Post by Raiden Ishimori on Aug 14, 2018 2:08:37 GMT -5
{It had been a little over a week since Raiden flew back after the hellacious night he had endured at Night of Champions. His face was mostly cut up from the battle wounds he received at the hands of Jackson Steele but doctors told him that the cuts should heal up completely no later than the end of the month. In the meantime, most of his time had been spent at home, resting in order to recover from the work he had put his body, knowing there are still several trials ahead of him to test his will and resolve. Initially, he had no intentions for any challenge in the near future except for the bookings he would continue to receive but lately, things had gone quiet over in Yokohama as most phone calls went to voicemail when trying to ask about future events but nothing ever got back to him.}
{On this day, however, Raiden had decided to finally get back into his training, albeit light work first in order to regain the flow and also to allow his body to re-adjust to the intensity he used to run on before his rest. With training having been finished, Raiden was now relaxing at one of the small outdoor cafes, dressed casually for the hot weather in a simple t-shirt and shorts as the summer heat was still beating down on the city. A pair of sunglasses served as a shield not only from the sun but also the bruising left around his eyes that was still taking the time to heal. In his hands, sat his phone, his thumb casually brushing up against the screen as he browsed the various social media platforms. Still nothing exciting. With a sigh, he exits back to the home screen before setting his phone down on the table. Being inactive was sort of a weird thing to experience at this point in time but what could you do? The only way that Raiden could utilize his time was through training but even that had a limit due to the amount of punishment the body could withstand. Leaning back in his chair, he runs his hands through his hair, struggling on what to do next while watching passerby walk along the streets before him.}
Voice: “I see you’re finally out and about.”
{Looking up from his seat, his gaze met Reina’s who had arms folded under her chest. Like Raiden, she’s dressed rather casual for the day with a short sleeve top that ended just above her belly button along with a pair of black jeans. A slight smirk crept up on Raiden’s face as he stood from his chair.}
Raiden: “A bit warm to be wearing something like that, don’t ya think?”
Reina: “I’m able to manage it.”
Raiden: “And also make it look good.”
Reina: “Ever the flatterer.”
{Raiden gives a casual shrug as he sits back down with Reina taking the seat across from him.}
Reina: “I see you’ve healed up quite well compared to when I first saw you at the airport. You looked like an absolute mess as you walked towards us.”
Raiden: “Well, when you toss in an aching body, jet lag, and a throbbing headache, then yeah. Things aren’t exactly the most presentable in some situations.”
Reina: “Yet you’re out wandering about today.”
Raiden: “Kinda have to at some point. Gotta get back into that training flow in order to prepare for future matches.”
Reina: “And what is next on the list of Mr. Bone Cold?”
{A sigh escapes Raiden’s lips as he puts his hands behind his head.}
Raiden: “In the near future? I have no clue. Things have gone quiet over in Yokohama, so no one really knows what’s going on there. As for what’s ahead in the coming weeks, there’s the case of having to fly back out to Minneapolis for another large event.”
Reina: “And what would it be this time?”
Raiden: “Global Dominance is what it’s been labeled. Someone from the XHF brought up the idea of having a PPV dedicated to open challenges made by people from all over the network and the head of it, Mongo, seemed down for the idea and it got put into action. I wasn’t exactly planning to be in it…”
Reina (cocking a brow): “But…?”
Raiden: “Someone called me out. Kira Izumi, or The Prince of Flip as he’s known over in AWF. The man claimed the challenges there were getting boring for him since he apparently faced just about every person there and he decided to call me out of all the people available.”
Reina: “And you’re not happy with it?”
Raiden: “Eh, not really the reason but I just question the decision as to why he wanted me out of everyone in the XHF. He could’ve chosen anyone else aside from me. Jackson, Anomoly, Shirou, the list goes on, Reina. Yet he chose me as his target.”
Reina: “Maybe he just wants to test his skills. Like you mentioned when you got back, you surprised a lot of people and yourself when you made the final three. Most didn’t think you’d make it that far, let alone final three.”
{Raiden shrugs at the possibility, bringing himself forward with his arms now resting on the table.}
Raiden: “Test or not, I even told him that this wasn’t a wise decision to make, at least in my opinion. You’re asking to fight the rookie who nearly shocked the entire Network and now think you have the mettle to tango with the Lone Wolf? I’m always open for a challenge but this almost sounds insane.”
Reina: “If it’s insane Raiden, then are you two being placed in another crazy match like the one you endured at Night of Champions?”
