sands tossing her over the top rope and ending her dreams a year ago. She pulled, and the door gave way before her legs caught on. The door swung open, and Fujiko fell forward over the threshold. The lights in the room were out, which caught her attention immediately. She did her best to halt her crying fit enough to see what was going on.
The room was devoid of people. In the center of the room was a reel-to-reel movie projector and a screen. It appeared as if it was waiting for her. She looked around, puzzled.
"Hello?"
She wiped tears from her face and finally found the strength to get off the floor and back up to a vertical base. She gazed around her, finding no-one. She eyed the projector suspiciously, but found that curiosity compelled her to touch it. She didn’t remember it being there when she left to head out towards her match, but there it was. She took a few steps towards it, and as she did, the projector whirred to life.
She stepped back reflexively, looking for a possible escape, but the screen showed her tossing Izzy Anders over the top rope. It then showed her as she watched Cyncity, Dom Harter, Johnny Karma, and Tony Carmine all exit before her. She blinked, unsure why she was being shown this...until the film stopped and moved over to something else.
She was watching herself again. She was once again in the ring, exhaustion evident on her face. The Fujiko on the screen was pulling herself to her feet. She blinked and tried to focus in on what was going on, but a faint feeling of vertigo overtook her, and she stumbled. As she did, she felt something collide into her. She thought she might knock over the projector, but she found it was not there. She looked around in confusion and realized she was in the ring again. Confusion overtook her for a moment, and that combined with the roar of the crowd in her ear made her want to sit down.
She had no time. Someone came rushing at her, and she reacted on instinct by jumping up and throwing out the Lucky Shot. In connected, and she landed on one knee. Someone in the crowd yelled for her to throw them out, and she looked in their direction, confused. An urge to listen to them nagged at her, so she rushed over, picked them up, and tossed them over the top rope. Both of their feet hit the floor after they went over, and the bell rung.
She looked around even more confused, even as “Jaguar” by Bestrack began to play around her.
"Here is your winner of the 2016 Gold Rush Rumble...FUJIKO MINE!"
Fujiko felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She couldn’t believe her ears. She looked around, and then a referee raised her hand. She stared in disbelief at him, and then broke out into tears. This felt somewhat familiar, but the overwhelming rush of joy made it so much sweeter than the bitter, crushing despair she felt...or she imagined she felt earlier. Fujiko leaned over the top rope, tears of joy rappelling down her face and dripping off her chin without a care. Fujiko wanted to just drown in the joy she suddenly felt, the words that J.A. Aldridge just said getting her addicted to the feeling.
"Oh My God, I can’t believe it!"
She managed to exclaim, before she is suddenly in a chair. This time, she goes on as if she’s supposed to be there. There was no confusion. She was right where she needed to be. Across from her, in another chair, was a man who felt familiar. She felt as if she knew him, but the name escaped her. She kept her wide smile as he looked at her and smiled as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here with the 2016 Gold Rush Rumble winner, Fujiko Mine. Fujiko, congratulations once again!"
Joy washed over her again, causing her to grin widely.
"Thank you so much. Really. You don’t know how much it means for me to be here."
"Fujiko, tell us how you feel winning this match?"
She couldn’t hold back. Her words poured forth, joy keeping her from thinking about them too much.
"It means the absolute world to me. To know that I, along with all my supporters, got me to this point, something I know a lot of people didn’t believe could happen. So to be here? I have no words. It’s amazing."
"So Fujiko, now your next step is to challenge for the FGA championship at All Star-Showdown. How do you feel knowing that?"
Fujiko blushed, and placed her hands to her cheeks to quell them.
"I...I don’t know. Like, in the best way, though. I don’t know how else to say it. This is a dream come true. There were so many who didn’t believe I could even get this far, and now I’m here. I just...I can’t…"
Fujiko felt choked up, and she drew in a breath to try and stop herself from crying. She did once more…
...and her eyes fluttered open. She saw three bright red numbers in the darkness.
4:53
She groaned out loud, annoyed with what just happened. The fringes of her dream began to fade away from her, the details already becoming foggy. A part of her wanted to grasp at the dream and force it back in.
