出現
Emergence: An Ichiko Oda RP
September 26, 2021
7:02 am
Manchester, England
The sun rises over Manchester, slowly bringing light and warmth to the city below. Watching the display from the rooftop of one of many apartment buildings is a young woman with red-brown hair. She’s come up here the past few days as a way to mark her new routine begun now that she’s working to be a new woman. Getting up here to greet the day ensures that Ichiko has the whole day to work on everything she needs in order to conquer First Class. Waiting for the sun also gives her a space and time to just sit and think about things. Sometimes her thoughts are about the past, sometimes about the future. Today it’s a messy mix of the two, all of the thoughts and memories swirling together and at times getting quite hard to separate from each other.
Her victory at the last First Class remains in her mind. She’d beaten Kassidy Owens just like she’d promised more or less. An armbar isn't her first choice but a submission was a submission, but making someone tap is always satisfying. So much for that hardcore pedigree her previous opponent supposedly has. But not everything at that show had been to her liking. She’s been mulling over the fury that shot through her when she finally grabbed a kendo stick and smacked the other woman around. Ichiko’s telling herself that giving into the anger in that situation is totally fine. You don’t do something perfectly the first time you try it. Still, she worries that maybe she can’t control it as well as she needs to. Maybe all it takes to send her spiraling back down to being an angry, violent girl lashing out at whoever was closest is some frustration. Then she tells herself that no, she has to work harder on that and avoid letting people who get on her nerves make her so randomly violent.
There is of course the matter of being ambushed after winning the match. Out of nowhere a strike to the head from a kendo stick had taken her down. It’s only been since the day after the show that Ichiko has known who it was that was stupid enough to attack her like that. A woman she’s never crossed paths with backstage. Someone who like her old self seems to have just been lashing out violently for the sake of being violent. Very, very similar to the Sukeban. She’s gone after people who’d mildly angered her in the past, chasing them down and delivering a beating. Even at her most violent though, she hadn’t ever liked sneaking up on someone. Attacking someone from behind is a cowardly, desperate act that shows you can’t handle someone face to face. So being assaulted in such a way is really aggravating to Ichiko. But the future holds opportunity.
The opportunity to get even with that coward. More over the opportunity to put her name on the map and achieve something that still eludes her. A championship. Mercedes’ random assault had landed Ichiko a spot in the Evolution title match at Malevolence. As the Sukeban Ichiko never cared too much about titles, just about getting into good fights that pushed her boundaries. Now, though? Ichiko dreams of being more, of becoming an instantly recognizable face in wrestling. Winning her first championship and doing it in a foreign country will absolutely achieve that. It will be something that sets her apart from anyone she could be compared to back home. Mako Nishi, her big sister, has never won a title in a foreign promotion. Not even Sawako, the former face of Queendom, has done it. Evolution Champion Ichiko Oda has a fantastic ring to it that Ichiko finds she needs more with each passing day.
But Sawako is another matter. Sawako and everything surrounding her is even more of a mess than anything else happening in First Class. At first Ichiko just pushed thoughts of that woman out of her mind. No matter how many mental barriers she put between herself and the Battle Maiden, though, thoughts of Sawako still came through. Often they’re angry ones - how dare she break her promise, how dare she come out to interrupt Ichiko just like Mako. Yet she can’t stop thinking about Sawako either. Wondering what she’s doing. Wondering if she’s been a bit harsh on Sawako after all. Those thoughts disappear quickly when the hurt returns - it’s inevitable when her mind dwells on the woman she’d loved for too long. Ichiko tells herself over and over again that Sawako only cares about herself. Everything Sawako did on TV was further proof that in the end promoting herself outweighed the feelings or concerns of other people.
As the sun continues rising in the cloudy morning sky, she tells herself Sawako isn’t worth her time. She’s the Boss of Them All now, and such a boss doesn’t need to have anything to do with a self absorbed traitor. But the hurt is still very real and palpable every day. Ichiko’s painfully aware of the absence of someone at her side in bed. Of how cold home feels without there being someone she can talk to. No one to laugh with, watch things with, nobody to kiss or hold. Maybe those things make her soft anyway? Ichiko tries to reconcile her weird jumbled feelings with that reasoning. As a Boss of Them All she doesn’t need to lean on anyone else if they aren’t strong themselves. She isn’t going to conquer First Class if she’s not the toughest, most focused and coolest version of herself that she can be.
