Hope

[STORM]

To my daughter Hope,

You were born only a week ago.

And already you have become my everything.

I've decided to write you a series of letters in case anything goes wrong and when you're older you can open it up, and think of it as you may. Maybe you'll like them or maybe you won't. This is pretty much a shot in the dark so hell, I'm going to do it anyway.

First and foremost, I want you to know that I solemnly vow to protect you. 
Protect you against all evil that this world brings, 
and as sad as it is to say, there's a lot of it in this world. 
Hatred is something that has engulfed within everyone,
a trait that has become customary for man and woman and people hate what they don't understand. 
And if there's one thing about me you should know; is that I'm a very hard person to understand. 

I care for everything and nothing at the same time. I want everything and nothing at the same time. 
And that indecisive behavior is something that I need to cut out, because now you're in my life;

And the last thing I want is to get lost with distractions, and distance myself from my first daughter. 
As your father it is my duty to be there for you every step in the way as you grow into a woman,
but the sad fact of it is, I know I won't be there for everything.
Hell.. I could miss your first steps. 
I could miss your first words. 
I could miss your only prom. 
And that fact breaks my heart but it's fact that I'm aware of..

What your Daddy does is a little confusing in a way, and to some people.. is pretty fucking dumb..
I put some tights on, sometimes some trunks, I step inside a four sided structure and I fight other men and women,
to the point where one of us can't endure anymore torture. 
Yeah, you're Daddy's a psycho but he's learned to embrace it.  
It's something he's had to learn and do because otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now..
And you wouldn't of been born..

Funny how things work out. 

I step inside that four sided ring, get paid and travel the world to do it..
It's something that's very rewarding but has a lot of issues with it.
But it's something that I've been dedicated to since I was a boy;
something that I have to do, something that I want to be the best at..
And it's my job, and someone's gotta put that food on the table for you and Mommy
Someone's got to put those clothes on your back. 
Someone's got to pay for you to go to college on day.
And I guess this is the only way I know how..

You were born a week ago,
And you're already the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.

There's no championship belt,
No tournament,
No accolade, 
No win,
No match,
No accomplishment that can even compare. 
You are by far the greatest thing to have ever happened to me,
And being a father, it changes you. 
You don't when it does, you just know that it does.. 
And as your father, I want you to be proud of me.
I want you to be able to go to school and tell your friends that "that's" my dad, 
with a great deal of pride and compassion. 

I just want you to proud.
I want you to be happy. 

I hope this first letter wasn't too bad.
God, I'm starting to make myself cry.

Your father,
- Mark.

THE SHOOT

"I don't know you. We've never had a conversation before. We've barely even took a glance at one another. 

But I know enough to know that you're someone who shouldn't be undermined or underestimated.. 

You shouldn't be overlooked whatsoever because from what I've seen, you're quick - you're agile. 

And you utilize that, an advantage that most of your opponents can't keep up with. 

You've got a crazy amount of endurance, you won't give up without a fight..

You get knocked down, you get back up. 

A skilled martial artist who may not be the biggest, but when it comes to ability...

You're certainly up there with the best."

He'd done his research. He may not have known her on a personal level, but that didn't matter. In just a matter of days; he had already deciphered her; knowing all of her strengths and weaknesses through extensive research as well as a document which lists all of the essential information on his opponent, Yun Goeun. A document in one hand, scrunched up piece of paper on the other, a look of calmness in his eyes and a sense of maturity in his character as he sat on the edge of the four sided ring; located in his home in St Louis Missouri. With the income that he gets, buying a wrestling ring to install to your home gym is just a standard procedure. It was evident that he had just been training, you could tell by his frizzy hair and glistening glow to his skin, as well as being dressed in gym attire. 

Heck, God knows you're up there with the best because you've managed to compete with them for so long. I've said it time after time after time, that this place is home to the best grapplers in the world and to survive here, you've gotta be one of the best. Something you've managed to do.. survive, because you're still here.. a lot of people are all talk, they preach their words and have everybody believing in what they're saying.. but when it comes to the art of putting those words into actions, they freeze. Become stagnant and it all blows up in their face. I don't want to be one of those guys. Believe me. But now it's just all about backing up the words with actions and to be honest with you, everyone's seen glimpses. They've seen segmentation of me doing what I do, but they haven't yet even got to embrace the full package. You saw it last week against Johnny Karma, I gave him a fight that he wasn't expecting.. a fight he was expecting to roll over, a fight that he was expecting to be easy. What people need to realize is that when you step inside the four sided ring with me, it's never going to be easy... even when I'm not at my best, I'll push you to the depths of hell and give you a match you'll never forget. I'll be honest with you again. I haven't been at my best.. with recent touring schedules conflicting with my time here, it's hard keeping up with the demands but I knew that when I got myself into this. I knew that straight off the bat when I decided to indulge myself in a global takeover tour. 

