Adversity / Memories, Part 3
Jul 22, 2021 22:48:44 GMT -5
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Post by MYŌJIN on Jul 22, 2021 22:48:44 GMT -5
3 Years Ago
It took a while for the blonde to decide what it was that they wanted to do within their life. When they had finally become an adult, the question was if to still follow their mother's wishes still- or finally decide what they wanted to do, even if it went against family's expectations.
Being given the option of free will after years of well, being coddled. The responsibilities of being an adult now, having to be someone that could make their own choices without anyone else's input was both refreshing and admittedly scary.
Especially when now at the point of going past childhood dreams- and having to realistically ask themselves, if wrestling was the right option for them.
Shouta, or at the moment, MYOJIN- wasn't very sure if they had made the right choice. Besides feeling like they were being pushed to their limit as they landed back first heavily on a ring mat from a suplex- getting the wind knocked out of them, their vision doubling as they pulled themselves up using the ring ropes.
Before they were in the XHF, or any major wrestling promotion- Before they were the prodigy they were seen as, MYOJIN didn't exactly have an easy start in wrestling- debuting in a California-based promotion with maybe around 100 people per show, in a modestly sized hall. It wasn't very glamorous, either. The blonde didn't exactly start as some unstoppable ace- and it took a while for them to find where they stood, as currently- They weren't feeling that great.
They were facing the typical powerhouse kind of wrestler. One that weighed a lot more than them and was using it to their advantage, MYOJIN's experience in the octagon had never fully prepared them to face someone that wasn't on an equal standing in terms of strength- Very unprepared.
The crowd was enjoying the match, mainly due to seeing the bigger wrestler show off. He was considered the top guy, the main eventer that everyone would come to see.
The Shining Star stood, dazed, but still on their feet with a glare as they ran at their opponent- but the same result happened, he lifted them up and slammed them back down with a thunderous thud. Each time it happened, the audience seemed to grow quiet as MYOJIN kept pulling themself back up. They couldn't give up, they couldn't quit.
To be quite honest, they had been getting their ass kicked. Severely.
But no matter how many times they were knocked down, they kept getting back up- Even while clearly in pain. Even while knowing they were outmatched, even when running out of steam. They stood up again, their opponent seemingly not taking them very seriously if at all- which gave them the chance to run in with a dropkick which sent him stumbling, MYOJIN then began throwing multiple palm strikes and kicks- staggering him as they then ran toward the ropes, a sudden rush of adrenaline going throughout their body as they turned around.
The blonde felt that if they could beat him, they could do anything. They were building momentum- it was a long shot, but it was possible!
Until they were met with possibly the hardest lariat they have ever felt in their life. They blacked out, head ringing as they went out cold- and felt themselves get covered with a pin.
One. Two. Three.
To say MYOJIN was disappointed when they woke up as the referee checked up on them would be an understatement.
The referee helped them sit up and roll out of the ring, and the crowd was still focused on their hero- who picked up a mic.
“Hey, kid!” His amplified voice rang throughout the arena, causing MYOJIN to turn around and look at him- breathing heavily. The established top guy grinned.
“You're not bad! You actually made me sweat a little. But if you ever expect to get anywhere in this place, you gotta do better than that, rookie.”
MYOJIN gritted their teeth, looking down. They hated the smug look on his face as he began cutting a promo to the crowd while they walked to the back, they hated his words- because… they felt true.
A little while later, Shouta sat in the almost empty locker room, they sat- conflicted as they ran a hand through their golden hair. Frustrated at their loss. Maybe people were right, maybe they weren't meant for what they dreamed to be.
There was a knock near them, causing Shouta to look up with surprise as they saw an older man, dark brown hair with unshaved stubble- fairly ripped, someone they recognized as a bit of the locker room leader and an indie legend around Cali. His name was Austin Rex.
“Not a bad job out there, kid.” He spoke, giving a briefly friendly smile. Shouta looked at him for a few moments, before staring back down with a sigh.
“Are you kidding? All I was doing was managing to get thrown around for like fifteen minutes..”
““But you kept getting back up, didn't you?” Austin asked, walking over. He folded his arms. ““It's MYOJIN, right?”
“I didn't win, and yeah.”
““Winning ain't everything, MYOJIN.” The veteran resounded, sitting down on the bench next to them. Shouta looked at him, somewhat confused. Austin could tell they were and laughed slightly.
““Losses are common in anything competitive, you just have to dust yourself off and keep going- no matter how many times you get rocked. The loss isn't what matters, it's whether you get back up from it or not. You didn't give up, even when getting tossed around, did'cha?”
“I mean… No, but… What's the point of trying if I'm just not good at it?” Shouta responded, sighing quietly as they rubbed the back of their neck. “It seems like no matter how much I keep trying, I get nowhere.”
