AS 125 | Kagura vs Dirk Buchanan [Archive]

Echelon

02-13-2019, 10:22 PM

She did it, she finally won! That time spent waiting trying to wipe the slate clean, and right the constant string of loses, had finally come to fruition that evening. Listening to the sound of the referees hand as it pounded the canvas for the third time, was the sweetest thing that Kagura had ever heard. Victory had never tasted better. Revenge had never been this satisfying. As the referee raised her hand in victory, Kagura couldnâ??t help but smile. It had taken a year to finally get that win on a PPV, and what a win it was. She turned and shot a look at Xander, his body having crumbled under the force of her heart punch. As she watched him stir, something peculiar happened. All the emotion began to drain from her body, as she studied him with a blank and hollow stare in her eyes. She should have held more distain for this man, after all the shit that he had pulled since R-Awakening, but she didnâ??t. She felt that she should be reveling in this victory more, but that wasnâ??t the case.

Suddenly, a strange vision flashed before her eyes. Kagura watched as she approached her fallen foe and began kicking him over and over again. In the stomach, and in the ribs. She stomped his hands, stomped his arms, and stomped his head, until blood began pouring from his mouth. Kagura watched herself do this at the same time the crowd began to give her a standing ovation. In her vision, her doppelganger wasnâ??t mad. She was happy. Kagura watched as she beat the life out of her opponent with a smile on her face. She was having fun. The former world champion shuttered, snapping back into reality. Xander was still laying prone on the mat, and her hand was now being raised into the air by the ref.

---

Sasuke Gozaburo was a man of many admirable traits, but he was never the type of man that was known for his patience. Once an accomplished pro wrestler himself, he had seen many things in his long career, but the audacity of this interviewer making him wait this long was quickly rising up the rungs on his shit list. He groaned and stared at his watch. Heâ??d wait five more minutes on this doofus, and then heâ??d bounce. Fuck him. To his surprise, a man approached him, but not the one he had been expecting. This wasnâ??t the kid they had contracted to do this interview, but an older man with a face he hadnâ??t seen in years. A man who had, in recent months, had become something of a ghost in WZCW.

Sasuke smiled, and stood up to greet him, â??Well Iâ??ll be goddamned, Johnny Klamor!â?

The seasoned interviewer clasped the former championâ??s hand, â??Itâ??s been years, Sauce.â?

â??I didnâ??t think you still worked here,â? the Asian mad replied.

The former commentator laughed, â??With the change in headquarters, Vance Bateman thought it would be good for publicity to give me some more action.â?

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, â??So youâ??ll be conducting this interview then, no shittinâ???â?

â??No shittinâ??,â? Klamor replied. His bleached blonde hair still matched his million dollar smile.

â??Then I gotta say itâ??s been worth the wait,â? the manager replied, as he and Big John took their seats. â??Here I was about ready to leave.â?

â??Iâ??m glad you didnâ??t, things would have been awkward otherwise.â?

The two men prepared their mics, as the camera began rolling. Johnny got the ball moving first.

â??At Gold Rush, Kagura proved many naysayers wrong when she became the first woman to win the tournament. Now that sheâ??s number one contender, how do the two of you plan to move forward?â?

â??Kagura career is defined by a series of â??firsts.â?? She was the first woman to win the Elite championship, or hold any singles gold for that matter. She was the first to win the King for a Day chamber match, and the first to successfully cash in. She became the first to wear the world champion, and the first to defend it at a major PPV. Gold Rush was just another feather in our cap, just another accolade to pad her resume. Kagura knows she has big shoes to fill at this point, and a monumental challenge waiting for her in the future,â? Sasuke explained.

â??Titus Avison is champion again. Iâ??ve got nothing against him, as heâ??s clearly proven without a shadow of a doubt that heâ??s the greatest of all time. The companyâ??s fallen on some hard times, John. That man is exactly the champ we need right now. A few months down the road, and Iâ??m not so sure. You see, something has changed in Kagura. Sheâ??s not the same girl that she was six months ago. I think it was all the frustration that she felt of losing all her big matches, and having to stoop to politicking for spots, and losing face within the company that finally broke something within her. She doesnâ??t look at the fans as being on her side anymore,â? he continued.