It’s not true that she has no one to talk to either. Kōgō is willing to chat fairly often these days, which is a welcome distraction for Ichiko. Some of her friend’s strength has worn off on Ichiko and made her that much tougher to boot. When your friend was ascending the mountain in one of the toughest promotions on the planet, she couldn’t help but pass on a few things to you. Ichiko doesn’t mention her thoughts about Sawako though. Most of the time when she talks to Kōgō, the Battle Maiden doesn’t occur to her. And when Sawako does somehow enter her thoughts during their talks, Ichiko knows better than to mention her unless it’s motivation to get stronger. Kōgō doesn’t need to know that Ichiko’s feelings about the other woman are cloudier.
Looking out over the city, Ichiko’s thoughts instead drift to what is coming up for her. A chance to be crowned a champion on the table but is that really going to be enough? To become a champion in a foreign country will be an accolade unmatched by those she compares herself to for sure. But is she really happy here? Is IIW the place for the Boss of Them All? They’d really yet to give her the chance to prove herself as a wrestler rather than merely a brawler or street thug. Just match after match against hardcore fighters or women who wouldn’t stand toe to toe with you, preferring sneak attacks. It’s maddening! Ichiko absolutely knew that she was better than that, but like hell does she think she’s been given a chance to shine as something more. Perhaps it was time to make that super clear to everyone working for, wrestling for and watching First Class. Which meant that her recent practice cutting a promo is going to be all the more important during the next show. What specifically she wants to say eludes her in the moment but the raw feelings are all there, festering in her mind. Setting that aside, she stands up and stretches her arms out overhead.
Ichiko: <”Guess it’s time for The Boss of Them All to break her silence and shock the world by speaking to them directly.”>
She sighs, finding the idea of cutting a live promo annoying. Why should she have to talk at length like that when her matches should speak for themselves? Ichiko scowls as she realizes that the answer is pretty damn clear. Her matches to this point don’t speak for themselves. No matter how hard she fights or who she hurts to get the win, she’s not talked about by anyone. It’s all either the witches or their enemies whom Ichiko doesn’t care much for either. Maybe they’re more skilled than the women she’s fought so far, but Ichiko is sure she could take them. The Hungarian and the Chinese girl didn’t scare her much; their leader, the ‘Queen of the Ring’ didn’t either. All of them were good, they had shown it by beating the Coven during the last show. As good as they were, though, Ichiko knows that she’s better - she can out maneuver and out fight the Triumvarate just like she’s going to do it to the witches she’s getting her hands on. Maybe if she ever gets a shot at the “Queen”, she can take that crown too. Make herself the "Queen of Evolution" or some shit like that.
But that’s far away from where she is right now. Apart from the weird emptiness she’s feeling day to day when she lingers too long on certain thoughts, Ichiko feels more confident. Two wins, no losses and nothing but more chances to take out opponents with a variety of offense coming up. Despite her misgivings about the more traditional wrestling attire Ichiko’s quickly grown to like it. It makes her more professional looking, more grown up. More dangerous. Moreover she feels more like herself, which in turn makes her better in the ring. Each time she goes out there as this new version of herself, she’s sure she’s just going to feel increasingly at home in the ring. No more rebel without a cause beyond punching someone in the mouth. A new name, new music and new look will pay dividends.
But what about moves? Even though she’s started casting off the old Sukeban persona and look, the same moves remain. When she’s at the gym Ichiko practices some possible new moves every day in the hopes of finding something.. Anything. Kōgō’s resources around here include a new sparring partner who Ichiko has been testing some ideas out on. Nothing has been solidified yet but there are some strong contenders to replace some of the more Sukeban style moves in her arsenal. Just how Kōgō, a woman who’s never been to the UK, knows all these people is beyond Ichiko. She’s grateful for their assistance in her evolution but the question still occurs to her from time to time. Probably just some internet site she doesn’t bother with because it mainly exists for shameless self indulgence. The kind of site that Sawako’s dedicating herself to because she’s so in love with herself. Thinking this makes Ichiko’s face scrunch up and she shakes her head.
Ichiko: <”No, stop that shit. She’s not worth thinking about.”>
Suddenly a voice comes from behind her, making Ichiko stiffen.
????: <”What’s that, Boss? Having some bad thoughts?”>
Ichiko rolls her eyes as she recognizes this voice. No intruder who ought to get her head kicked off. Not even a stranger who’s just wandered onto the wrong rooftop at the wrong time. Just smaller young woman who seemed way too playful too often for it to do her any good. She was also Japanese - the sparring partner Kōgō had hooked her up with so she could stay sharp. Something about the way she was always smiling was unsettling even to Ichiko, who’d seen some pretty nasty things in her lifetime. This girl.. She had a way of making something that was pleasant on the surface feel like a threat. While she could respect that, Ichiko also didn’t want to know what was going on in that girl’s head.