The demands are high but they're becoming regular, my body is strengthening and I am evolving. I'm getting used to the demands, and now that I am, it's time to capitalize and unfortunately for yourself Yun, looks like you're going to be a victim. You're the baddest female to come out of Seoul City. You've got this energy that just sends the fans into a frenzy, you're charismatic and flamboyant, something that's become a rarity in this day and age. You were a pop star right? Before you started this whole gig. And I'm not even judging.. I'm not the kind of guy who's going to slate you because of something you've done in the past. I'm not the type of guy who's going to use that against you, and say that you don't belong in a ring.. because that would be a lie, you do belong in the ring. Being a pop star requires so much energy, so much charisma and you brought that with you when you decided to leave that realm and enter this one. But what I will use against you, is that you're inexperienced. And that, ultimately, could be your biggest downfall. Now I haven't even been doing this shit for that long too but in the time that I've been around, I've traveled the globe.. something that I'm currently doing now again; from Tokyo, to Mexico, to London, to Auckland.. name it, I've been there, perfecting my craft.. honing my skills, trying to get better and better each and every damn day. 

Traveling the world of wrestling was something that mean't a lot to Mark Storm. It was something that had opened up a lot of avenues, and through traveling the world he had made real friendships, been honored with a number of championship belts, and had been able to step inside the ring with some of the best fighters in the world. So it was only natural that when he spoke about the matter, he spoke with so much pride and honor, with the look of great pride glowing within him as he spoke. 

"Does that make better than you? Who knows? I guess we'll find out when we do collide in that ring. 

Maybe your inexperience won't let you down. Maybe it'll be your inability to endure a submission lock.
Because God knows when I lock motherfucker in that killer calf submission hold, they're getting out, until they tap.
OR maybe that strong will of yours will come back and haunt you, biting you in the butt and costing you the match.
As far as I'm concerned this is your domain, this has been your home longer than mine.
I'm stepping into your ring Saturday night, I stepping into your house. 
And the only way you're going to stop me from winning, is by putting me down.

You're going to have to put me down Goeun. 
You're going to have to stop me from breathing."

And he wasn't joking. 

Goeun you're going to be quite the unlucky lady. Because I have so much to prove. So much to offer! So much to go out there and justify. So much on the line but people won't see that.. this is just another match to the outsiders but to me, this is everything. You've gotta start somewhere Goeun and my start has been slow and rather nauseating, but you've gotta break a few eggs if you wanna make an omelette that's what I always say. And that's what I've been doing! Breaking a few eggs! But it's time to come in fruition, it's time to show Frontier Grappling Arts exactly what I can do! It's time to show why I'm a former World Heavyweight champion, current Junior Heavyweight Champion, future FGA Champion! It's time to show why I deserve to be here. Because I've worked my ass off for far too long to get to where I am today, and to see all of that get discredited, it'll be heartbreaking but I won't let it reach that magnitude. It's time to make some damn waves! And you'll be the first to drown. I haven't seen a promo get cut on your behalf but I'm sure as hell expecting one. And it should be interesting to hear what you've gotta say, and what you think about me.. maybe you're just like everybody else who wants to write me off.. or maybe you know talent when you see it, and you know that you're in for a match like none other. 

It's getting dark now Goeun. And I'm not referring to the damn weather or any of that climactic shit. I'm talkin' about this place, it's becoming infected but I'm not too sure if you see it like I do. Whilst this place also hones the best in the world, it also hones the ignorant, the arrogant, egotistical cheaters of the game. And that darkness is going to continue to grow and grow and grow and whilst others sit on the sideline and just let it happen, that's not quite my forte. I like to give punishment where it's due and those people, the said "infection", they'll get what's coming to them in due time. But for now, my focus is on you Goeun. And you should be scared, you should be fearful. I've embraced my fears, I've embraced my doubts and that's what makes me stronger more than ever. That's what keeps me going.. 

For one final time he paused, looking down at the ground whilst running his fingers through his hair before looking back up at the camera and moisturizing his lips. 

"There's a storm coming to Frontier Grappling Arts. 

It's about to wipe out the whole fuckin' roster. 

And his name, is Mark STORM."