â??Xander said some harsh things to her before Gold Rush, but all it was true. Sheâ??s been boring and bland for a long time now, and a complete doormat. At R-Awakening, Xander beat her unconscious with the ring hammer, and what did she do afterwards? She apologized! She freaking apologized for not being able to see that coming. She blamed herself. Imagine if that had happened to Eve Taylor or Tyrone Blades? They would have beaten the piss out of that fool on the next show. Titus would have called him out. I donâ??t know about King Mussel, but something tells me that his revenge would have consisted of a dumbbell, a protein shake, and Xanderâ??s anus. The point is that Kagura rolled over and let that bastard have his way with her. Thatâ??s why people stopped taking her seriously, because she didnâ??t care about herself. Itâ??s hard to be a fan of someone, when the object of your adoration doesnâ??t possess any self-worth or pride,â? he finished.

â??So youâ??re saying that Kagura now has self-pride when she didnâ??t before?â? Klamor asked.

Sasuke shook his head, â??Kaguraâ??s a traditionalist. She never understood the egocentric ways of the typical American. She could never convince herself to take anything for her own self gain. You remember the press conference that she did after she won the world title? She rode that fence harder than a schoolgirl riding an unlevel washing machine. I think sheâ??s finally come to grips with the idea that itâ??s okay to be selfish once in a while.â?

He smirked a little bit, â??Before you ask me another question, Big John, let me ask you something, do you know what Youkai Kagura is?â?

The heavyset man shook his head. Sasuke chuckled a little bit, but humored him, â??After becoming Queen for a Day, Kagura spoke of an entity which she discovered deep inside of her body, which allowed her to overcome her limitations and push herself harder. I donâ??t believe in all that mumbo jumbo Shinto crap that she practices, but what I think the existence of this Youkai Kagura represents is Kagura finally shedding the chains of her culture. Sheâ??s always had a weight on her shoulders, because Japanese culture is so different to American culture. She never been able to fit in because of that. Now all the expectations and boundaries I think are gone. You should have seen her yesterday, John. Sheâ??s no longer the Kagura we know anymore, but I think thatâ??s okay.â?

â??So youâ??re saying that this Youkai Kagura is the key to her future success?â?

The advocate smiled, â??I think Titus is going to be stuck spinning his wheels against her. She nearly ended the EurAvison era years ago, because he had nothing to use against her. Thatâ??s his shtick, he breaks his opponents down, and gets inside their heads by pointing out their weaknesses. She was so mysterious even then that Titus couldnâ??t wrap his head around her. He wound up having to wave off accusations of sexism instead. I know Titus isnâ??t sexist, and I know he doesnâ??t fear Kagura either. However, I donâ??t think relying on past experience is gonna do him any good, not anymore.â?

â??What do you mean by that?â? Klamor asked.

Sasuke was silent for a second, before tilting his head towards the interviewer, â??Watch her match against that Buchanan kid on Ascension. The world is about to experience a side of Kagura that theyâ??ve never seen before.â?

Johnny was about to ask another question, but the Asian man stopped him, â??Letâ??s put a stop to this and go grab a beer, Johnny boy. Itâ??s on me.â?

The older man chuckled, and promptly tore his headset off.

---

Miles away, in the now empty SAP Center in San Jose, a lone figure could be seen walking up and down a long dark corridor. A soft but eerie laughter escaped her lips, as she stopped in the middle up the hall. One of the lights above her flickered to life, exposing her face for the first time. Kaguraâ??s face was painted in an intricate black and black pattern making her look almost demonic in appearance. She smiled, as her eyes flashed with a hint of deranged lunacy.

「ダーク・ブキャナン、アセンションには、少しの楽しみを持ってみましょう。

â??Dirk Buchanan, on Ascension, letâ??s have a little bit of fun.â?