{Raiden shakes his head at the question.}
Raiden: “Not this time, thankfully. He apparently let me pick the type of match but I guess I just got so tired of being in these random matches that I just wanted something more traditional and just opted for a normal one-on-one rather than go for something more violent or twisted.”
{He drums his fingers against the table, his attention turned towards the edge of the table itself.}
Raiden: “I wonder though, what’s his real reason? There has to be some deeper meaning to his challenge.”
Reina: “Don’t think about it too much. You still need that head of yours for when you wrestle.”
Raiden: “Aw, look at you being a nice friend.”
Reina: “Stop being such a wisecrack. I swear you take after Gempachi sometimes.”
{Raiden chuckles at the response from the hostess. His phone suddenly vibrates, invoking an immediate reaction from Bone Cold as he swipes the phone, staring at the screen. As quick as he picked it up, he puts it back down with some discontent etched on his face.}
Reina: “Something bad?”
Raiden: “Nah. Thought it might’ve been something else important but just some other random bit of news regarding the XHF. A tournament of sorts is supposed to be taking place in October that’s going to pit the best from each company within the Network. As long as it doesn’t involve anything out of the ordinary like Night of Champions did, I think I’ll be content. Then again, you never know what might happen in this place.”
Reina: “But before all that…”
Raiden: “I have to deal with Kira first.”
Reina: “You make it sound like you’ve dealt with him in the past.”
Raiden: “We used to be dojo mates in some other promotion but never actually got the chance to face one another. It was an odd time at that promotion but all of it’s in the past now and here we are. Under the XHF banner, in different companies. The one thing I will give credit to Kira is the amount of experience and accomplishments he’s racked up compared to me. Another rookie versus veteran battle ready to take place in Minneapolis.”
Reina: “There you go starting to doubt yourself again.”
{Raiden rolls his eyes at the comment, something Reina doesn’t catch thanks to the sunglasses covering the man’s eyes.}
Raiden: “I know I’m going to keep doing it but until I’m absolutely confident in myself, it’s going to be a habit. I may have a lasted longer than what most thought in the Four Ring Circus but that just felt like a one-off deal to me to partake in that. Whether or not I get another chance at the X*Crown…”
{He raises his hands up with a shrug.}
Raiden: “I don’t know if that time will come again.”
Reina: “Well just focus on the future then. Plain and simple.”
Raiden (sighing): “Yeah, you’re right.”
Reina: “I’m assuming with all the time you’ve spent at home resting you’ve been able to do more in-depth research on Kira.”
Raiden: “To a degree, yes.”
Reina: “What is there to know?”
Raiden: “Family man, husband, and father of a daughter named Ai.”
Reina: “Aw, that’s a cute name.”
Raiden: “Man’s traveled extensively across the country and has had a few ventures in the States, mainly in Ohio with AWF for roughly the past year or so. There’s a lot that separates us from one another except for similarity we share…”
Reina: “Which is…?”
{Raiden pushes his sunglasses up onto his head, his bruised eyes meeting Reina’s with a solemn look. It doesn’t take long for the realization to settle in with both falling into silence as past events start to float around in their heads.}
Reina: “I see…”
Raiden: “Regardless of that...I think he pushes himself too hard sometimes in his trials.”
Reina (confused): “What do you mean?”
Raiden: “He’s constantly throwing himself out there into other promotions and what not. I get he wants to provide for his wife and child but overdoing it can have serious backlash. Hell, if he isn’t too careful, he could wind up injuring himself before our scheduled appearance. Not exactly a good look for himself and AWF is it? I know that this supposed to be a new trial for my skill set but I'd rather face a healthy opponent than a damaged one.”
Reina: “I ought to be telling you that. Don’t push yourself too hard in training with Ebisawa, don’t do this, yadda yadda.”
Raiden (grinning slightly): “You’re sounding like a mother with that tone of voice.”
Reina: “Oh hush.”
{Raiden leans back in his chair with a faint chuckle, his sunglasses falling back over his eyes as Reina rolls her eyes at her friend’s behavior with her nails tapping against the table top.}
Raiden: “Anyways, and I’m surprised I didn’t ask this earlier, but what are you doing out today? Aren’t you working later?”
Reina (shaking her head): “Kenzan gave me tonight off so I figured I’d do a bit of shopping today. You want to come with?”
Raiden (standing up): “I got nothing else planned today...so, sure. I’ll tag along.”
Reina (smiling): “Great! You can serve as my bodyguard for today.”
Raiden (bewildered): “What?”
Reina (giggling): “Oh, nevermind. Now hurry up, let’s go!”
