Chain Reaction 7: [Main Event] Vizier ta Seti (c) vs. Rocko Daymon
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The Shadow Pope
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Unto the Breach
(FADEIN on the IWF banner. Pan down, slowly, to the broad shoulders and mowhawked head of the Emerald City Champion, Vizier ta Seti. His back is to the camera.)
VIZIER ta SETI: Tick... tick... tick. Time is ticking away for Rocko Daymon. Time is ticking away until the moment that he steps into the ring with The One Who Saw All, and fulfills his obligation to be the first man to receive a shot at the Emerald City Championship.
Time is ticking away until the hometown hero faces off with the arrogant upstart.
In other words...
(He turns around, his eyes closed - but eyeballs are painted on his closed lids, giving him an unsettling, unblinking look.)
VIZIER ta SETI: Time is running out for Rocko Daymon.
(The Emerald City Championship belt is over his shoulder, and he has one hand on the strap while the other holds the microphone.)
VIZIER ta SETI: In case you were wondering, Rocko...as much as your ego might say otherwise, you are the arrogant upstart.
You might have been born and raised just down the road, but tell me, Rocko - what have you done for the Emerald City lately? For that matter, what have you done for the IWF... ever?
Were you part of the IWF from the beginning, lending what celebrity you might still have to the increasing strength of the company that your hometown is trying to grow?
Of course not... you signed your name to some kind of contract for a shot at my Emerald City Championship, then you screwed the fans. And I know, you spent the night of Chain Reaction 4 in James Witherhold's trunk, but where were you when we were promoting your big return? Where were you when we were selling your big return?
Were you in James Witherhold's trunk for two weeks, Rocko?
I gave you a pass on missing our match, and I even publicly apologized for that particular criticism, but that's all you get with me: a pass on one night.
Your rant at Chain Reaction 5 used up any remaining credit you might have had with me.
(At that, Vizier opened his eyes.)
VIZIER ta SETI: The fans cheered for you, Rocko... because you were refunding their money. What about their time and their faith, is that so easily repaired? If you were so intent on making things right with the fans, you would have used your time and money to explain your predicament as soon as possible, you wouldn't have waited until you could get applause for a sad sack story about why you didn't make your contracted appearance.
What was it, Rocko? Honor? Integrity? Respect?
You stepped into my backyard and lectured me on honor, integrity, and respect. By questioning mine when my rage was focused on how the fans were cheated, you've proven to me that you have earned none of them from me.
So here's what happens next, Rocko. You are welcome to step back into my home one more time and you are welcome to take your best shot at my Championship belt... and if you prove to me that you sufficiently respect the International Wrestling Federation, its fans, and their Champion... then you have my approval to stay.
(He closed his eyes again and stepped forward, putting his face and the unblinking eyes directly into the camera lens.)
VIZIER ta SETI: But if you walk into my backyard again and act as if you're the most important part of a company that was functioning fine without you... and will thrive and grow long after you've moved on...
Well... I won't need a second story window to remove you from the IWF.
Your choice.
(FADEOUT)
(FADEIN on the IWF banner. Pan down, slowly, to the broad shoulders and mowhawked head of the Emerald City Champion, Vizier ta Seti. His back is to the camera.)
VIZIER ta SETI: Tick... tick... tick. Time is ticking away for Rocko Daymon. Time is ticking away until the moment that he steps into the ring with The One Who Saw All, and fulfills his obligation to be the first man to receive a shot at the Emerald City Championship.
Time is ticking away until the hometown hero faces off with the arrogant upstart.
In other words...
(He turns around, his eyes closed - but eyeballs are painted on his closed lids, giving him an unsettling, unblinking look.)
VIZIER ta SETI: Time is running out for Rocko Daymon.
(The Emerald City Championship belt is over his shoulder, and he has one hand on the strap while the other holds the microphone.)
VIZIER ta SETI: In case you were wondering, Rocko...as much as your ego might say otherwise, you are the arrogant upstart.
You might have been born and raised just down the road, but tell me, Rocko - what have you done for the Emerald City lately? For that matter, what have you done for the IWF... ever?
Were you part of the IWF from the beginning, lending what celebrity you might still have to the increasing strength of the company that your hometown is trying to grow?