Ichiko: <”Kuroki, don’t you know it’s polite to knock?”>
Kuroki more or less skips around Ichiko so they can look each other in the eyes. She sticks her tongue out in response and Ichiko somehow manages to avoid another eye roll.
Kuroki: <”C’mon, Boss, like you care about being polite.”>
Ichiko doesn’t, but something about the way Kuroki calls her ‘Boss’ makes her want to reconsider that just out of spite. Still this overly perky girl has been helping her train and test out new moves. She’s also surprisingly skilled for someone just hanging around to spar. Heck her face is kind of familiar but Ichiko can’t place it right now. Probably just her imagination anyway. Ichiko steps past her and looks back out at the city for a while, letting her jumbled thoughts settle down again. If Kuroki is here then there’s probably business to tend to. After pushing the last vestiges of Sawako from her mind, Ichiko turns around and folds her arms over her chest.
Ichiko: <”Whatever. So what’re you here for? Little early for sparring, isn’t it?”>
Kuroki steps a little closer to Ichiko, hands behind her back.
Kuroki: <”Well, Boss, I’ve got some things to ask you about. Kōgō’s a little busy so she asked if I could talk to you instead.”>
Ichiko: <”Fine, I guess. She hasn’t been wrong yet, so whatever you have to talk is probably useful.”>
Kuroki laughs smugly.
Kuroki: <”Good! Number one is… Ta-daaa! “>
She suddenly brings her hands out from behind her and shoves something right in Ichiko’s face. Despite her instincts telling her to go on the attack, Ichiko just stares dubiously at the object Kuroki has unveiled. If the girl really wanted to attack her Ichiko would be able to tell. This is just her trying to be clever in a very annoying way. What’s been pushed into her face is a phone, the screen displaying an image of a black t-shirt. Big deal. If this is all Kuroki came up here for Ichiko is going to blow her off and go for a ride instead. It’s then that Ichiko notices the text on the shirt. “Bukkorosou!” in white hiragana at the top, an Oda clan crest in the center in red and black and her name in big red letters at the bottom. From the looks of the site it’s on, Ichiko is pretty sure this is a legitimate item and not just some art that’s been thrown together. An Ichiko Oda shirt being sold on a storefront under her name? She has no idea who is responsible for this but it raises the hairs on the back of her neck for sure.
Ichiko: <”And who the hell decided to put out something with my name on it?”>
Kuroki: <”Isn’t it awesome? Kōgō thought you should have some merchandise to stand out, so she had this thrown together for you! Of course you get the profits, not her.”>
Ichiko sighs at the revelation. So her friend back home is working behind the scenes to bolster Ichiko’s transformation into a bigger, better wrestler. First new gear, then a sparring partner and now a t-shirt. The first t-shirt design that Ichiko has ever had over the course of her career. It makes her wonder who the hell is going to buy a shirt with her name on it. Ichiko does her best to discourage people from cheering her - most recently refusing to use a weapon for most of a weapons match. Yet small pockets of people still cheer her despite her efforts. Probably people who will do whatever they want despite what someone expects them to.. wait, is that a bad thing?
Really she’s a prime example of a woman who does things the way she wants, especially when it flies in the face of expectations. Whoever these people are in the crowd who cheer her actions, no matter how foul they are, maybe they’re like her. Rebelling against the people everyone else likes and supporting a true free spirit. A real wrestler. Ichiko thinks about it more and recalls the last time people actually cheered her. The interpromotional showdown where she fought her sister Mako in Takasaki. That city is Ichiko’s home turf, not Mako’s, and the fans let Mako know very clearly which Nishi they supported. Walking into that venue with the whole crowd shouting ‘Sukeban!’ is still a surreal memory for her. It makes her wonder if a few people here cheering for her isn’t such a bad thing. Not that she cares what they think, but if they choose to recognize greatness.. well, they have good taste. So Ichiko shrugs the shirt’s existence off in the end and looks over at Kuroki expectantly.
Ichiko: <”Well, anything else Kuroki? Or is it just that shirt?”>
Kuroki lowers the phone and shrugs back.
Kuroki: <”I mean she also wants to make sure you know how you’re preparing for the next show. But that’s not as exciting is it? Getting merch is where it’s at!”>
Ichiko doesn’t stop the rolling of her eyes this time. The comment makes her wonder if this shirt is actually Kuroki’s idea that Kōgō just signed off on. Whatever. Her upcoming show? She’s already thought about the next First Class match she’s in, and the woman she faces. Add to that the trend she’s noticed about how she’s booked for matches and Ichiko feels the anger bubbling back up. With that she lowers her arms and briefly debates if she should answer with any kind of tact. As if to answer this she also remembers the headache she had experienced after her win over Kassidy Owens. That’s enough to set her off again.
