An unusual occurrence transpires in the infamous Palace of Roses. For our scene does not take place in the underground training facility or even the regal parlor. Instead Misao can be found sitting on a balcony overlooking the green grounds of the estate. Green is a color she tends to find detestable in the wrong shades. Her grass, at least, narrowly avoids reminding her of that period of her career which all too recently ended. She’s seated in a simple but comfortable chair as she sips tea from a cup with red rose decorations upon it. A small reminder of who made her the powerful, dominant woman she truly is. Also a reminder of what she is determined to be after spending most of her career as something markedly different.
It’s only been two months since she last appeared in that embarrassing guise before the whole world. Making a fool of herself for the enjoyment of a largely ignorant and uncaring audience who didn’t appreciate how much time, blood, sweat and tears goes into the craft of wrestling. No thought as to the passion and emotion which she’s spent her whole career honing in service of their amusement. To think of herself in that state makes her recoil in absolute disgust. A truly powerful woman who forces herself to hide behind a green hero’s costume and mask is a very lost woman. Yet when she enjoyed freedom from that mask what did she do? Simply ran back to hide her beautiful visage behind that mask as soon as things became uncertain. Lulled into Hyper Misao’s so-called heroism by a friend who went on to bigger and better things herself. All while Hyper Misao played silly tricks on people and existed purely to grant the fans in attendance a break from the more serious contests before and after.
<What an idiot I was. Just stuck doing the same thing over and over again instead of trying to become more than that. I should have burned that mask a long time ago.>
Yet she knows that she will not do that in the end. Hyper Misao is part of the Rose Queen as much as she loathes to admit it. Fool though she might have been, those years of grinding away in ignominity serve her well now. Those experiences make her tougher, better able to do what needs to be done now. They motivate her to be as ruthless, vicious and cold as she has to be in order to establish herself as the dominant force in the world of wrestling. That embarrassing self-proclaimed hero is a powerful tool to motivate herself to become stronger and more powerful so that she might carry on in a way befitting of a Rose Queen. Misao stands and moves over to the balcony’s railing; she rests her arms on it and gazes out over the grounds of her estate. As she does, she gives voice to her thoughts.
<I must never forget the indignities I put myself through for the entertainment of the drooling masses. Under that mask I was nothing but a big child, just like everyone else around me but a few. Being a big child is not a complement. Being a big child doesn’t earn you opportunities to compete for crowns or respect.>
Until rediscovering her most powerful self, Misao had endured many such self-inflicted insults. Just emerging through the curtains to the pathetic strains of some long forgotten television program was enough in and of itself. The mere thought of it conjures the song in her mind and sends shivers down her spine. In particular the lyrics about it being ‘the time to become a HERO’ upset her in a way that is hard to put into words. Being a ‘hero’ meant being a failure who was always talented but never broke through. Disposing of that pernicious tune associated with Hyper Misao is one more victory for her. A symbol of her evolution into something so much better than that track suit and idiotic cape ever brought her.
Standing in this one spot will not get things done, though. Since she’s ever so graciously granted Konami the day off, there are things Misao must attend to. At this moment she elects to tend to her flower garden inside of a small greenhouse. It’s a symbol of the beauty she intends to create in WLCW by whatever means are necessary. The Rose Queen strolls down the path with her symbolic cane, humming to herself a more regal tune to drive out the awful pangs of her former self’s theme. At some point she begins singing some of the words out loud, reaching the chorus just as she arrives at the greenhouse door.
<But I was born to the destiny of the rose
Born to a brilliant and tempestuous life
The rose, the rose blooms nobly..>
The singing ceases as she pushes the door open, revealing a couple rows of beautiful potted flowers within. Misao strolls down the center aisle slowly, taking in the whole scene of floral perfection. Here, within these glass walls, no echoes of Hyper Misao will reach her. Just these pants she tends to as an exercise to sharpen her mental acuity. To focus on grooming them into the unparalleled beauties they are destined to be is difficult and requires great dedication and focus. Too often one can be distracted from the task, which causes the flowers to wilt into ugliness. It’s a lesson she learned the hard way.
Misao stops at a particular flower which blooms vertically in white petals - a snapdragon. She scowls as once again the intrusive memories force their way into her serene contemplations. The White Dragon roars back into her thoughts, forcing complicated emotions to resurface. It was the White Dragon who caused Misao to leave Sakisama’s side and return to the idiocy of heroism. Seduced her with promises that it would be better than her days in service to Bishikigun. It does not escape Misao now that leaving led her to become a joke once again. As a member of Bishikigun she was nearly unstoppable and challenged for a world title; as Hyper Misao she was lucky to even sniff the tag titles.
It isn’t all bad though. She was able to see a flaw in merely serving Sakisama instead of being on her own. Doubt always remained because she had to rely on someone else to lead the way. Great though she might be, Sakisama was unquestionably the leader back then. It became crystal clear to Misao what needed to happen for her to truly become what she was destined to be. All it takes sometimes is a singular moment in a match to make such things obvious at last.
A tag contest where Hyper Misao ends up in the ring with the face of TJPW, MIyu Yamashita. The ultimate challenge, and one the hero isn’t quite up to. She uses every trick in her arsenal, from distractions to flying cross bodies and the Hero Correctional System hold. Nothing works. A vicious kick to the head sends her crashing to the mat and only close proximity to the bottom rope saves her from defeat. As the hero is lifted up for the Attitude Adjustment, something dark awakens. She slips out of it, hits a vicious knee and then a cold look spreads over her face. This is her chance to put Yamashita away and prove she deserves to be at the top. Hyper Misao sets Yamashita up for the Vanitas, but then second guesses herself. Heroes don’t win by giving in to the dark side! This doubt causes her to lose her grip and Yamashita counters with an AA to put away the hero. As Yamashita stands victorious, Misao sits in the corner, ripping her mask off and feeling totally drained. In her frustration and anger at herself, she realizes what she must do: no more heroics.
The memory fades and Misao looks at herself in a mirror. No more hero, just the dominant Rose Queen at whose feet the wrestling world kneels. Good. Misao still has a bitter taste in her mouth after recalling those days of failure though. This is when her thoughts move to the future - her next opponent, the woman who calls herself ‘The Blueprint’. A woman who according to Konami’s research loves to dress in attire paying tribute to heroes. What a fool. Imagining the woman standing before her, Misao speaks.
“You want to be a hero, do you? Very well, I will give you the ignoble end that heroes earn. I’m going to stomp on you like an insect who’s invaded my garden, ‘Blueprint’. You’ll be an example to all the women who consider themselves heroes. I will destroy you on Wednesday and ascend to the very summit of WLCW. Even the so-called champion will bow to Nouvelle Bishikigun..”
With that she smiles devilishly.
“Until then, au revoir.”