Of course not... you signed your name to some kind of contract for a shot at my Emerald City Championship, then you screwed the fans. And I know, you spent the night of Chain Reaction 4 in James Witherhold's trunk, but where were you when we were promoting your big return? Where were you when we were selling your big return?
Were you in James Witherhold's trunk for two weeks, Rocko?
I gave you a pass on missing our match, and I even publicly apologized for that particular criticism, but that's all you get with me: a pass on one night.
Your rant at Chain Reaction 5 used up any remaining credit you might have had with me.
(At that, Vizier opened his eyes.)
VIZIER ta SETI: The fans cheered for you, Rocko... because you were refunding their money. What about their time and their faith, is that so easily repaired? If you were so intent on making things right with the fans, you would have used your time and money to explain your predicament as soon as possible, you wouldn't have waited until you could get applause for a sad sack story about why you didn't make your contracted appearance.
What was it, Rocko? Honor? Integrity? Respect?
You stepped into my backyard and lectured me on honor, integrity, and respect. By questioning mine when my rage was focused on how the fans were cheated, you've proven to me that you have earned none of them from me.
So here's what happens next, Rocko. You are welcome to step back into my home one more time and you are welcome to take your best shot at my Championship belt... and if you prove to me that you sufficiently respect the International Wrestling Federation, its fans, and their Champion... then you have my approval to stay.
(He closed his eyes again and stepped forward, putting his face and the unblinking eyes directly into the camera lens.)
VIZIER ta SETI: But if you walk into my backyard again and act as if you're the most important part of a company that was functioning fine without you... and will thrive and grow long after you've moved on...
Well... I won't need a second story window to remove you from the IWF.
Your choice.
(FADEOUT)
Once you've come this far...
(FADE IN: The Dojo. Class is in session. The future followers of the Path stand in a semi-circle in the ring, waiting to be addressed by their honorable Iemoto. The door to the back comes open, and FRANK ARES steps through first, stepping to the side to make way for the wrestling school's founder and acclaimed former World Champion of professional wrestling, "THE UNDYING" ROCKO DAYMON.)
(There's a grave look in the veteran's deep-set eyes as he quickly makes his way up the steps and climbs through the ropes. The class, in unison, drop to a kneeling position, like a baseball team taking a knee around their coach. Daymon takes a brief glance at his class and notices minus about five or six from its regular number.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Looks like we had a few drop-outs, Frank...
(Standing just over his shoulder, Frank Ares lets out a brief and neutral groan of thought.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
I suppose it's to be expected, right? The master doesn't look quite so masterful when he takes a loss, does he?
But whatever... we don't need them. If a single match is all it takes to make or break one's conviction, then he isn't prepared to follow the Path.
For those of you that remain... for those of you who haven't lost the will to keep on learning and growing... take that match at Chain Reaction 6 as a lesson. Learn from the mistakes I made, so that you may take care not to repeat them.
(One of the students raises his hand. Is it any surprise to learn that it's KERRY KUROYAMA? Though out of action for some time due to a shoulder injury while training, the young IWF original has come without the cast and looks ready to hop back into the ring at any time.)
Kerry Kuroyama
Forgive me, sensei... but where exactly did you make a mistake? The way we see it, had Seti not come out to the ring right when you were ready to put it away, you wouldn't have been distracted and would have won the match.
(A few others among the class nod and voice their agreement.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Yes, that may be true... but I can't control when and where Vizier ta Seti chooses to be. In fact, I can't control anything but my own actions... and there will always come a time in that ring when something you can't possibly control brings you something you can't possibly expect. When that time comes, keeping your focus on the opponent is paramount above all else.
Now, you should all know that in certain instances, anything can and WILL happen. It really doesn't matter how strong or skilled you are... it doesn't matter if the fans chant your name... because even a moment's loss of concentration is enough to put you on your shoulders for three.
I made that mistake, and now I'll forever live under the burden of having lost a match to some jackass who calls himself "Perfection"...
(The class chuckles... but Rocko is not amused.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Defeat is inevitable... but it's important to know that defeat is not death. The Mission continues... and from one lesson, we move on to the next. My carelessness cost me a chance at vengeance against Perfection... but I won't let that happen again.
