“Where in the bloody hell am I?” Tori Montgomery asked to nobody in particular for
what had to be the third time in the last ten minutes. She had drawn the short straw and was sent
into this…”place” to interview the newest signing of NLW. Judging from her surroundings, she could see
why no one had really wanted to come out this way. All around her was nothing but bleak, barren
land, where even the trees had a difficult time growing. And yet a person--a wrestler--lived
here? It made her wonder just what type
of nutcase would willingly choose to live here.
She came to the top of a small knoll and found herself
facing a small cabin, right in the middle of this level ground she was
facing. About twenty feet to the right
of the cabin was a barren tree, and twenty feet to the left of the cabin lay a
large rock, worn smooth from old age.
“This has to be the place,” she muttered quietly as she descended the
backside of the knoll and began to carefully walk towards the cabin.
She had gotten to the door, and was about to knock on it
when a voice from her right called out, “I wouldn’t bother; no one is inside.”
Tori froze, her hand still raised in mid-air as she slowly
turned her head in the direction of the voice.
What--or rather who--she saw matched the description she was given. He stood a bit over six feet tall, was rather
heavyset, garbed in a plain black T-shirt and black denim jeans. The thing that set him apart from most
everyone else, however, was his hair, expertly dyed to produce a fiery orange
color to it. Her initial examination
complete, she spoke aloud as he continued to approach her. “Mr. Prydor?”
“Call me Phoenix,
as everyone else does.”
“OK, then…Phoenix. I’m Tori Montgomery; I was sent to interview
you in regards to your Anarchy X title match in just over a week’s time, among
other topics.”
“I see. Welcome then,
to my abode, such as one may see fit to call it. I would offer my hospitality, but I fear you
would find it wanting.”
She paused for a moment, expecting more but then realizing
that the syntax he was using was correct.
“I’m willing to take that chance, Phoenix.”
“So be it. Please,
enter and be welcome.” With that, he
moved around her and pushed the door open, ushering Tori inside. The interior of the place surprised
her--there were no furnishings, save an old, battered raincoat in the corner of
the open space. In the opposite corner,
she saw what at a quick glance appeared to be a pair of bamboo swords propped
against the wall. She also noticed that
there was no floor, per se…the ground substituted as the floor of his
cabin. All of this took a few moments to
register before she saw Phoenix
walk to one of the walls of the cabin and pull on a log, causing part of the
wall to unfold. Much to her surprise,
she found that this could make a seat for a guest to sit on.
As Phoenix
settled onto the ground in the nearby corner, Tori situated herself onto the
makeshift seat. A few moments later, she
spoke. “First off, thank you for
allowing me to talk to you today. But I
have to ask…how do you live like this?”
“Miss Montgomery, this is not my daily method of
living. Let me purge you of that thought
immediately. I only come here when it is
time for me to prepare for a match. I
find it is here, away from the hustle of the urban sprawl, that I prepare best
for a match.”
“So…where do you live, anyway?”
“That is for me to know, and to divulge when I choose. I choose not to at the present time. Let us say that for the moment, this is my
home.”
“OK…so if you come here to prepare for your matches, how do
you study your opponents? It appears to
me as if there is no electricity here, so no television, no video players….”
“I come here to physically prepare myself. Mentally, I am prepared before I come to this
place. This is but the final step.”
“I see. So what
training regimen do you use here? I am
given to understand that you are a technical and submission style wrestler; how
can you work on the application of your moves here?”
A low, brief chuckle met this question before Phoenix responded. “Miss Montgomery… there is more to training
than applying moves on an opponent. After
all, how can one apply a move when they are so exhausted they cannot even see
clearly? How can one attempt to keep
pace with a quick-moving opponent if they don’t work at it?”
“I…I’m afraid I don’t quite follow you, Phoenix.”
“Miss Montgomery…out here in this stretch of land called the
End of Nowhere, there are many areas filled with hilly, rugged terrain that are
suitable for cross-country runs. There
is a valley that acts like a wind tunnel on days the wind is blowing the right
way. There are also plenty of stones to
be lifted and moved if I need to strengthen my arms and chest.”
“So…you’re telling me that this is your version of a gym,
then?”
“If you must call it something so mundane, Miss Montgomery,
then yes.”
“So…you mentioned cross-country runs, and rock lifting. What else do you do here?”
“On windy days, the valley on the south end of this stretch
of land provides a wind tunnel to use.
Running against the wind is something else I do to add to my stamina.”
“I see. And what of
those swords in the corner?”
“Swords?” He looked
over at them, and then turned back to Tori.
“Those are merely kendo sticks, Miss Montgomery. Bamboo swords, or ‘bokken,’ are nearly double
the thickness. No…these are what I
suppose you could call my ‘trademark weapons’ should they come into play in a
wrestling match. I prefer to call them
my Ugly Sticks, just because the name sounds pleasing to my own ears.”
“But why two?”
“Why not? I happen to
enjoy the concept of dual weaponry. Why
not be unique and use two at a time?
After all, it’s not like many people would know how to properly defend
against an offense like that.”
“Speaking of weapons, that brings us to this no-holds-barred
Anarchy X title match at NLW’s first Uprising of the year. You’re going against Annie Alvarez, a former
Playboy cover girl and noted model turned wrestler, and also against a person
who some say is the clear favorite in this match, Mario Maurako. Now, I have heard your initial thoughts, the
day you signed with NLW. You’ve had a
full day to become acclimated. Have your
thoughts changed?”
“’Have my thoughts changed?’
No, Miss Montgomery, they have not.
I stand by my beliefs. I am
taking nothing for granted in this contest.
I realize that yes, I am the decided underdog, given that I have not
wrestled in a major competitive environment in many years. But this is my opportunity to show the
experienced NLW roster that they should not take anyone--whether they know
their opponent or not--lightly.”
“I see. Finally, do you
have any parting comments for your upcoming opponents?”
“I suppose I do, Miss Montgomery. I have learned that Ms. Alvarez is
comfortable in these types of matches, and we all know Mr. Maurako thrives in
this sort of environment. But as I said
before, if I go down, it’ll be in a blaze of glory. I will not go quietly into the darkness; I
will not submit without great resistance.
Maurako, Alvarez…bring everything that you have. Bring everything you can borrow. In Maurako’s case, he better bring anything
he can steal, too. At Uprising, after
all of the punishment is handed out, and the final bell sounds, you will find
three people who gave their all in that ring.
And of those three, a new legend will indeed be born...it will not be
the continuing saga of the model who fought her way to triumph, Annie
Alvarez. It will not be another chapter
in the checkered and storied wrestling annals of the over-confident Mario
Maurako.
“No…it will be the first chapter in this new legend…MY new
legend. So is it written, so shall it
come to be known…and so shall The Phoenix see it done.”
With that, he fell silent.
“Um…Phoenix? Are you all right?”
“Yes, Miss Montgomery.
Please, leave me be for now.”
“And how do I get out of here?”
“The same way you got in.
It’s only a ten-minute walk from this cabin.”
“I see…thank you.”
Her last two words dripping with sarcasm, Tori stood up and finally
walked outside the cabin. The sun,
beginning its’ afternoon descent, was to her back as she turned and went back
up the knoll she came from, all the while muttering about what a strange, emotionless
person this Phoenix guy turned out to be.
Back inside the cabin, Phoenix
took one deep breath and slowly exhaled.
His lone thought summed up how he felt in a nutshell.
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