Our story continues not with the regal trappings of a queen’s abode, but something much more modest. No luxurious velvet carpet lines the floor. Not a single framed picture on the wall nor a chandelier in sight. This is not the den of the Crimson Queen after all. Nobody would call the solid oak vanity in view anything less than high quality of course. Added to the modest furnishings of a double bed and padded chair, along with walls painted a light red, it’s perfectly respectable. Compared to the opulence one expects from Queen’s Court, however, it’s very pedestrian and oddly unremarkable. That suits Arisa Hoshiki just fine, she doesn’t need anything fancy. Anything more than this would both be too much and overshadow the woman whose irreplaceable friendship has resurrected Arisa’s career.
She’s come here a few times since surprising the so-called experts and joining Queen’s Court. In a bustling world with new things firing out of the social media machine gun, it’s a nice respite. Just a small, comfortable little place where she can be alone with her thoughts and not have the aggravating interruptions of the outside world. That world’s become increasingly unpredictable and dangerous for Queen’s Court and herself in recent weeks. Fools who can’t accept that Utami is simply superior to every other so-called star in the sport. Idiots blinded by their own self-importance to the point that they can’t see the truth when it’s staring them right in the face. Pathetic.
Or is it? All of the pain of the past two years, all of the setbacks and failings, all the hurt and sadness. These are the things which drove her into the arms of the Crimson Queen. What she’s done since returning is merely to ensure that no one forgets her ever again. Two years as a ghost is more than enough for several lifetimes. As she looks into the mirror, a dispassionate young woman watches her back. This is a woman who’s assaulted the world champion in her hometown just to make a point. A woman who ruined the celebration of the new champion on behalf of her new friend who rightfully belonged in that spotlight. The Dark Star, full of a fury an forcefulness that’s thrust the name of Arisa Hoshiki right back into the public’s attention.
But has it been fulfilling? Enjoyable? Certainly being in front of people to tell them how much they’ve hurt her and how little she cares for their perception of her has been cathartic. Embarrassing their heroes week in and week out makes her feel powerful where she’d been helpless as a backstage personality. She’s not sure she’d call it ‘fun’ though. Fun’s overrated though, it’s something that losers with smiles plastered on their faces for the sake of others pretend to have. Yeah, that’s not her anymore.
As her eyes flit down to the one decoration upon the mirror, Arisa begins to feel that odd sense of ambition she’s had the past month or so. Taped to the mirror are photos of two women whom have been on her mind since she returned. One is the EBWF Women’s Champion Tam Nakano. Someone whose overriding desire to be loved by the fans should make Arisa hate her. A weakling just like she’d been but yet Tam’s awoken a fire that Arisa didn’t know she had within her. She’ll get to Tam soon enough though. That other woman gracing her mirror, though? Arisa’s terrified of what she stands for. Why she keeps this picture is beyond her, but the woman’s never far from her deepest thoughts. That’s beside the point too.
Her eyes fall downwards and rest on a third portrait in her hands. One more to add to the mirror as a focus for the most immediate of futures. A putridly smiling face which vapidly returns her gaze without any real purpose. Honestly it makes sense that Britt Baker is a dentist when she’s not wrestling. The empty smiling stare she displays in her official portrait would be more at home in a billboard with some corny pun about teeth than in a wrestling ring. This is the woman who’s next on the Dark Star’s hit list. The next woman whose head she’s going to kick into the third row. Arisa tapes the portrait onto the treated glass and stares daggers at the woman in it.
This is the entitled woman who thinks she can just make a whole night about herself even as doom waited on the horizon. Someone whose catch phrase was just a job description. Someone who, somehow, had been a world champion for the better part of a year! Now someone whose complete attention Arisa had, and someone Arisa’s quickly finding she can't stand. As she gazes upon that ridiculous empty smile and stupid hairstyle, Arisa’s frustration mounts and the fires of her anger are stoked. This is the woman thought by everyone to be the best in the world for most of 2022. A dentist who wasn’t being honest with herself. Thoughts of all kinds of violence to inflict upon Britt fly through Arisa’s mind as she leans closer to the mirror. She idly wonders if Britt has an industry discount for dental work; Britt might well need some after this fight is over. That thought makes her snicker, and Arisa sits back with a confident smile.
Arisa Hoshiki: “Whatever legend you’ve built up, Doc, it’s meaningless now. I’m gonna expose you to the world and force you to bow at the feet of a superior woman.”
Her arm stretches forward and rips the portrait off her mirror. Once again that girl in the mirror stares back at her, and this time the competitive fire fills her eyes.
Arisa Hoshiki: “Time to show Britt Baker who I really am.”
*****
Capital One Arena
Washington, D.C.
12/12/22
Our scene opens with a shot of a locker room door upon which is a red placard held in a metallic golden frame. Scrolled across it are the words ‘Queen’s Court’. Yet there’s no sign of the Crimson Queen or her Dangerous Princess, just an eerie silence. After a silent, foreboding moment, the door opens and Arisa Hoshiki stands in the doorway. Her ‘Dark Star’ t-shirt is a little loose fitting over her ring gear and her smile is dangerous.
Arisa Hoshiki: “Oh good, you made it. Look I know you’re used to the privilege of filming the best, most dominant wrestler in the world but tonight isn’t about my friend Utami. Tonight it’s about me, the distant forgotten star of this sport. So I invited you here to record a very special message I have for my opponent.”
She waggles her finger as in invitation for the camera to come closer.