Fujiko sat up in bed, trying her best to understand all of what her brain just put her through. Normally, she’d roll back over and do her best to get some sleep, but this was different. A giddy excitement kept her awake and staved off the tiredness she expected. She was awake, and alert. She wanted so badly to close her eyes and finish that interview. She knew that no matter what, that dream was gone. She wasn’t going to be able to return there.
She knew what she’d have to do then. Fujiko was going to finish that interview, but she wasn’t going to be doing so in a dream.
She was going to have to do it for real. All of it. Win the rumble for real. She imagined that the joy she felt in the dream was nothing compared to the joy that awaited her when she did it for real.
She was going to do it for real.
Not just for herself...but for everyone that believed in her. For them, there was going to be no more disappointment. There was going to only be celebrations. Only elation.
She kept thinking about how she couldn’t wait to share it with them as she pushed herself out of bed.
She had work to do.
"Man, Fujiko...this is very familiar."
The man known as Tj Jones stated as he leaned against the ropes. The two of them were in one of the four rings that occupied the area. Not long after most of her bizarre dream had faded away, she called up the man who mentored her and asked to meet. She was fortunate that he picked up and was willing to have her come over. He arrived about ten minutes after she did and let her inside the Renati Center in downtown Milwaukee. The building had gone under some slight changes since the rise of his Renati Brand Apparel company, and one of those changes was a relocation. The new building allowed for much more in the way of space, and Tj had taken full advantage of it. So now Fujiko stood there, with the man who began her journey.
"Oh?"
Tj could only nod and smile as Fujiko carefully tested out the ropes.
"Yup. I remember going down to the basement and jumping in the ring around 4, 5 in the morning, just doing anything I could to prepare myself. Watching tape, trying out new strategies, all that stuff."
Teige put his leg up on the middle rope, stretching it out a bit. He grimaced as his muscles reached their limit, and he laughed a bit.
"It’s been forever since I’ve had a match. Damn."
Fujiko returned a smile to him as she jumped up onto the top rope. She steadied herself, and thought about walking across them. Tj raised an eyebrow, and she noticed.
"Yeah, I know. But you still have people keeping your career alive."
Tj’s grin surprised Fujiko. She lost hers, exchanging it for a look of puzzlement.
"What?"
Fujiko looked at him strangely, prompting him to elaborate on more than just the facial expression.
"I know people like Tony and Zero like saying my name and dragging it through the mud, but it doesn’t bother me. They obviously still have something to prove, and if they think that bringing me up helps that, good for them. I’ve been confident with leaving wrestling behind for a while, so their little insults don’t mean shit to me. I do hear about them, sure, but I don’t really care. The facts are out there, and my legacy is intact. They can say what they want, but in the end? It’s how you respond that matters."
Tj places his hand out, as if there was an imaginary example there.
"They can say what they want about how I trained you, and about my involvement in your career; but the truth is what it is. I haven’t been involved in your training in almost a year. You’ve sought out your own training since. They have their own reasons for bringing me up, but what you do with your career will speak for itself. For instance, this opportunity at the Gold Rush Rumble will speak for itself. People forget how well you did last year. You outlasted a lot of people who stood in front of a camera and told them no one was going to deny them. They talked a big game….and among the ranks of people who said they would...hmmm…"
Tj taps his chin, the answer already there. Fujiko smiled sheepishly, as she realized where he was going.
"Zero and Tony. This year Zero will tell everyone that he’ll prove that he let Cindy win, or whatever. Tony will tell everyone this is his destiny, and no one else deserves to win. But we know better. YOU know better."
Fujiko let his words sink in. He stood there, taking his gaze away from her and scanning the room.
"I don’t have a tried and true method of telling you how to win, Fujiko. Who knows when you will enter, and who will enter before or after you. Regardless of whether people think you are the favorite, or the ultimate underdog doesn't matter. You will have the target on your back, because you stand in everyone’s way enroute to their victory. Everyone, except of course those already eliminated, will stand in your way. You can be smart about this though. All that matters is that you don’t go over the top and your feet don’t touch the floor, and that you’re the last one in the ring. I know it’s one of those ‘easier than it looks’ things, and you’re right. But don’t let the difficulty of something stop you. No matter how many times they try and stop you, keep getting back up. Never back down, and do what it is you do. Don’t worry about what they’re trying to do. Just worry about yourself. Believe in yourself, and you can stop anyone who tells you ‘you can’t.’"
