Post by Zasshu II on Jul 5, 2023 1:32:54 GMT
{ We open on Akihiro Nakamura, the former Zasshu. He stands proudly in the center of the ring of his professional wrestling school located in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Despite his less than stellar career he has earned his place among some of the top workers in the country and aspiring professional wrestlers from all over the world come to him for training.
He holds something absolutely precious in his hands. Something that doesn’t have a monetary worth. Something he holds closer and more dear than an interpersonal relationship in his life. He holds the mast he once wore. A mask that was savagely removed by a man who’s name he refuses to ever utter aloud again.
Before him stands a student. She isn’t the youngest of the crop, in fact she came to him well into her professional wrestling career. But he saw something in her. He saw something special that needed to be honed, directed, educated. Her face is obscured to us. Akihiro looks at the mask before raising it up and offering it to her. }
?: Are you sure?
Akihiro Nakamura: I have never been more sure of something in my life.
?: But what if you want to return?
Akihiro Nakamura: If I return it will be under my own name. I do not need the mask anymore but I feel that you do.
?: It would be my honor.
{ She reaches her hands out to receive the mask. He passes it off to her without hesitation. }
Akihiro Nakamura: The Legend of Zasshu is that of the unwanted, the uncared for, someone cast aside by society before they were ever given the chance. I see that in you. I see the spark of someone ignored, looked over, cast aside without a second thought. This mask will do more than set you apart from the competition. It will give you freedom.
{ Slowly she raises the mask up and begins to put it on, tying the strings on the back to bring the leather against her face. }
Akihiro Nakamura: The mystery of who are beneath the mask will draw them in. Your talents in the ring will keep them coming back from more. You are Zasshu now.
{ She bows her head. }
Zasshu: Thank you.
He holds something absolutely precious in his hands. Something that doesn’t have a monetary worth. Something he holds closer and more dear than an interpersonal relationship in his life. He holds the mast he once wore. A mask that was savagely removed by a man who’s name he refuses to ever utter aloud again.
Before him stands a student. She isn’t the youngest of the crop, in fact she came to him well into her professional wrestling career. But he saw something in her. He saw something special that needed to be honed, directed, educated. Her face is obscured to us. Akihiro looks at the mask before raising it up and offering it to her. }
?: Are you sure?
Akihiro Nakamura: I have never been more sure of something in my life.
?: But what if you want to return?
Akihiro Nakamura: If I return it will be under my own name. I do not need the mask anymore but I feel that you do.
?: It would be my honor.
{ She reaches her hands out to receive the mask. He passes it off to her without hesitation. }
Akihiro Nakamura: The Legend of Zasshu is that of the unwanted, the uncared for, someone cast aside by society before they were ever given the chance. I see that in you. I see the spark of someone ignored, looked over, cast aside without a second thought. This mask will do more than set you apart from the competition. It will give you freedom.
{ Slowly she raises the mask up and begins to put it on, tying the strings on the back to bring the leather against her face. }
Akihiro Nakamura: The mystery of who are beneath the mask will draw them in. Your talents in the ring will keep them coming back from more. You are Zasshu now.
{ She bows her head. }
Zasshu: Thank you.
“Everyone talks about their journey.”
“How they got here.”
“How hard they had to fight.”
“But the thing that most people ignore is how similar all of our journeys are.”
“Whether you started out in a local high school gym or in a bar in Tokyo, all of us had to fight hard to get here. We had to give our blood, sweat and tears just for a chance to stand in a professional wrestling ring with a national television deal.”
“Most of us aren’t that different.”
“But we don’t like to talk about that. That doesn’t make for a good story. Someone always had to have a harder journey. Someone always had to have a greater hardship. Someone always has to be the hero of their own story.”
“That isn’t me.”
“I’m not here to compare journeys.”
“I’m not here looking for sympathy.”
“Who I was before I put this mask on no longer matters. The life I lived? The matches I had? The things I accomplished? They’re nothing. Inconsequential. I’m not here to measure dicks with the rest of the professional wrestling world.”
“I’m here to be the best possible version of myself that I can be. I’m here to learn, to grow, to gain as much knowledge about professional wrestling as humanly possible. I’ve had a lot of teachers over my career. Some of them are remembered fondly, other’s, not so much. But I have learned something from all of them.”
“I have learned how to talk the talk.”
“I have learned how to walk the talk.”
“I have learned how to put it all together into a total package.”
“And now I step into an IWF ring for the first time as Zasshu to put all those lessons to the test.”
“Khardiata Senghor you will be my first true opponent since dawning this mask. I have watched your tapes. You truly are impressive for someone most of the world hasn’t heard of. That isn’t an insult by the way.”
“They should know who you are.”
“You are skilled beyond your years despite your relative young age. You know how to work someone over and lure them into a trap. You have the ability to absolutely cripple someone before they even know what’s going on.”
“To say I’m excited for this challenge would be under selling it.”
“Before I dawned this mask I was a shoot specialist. I prided myself on my ability to break another human being's body down. My one and only goal was to manipulate my opponent into a pinfall predicament.”
“That was before the mask.”
“Akihiro has taught me that my previous goals were single minded. Professional wrestling isn’t simply a game of checkers. Professional wrestling is a game of poker. There are many ways to win, many means to an end and the endless possibilities make it almost impossible to predict who is going to win a match.”
“Simply because you hold two Aces doesn’t guarantee victory.”
“A master of a single style is a master of nothing. Being the best technical wrestler on the planet means nothing when facing off against someone who excels on the mat as well as outside of the ring. My focus used to just be on being the best at one thing but Akihiro has taught me to try and master many arts.”
“But there is always more to learn.”
“And I see you as a learning opportunity.”
“You aren’t someone who paints themselves into a corner.”
“You aren’t tied to a single style.”
“You’re a Jack of all trades.”
“And that is exactly what I want to be.”
“The Ace of all Trade.”
“The library of professional wrestling is endless and I want to lose myself in its hallways. I want to learn everything there is to learn. I want to know everything there is to know. I want to be the embodiment of every aspect of this sport.”
“You can think that’s stupid.”
“You can make fun of me.”
“But you won’t be laughing when I counter a move you’ve done a thousand times on my first try.”
“I’m not a master of any style, Khardiata Senghor, I’m a student of every style.”
“So the question then becomes what do you know that I don’t?”
“We’re going to find out.”
“And that is what this sport is all about.”
Well howdy there pardner.