At Chain Reaction 7, I will finally meet Vizier ta Seti in the IWF ring. He's putting his belt on the line... and I'm putting up my pride.
Initially, I wanted no part in this. I wanted to leave IWF for YOU... the future of this sport. But the Path intertwined my destiny with Seti's, and so thus was I brought into a situation where no victory is possible.
If I win the match, I become Emerald City Champion... an honor best left to someone who could benefit from such a title. Personally speaking, I've got enough hanging on the wall over there to leave me satisfied. But usurping this champion would not benefit me... and it would not benefit this federation.
If I lose... then a core part of the fans would be led to believe that everything that I have worked for all these years... everything WE stand for here at the Dojo... it would be nothing more than a lie.
(He closes his eyes and shakes his head.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Four years ago... I probably wouldn't have had the courage to go through with something like this. But that was 2008... before I discovered the Mission. There's no more walking away once you've come this far.
(He pauses for a beat.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Seti wonders what I've done for this city and this federation lately to claim it as my own. I say to him... look around.
(He holds out his hands and the class takes a moment to look over the Dojo and its meaning.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
After fourteen years of travelling the globe, I've RETURNED to Seattle, and spent every last dime of my earnings to build this school. I did it more than just to pass down my knowledge and experience... I did it to give IWF and its future generations of fans a future generation of professional wrestling it could be PROUD of.
It's not about what I've done for this city... it's what YOU will do when your time is ready, my students.
My career is past me... but yours is just beginning. Men will eventually grow old... myths may one day be forgotten... but LEGENDS will never die. And my legacy will live on through those of you who continue to follow the Path.
Certainly you've all heard the recent news... that the circus will be leaving town and taking its act down the West Coast. The International Wrestling Federation is growing beyond this city. Sooner or later, the Emerald City Title will be dissolved into something more widespread.
That's where WE come in. No matter how tall the tree grows, it's ROOT will always be set here in Seattle... and as long as the Dojo is a part of IWF, those fans will always remember that!
(The students watch with captivation, hanging on their sensei's every word.)
"The Undying" Rocko
I don't know what the outcome of this match will be, and frankly, neither outcome is fairly appealing... but all the same, I will fight this match as if it were my last.
I'll fight to WIN...
To prove that Vizier ta Seti is all mouth and no mettle, and NOT the champion this federation deserves...
To finish my career in the very city that brought me up and into this business.
I'll fight to make you PROUD, my students... to show you the unyielding power of the Path... and the undying persistence of the Mission.
(He removes his robe, folding it up and handing it over to Frank.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
With that out of the way...
(He now stands in his ring gear... silver, brown trim. The aged tattoos crossing the back part of his torso look like a coat of arms of noble savagery. A curl appears in his lip... is it a smile?)[/B]
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
We begin today's first formal lesson.
A lesson, for you... TRAINING, for me.
So... who's first?
(Cut to black.)
(FADE IN: The Dojo. Class is in session. The future followers of the Path stand in a semi-circle in the ring, waiting to be addressed by their honorable Iemoto. The door to the back comes open, and FRANK ARES steps through first, stepping to the side to make way for the wrestling school's founder and acclaimed former World Champion of professional wrestling, "THE UNDYING" ROCKO DAYMON.)
(There's a grave look in the veteran's deep-set eyes as he quickly makes his way up the steps and climbs through the ropes. The class, in unison, drop to a kneeling position, like a baseball team taking a knee around their coach. Daymon takes a brief glance at his class and notices minus about five or six from its regular number.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Looks like we had a few drop-outs, Frank...
(Standing just over his shoulder, Frank Ares lets out a brief and neutral groan of thought.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
I suppose it's to be expected, right? The master doesn't look quite so masterful when he takes a loss, does he?
But whatever... we don't need them. If a single match is all it takes to make or break one's conviction, then he isn't prepared to follow the Path.
For those of you that remain... for those of you who haven't lost the will to keep on learning and growing... take that match at Chain Reaction 6 as a lesson. Learn from the mistakes I made, so that you may take care not to repeat them.