““Kid… Do you see this scar under my chin?” Austin asked, pointing to a mark on the side of his jaw. ““When I was around your age, I was fighting as hard as I could- and plenty of times, I've gotten my ass beat and knocked the hell out.. But I didn't give up on myself, I was stubborn, and you know what happened? One day I won a fight. One day I was suddenly a better man than I was before- because I grew from that struggle.” Austin stood, walking over to pat Shouta on the shoulder.
““If you keep fighting like the way you are, eventually the same is bound to happen. Now if ya excuse me, my match is next.” Austin then left the locker room.
Shouta sat there, watching him leave as they thought to themselves- before getting up and rubbing their hurt face. Maybe that Austin had a point…
Present Day
Adversity.
Adversity is a part of life. If one never experiences it, if one never goes through struggle- one doesn't grow. As much as people loved to focus on the positive experiences in one's life and how they tended to shape people- but the negative ones were just as impactful. As much as those moments of when someone is at their lowest hurts, people say that one learns who they really are in situations like that. Or at least they're supposed to.
And MYOJIN was about to face their greatest challenge yet, the ultimate test, the scariest trial.
Showing up to an XHF fan meet and greet.
Night of Champions was growing closer and closer. It was the only thing that the Shining Star could think about as they sat in a booth, leaning their head into their palm. Of course, they wanted the X*Crown Champion to be at a small convention before the big match at what could arguably be the greatest Night of Champions show up to date, given its historical importance and it is the twentieth anniversary of the entirety of the Network. The blonde could see fans wandering around, wearing shirts of plenty of other XHF wrestlers- including some of the opponents that they’d be facing in the Celebration Slam match. As they sat, thinking to themselves, they admittedly were a little uncomfortable.
They understood that being the face of XHF came with the social interactions, and other types of appearances. They knew that at some point they were going to have to grow used to doing it as much. Though it felt weird to them- to be doing more than just wrestling and cutting promos or doing the occasional interviews. It, however, gave them a better perspective- a slightly more personal connection to them as well- allowing them to empathize more.
The blonde leaned in their chair, looking down at the purple-strap X*Crown Championship laying across their shoulder. They looked at it, thinking of just how much it had changed their life in under practically a month since they had won it.
While it had given them more responsibilities, more of an influence and certainly more awareness of how the public viewed them- which was admittedly stressful to try and hold themself up to what they believed the prestige of the X*Crown deserved, at the same time- They were thankful for that. Thankful for even the chance to experience being the X*Crown Champion and to be given the chance to be the example of what they thought the XHF deserved. MYOJIN felt as though it was something that helped mature and develop them as a wrestler and as a person. Being on top tended to change someone's view.
That said, they also couldn't help but still think about the challenge ahead. It was going to be very, very difficult- but if they could pull it off, if they could win- MYOJIN would know they truly deserved to be the champion, that they could handle the pressure of being a main eventer. If they could break the curse of no X*Crown Champion successfully defending at least once since the Rumble, a part of them would finally feel at ease completely- and sure of themselves.
“Um, hello!” The voice of an adult woman brought MYOJIN out of their thoughts. Did someone want another autograph? They've been signing those all day… They blinked, eyes briefly widening before turning to see a grown woman- dark brown hair with green eyes, she seemed to be in her late twenties to early thirties. Though next to her, holding her hand, was a small boy with sandy brown hair- he seemed rather shy as he seemed to hide almost behind her.
MYOJIN gave a gentle smile, nodding toward them. “Hello, what's up?”
She smiled back, “My, uh, son is a real big fan of yours. He even has one of those little shirts of yours.”
The blonde turned toward the boy, giving him a wave. It seemed to ease the kid's nervousness. “Is that so? It's nice to meet you, what's your name?”
The boy didn't respond, his mother sighed but looked at the Shining Star before leaning over to whisper to them. “He's Jonathan. I'm sorry, he doesn't have a lot of friends at school and it's been really hard for him recently.. He deals with a lot of… bullies. He's a big FIRESIDE fan and you probably don't know this, but we were at Battle of the Best… and seeing you beat Constantine- someone who kind of reminds him of his bullies- it really made him happy.”
MYOJIN smiled gently, though they were surprised. To know that they had that much of a positive influence on someone else gave them a feeling they couldn't explain. They walked over and kneeled down to speak to Jonathan. “Hey, Jon. Can I call you Jon?”
A small smile appeared on the boy's face as he nodded. “So I've heard you're a real big fan of me?/ I really appreciate that, but you know something? I'm a big fan of yours too. You've got a strong heart, Jon, I know you're not having a great time at school- but you've kept going, and haven't let them put you down- that makes you really powerful, even better than me.”
“Really? I'm better than you?” They had gotten him to speak, their smile brightened.
“Mhm. You're the toughest kid in the world, so thanks for being on my side- I hope to be as tough as you someday. Oh, and there's something I have to give you- something that those jerks at school don't have.”