{Reina starts to walk past Raiden, the man shaking his head as he picks his phone up off the table, tucking it into his shorts’ pocket.}
Raiden (to himself): “I swear man…”
Reina: “Hurry up Raiden!”
Raiden: “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
{With another chuckle, Raiden jogs after Reina with the shot following the man before the two disappear into the crowd hogging the sidewalk as the shot fades to black.}
{On this day, however, Raiden had decided to finally get back into his training, albeit light work first in order to regain the flow and also to allow his body to re-adjust to the intensity he used to run on before his rest. With training having been finished, Raiden was now relaxing at one of the small outdoor cafes, dressed casually for the hot weather in a simple t-shirt and shorts as the summer heat was still beating down on the city. A pair of sunglasses served as a shield not only from the sun but also the bruising left around his eyes that was still taking the time to heal. In his hands, sat his phone, his thumb casually brushing up against the screen as he browsed the various social media platforms. Still nothing exciting. With a sigh, he exits back to the home screen before setting his phone down on the table. Being inactive was sort of a weird thing to experience at this point in time but what could you do? The only way that Raiden could utilize his time was through training but even that had a limit due to the amount of punishment the body could withstand. Leaning back in his chair, he runs his hands through his hair, struggling on what to do next while watching passerby walk along the streets before him.}
Voice: “I see you’re finally out and about.”
{Looking up from his seat, his gaze met Reina’s who had arms folded under her chest. Like Raiden, she’s dressed rather casual for the day with a short sleeve top that ended just above her belly button along with a pair of black jeans. A slight smirk crept up on Raiden’s face as he stood from his chair.}
Raiden: “A bit warm to be wearing something like that, don’t ya think?”
Reina: “I’m able to manage it.”
Raiden: “And also make it look good.”
Reina: “Ever the flatterer.”
{Raiden gives a casual shrug as he sits back down with Reina taking the seat across from him.}
Reina: “I see you’ve healed up quite well compared to when I first saw you at the airport. You looked like an absolute mess as you walked towards us.”
Raiden: “Well, when you toss in an aching body, jet lag, and a throbbing headache, then yeah. Things aren’t exactly the most presentable in some situations.”
Reina: “Yet you’re out wandering about today.”
Raiden: “Kinda have to at some point. Gotta get back into that training flow in order to prepare for future matches.”
Reina: “And what is next on the list of Mr. Bone Cold?”
{A sigh escapes Raiden’s lips as he puts his hands behind his head.}
Raiden: “In the near future? I have no clue. Things have gone quiet over in Yokohama, so no one really knows what’s going on there. As for what’s ahead in the coming weeks, there’s the case of having to fly back out to Minneapolis for another large event.”
Reina: “And what would it be this time?”
Raiden: “Global Dominance is what it’s been labeled. Someone from the XHF brought up the idea of having a PPV dedicated to open challenges made by people from all over the network and the head of it, Mongo, seemed down for the idea and it got put into action. I wasn’t exactly planning to be in it…”
Reina (cocking a brow): “But…?”
Raiden: “Someone called me out. Kira Izumi, or The Prince of Flip as he’s known over in AWF. The man claimed the challenges there were getting boring for him since he apparently faced just about every person there and he decided to call me out of all the people available.”
Reina: “And you’re not happy with it?”
Raiden: “Eh, not really the reason but I just question the decision as to why he wanted me out of everyone in the XHF. He could’ve chosen anyone else aside from me. Jackson, Anomoly, Shirou, the list goes on, Reina. Yet he chose me as his target.”
Reina: “Maybe he just wants to test his skills. Like you mentioned when you got back, you surprised a lot of people and yourself when you made the final three. Most didn’t think you’d make it that far, let alone final three.”
{Raiden shrugs at the possibility, bringing himself forward with his arms now resting on the table.}
Raiden: “Test or not, I even told him that this wasn’t a wise decision to make, at least in my opinion. You’re asking to fight the rookie who nearly shocked the entire Network and now think you have the mettle to tango with the Lone Wolf? I’m always open for a challenge but this almost sounds insane.”
Reina: “If it’s insane Raiden, then are you two being placed in another crazy match like the one you endured at Night of Champions?”
{Raiden shakes his head at the question.}
Raiden: “Not this time, thankfully. He apparently let me pick the type of match but I guess I just got so tired of being in these random matches that I just wanted something more traditional and just opted for a normal one-on-one rather than go for something more violent or twisted.”
{He drums his fingers against the table, his attention turned towards the edge of the table itself.}
Raiden: “I wonder though, what’s his real reason? There has to be some deeper meaning to his challenge.”