Fujiko looked out in the direction where Tj was looking, and she saw the Renati logo on the far wall. Full posters of some of the Renati Brand athletes were there.
Gwen Massey. Cailey Carter. Ashley Sullivan. TGH. Chelle Harper. Arkia Fisk. Tj Jones.
Fujiko Mine. She was there, in the center.
"I don’t give a damn what anyone has to say, Fujiko. They haven’t had your struggle. They haven’t lived in your shoes. They can use the same excuses for your success if they want, but it won’t change the fact that I am proud of you, and that I believe you can win this and go all the way to the top. You can do it. I believe in you. They believe in you."
Tj pointed at the people on the banner.
"The people sitting at ringside? They believe in you. And most importantly?"
Tj places his palm on the side of her face.
"You believe. You got this."
Fujiko felt her face grow warm, and she smiled up at him. He patted her cheek lightly, and then backed up.
"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. You’re gonna make me cry."
Tj took a step back as well, rolling his shoulders and stretches his arms out. Fujiko made for a move to prepare herself, but a small thought made its voice known.
Ask about your father.
Her face turned pensive as the thought thumped harder in her head. Was this really worth asking him now? Did she really want to try and complicate things by entertaining that thought? She wasn’t sure. She was stuck in the back and forth of it, and after a moment, she made her choice. She inhaled, and opened her mouth to say something.
There is a lot of talk going on around this time of year. Everyone sees the chance to ‘call their shot’. They say that no one will stop them, and that no one believes in them, specifically. But that is all going to change this time around, they say. They are going to be the one who stands alone in the ring at the end of the night, their fate right and truly sealed.
I am going to be the one who makes it to the top. That’s what you will continually hear going into the Gold Rush Rumble in just a few short days.
Who am I to add to that list of people?
Me, whose road here has been harder than anyone, bar none. No one can debate that. From this point last year, and seeing my promising reign as Mid-Atlantic Legacy Champion cut short due to Noelle Smith and a dash of Hubris, to the tailspin that was the months to follow. There are those who will claim that they have been weathered more for this, but they’re wrong.
I have hardened, molded, and prepared for this. This isn’t about me having something to prove anymore. I’ve proved that I belong here. Let the idiots who point to my chest and make comments about how I don’t belong in the ring take a long walk off a short pier. Let that fuel their egos, let it make them feel better. But it doesn’t matter what they believe. All that matters is what I do.
There is no way I’m not walking out of this with the victory that everyone is clamoring for.
I’ve bled more for this. I’ve lost sleep for this. I’ve dragged myself to this point so that I could outlast every single person en route to this.
They’re all good. Every single person in this match is good. There’s no doubt about that. Any one of them could take this match. They have the talent, the ability, and the drive to win it.
But they won’t.
I’ve been through moments in my career that would make some of the people in this field of competitors want to quit. They would give up. They would break down. I have been through all of it, and I’m still here.
The difference between the those who will tell you that they are going to win the Gold Rush Rumble this year, and me?
I am actually going to.
Let everyone else give a laundry list of why so-and-so won’t win, and they will. They are trying to convince themselves more than they are trying to convince the other competitors and the fans. Let them enjoy that facade. It will end up with them being disappointed as their bold claims come to nothing.
Me? My failures and successes led me here. The failures have hardened me, prepared me for this 2nd chance at redemption. They have shown me that I will get knocked down. I look back at the last month I've had, and it's a prime example. I got knocked down. But I got back up, and I will continue to do so until I am the last one standing. My successes have given me the sweet taste that I keep clamoring for.
So in a few short days, you will see a sad parade of those who thought they wanted this more than anyone, and were proven wrong...and one woman, named Fujiko Mine, standing in the ring.
Who was right. Right about being stronger, faster, and more prepared than anyone else in this match. They all are good, and they all stand a chance. But they still can't match up to me. Don't believe me? That's okay. I'm used to it. I'm still going to do it. While everyone else comes up empty...
...I'm leaving the Hershey Center looking golden.