They took out from their costume's coat, the masquerade domino mask they would wear at all their matches. Jonathan's eyes brightened as they placed the mask in their hands. “I want you to hold onto his for me, okay? It's like a lucky charm."
“Woah..! Thanks! I promise I won't lose it- Mom, look what MYOJIN gave me!” He excitedly showed it to his mother, who smiled at seeing him so happy. MYOJIN stood and nodded to her as Jonathan turned back to them.
“I believe in you, you're awesome!”
MYOJIN faltered ever so slightly. For some reason, those words were beyond touching- even from just a little boy. To know that there were still people rooting for them, even if it was just one kid, meant the world.
“Thanks, Jonathan. I won't let you down.”
Life is a struggle, there is no doubt about that. We fall, we experience rejection and heartbreak, we lose, and it’s constantly an uphill battle. I think both 2020 and 2021 are both very unfortunately big examples of this. Just as we thought the pandemic was close to being over, the next thing we know is that there’s a delta strain bringing up the numbers again in America and our mental health has been put through test after test- and I’m just talking about this country alone, the rest of the world in places like India have been having it worse.
There has been so much negativity in all our lives. It’s been hard, and it’s been the worst couple of years that some of us have ever experienced. It’s forced a lot of us to think and realize just how vulnerable we all are. And I’ve asked myself plenty of times if I’ve reached my limit…
But, in a way, a lot of has been brought together by the obstacles and the issues we’ve gone through. We all can relate toward each other and our struggles, reminded of how we’re not always in control of what happens in our lives- We’ve been shaken out of apathy, insensitivity, and forced to be reminded of how we’re all... Just human beings trying to get by.
Night of Champions is coming closer and closer- and I’ve been thinking more and more about it. As much as I’ve talked about it, I’m not sure if I’ve fully taken the time to recognize just how big of a deal this match will be. How difficult it is going to be for any of us to win it, how hard it’s going to be to defend against six of what the best of XHF has to offer. At first, it was scary, stressful, throughout this past week I’ve thought about so much involving the X*Crown and what I want to accomplish with it. With how there’s been a streak of the past champions not being able to defend the Crown, with how I’ll live up to someone like Dylan Black who had one hell of a reign. I’ve thought about all of this, how my legacy in XHF will be affected by this match, if I’ll be able to somehow pull this off or if I’ll fail- and admittedly? It’s weighed a lot on my mind. Though I haven’t realized how self-centered it was of me to think so much about myself and how much this matters to me, how much it will affect me- without thinking of the many fans in attendance that will be rooting for me.
It’s going to be the greatest event of the entire year, so many fans brought together to cheer or boo- so many memories to create again- and I think that I've finally realized that this is more than just about the X*Crown Championship, more than just about proving which of the seven of us is the best.
It's about putting on one hell of a show for everyone watching. To show our respect for this sport and our passion for everyone
watching.
Adrien, I'm more than happy to finally be finally sharing the ring with you. I bet you wonder why I had wanted to face you with the Junior Heavyweight title on the line so long ago, and I had a good reason- long ago, when I was younger, I had really looked up to you.
Before I was an active wrestler, you were the ultimate hero. The one to always fight against the odds no matter what you were put up against and I can't help but appreciate and admire that. For years, you've always gone against the grain and despite what anyone has ever said and tried to put you down- You've always fought and always will be a fighter.
You're a prideful man, and I respect that. I understand why you want the X*Crown, just like everyone else- but I can't let you take it from me. I'm going to fight my hardest just like I will against everyone else in this match.
I'm just worried about how much you're going to push yourself for the sake of your pride. I know you've never been one to quit, but considering how banged up you are to get here.
I think, considering how much you have to fight for- to LIVE for- It's selfish to be pushing as hard for egos sake when your body hasn't fully healed. You're going into this match, probably the most hurt out of anyone.
Just how willing are you to fight for the Crown? Willing enough to risk everything for it?
Honestly, I understand it myself.
I've fought so hard to get where I am to be, to be the X*Crown Champion, and to lead XHF and give my best performance at against the top fighters everywhere and anywhere.
I want this badly- and I will do everything that I can to not give it up. I'm willing to put everything that I've got into this.
Because I'm not just fighting for myself and my goals, I'm going into Night of Champions hoping to inspire every single person that could use some hope in these times, everyone who has ever cheered for me.
I'm going to do my best to make this the greatest Night of Champions ever. One that people will remember fondly for days, weeks, months, years after. Win or lose.
Let's treat this match like it should be treated: a celebration. Of how hard all of has worked to get here, of how long XHF has lasted, of all of our histories that brought us to this moment- and to the family and fans that has supported us all our entire way to this.
Good luck, the six of you. You're going to need it.
I am the X*Crown Champion- and I will fight like a champion should.