Icihko: <”Sure, fine let’s talk about First Class. A damn cowardly bitch smacks me upside the head out of nowhere? Yeah, that got my blood boiling. I would be hunting her down to get even anyway if they hadn’t put me in this match with her. And all the other people she attacked just to take the spotlight. A girl like that has more audacity than brains.. she’s going to find out the hard way.”>
Ichiko paces a bit as she continues her rant of sorts.
Ichiko: <”I don’t even have to promise she’s gonna be in a ton of pain, because this time I’ve got help whether I want it or not. Three of us who want a piece of her. But I don’t give a shit what the karate kid or robo-girl do to this bitch. When I get in there with her, I’m gonna make her fight me toe to toe like a wrestler, not some cockroach scurrying around in the shadows. As much noise as she and the Coven make, they only get ahead by attacking people from behind. Against me this weekend she’s out of her element.. And I will make her pay for ruining my victory.”>
There’s a flash of her old psychotic love of violence as she speaks.
Ichiko: <”This is personal. I’m gonna relish the time I get in the ring to smack her around. No fucking magic tricks, nothing to cover for her lack of actual wrestling skill. Just me and her. I know I’m a better wrestler than her. And just like Kassidy Owens before her, I’m gonna outwrestle her. Get her down on the mat and try out that new hold that we’ve been working on.”>
Kuroki holds her arm as if living a memory of their last sparring session. Ichiko raises an eyebrow as she notices it.
Kuroki: <”Boss, you don’t mean?”>
Ichiko: <”Yes, that hold. Hearing her scream in pain and beg for the release of submission will be music to my ears. Not until after I’ve caved in her chest with some knees or given her a concussion from all the shots to the head she gets. But Mereceds isn’t gonna feel so proud of her actions when the bell rings to end the match. After I’m done with her, she can limp on over whoever else she wants to use her jump scares on. But for the few minutes we’re in the ring on First Class, her ass is mine. Nobody crosses the Boss of Them all and just gets to walk away unscathed.”>
She balls her right hand into a fist.
Ichiko: <”Not saying she isn’t capable of winning matches. She’s tricky and slippery, and you’ve gotta stay on top of your game against someone like her. She and her friends get all the attention, all the big matches on First Class. They’re heading for the top for a reason, so I can’t just say ‘I win, that’s it.’ When she made this personal, though, she ensured that I’m taking her very seriously. Not only am I going to outwrestle her and beat her down, I’m going to rip away her spotlight and put it on someone who deserves it.”>
Ichiko sneers as she imagines Mercedes’ face in front of her, all smug and just asking to be smacked around. She throws a stiff punch at the spot she sees Mercedes’ face, just narrowly avoiding hitting Kuroki. Her fist stays there for a few moments before she lowers it and gives Kuroki a pat on the shoulder.
Icihko: <”Hell she’s already been more than helpful to me in getting that spotlight Thanks to her being a moron I get to beat her up, be in the main event of First Class’ last show before the pay per view while I do it, and fight for a championship at that pay per view. A very generous, profoundly stupid, woman. So I should give her a gift, don’t you think? The gift of being the very first woman to tap out to the Agonizer. I think she should feel honored to get put into it as the next victim of The Boss of Them all. Beating her is going to be a damn good way to force people to take notice of me. When I seize the championship she gave me the shot at, maybe I’ll also give her a little birdy to thank her.”>
Ichiko laughs as she fips the bird to the city skyline in place of Mercedes. Kuroki scoffs at the gesture and moves to Ichiko’s side, looking out at the city herself.
Kuroki: <”Kōgō also says that you need to be ready to 'clip the angel’s wings'. Whatever that means.”>
Ichiko flinches at this. While Kuroki is in the dark, Ichiko knows exactly what Kōgō means by clipping the angel’s wings. Sawako has been calling herself an archangel or some nonsense like that. Her getting carried away with her words came right before Ichiko got clocked by Mercedes too. She’s not a fan of this ‘angel’, but she prefers to steer clear of the self absorbed former Ace of Queendom. No reason to go after Sawako - she isn’t going to break her promise to not set foot in the same ring as Sawako. Let her flap her lips all she wants, Ichiko is going to go down her own road. They’re in different worlds now, as much as that hurts.. wait, hurts? No. 'Get a hold of yourself', she thinks before she she tries to shrug off the question.
Ichiko: <”It’s nothing, Kuroki, unimportant. What is important is that after First Class, people will have plenty to say about Ichiko Oda. In the main event I’m going to put a stop to Mercedes and her blind violence. But before that.. I’m going to shock the world. You’ll see what I mean on Sunday, Kuroki. Yeah, they’ll be talking about me. I’m not giving them a choice.”>
終わり