(One of the students raises his hand. Is it any surprise to learn that it's KERRY KUROYAMA? Though out of action for some time due to a shoulder injury while training, the young IWF original has come without the cast and looks ready to hop back into the ring at any time.)
Kerry Kuroyama
Forgive me, sensei... but where exactly did you make a mistake? The way we see it, had Seti not come out to the ring right when you were ready to put it away, you wouldn't have been distracted and would have won the match.
(A few others among the class nod and voice their agreement.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Yes, that may be true... but I can't control when and where Vizier ta Seti chooses to be. In fact, I can't control anything but my own actions... and there will always come a time in that ring when something you can't possibly control brings you something you can't possibly expect. When that time comes, keeping your focus on the opponent is paramount above all else.
Now, you should all know that in certain instances, anything can and WILL happen. It really doesn't matter how strong or skilled you are... it doesn't matter if the fans chant your name... because even a moment's loss of concentration is enough to put you on your shoulders for three.
I made that mistake, and now I'll forever live under the burden of having lost a match to some jackass who calls himself "Perfection"...
(The class chuckles... but Rocko is not amused.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Defeat is inevitable... but it's important to know that defeat is not death. The Mission continues... and from one lesson, we move on to the next. My carelessness cost me a chance at vengeance against Perfection... but I won't let that happen again.
At Chain Reaction 7, I will finally meet Vizier ta Seti in the IWF ring. He's putting his belt on the line... and I'm putting up my pride.
Initially, I wanted no part in this. I wanted to leave IWF for YOU... the future of this sport. But the Path intertwined my destiny with Seti's, and so thus was I brought into a situation where no victory is possible.
If I win the match, I become Emerald City Champion... an honor best left to someone who could benefit from such a title. Personally speaking, I've got enough hanging on the wall over there to leave me satisfied. But usurping this champion would not benefit me... and it would not benefit this federation.
If I lose... then a core part of the fans would be led to believe that everything that I have worked for all these years... everything WE stand for here at the Dojo... it would be nothing more than a lie.
(He closes his eyes and shakes his head.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Four years ago... I probably wouldn't have had the courage to go through with something like this. But that was 2008... before I discovered the Mission. There's no more walking away once you've come this far.
(He pauses for a beat.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
Seti wonders what I've done for this city and this federation lately to claim it as my own. I say to him... look around.
(He holds out his hands and the class takes a moment to look over the Dojo and its meaning.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
After fourteen years of travelling the globe, I've RETURNED to Seattle, and spent every last dime of my earnings to build this school. I did it more than just to pass down my knowledge and experience... I did it to give IWF and its future generations of fans a future generation of professional wrestling it could be PROUD of.
It's not about what I've done for this city... it's what YOU will do when your time is ready, my students.
My career is past me... but yours is just beginning. Men will eventually grow old... myths may one day be forgotten... but LEGENDS will never die. And my legacy will live on through those of you who continue to follow the Path.
Certainly you've all heard the recent news... that the circus will be leaving town and taking its act down the West Coast. The International Wrestling Federation is growing beyond this city. Sooner or later, the Emerald City Title will be dissolved into something more widespread.
That's where WE come in. No matter how tall the tree grows, it's ROOT will always be set here in Seattle... and as long as the Dojo is a part of IWF, those fans will always remember that!
(The students watch with captivation, hanging on their sensei's every word.)
"The Undying" Rocko
I don't know what the outcome of this match will be, and frankly, neither outcome is fairly appealing... but all the same, I will fight this match as if it were my last.
I'll fight to WIN...
To prove that Vizier ta Seti is all mouth and no mettle, and NOT the champion this federation deserves...
To finish my career in the very city that brought me up and into this business.
I'll fight to make you PROUD, my students... to show you the unyielding power of the Path... and the undying persistence of the Mission.
(He removes his robe, folding it up and handing it over to Frank.)
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
With that out of the way...
(He now stands in his ring gear... silver, brown trim. The aged tattoos crossing the back part of his torso look like a coat of arms of noble savagery. A curl appears in his lip... is it a smile?)[/B]
"The Undying" Rocko Daymon
We begin today's first formal lesson.
A lesson, for you... TRAINING, for me.
So... who's first?
(Cut to black.)