Arisa Hoshiki: “To be honest, this is probably the only way to make sure that the Doc gets the message. If I went up to her to say it to her face, she wouldn’t be able to hear me over the sound of her own voice. She’s the kind of person who talks a lot just to hear the sound of her own annoying voice. Most of the words that come out of her mouth are the same old repeated phrases over and over again. Doc, don’t you realize they don’t get any more true no matter how many times you repeat them? By sending you this personalized message, I’m pretty sure you’ll actually shut your mouth and listen to what someone else is saying for a change.”
Arisa smirks as she continues.
Arisa Hohshiki: “What’s more annoying is that when you do have something to say there’s a real fire behind your words. When it’s important, the whole world knows you mean exactly what you’re saying and that you’re very capable of backing it up in the ring. After all you wouldn’t have been the EBWF Women’s Champion if that wasn’t the case, right? Take last week! The way you spoke to the helpless rookie like she was some little insect that you were going to stomp out? You meant it. There was no lie there, just the honest brutality of the violence you unleashed on her. But that’s the thing, Doc. Those moments of clarity where you’re showing who you really are? Those are rare these days. It’s something that drives me crazy about you.”
She rolls her eyes.
Arisa Hoshiki: “Now not a lot people will notice it, and I’m sure you’d deny it the moment I bring it up. But I realized it the moment that I first saw you forcing yourself down everyone’s throats every week on Warfare. Even when I was stuck in an office backstage and watching you on a screen, it was loud and clear to me. You, Dr. Britt Baker, DMD, are denying who you really are. Instead of embracing the real woman inside of you, you’re sticking an empty smile on your face and trying desperately to get people to like you. I know because that’s exactly what I used to do. And that’s how I know that what you’re showing to the world every week is just a facade that you’re hiding the real, desperate Britt Baker behind.”
For a moment Arisa flashes a goofy smile to drive her point home. Then her expression grows deadly serious again.
Arisa Hoshiki: “When you were the champion, you had the run of this place and that power went right to your head. It made you believe that you were truly the best in the world, a woman who no one in the world could stop, didn’t it? Every day you woke up still champion, you got convinced of that a little more until you became more insufferable than ever. You let it convince you that you were the face of women’s wrestling, not just EBWF. Even before you started vomiting empty words every week you were already so deluded that you couldn’t see the truth. Maybe you realized that you weren’t as good as you thought you were when you had a dangerous woman on your doorstep trying to take that title. Maybe it was when the Crimson Queen arrived and you had to look at someone who was better than you for the first time. You got scared and that title wasn’t enough reassurance that you were good enough, so you started forcing that smile onto your face and begging for the fickle fans to shower you with appreciation. Pathetic.”
Arsia rolls her eyes again.
Arisa Hoshiki: “That one knee to the face really got you worked up, didn’t it Doc? One small action from the Dark Star and you got all upset ahead of the biggest match of your reign. That’s how I knew you weren’t anything close to what I thought you were. Realizing that just made me more and more annoyed that you keep ripping away the spotlight to keep it on yourself. Despite the evidence to the contrary you still keep insisting that you’re the best in this sport and that the fans love you. The second thing doesn’t matter, they’ll forget all about you if you even take a week off and then they’ll find someone else to pretend they love. But that first part? That’s what I’m going to force you to give up on tonight. Because no matter how many times you say it, it’s not true.”
She steps back from the camera and folds her arms over her chest.
Arisa Hoshiki: “You like to talk about how hard you worked and how you earned the spot you’ve gotten in EBWF. Is that really true? Because from where I’m sitting it sure seems like you’re coasting on a mistaken reputation that you built after having an opportunity handed to you. You’ve had setbacks sure but are those anything close to what I’ve been through? No. You’ve been the biggest fish in the pond so long you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be challenged. You combine that complacency with the lies you keep telling yourself and the world and you’re in for a rude awakening tonight.”
A cold edge is added to her words as she continues.
Arisa Hoshiki:“Because tonight you’ve chosen to fight the most dangerous woman in EBWF. While you were being given a golden opportunity in Florida I was fighting every single day through the worst physical an emotional pain you can imagine just to have a chance to get back into the ring. While you coasted along on that misinformed reputation I was constantly working to forge my body into the best shape it’s ever been in. While you were singing your own praises week after week I was shedding blood, sweat and tears to squeeze out every last ounce of weakness I let= into my body. You made yourself desperate for approval, I made myself a living weapon capable of ending a fool’s career in one kick. We’re not the same, and I am better than you.”
There’s a fire burning in her eyes as she steps closer to the camera again.
Arisa Hoshiki: “So tonight you need to rip that empty smile from your face and fight like you mean it. Put those cold words full of such violent promise into action and unleash the violent, selfish woman you really are behind that friendly mask. Fight like your career’s on the line because when you’re fighting me, that’s a distinct possibility. Just ask Mina Shirakawa if I’m bluffing. I might not be out to force you into retirement, but your head would be a good trophy to give to my queen.”
A pause, and then she concludes.
Arisa Hoshiki: “I’m sure you think I’ve got ring rust and I’m not as good as I used to be. Fine, tell yourself one more set of lies if it makes you feel better, Doc. The fact is that I’m finally honest about who I am and what I want, and I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes to get it. You might be the former EBWF Women’s Champion, but I’m the next[/i ]EBWF Women’s Champion. Tonight’s gonna be good preparation for that, Doc. I know the champ’s gonna be watching, so I’m gonna make sure she gets the message by breaking your body and spirit completely. After I kick your teeth down your throat and your head into the third row, the Doctor will be Out. I will do what you couldn't and beat Tam Nakano for the title, but tonight the Dark Star is eclipsing Britt Baker.”