Reina: “Don’t think about it too much. You still need that head of yours for when you wrestle.”
Raiden: “Aw, look at you being a nice friend.”
Reina: “Stop being such a wisecrack. I swear you take after Gempachi sometimes.”
{Raiden chuckles at the response from the hostess. His phone suddenly vibrates, invoking an immediate reaction from Bone Cold as he swipes the phone, staring at the screen. As quick as he picked it up, he puts it back down with some discontent etched on his face.}
Reina: “Something bad?”
Raiden: “Nah. Thought it might’ve been something else important but just some other random bit of news regarding the XHF. A tournament of sorts is supposed to be taking place in October that’s going to pit the best from each company within the Network. As long as it doesn’t involve anything out of the ordinary like Night of Champions did, I think I’ll be content. Then again, you never know what might happen in this place.”
Reina: “But before all that…”
Raiden: “I have to deal with Kira first.”
Reina: “You make it sound like you’ve dealt with him in the past.”
Raiden: “We used to be dojo mates in some other promotion but never actually got the chance to face one another. It was an odd time at that promotion but all of it’s in the past now and here we are. Under the XHF banner, in different companies. The one thing I will give credit to Kira is the amount of experience and accomplishments he’s racked up compared to me. Another rookie versus veteran battle ready to take place in Minneapolis.”
Reina: “There you go starting to doubt yourself again.”
{Raiden rolls his eyes at the comment, something Reina doesn’t catch thanks to the sunglasses covering the man’s eyes.}
Raiden: “I know I’m going to keep doing it but until I’m absolutely confident in myself, it’s going to be a habit. I may have a lasted longer than what most thought in the Four Ring Circus but that just felt like a one-off deal to me to partake in that. Whether or not I get another chance at the X*Crown…”
{He raises his hands up with a shrug.}
Raiden: “I don’t know if that time will come again.”
Reina: “Well just focus on the future then. Plain and simple.”
Raiden (sighing): “Yeah, you’re right.”
Reina: “I’m assuming with all the time you’ve spent at home resting you’ve been able to do more in-depth research on Kira.”
Raiden: “To a degree, yes.”
Reina: “What is there to know?”
Raiden: “Family man, husband, and father of a daughter named Ai.”
Reina: “Aw, that’s a cute name.”
Raiden: “Man’s traveled extensively across the country and has had a few ventures in the States, mainly in Ohio with AWF for roughly the past year or so. There’s a lot that separates us from one another except for similarity we share…”
Reina: “Which is…?”
{Raiden pushes his sunglasses up onto his head, his bruised eyes meeting Reina’s with a solemn look. It doesn’t take long for the realization to settle in with both falling into silence as past events start to float around in their heads.}
Reina: “I see…”
Raiden: “Regardless of that...I think he pushes himself too hard sometimes in his trials.”
Reina (confused): “What do you mean?”
Raiden: “He’s constantly throwing himself out there into other promotions and what not. I get he wants to provide for his wife and child but overdoing it can have serious backlash. Hell, if he isn’t too careful, he could wind up injuring himself before our scheduled appearance. Not exactly a good look for himself and AWF is it? I know that this supposed to be a new trial for my skill set but I'd rather face a healthy opponent than a damaged one.”
Reina: “I ought to be telling you that. Don’t push yourself too hard in training with Ebisawa, don’t do this, yadda yadda.”
Raiden (grinning slightly): “You’re sounding like a mother with that tone of voice.”
Reina: “Oh hush.”
{Raiden leans back in his chair with a faint chuckle, his sunglasses falling back over his eyes as Reina rolls her eyes at her friend’s behavior with her nails tapping against the table top.}
Raiden: “Anyways, and I’m surprised I didn’t ask this earlier, but what are you doing out today? Aren’t you working later?”
Reina (shaking her head): “Kenzan gave me tonight off so I figured I’d do a bit of shopping today. You want to come with?”
Raiden (standing up): “I got nothing else planned today...so, sure. I’ll tag along.”
Reina (smiling): “Great! You can serve as my bodyguard for today.”
Raiden (bewildered): “What?”
Reina (giggling): “Oh, nevermind. Now hurry up, let’s go!”
{Reina starts to walk past Raiden, the man shaking his head as he picks his phone up off the table, tucking it into his shorts’ pocket.}
Raiden (to himself): “I swear man…”
Reina: “Hurry up Raiden!”
Raiden: “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
{With another chuckle, Raiden jogs after Reina with the shot following the man before the two disappear into the crowd hogging the sidewalk as the shot fades to black.}
